912 Patriots of Lower Bucks - Your Daily Updates ALL in ONE Place!
May 27, 2013
Quote:
"No experiment can be more interesting than that we are now trying, and which we trust will end in establishing the fact, that man may be governed by reason and truth. Our first object should therefore be, to leave open to him all the avenues to truth. The most effectual hitherto found, is the freedom of the press. It is, therefore, the first shut up by those who fear the investigation of their actions."
Richard Arvine Overton, who is 107-years-old and believed to be the oldest living American veteran, plans to spend his Memorial Day as he always does: smoking cigars on his front porch (!) and drinking a little bit of whiskey (via Fox News):
Overton, who is believed to be the nation's oldest veteran, told FoxNews.com he'll likely spend the day on the porch of his East Austin home with a cigar nestled in his right hand, perhaps with a cup of whiskey-stiffened coffee nearby.
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WND EXCLUSIVE
ANALYSTS: WATCH PHILADELPHIA FOR TERROR ATTACK
Some mosques linked to 'hardline, Islamic worldview'
Some analysts are suggesting Philadelphia, the historic city of "Brotherly Love," is where the nation's next terrorism attack will happen.
Middle East Forum terror analyst Hillel Zaremba said one reason is that the city's mosques - one website lists 24 in the metropolitan area - are tied to a larger network.
"Many of them have ties to Islamist organizations. They have had, I use had, because they've gotten smarter and have scrubbed a lot of their websites of the references," Zaremba said. "But there are very troubling indications of the kinds of things they believe in and the causes they support - that would lead one to believe that they are from a hardline, Islamic worldview."
Zaremba points out that what goes on in the mosque has a lot to do with the radicalization process.
"You can say a lot of things about the training. You can say a lot of things about infidels, you can say a lot of things about the whole Israel-Palestine, the Palestinian nexus," Zaremba said.
"You can have 'Reliance of the Traveler.' You can have a copy of that in your mosque and it's certainly helping to develop an atmosphere, in my mind, an attitude that contributes to someone going over and becoming violent," Zaremba said.
John Guandolo is a former FBI counterterrorism specialist and terrorism analyst. He's also president of Guandolo and Associates, and has said, "'Reliance of the Traveler' is the single most authoritative book on Islamic law."
Dave Gaubatz, co-author of "Muslim Mafia," said that he's researched Philadelphia mosques and confirms that the city's locations present a very real danger.
"They rated very high for the likelihood for future terrorist attacks," Gaubatz said.
Since the IRS scam has become the most momentous topic of the day, we now know, thanks to my father, that Obama's brother, Malik Obama, is deeply associated with Omar al-Bashir, the one who was behind the attack on the US embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, which occurred at around the same time as the Benghazi attack. I was the first to write on this in English when the attack first happened, stating:
The attacks by Muslims on American embassies in Egypt and Libya has shocked the media enough, but now North Sudan has just exploded, with mobs raiding both the British, German and American embassies. Who is responsible? According to Al-Rakoba, a Sudanese news site, it is Omar al-Bashir, the president of North Sudan, and his despotic government who is behind this. Al-Bashir is a modern Hitler, an Islamic tyrant responsible for the deaths of over three-million people, all in the name of Jihad and war against Christians.
Obama's brother is working with an enemy to the United States. Is it any wonder, then, as to why he has been so pompous toward American liberty, and yet so helpful to Bashir?
In 2012 I wrote an article showing how while Obama has supported the Islamic uprisings in the Middle East, he has in fact stopped a revolution against the Hitler of Africa, Omar al-Bashir, who has been responsible for the deaths of over three million people. I wrote:
The support of the rebels in Syria, and the condemnation of Assad, by the Obama administration can only make one question as to why he is against this particular regimen, but not that of Omar al-Bashir, the tyrant who has been responsible for the deaths of millions through the Jihad that he has commenced against Christians and the non-Arab Muslims of Darfur.
In fact, Obama had at one point in time prevented Salva Kiir, [the Christian president] president of South Sudan, from aiding rebels who wanted to topple al-Bashir's regime, and replace it with a secular government.
Malik is the Executive Secretary for the Islamic Da'wa Organization (IDO), which is stationed in Khartoum, Sudan, and which has its primary focus in expanding Wahhabist Islam in the African subcontinent. It was also in Khartoum, as I have written on before, where Bashir declared that he was going to make Sudan's new constitution "100 percent Islamic".
Malik Obama shares the same desires as Bashir, in fact both of them attended the General Conference of the Islamic Council of South Sudan, and both attended a meeting for the Board of Trustees of the Islamic Da'wa Organization, in which Bashir said
DOJ Begged Judge to Keep Fox Reporter in Dark About Monitoring
Friday, 24 May 2013 09:19 PM
By Todd Beamon
Department begged a federal judge to not tell Fox News reporter James Rosen that it was tracking his telephone calls and emails in a probe regarding a national security leak.
U.S. Attorney Ron Machen argued in 2010 that the traditional 30-day notice period did not apply to Rosen as Justice secretly monitored his Gmail account, according to new exhibits unsealed this week and disclosed by The Hill.
"Where, as here, the government seeks such contents through a search warrant, no notice to the subscriber or customer of the e-mail account is statutorily required or necessary," Machen wrote in a June 2010 motion. "Thus, this court's indication on the face of the warrant that delayed notice of 30 days to the customer and subscriber was permissible was unnecessary."
Machen, through another request granted by the court, stopped Google from telling Rosen that Justice was spying on his e-mail account, the Hill reports.
The prosecutor had demanded to see all of Rosen's emails - including deleted messages, emails in his trash folder and all attachments sent to and from him.
The original warrant in the Rosen case was signed personally by Attorney General Eric Holder, NBC News reported this week.
Please stop using Gmail. Gmail is part of Zgoogle and Google sits on the right hand of President Obama. They track everything that you do. James Rosen of Fox News used Gmail.
Google Needs Extra Time to Spy on Your Kids
It seems that Google is constantly falling afoul of conservatives, consumers, pundits, regulators and really everyone else on earth (except for the Obama campaign) for its privacy-infringing tendencies.
It got hammered for "alleged" spying in the Safarigate scandal, where it wound up agreeing to a record-breaking $22.5 million fine in connection with charges it surreptitiously tracked Apple Safari users who Google had said could opt out of tracking, and did what Google said was necessary to opt out. This spying of course enabled Google to grab data it shouldn't have had, to improve its highly profitable targeted ad business, and do it in a way that amounted to a violation of its contract with users. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
You are invited to join a conference call with Glenn Beck on Wednesday, May 29 at 12:00 PM Eastern (11:00 AM Central, 10:00 AM Mountain, 9:00 AM Pacific). Glenn will address the mounting threats to Israel and what we can do to stand with Israel today.
We are only able to reserve a limited number of lines for this conference call. Please click herenow to sign up before the call is filled. We are providing access to this call on a first-come first-serve basis.
Memorial Day Parade!
Monday, May 27th starts @10:00 am
Meet at CB West HS between 9-9:45am
We are in Red staging area, group #29
Bring your American and Gadsden Flags!!
Party at Anastasia's House following the parade
17 Meadow Lane, Doylestown
Please RSVP so we know how many people to expect!
Patriotic Summer Movie!
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF GODS AND GENERALS AND GETTYSBURG COMES THE LIBERTY MOVIE OF THE YEAR
RON MAXWELL'S COPPERHEAD
For anyone who reveres and believes in the preservation of the Constitution of the United States, Copperhead is a must see this summer!
Copperhead is unlike any Civil War movie to date. It is a film of the war at home - of a family ripped apart by war, of a community driven to an appalling act of vengeance against a man who insists on exercising his right to free speech during wartime. A story of the violent passions and burning feuds that set ablaze the homefront during the Civil War, Copperhead the movie is also a timeless and deeply moving examination of the price of dissent, the place of the individual amidst the hysteria of wartime, and the terrible price of war - a cost measured not in dollars but in fractured families, broken loves, and men dead before their time.
Based on the extraordinary novel by Harold Frederic, who witnessed these conflicts firsthand as a small child, Copperhead tells the story of Abner Beech, a stubborn and righteous farmer of Upstate New York, who defies his neighbors and his government in the bloody and contentious autumn of 1862.
May 24, 2013, 5 PM
Dear Members and Friends,
This Memorial weekend, we not only commemorate the sacrifices of those who have given their lives in service to our country, we are also praying for the victims, living and deceased, of Monday's Oklahoma tornados.
Below are links to three worthy charities providing relief to the those left devastated by the disaster.
Also this weekend, we recommend the biopic 42, the Jackie Robinson story,
playing at a theatre near you. It is an uplifting, well-crafted quintessential American story with terrific performances and amazing sets.
Last, but not least, we hope to see you at tomorrow's noontime national
Save the 2nd Rally on Independence Mall. (Poster below--checkout the lineup!)
As the weather at the shore and poconos is expected to be windy & cold, we think you might be happier at the cradle of liberty celebrating the 2nd Amendment.
Hope to see you!
On behalf of the Association Board,
Teri Adams
The Independence Hall Tea Party Association is a regional, tri-state (DE, PA,NJ) grassroots organization officially formed in May, 2009 after a successful Tax Week Tea Party . Its mission is to educate the general public regarding the principles of limited government as enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. Visit us @ www.IndependenceHallTeaParty.com.
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
Americans for Prosperity-Pennsylvania would like to invite you to join us for a
Lobbying Day at the Capitol on Tuesday, June 4that 10am.
Several important pieces of legislation have been introduced that will begin to restore Pennsylvania to its rightful place as a leader in innovation and provide the opportunity to bring our cash-strapped state budget back to fiscal health.
If we are going to change our state, we have to join together and let our elected officials hear from us!
The legislative session is quickly coming to a close. This may be our last chance to make our voices heard on the issues that impact our families.
Please plan to join us in Harrisburg on Tuesday, June 4th!
Buses will be coming from Pennsburg, Allentown, and Reading as well as Media and King of Prussia and Doylestown and Langhorne.
After a morning welcome gathering, please join AFP-PA to lobby your representative and senator about issues that are of vital importance to the future of our state including: Pension Reform, Common Core, Prevailing Wage, a Tax Cut for Job Creators, Right to Work, Employee Paycheck Protection, Liquor Privatization, Death Tax Elimination, and halting the Obamacare Medicaid Expansion.
A legislative lunch panel will follow with state legislators, as well as break out sessions on how to effectively influence government policy,and a presentation about the problems with Common Core by grassroots leaders and former gubernatorial candidate Peg Luksik!
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
AGENDA 21 RESOURCE PAGEs
Agenda 21 and the impact on personal property rights and land rights content, This page is updated often, last update was May 3rd, 2013 about conservation easements by Rick Buchanan The most recent updates are first, but the foundational video series are below. under the
Taking Liberty Video Documentary. We have had several hundred thousand visitors to this page due to its indepth resources on Agenda21 and property rights. You can also search our database of over 15,000 content news and commentary articles for more information. Use the search box in the upper right corner above the newsletter subscription button. Recently the UN website removed some long standing links to the 351 page document on Agenda21 (link below) Just a note: Don't be fooled by the term "non-binding", as that can be easily edited by the removal of 3 letters.
Donna Holt from Campaign for Liberty has also written extensively on this issue and her research provided valuable information both to James Simpson and Right Side News, and most importantly, the citizens of Virginia to get them involved at the local level.
Following is a list of all members representing Pennsylvania in the United States House of Representatives. Their name, party affiliation, office number, phone number and Congressional assignments are listed. You can print this list for immediate reference. If you wish to have the email address of your representative, type in "United States House of Representatives," click on 'Members" and then search for your Congressman's name. Go to his web page, where you will find his email contact page, regional office phone numbers and addresses and, hopefully, other information regarding what he is doing to preserve the Constitution. Please note the committee assignments of each representative. They are very important.
Please pass this information to all those on your list! Thank you.
The Obama campaign played a big role in a liberal onslaught that far pre-dated Citizens United.
The White House insists President Obama is "outraged" by the "inappropriate" targeting and harassment of conservative groups. If true, it's a remarkable turnaround for a man who helped pioneer those tactics.
On Aug. 21, 2008, the conservative American Issues Project ran an ad highlighting ties between candidate Obama and Bill Ayers, formerly of the Weather Underground. The Obama campaign and supporters were furious, and they pressured TV stations to pull the ad-a common-enough tactic in such ad spats.
What came next was not common. Bob Bauer, general counsel for the campaign (and later general counsel for the White House), on the same day wrote to the criminal division of the Justice Department, demanding an investigation into AIP, "its officers and directors," and its "anonymous donors." Mr. Bauer claimed that the nonprofit, as a 501(c)(4), was committing a "knowing and willful violation" of election law, and wanted "action to enforce against criminal violations."
AIP gave Justice a full explanation as to why it was not in violation. It said that it operated exactly as liberal groups like Naral Pro-Choice did. It noted that it had disclosed its donor, Texas businessman Harold Simmons. Mr. Bauer's response was a second letter to Justice calling for the prosecution of Mr. Simmons. He sent a third letter on Sept. 8, again smearing the "sham" AIP's "illegal electoral purpose."
Also on Sept. 8, Mr. Bauer complained to the Federal Election Commission about AIP and Mr. Simmons. He demanded that AIP turn over certain tax documents to his campaign (his right under IRS law), then sent a letter to AIP further hounding it for confidential information (to which he had no legal right).
This Memorial Day, the Heritage family will join all Americans in remembering the service and sacrifices of those who gave all so the rest of us would remain free. There is no greater way to honor their memory than making a personal commitment to serving those who served-our 22 million ...More
It does not say much for contemporary American leadership that a purported ally would stand beside our President at the White House and insist he will defy U.S. policy....»
Schumer, Franken scurry from questions about IRS scandal
On May 21, 2013, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 15-3 to arm "vetted elements of the Syrian opposition" against the government of Bashar al-Assad. This provision was part of a bill co-sponsored by the committee chairman, Senator Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey), and ranking member of the committee, Senator Bob Corker (R-Tennessee). Hailed by its supporters as an overwhelming bipartisan show of support for the Syrian opposition, the bill, entitled "The Syria Transition Support Act," now goes to the floor of the Senate where its fate is uncertain. Nor is the position of the Obama administration on directly arming the Syrian opposition very clear at this moment. Up to this time, the administration has proceeded cautiously.
"The time to act and turn the tide against Assad is now," Senator Menendez said at a hearing on his bill. "The United States must play a role in tipping the scales toward opposition groups and working to build a free and democratic Syria."
Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), along with Democratic Senators Chris Murphy (Connecticut) and Tom Udall (New Mexico) voted against the bill. Senator Paul's proposed amendments striking the bill's weapons provision and ruling out the authorization of the use of military force in Syria were rejected.
Senator Paul tried to introduce a dose of reality into the committee deliberations on the bill, but the bill steamrolled ahead anyway. "This is an important moment," Senator Paul warned. "You will be funding, today, the allies of al Qaeda. It's an irony you cannot overcome."
AG Eric Holder signed off on a controversial search warrant that identified Fox News reporter James Rosen as a "possible co-conspirator" in violations of the Espionage Act and authorized seizure of his private emails.
Obama and Biden met in the Oval Office on Tuesday with three people who are in the country in violation of U.S. immigration laws but who have received "deferred action" allowing them to stay in the country under the terms of a "memorandum" issued unilaterally last year by Napolitano.
Gird your loins, America. President Obama intends to empty out Guantanamo Bay and send scores of suspected Muslim terror operatives back to their jihadist-coddling native countries.
Of the IRS abuse cases that have recently come to light, the use of the IRS to enforce the defunct "Fairness Doctrine" on broadcasters is one of the most disturbing.
We don't know yet how involved the White House was in today's scandals. Yet, at a minimum, they suggest a government filled with sycophants under the sway of Obama's referent power.
Such a step would significantly help protect globally the freedom of speech and religion desperately needed by Christians in particular while countering Islamic fanaticism with freedom
"Osama bin Laden is dead. And the remaining leadership of al Qaida is on the run, but the ideology of violent Islamist extremism is rapidly spreading."
Did you know that if everyone who visited our FSM website this year donated just $1, we would easily exceed our annual budget?
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"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
The Weapons Flowing Into, and Out Of, Libya from 2011 to Today
Can you pardon starting your Friday with an NRO article that is "exhaustive, but not exhausting" in the words of an NRO editor? I spent a good chunk of the past week looking into what had been publicly disclosed and reported about arms smuggling in relation to the attack on Benghazi.
Earlier this week, Roger L. Simon of Pajamas Media broke a story with shocking revelations, contending that slain U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens was in Benghazi on September 11 to buy back Stinger missiles from al-Qaeda groups that had been originally provided to them by the U.S. State Department.
Simon cited two former U.S. diplomats:
Stevens' mission in Benghazi, they will say, was to buy back Stinger missiles from al-Qaeda groups issued to them by the State Department, not by the CIA. Such a mission would usually be a CIA effort, but the intelligence agency had opposed the idea because of the high risk involved in arming "insurgents" with powerful weapons that endanger civilian aircraft.
Hillary Clinton still wanted to proceed because, in part, as one of the diplomats said, she wanted "to overthrow [Qaddafi] on the cheap."
This left Stevens in the position of having to clean up the scandalous enterprise when it became clear that the "insurgents" actually were al-Qaeda - indeed, in the view of one of the diplomats, the same group that attacked the consulate and ended up killing Stevens.
A careful review of reports from Libya over the past few years corroborates some parts of that account, but contradicts others:
Some Libyan rebel leaders, including at least one who had spent time in a training camp in Afghanistan and who was in that country in September 2001, specifically asked Western countries to send Stinger missiles.
Qaddafi's intelligence services believed that the rebels were having the missiles smuggled in over the country's southern border - but they believed the French were supplying the missiles.
There is no evidence that the U.S. supplied the weapons, but it appears they gave their blessing to a secret Qatari effort to ship arms across Libya's southern border in violation of a United Nations arms embargo.
Anti-Qaddafi forces also obtained a significant number of anti-aircraft missiles from the regime's bunkers early in the conflict.
Enough Stinger missiles disappeared from regime stockpiles during the civil war to become a high priority and serious worry for the administration.
To save Eric Holder and the Department of Justice the trouble of reading my e-mail or collecting my phone records, all of the information in the article is gathered from public and open sources, both in the U.S. and overseas, and none of it can be considered classified or sensitive.
Eric Holder: Sure, I'm Cool With Snooping Around in James Rosen's E-Mails
Remember how Attorney General Eric Holder recused himself from the decision to seize the phone records of more than 20 office, home and cell phone lines of Associated Press reporters? (Holder never wrote down his formal recusal, of course, so we have to take his word for it.) He recused himself because the attorney general was conceivably a suspect of leaking the classified information and was at one point interviewed by the FBI.
His recusal also seemed to suggest he realized the Justice Department looking through reporters' phone records represented a dramatic expansion of government investigation into how reporters do their work, and that maybe some political survival instinct wanted to keep that controversial move a degree separated from him.
Thursday, we learned that Holder doesn't really have any objection to the government's looking around in a reporter's phone records or e-mails.
Michael Isikoff: "Attorney General Eric Holder signed off on a controversial search warrant that identified Fox News reporter James Rosen as a 'possible co-conspirator' in violations of the Espionage Act and authorized seizure of his private emails, a law enforcement official told NBC News on Thursday."
Lest you think this controversy just represents privileged members of the national news media thinking of themselves as special, a quick refresher. Of course it is often wrong to leak classified information. (I say "often" because our government considers a lot of information "classified," and one way government officials can keep embarrassing information away from a public that has a right to know is to declare it classified.) But even going back to the Pentagon Papers, the crime was committed by the leaker, not by the reporter who received the information and published it. Judges have put injunctions on publishing information, but there has never been an implication that a reporter commits a crime by publishing classified information.
Until now, with Rosen. And while the DOJ hasn't pursued charges yet, by naming James Rosen a co-conspirator in their affidavit, Eric Holder and company are leaving the door open to charge Rosen with conspiracy, a federal crime with a penalty of up to five years in jail and $250,000 fine. This is why it's a big deal - even if Rosen never faces charges, the door has now been opened for some future prosecutor to charge reporters with a fairly serious crime, just for reporting information to the public. This is why most journalists you know are freaking out.
Kristina Ribali: "Will Holder punish Holder with administrative leave?"
John Stanton, the D.C.-bureau chief of BuzzFeed: "So Eric Holder, who signed off on spying on media outfits, is going to head up the Obama administration's review of its media spying rules."
Lois Lerner Punished for Misdeeds with Paid Vacation
Is IRS manager Lois Lerner a ruthless partisan, masterminding the effort to use the Internal Revenue Service (and earlier, the Federal Elections Commission) as a partisan cudgel to punish conservatives and Republican? Or is she just a mid-level soldier in a string of corruption that goes much harder? Is she the malignant tumor on the system of government, or is she the designated scapegoat?
As our Andrew Stiles reports, the one option that can be ruled out was that she was an innocent patsy:
A series of letters suggests that senior IRS official Lois Lerner was directly involved in the agency's targeting of conservative groups as recently as April 2012, more than nine months after she first learned of the activity.
Lerner, the director of the IRS exempt organizations office in Washington, D.C., signed cover letters to 15 conservative organizations currently represented by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) between in March and April of 2012. The letters, such as this one sent to the Ohio Liberty Council on March 16, 2012, informed the groups applying for tax-exempt status that the IRS was "unable to make a final determination on your exempt status without additional information," and included a list of detailed questions of the kind that a Treasury inspector general's audit found to be inappropriate. Some of the groups to which Lerner sent letters are still awaiting approval.
Lerner has denied involvement in the targeting, which she has blamed on a few "front-line people" in the agency's Cincinnati field office. "I have not done anything wrong," she told members of the House oversight committee on Wednesday. However, she then refused to answer any questions, citing protection under the Fifth Amendment. She has since been placed on (paid) administrative leave, and the committee may call her to testify again.
Iowahawk: "Apparently I'm now paying Lois Lerner to not not do anything wrong."
CNN's Dana Bash reports, "Acting IRS chief Werfel telling lawmakers he called Lerner trying to get her to resign. She refused, so he put her on administrative leave."
Stiles adds, "If true, that Lerner was asked to resign but refused, would explain the marching orders given to [liberal columnists Josh] Marshall, [and Ezra] Klein," who visited the White House earlier this week, who called for her resignation after a meeting with the White House.
ADDENDUM: Peggy Noonan, in her column for this weekend: "IRS officials have complained that the law is murky, it's difficult to define what the tax exemption law really means. But they don't have any problem defining it. They defined it with a vengeance."
Posted by Daniel Greenfield @ the Sultan Knish blog19 Comments
The warrior's tale is a simple enough thing. Strong as steel, but fragile as chance. It is the wind in his soul and the wall we build around ourselves to tell us who we are.
Before there were cities or nations, and railways and airports, computers and telephones-- the tale was told around campfires. Acted out in pantomime, dressed up in animal furs and cave paintings. But the tale was the same. The people were confronted with a threat and they called upon the best and strongest of their men to go out and fight it. These were their warriors. What they did in the face of that threat is the tale.
The tale has many variations. Sometimes there are many warriors, sometimes only a handful. They march into the village of the enemy in triumph, or they make a last stand on a rocky outcropping, spending the last of their heart's blood to buy time they will never know. There is the weak man who becomes strong, the strong man who becomes weak, the woman who mourns the man who will never return, and the man who goes off to battle with nothing to lose. These tales have been told countless times in the ages of men, and they will be told again for as long as men endure.
It is not only the warriors who need the tale, or those left behind. Future generation learn who they are from this tale. "We are the people who died for this land," is the unseen moral of each tale. "We bled for it. Now it is yours to bleed and die for."
The warrior's tale tells each generation that they stand on the wall against a hostile world. And that the wall is made not of stones, but of their virtues. Their courage, their integrity and their craft. Theirs is the wall and they are the wall-- and if they should fail, then it will fail. And the land and the people will be swept away.
What happens to a people who forget the warrior's tale and stop telling it around their campfires? Worse , what of a people who are taught to despise the figure of the warrior and what he represents? They will not lose their courage, not all of it. But they will lose the direction of that courage. It will become a sudden unexplained virtue that rises to them out of the depths of danger. And their wall will fail.
Posted by Daniel Greenfield @ the Sultan Knish blog0 Comments
ORWELL LIVES
Witnesses claim it took London police 20 minutes to show up and stop the two Muslim killers. But when it comes to something truly serious, like protecting Muslims from elderly British women, then the coppers were on the case.
"An 85-year-old woman has this afternoon been arrested after abuse was hurled at Muslims outside Gillingham Mosque. The pensioner was handcuffed and taken away in a van by officers attending the Canterbury Street mosque for Friday prayers."
"A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said, "People should stop and think about what they say on social media before making statements as the consequences could be serious."
NOT A BLOODY THING
Scholars of Islam like Prime Minister David Cameron and London Mayor Boris Johnson insisted that the gruesome murder of a British soldier by two Muslims shouting "Allah Akbar" and quoting the Koran had nothing to do with Islam.
However Imam Omar Bakri Muhammad, who influenced Mujaheed Adebowale, the London beheader, disagrees saying, "Under Islam this can be justified",
And what are Imam Omar Bakri Muhammad's thoughts on the human life of non-Muslim civilians?
"We don't make a distinction between civilians and non-civilians, innocents and non-innocents. Only between Muslims and unbelievers. And the life of an unbeliever has no value. It has no sanctity."
May 24, 2013When will the Pentagon properly remember those who were wounded at Ft. Hood?
On Monday, Americans remember those who have fallen in the defense of our country.
In past years, ACT! for America president Brigitte Gabriel has sent out a personal email of thanks to the heroes and their families we remember on Memorial Day. Those who have heard Brigitte speak at our public events know how deeply Brigitte feels about the sacrifices made by those in the military on our behalf.
This is why we are so disturbed about the treatment of our soldiers who were wounded during the jihadist attack at Ft. Hood. Sadly, as we prepare to commemorate Memorial Day 2013, we feel compelled to ask a question of our leadership in the Pentagon.
What we're referring to is an NBC News story below (highlights added).
The May 20th story reports that the Ft. Hood jihadist, Maj. Nidal Hasan, has continued to receive military pay totaling $278,000...
...while the soldiers who were wounded in the attack have been denied medical and other benefits provided to those who are wounded in combat.
The reason for this gross injustice is that the Pentagon has refused to classify the attack as a terrorist attack, calling it an act of "workplace violence" instead.
This is an outrageous and unacceptable capitulation to political correctness.
So while Pentagon leaders remember the fallen on Memorial Day, we would like to know, when will these leaders properly remember those who were wounded at Ft. Hood??
Awaiting Trial, Maj. Nidal Hasan Paid $278,000By SCOTT FRIEDMANNBCDFW.com updated 5/20/2013
The Department of Defense confirms to NBC 5 Investigates that accused Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan has now been paid more than $278,000 since the Nov. 5, 2009 shooting that left 13 dead 32 injured. The Army said under the Military Code of Justice, Hasan's salary cannot be suspended unless he is proven guilty.
If Hasan had been a civilian defense department employee, NBC 5 Investigates has learned, the Army could have suspended his pay after just seven days.
Personnel rules for most civilian government workers allow for "indefinite suspensions" in cases "when the agency has reasonable cause to believe that the employee has committed a crime for which a sentence of imprisonment may be imposed."
Meanwhile, more than three years later soldiers wounded in the mass shooting are fighting to receive the same pay and medical benefits given to those wounded in combat.
Retired Army Spc. Logan Burnett, a reservist who, in 2009, was soon to be deployed to Iraq, was shot three times when a gunman opened fire inside the Army Deployment Center.
"I honestly thought I was going to die in that building," said Burnett. "Just blood everywhere and then the thought of -- that's my blood everywhere."
I will share some reflections on Memorial Day in a few hours, but as we head into this holiday weekend there are some important news items I want to comment on. Here are some brief thoughts on the headlines.
Obama Declares War On Terror Over
Yesterday President Obama tried to change the subject away from all the scandals engulfing his administration by giving a major address on foreign policy. He effectively declared an end to the "global war on terror." Well, we weren't the ones who declared war, and one side doesn't get to unilaterally decide it is over unless they are surrendering.
Obama also announced that he plans to dramatically scale back drone attacks. Ironically, this administration has launched more drone attacks than any previous administration, and it is one of Obama's more popular policies. But Obama announced that future drone strikes would be limited to situations where "there must be near-certainty that no civilians will be killed or injured," meaning there will be far fewer drone strikes against suspected terrorists in the future.
Lastly, the president announced another all-out effort to close Gitmo and bring the terrorist thugs to a prison near you.
Holder Ordered Fox Seizures
NBC News reported last night that Attorney General Eric Holder personally signed the orders to seize personal and work phones and email records of Fox News reporter James Rosen. What is so shocking in this case is that Holder cited the Espionage Act and considered Rosen a criminal co-conspirator and a flight risk!
In response to the growing media outrage, President Obama has ordered the Justice Department to review its guidelines on investigating journalists. In other words, Holder will be reviewing his own work.
Lerner On Leave
Lois Lerner, the director of IRS tax-exempt office at the center of the Tea Party targeting scandal, has been placed on administrative leave with pay after refusing to testify before Congress. Acting IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel reportedly asked for her resignation, but she refused. So, her "punishment" is that she is not allowed to go to work, and your punishment is that you must still continue to pay her!
Boy Scouts Cave
Despite strong opposition from parents and leaders, 1,400 delegates at the Boy Scouts of America's annual meeting voted to reverse the BSA's current membership policy and permit homosexual scouts as members, while continuing to ban homosexual scout masters. With this decision the BSA has demoralized its strongest supporters and guaranteed that it will have fewer defenders in the future.
Meanwhile the left is not satisfied with this so-called "compromise." Homosexual rights groups are demanding a role in enforcing the new policy, and they are also vowing to keep pressuring the Scouts until they lift the ban on gay leaders.
Zionist Organization of America
NEWS RELEASE
Hundreds Of ZOA Activists On Capitol Hill: Tighten Screws/Possible Military Action On Iran -- Stop Aid to P.A. & Arms/Aid to Egypt
Hundreds of activists from 16 states across the country, from California to Ohio, to Pennsylvania and Florida, participated in the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA)'s Annual Advocacy Mission to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Meeting with over a hundred Members of Congress and their legislative assistants, ZOA activists urged them to:
1). Support Israel's right to military self-defense against Iran's illegal, threatening nuclear weapons program and impose new comprehensive, robustly-enforced sanctions on Tehran and close loopholes in existing sanctions; and
2). Oppose $650 million in U.S. aid to Mahmoud Abbas' Palestinian Authority (PA) until it fulfills its signed agreements under Oslo to arrest and imprison terrorists, dismantle terrorist groups and end the incitement to hatred and murder within the PA-controlled media, mosques, schools and youth camps, and to recognize Israel as a Jewish state; and
3). Support making $2 billion U.S. aid to Mohamed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood-supported regime in Egypt conditional on Cairo observing its 1979 peace treaty with Israel (which it is not), restricting and even banning further weapons sales to Egypt, and stopping incitement against Jews and Israel, affording full rights for women and Christians and ending Muslim Brotherhood rhetoric that the U.S. will collapse.
At the ZOA's Congressional Luncheon, held prior to the congressional meetings in a magnificent room in the Russell Senate Office Building, ZOA activists were joined at the luncheon by both Democratic and Republican U.S. Senators and House Members, who delivered speeches to the packed audience. Here is a sampling of their comments:
Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-MD): "ZOA, give yourself a round of applause. The overwhelming majority of Congress didn't come through the Jewish community. And yet we have strong support among Democrats and Republicans and Independents. That doesn't just happen. It happens because you are here, speaking out on what's important ...
I am proud that this special relationship that began with Harry Truman when he fought the State Department to recognize Israel has flourished ... I had chance to visit Israel and Turkey, trying to improve the relationship between Turkey and Israel ... Syria represents a serious problem, not just for the people of Syria but for Israel. Assad must go ... The most important security challenge facing us is to prevent Iran becoming a nuclear weapons state ... I'm going to visit China next week, I will talk to them about the crude oil they import from Iran ... Thanks for helping us show to the American people how important is Israel's relationship to the United States. This relationship strengthens our ability to stand for what is right in the world. Keep up the good work!"
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY): "I was asked before coming here today, 'Why are you going to ZOA?' I answered, 'Why? Because ZOA was the only organization that supported my amendment saying no more money and arms to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt ... Giving F-16 planes and M-1 tanks to them? One day we're going to regret this." Turning to Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood leadership in Egypt, he said, "You now have a president in Egypt who says Jews are sons of pigs and apes and a president who stands next to a preacher saying 'Death to Jews and all their supporters,' which includes America. If they want our funding, why don't they affirm their support for the Camp David accord? Why don't they reaffirm that Israel has a right to exist?" Turning to another deeply problematic recipient of U.S. aid, Pakistan, Paul said, "They have put a man, Shakil Afridi, in jail for the rest of his life because he helped us find Bin Laden, which was a big thing, that makes him a big friend of America, so I say - No more money to Pakistan unless you free Shakil Afridi. If you want to be a friend of America, act like one." Speaking of Israel, he observed, "There one thing I know I can say: You will never see anyone in Israel burning the American flag ... the U.S. and Israel have a great shared religious and cultural history."
Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) said "we want you to know that as a committed friend of Israel and an evangelical Christian I pray for the peace of Jerusalem. I believe in Psalm 22 and the idea that those who help Israel prosper. I want to prosper. I will always be a strong supporter of the state of Israel. It's my faith, its common sense and I will always do so."
Senator Mark Pryor (D-AK) Spoke enthusiastically about Israel which "is our closest ally in the region ... I have a good voting record on Israel, because it is our strong interest to see a strong Israel and the relationship between our two countries continue for our mutual defense and security."
Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) spoke of having "just left Congressional hearing on Benghazi. This is not a settled issue. Truth is what this is about and we'll get to the bottom of this ... The land of Israel is important, the people of Israel are important. For 65 years, we have celebrated the return of the Jews to the land, the terra firma, that G-d promised them ... Israel is facing enemies unlike any they have seen, because the Arab spring has produced new threats on all of Israel's borders ... We have to send a clear message: If you touch a hair on the head of Israel, you touch every hair on the head of the United States. We are your friends in good times and bad ... The sanctions [on Iran] are a little late in my opinion and Iran is moving closer to nuclear weapons. This is a cocktail we don't want to see and that no one should ever drink. If there is success in causing Israeli decline or defeat, the United States will very quickly find out what it is to be Israel."
Congressman Rob Andrews (D-NJ) addressed in stark terms the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran. "What if the two bombs that were left at the finish line at the Boston Marathon had enriched uranium in them? Instead of mourning the loss of three lives and the maiming of dozens, we would be mourning the loss of hundreds and probably thousands. People would probably not return to our city centers anytime soon ... I don't believe the leadership in the Iranian government is suicidal but they are strategic in what they do. It's not that they will necessarily fire a missile with a nuclear warhead once they get one. They'd hand it off to a terrorist in Kuwait, who'd hand it over to another in Germany, who'd then pass it on to someone in Kuwait, who would then fly into JFK airport. When the bomb goes off, the Iranians will say that Americans got what they deserved, but that 'We didn't do it.' And can you imagine if our intelligence says 'Mr. President, we're 95% sure it came from Iran. Are you going to give the order to drop nuclear weapons?' I'm not so sure. We could wait till we find out who did it. But I'm not so sure. Do we know who carried out the anthrax attacks 12 years ago? Words will not solve this problem. The first thing the U.S. has to do is to face some harsh truths. The sanctions, which I support, are working to weaken the Iranian economy, but there is not a scintilla of evidence that it is altering its policy, even though its currency has lost 40% value and its oil revenues have dropped ... What will change its policy is showing that we won't allow them to get weapons. A significant weapon that can penetrate and make all the right movements, not to destroy their program, but which will set them back 5 or 6 years is the important thing. The Iranians assess the situation and have come to this conclusion: the U.S. has the means to stop the problem but not the will. The Israelis have the will, but not the means. I don't believe we should outsource our defense to anyone, not even to so close a friend as Israel, but here is what I think we should do, inspired by FDR's lend-lease of arms to Britain during World War Two when America wouldn't get involved in the war in Europe: lend Israel the weapons to do it ... I know that all expressions of support for Israel are genuine, but we have to move from words to deeds. I'm asking you today, and I have made this request at the very highest levels, it will take more than that, Republicans and Democrats, to say that this will be the policy of the United States of America. If you insist on developing a weapon of mass destruction, we will support of our friend and ally stopping you."
Congressman Hakeem Jeffreys (D-NY) opened by saying that he represents more Russian-speaking Jews than any other Member of Congress in the country. "Israel is a wonderful country with a great cosmopolitan culture ... In the 2008 rocket assaults, I had the chance to spend time in Sderot and Ashkelon, and my colleagues and I experienced first-hand the count-down to a missile hit ... I had meaningful conversations with a high-ranking member of the Israeli Foreign Ministry who told me that 'Hakeem, we live in a tough neighborhood.' It was such a simple and elegant and comprehensive statement of what the great state of Israel confronts ... We must do everything we can to stand up for our ally, Israel, for their defense, their qualitative military advantage. We must stop Iran from its nuclear aspirations. I will do whatever I can do to see that happens, whatever I can to see that strategically vital relationship with Israel continues."
Louie Gohmert (R-TX) addressed the scope of the Iranian nuclear threat, observing that the Iranian regime would soon "have enough material to make several [nuclear bombs] before they make even one ... Then they can immediately disperse them and then no one can be sure they'll get them all in an attack - and then they can strike Israel." Regarding the frigidity of the Obama Administration towards Israel, he said, "If you study history, one thing becomes clear - When a regime like Iran sees their strongest enemy holding Israel at a distance, its provocative. This emboldened for example the Turks to send the Gaza flotilla ... There are dangers and consequences of putting daylight between ourselves and Israel ... I'd vote to give $3 billion, $6 billion, $9 billion or $12 billion to Israel ... More sanctions are worthless, Iran breathes a sigh of relief when we promote new sanctions. It sends a message to them that we're not going to use military action against them"
Trent Franks (R-AZ): "A lot of people talk of how important U.S. is to Israel but can I tell you how Israel is important to the U.S. ... There have been some wonderful things; the amazing progress on Iron Dome has put a new face on missile defense. I worked very hard to make sure we have continued support for the Arrow-3 missile. Everybody knows how important that is to Israel. Some wanted to just replace the system. I said no, we made a promise to Israel to assist them to make their own system, one of the premier missile systems in the world. I was in Israel in October last year for two weeks, met with a lot of the defense people, Israeli Aerospace people. We are already in discussions to see the Israeli improvements that have been made to the American Arrow 3s ... I truly believe that as long as America stands with Israel it will be important to the peace and security of the world ... It is also very important to restrict Palestinian Authority funding based on what the PA does, as it is also in the case of Egypt and the Muslim Brotherhood ... Israel is the toughest friend on the block, and we're not going to forsake them. G-d bless you all."
Congressman Paul Broun (R-GA): "I am a Bible believing Evangelical Christian and I have been described as - and I have embraced the term - a Zionist Christian. The reason I do this is because I believe what my Bible said - we have the same Bible, we just have a few extra books - and I am an ardent supporter of the nation of Israel. In fact, the modern state of Israel was born on my birthday on May 14 1948; so we're the same age. Because of all the geopolitical and scientific issues and all the things my colleagues have said, we should support Israel and I'm going to add one additional reason: you see, our father Abraham - I consider myself an adopted Jew - Abraham got a visit from G-d and was told: 'Pack up and move to a land that going to belong to you for all eternity. I'm going to make your seed as numerous as the stars in the sky' ... G-d gave the land title to the Jewish people and it should never ever be taken away. And G-d gave us the boundaries of that land of Canaan, in the Torah, saying that 'I will bless those who bless you and curse those that curse you' ... Some of our opponents say that they're going to get rid of all the Judeo-Christian values that got into the Constitution, all those values that have made this country so great. G-d's blessings on this country today are because we bless Israel, and it must never cease. I believe very firmly, our country pressured Israel to give up Gaza. I was totally against that. We have a President who says we must go back to pre-war borders; I think Israel should go all the way to the Jordan River. I don't say so - G-d says so. The capital should be in Jerusalem and our U.S. embassy should be in Jerusalem ... We should also give Jerusalem every single bunker-busting bomb they need ... Recently we saw three very critical people [Chuck Hagel, John Brennan & John Kerry] nominated to critical positions in the Administration. If I had been in the Senate, I would have voted no to Chuck Hagel, and no to John Brennan and no to John Kerry ... We've not done enough in the sanctions on Iran, nor have we done enough to support the freedom-seeking people in that country ... We should never give money to a nation in my opinion that goes around burning the American and Israeli flags and saying 'Death to America.' It must stop. As long as I'm here in Washington, I'll do everything I can to make sure that the United States is supporting Israel."
Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR): "Mort, I want to thank you for your long term leadership of this organization - Well done! ... Our peoples share a common interest in peace and Israel is a beacon of hope in a region awash in violence and intolerance ... Systems developed in Israel knocked down impressive amounts of incoming missiles from Hamas in Gaza. This is a very important system. Iran is building weapons that can wipe Israel off the face of the planet. That cannot be allowed to continue. We must build on existing sanctions to tighten the screws on Iran. Together we'll make sure that Israel is safe and secure and America as well."
Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA) spoke of the bill he introduced to cut $500 million in U.S. aid to Egypt and to redirect it towards tuition for armed forces personnel. "We can't justify giving money to Egypt when our own servicemen and women are suffering funding cuts to their tuition so I said, 'Let's take that $500 million right there.'"
Congressman Peter Roskam (R-IL): "Paul Johnson is a great historian, who wrote A History of the Jews. In the introduction, there is, he says, one group in history that has insisted that history has meaning. This claim to land and heritage are the foundation on which many Western virtues are founded. It is to be celebrated and defended. You are working for just that and I want you to be encouraged today."
Congressman Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) said that "the pro-Israel feeling people have here is genuine because, apart from anything else, support of Israel is in the best interest of America's foreign policy ... As a loyal American, it is my duty to speak up for Israel and help build and defend the special relationship between us."
Billy Long (R-MO) opened by thanking ZOA 'for the work you do because your work is extremely important ... I back Israel, not because it is the right thing to do, but because it is the only thing to do ... I am committed to getting every Member of Congress to visit Israel, because it is in visiting Israel that the strategic realities of the country become apparent to anyone who looks." On the Iranian drive to obtain nuclear weapons, he said, "People need to understand that Iran is not only a threat to Israel but a threat to the United States."
About the ZOA
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) is the oldest and one of the largest pro-Israel organizations in the United States. With offices around the country and in Israel, the ZOA educates the public, elected officials, the media, and college/high school students about the truth of the ongoing Arab war against Israel. The ZOA works to strengthen U.S.-Israel relations through educational activities, public affairs programs and our work on Capitol Hill, and to combat anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias in the media, in textbooks, in schools and on college campuses. Under the leadership of such presidents as Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, Rabbis Abba Hillel Silver and Stephen Wise, and current President Morton A. Klein, the ZOA has been - and continues to be - on the front lines of Jewish activism. www.zoa.org.
STAY CONNECTED
Sen. Paul Speaks to the Zionist Organization of America
On Wednesday, I spoke before 200 members of the Zionist Organization of America. We discussed America's foreign policy and our nation's impact in the Middle East.
Sen. Paul Introduces a Bill to Protect Americans Against Unwarranted Drone Surveillance
Also on Wednesday, I introduced the Preserving Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act of 2013. This bill would protect an individual's right to privacy against unwarranted governmental intrusion through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones. While the use of drone aircraft and technology continues to expand in all areas of the government, the Preserving Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act will ensure the protection of every American citizen's right to personal privacy.
Michael Adebolajo after murdering Lee Rigby on May 22, 2013, near London.
The gruesome murder yesterday of a soldier outside London by a Muslim convert, Michael Adebolajo, brings to mind that throat slitting and beheading areIslamically sanctioned forms of execution. Although these occur particularly often in the course of family-related crimes - think, for example, of the case ofAasiya Hassan in suburban Buffalo, N.Y., killed by her husband in 2009, stabbed with two hunting knives more than forty times in the face, back and chest, then beheaded - this monstrous form of violence is also used in non-family instances. Some of those that took place over the past decade in the West in chronological order include:
Ariel Sellouk - Houston, August 2003: throat slit attempted but incomplete beheading.
Sébastien Selam - Paris, November 2003: throat was slit twice; his face was mutilated with a carving fork and his eyes were gouged out by a Muslim neighbor who boasted "I killed my Jew, I'll go to paradise."
Theo Van Gogh - Amsterdam, November 2004: shot, throat slit, and five-page paper pinned to his body.
Lee Rigby - Woolwich, England, May 2013: run over by car, mutilated, beheaded.
This gruesome list (to be updated as needed) is only part of the story: other characteristically Muslim crimes taking place in Western countries include honor killings, female genital mutilation, and slave holding. These, sadly, are among Islam's contributions to the lands of immigration. (May 23, 2013)
The McCarthy-VDH Reader A digest of the latest commentaries from Andrew C. McCarthy and Victor Davis Hanson.
After the brutal and barbaric murder of an off-duty soldier in Woolwich on Wednesday, Britons took to the street to protest in a massive rally led by the controversial English Defence League. EDL leader Tommy Robinson told the rally in Newcastle, "We cannot allow this soldier's death to be in vain. We are the only ones who dare say it. When did the truth become hate speech?" Nearly 2,000 people showed up to the rally.
Violence nearly broke out when 350 to 400 counterprotesters showed up, and glass bottles were thrown; counterprotesters shouted "Nazi scum, off our streets." Dipu Ahad, a Labor councilor, said that EDL were acting as "opportunists." A handful of would-be protesters were arrested before the rally for posting racist messages on Twitter, according to CNN. EDL, however, encouraged its ralliers to act with care, posting a message online: "NO swearing, NO incitement to violence, No racist remarks, No threats. Please be very aware that the authorities can, do & will monitor these pages & it seems from information we are getting are visiting and arresting people. Keep it safe please."
The EDL describes itself as "an inclusive movement dedicated to peacefully protesting against Islamic extremism." Others describe the movement as xenophobic. British Prime Minister David Cameron said in 2010, "The EDL are terrible people, we would always keep these groups under review and if we needed to ban them, we would ban them or any groups which incite hatred." The British press regularly describes the group as "far-right." The EDL is pro-Israel and pro-Western in orientation.
Friday, May 24
Strassel: IRS Scandal's Roots in Obama's 2008 Campaign; Attacked Clinton, Edwards, Too
Kimberly Strassel has a must-read column at the Wall Street Journal today that explains the context in which the IRS scandal emerged--not just during the Obama administration's attempt to quash the Tea Party, but in Obama's efforts to shut down all opposition, both Republican and Democratic, in the 2008 campaign.
Strassel notes that Bob Bauer, the Obama campaign (and later White House) general counsel, wrote letters to the Department of Justice in August 2008 attacking a conservative 501(c)4 called the American Issues Project for running an ad that highlighted Obama's connection to former Weather Underground terrorist Bill Ayers. Bauer did not stop there; he also contacted the Federal Election Commission. That same month, a left-wing activist created a 501(c)4 called Accountable America that was designed to intimidate GOP donors.
Ammo purchases could support a 30 year war Related posts: Americans Don't Trust The Dept. Of Homeland Security Even though the 2013 Rand McNally road atlas does not... Obama Building A Personal Army At The Department Of Homeland Security In July of 2008, presidential candidate Barack Hussein Obama stated...
May 24, 2013 02:01 pm Gird your loins, America. President Obama intends to empty out Guantanamo Bay and send scores of suspected Muslim terror operatives back to their jihadist-coddling native countries. Goaded by anti-war activists and soft-on-terror attorneys (including those from Attorney General Eric Holder's former private law firm), Obama announced Thursday that he'll lift a ban on sending up [...]
May 24, 2013 01:57 pm It began on Tuesday in Woolwich, London, when two young men in a car deliberately ran over an off-duty British soldier who was walking to a nearby military installation, then "hacked and chopped" at his body and attempted to decapitate him as they shouted "Allah akbar!" They forced witnesses to film the scene, saying: "We [...]
May 24, 2013 01:52 pm How many times have you heard President Obama express concern for the middle class? More than you can count. Even his website begins "Learn more about Barack Obama and why he's fighting for the middle class." But if we look at Obama's actual record rather than his rhetoric, it is plain that the middle class [...]
Video: The Bucks Stops Nowhere And Trust Of Government Is Gone
May 24, 2013 01:47 pm
Confidence in Government is being destroyed Related posts: Poll: Trust In Government, Obama Approval Slip WASHINGTON - A new Associated Press-GfK poll finds that President... New Romney Ad: America Doesn't Trust Barack Obama Just like he did against Hillary Clinton, President Obama now...
Hobby Lobby Asks Court To End Birth-control Mandate
May 24, 2013 01:22 pm In the most prominent challenge of its kind, Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. asked a federal appeals court Thursday for an exemption from part of the federal health care law that requires it to offer employees health coverage that includes access to the morning-after pill. The Oklahoma City-based arts-and-crafts chain argued that businesses - not just [...]
May 24, 2013 01:14 pm Two of the headline scandals that have hit the Barack Obama administration in recent days could be about to come together - the IRS and the invasion by government of private communications. At least that's the way it looks, based on a report from the activist group ACLU, where staff attorney Nathan Wessler recently wrote [...]
May 24, 2013 12:55 pm Gird your loins, America. President Obama intends to empty out Guantanamo Bay and send scores of suspected Muslim terror operatives back to their jihadist-coddling native countries. Goaded by anti-war activists and soft-on-terror attorneys (including those from Attorney General Eric Holder's former private law firm), Obama announced Thursday that he'll lift a ban on sending up [...]
Video: IRS Scandal Widens - May Include Other Govenment Agencies
May 24, 2013 12:35 pm
Bigger than just the IRS: The machinery of Government used to suppress conservatives Related posts: Obama's 'Rich' Include Small Businesses Obama blathers non-stop about how the wealthy "need to pay... Federal Employees Say Inept Obama Officials Politicize Their Agencies Barack Obama's political appointees are inept, incapable, and needlessly...
May 24, 2013 12:30 pm It appears the Republican Party establishment and some conservative commentators have come up with another mistaken tactic to woo the low information and undecided voters. With the avalanche of scandals swirling around the Obama administration and the Democratic Party, the political message promoted by these politicians and pundits is that these scandals are the outcome [...]
THE BIGGEST FOOD & FARM WELFARE BILL EVER SHOULD BE PUT OUT TO PASTURE OR SENT TO THE GLUE FACTORY!
May 24, 2013 12:24 pm RE: The Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012 (AKA: the Farm Bill) is working its way to the House floor for a vote. The total estimated cost of the bill is almost a trillion dollars! In 2008 a similar bill cost $604 billion-over a 50% increase in just four years. Speaker Boehner voted [...]
What Scandals? Obama Tries Tacking To Terror, Drones And Gitmo
May 24, 2013 12:20 pm Nice try by President Obama to change the national subject of intense public discussion from his serial scandals to his war - no, wait - he prefers "fight" against terrorism. In an hour-long speech of nearly 7,000 words, interrupted by a persistent heckler, the former Real Good Talker reminded his audience at the National Defense [...]
Video: Benghazi Cover-up: Who Ordered The Stand Down?
May 24, 2013 12:15 pm
Lawmakers have more than a dozen senior State Department Officials in the scopes Related posts: New Benghazi Emails Reveal 'Incredibly Stupid Cover-up' Officials at the White House and State Department were advised... Benghazi: The Cover-up Continues Secretary of State John F. Kerry just wishes that Congress...
New Scout Motto: Be Prepared ... For 'Gay' Lawsuits
May 24, 2013 12:10 pm I remember camping out when I was a Boy Scout, sometime back in the Cretaceous Period, and all us young lads were just goofing around, trying to make impromptu hammocks out of the ropes we had all brought along in our backpacks. For whatever reason, we more or less divided ourselves into two groups to [...]
Video: FOX Chairman Roger Ailes To FOX Employees: Government Intimidation Will Not Succeed
May 24, 2013 12:05 pm
DOJ to investigate DOJ on media surveillance - Really? Related posts: Roger Ailes Lets Rip In the media world, as in politics, having a high-profile... Why Roger Ailes Won't Walk Away A couple of years ago, Roger Ailes would muse from...
Video: Radical Islamic London Terror - Enough Is Enough
May 24, 2013 12:00 pm
Following the barbaric daylight street-slaying of a British soldier, tensions are heating up Related posts: Islamic Terror In London British soldier nearly beheaded on London street in broad daylight...... Video: Radical Muslims Chant "US Is A Terrorist State" & Burn US Flag At London 9-11 Rally ... Continue to Post...
Holder Personally Authorized Fox News Surveillance
May 24, 2013 11:55 am It's going to be hard for Attorney General Eric Holder to deploy his standard-issue Incompetence Defense to get out of this one. He can't claim he never saw the paperwork when he's signature is all over it. Unless maybe he's going to drop the Sergeant Schultz routine and go for the Colonel Henry Blake gambit, [...]
Broadcast Networks Punt As Obama Attacks Core Concepts Of Journalism
May 24, 2013 11:50 am The Big Three networks coverage so far of the Justice Department's questionable investigation of Fox News' James Rosen has followed a similar pattern to that of their coverage of the Kermit Gosnell case. Jan Crawford's report on Thursday's CBS This Morning was the first full report on growing controversy on ABC, CBS, and NBC's morning [...]
May 24, 2013 11:45 am Senators who John McCain, R-Ariz., once called "whacko birds" are the real Republican mainstream, said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, daring McCain to prove him wrong. Cruz, a freshman senator endorsed by the Tea Party movement and the libertarian Republican Liberty Caucus, said on the Senate floor Thursday he and fellow deficit-hawk Republicans Rand Paul of [...]
House Immigration 'Gang' Struggles, GOP Hints At Republican Bill
May 24, 2013 11:40 am As the House group struggling to write a bipartisan immigration bill huddled in the Capitol on Thursday, Republican leadership indicated its wait-and-see approach was over. "Through regular order, the House will work its will and produce its own legislation," said a statement issued by Republican leaders, including Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, Majority Leader Eric [...]
Dr. Anthony Levantino, a New Mexico doctor who previously performed 1,200 abortions, testified before Congress on Thursday and asked lawmakers to pass a bill that would ban abortions nationwide after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Learn what changed his mind and watch the doctor's testimony HERE.
This is a follow up to a story from earlier this week on TheBlaze: As Kaitlyn Hunt's legal battle looms, her family continues to passionately defend her. All-the-while, the "Free Kate" movement is doubling-down in an effort to support the 18-year-old - a high school senior who has been expelled and charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious battery of a child 12 to 16 years of age. Now the family of the young girl she was dating is finally speaking up. And their account differs drastically from the one being touted by the Hunt family. Learn about the bombshell that was dropped in this storyHERE.
Gun owners in Illinois -- the only state still banning concealed weapons -- could win that right under a plan approved by the Illinois House on Friday. However, the governor and other powerful Democrats oppose the plan because it would wipe out local gun ordinances - including Chicago's ban on assault weapons. Get the latest on this breaking gun story HERE.
Read a preview of TheBlaze magazine's June cover story on the ongoing fight to protect all parents' right to home-school their children and learn how you can get a free copy of the magazine HERE.
From TheBlaze Contributors Page - Lawyer-turned-radio-host Edward Woodson weighs in on the IRS scandal and protections provided by the Constitution. Lois Lerner, the Director of the Internal Revenue Service's Exempt Organizations office, gave a lengthy opening statement defending her innocence, infuriating law makers and prompting some to suggest she had waived her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Read all of Edward's analysis of this important issueHERE.
A group of thugs figured it would be easy to overpower one Kansas City woman. After all, her husband had just left to run an errand, leaving her all alone in the home. They couldn't have been more wrong. Shirley Roberts and her husband happen to be experienced gun owners. Watch the local news report about the incident HERE.
This morning, CBS News' White House correspondent Mark Knoller tweeted that President Barack Obama did not return a salute to a Marine before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House. Was this really a big deal? TheBlaze looked into the issue. Read our fastinating findings on "Salute-gate"HERE.
Tragically, our brave U.S. soldiers aren't just dying on the battlefield. Roughly 22 veterans commit suicide every day. According to a recently released report from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the suicide rate is even higher than previous estimates. See the graphic detailsHERE.
The Justice Department on Friday admitted that Attorney General Eric Holder personally signed off on the search warrant relating to Fox News reporter James Rosen's personal emails. That revelation has led many to speculate that Holder may have lied under oath while testifying before Congress last week. So did he or didn't he? Examine the evidenceHERE.
The IRS intimidation scandal has also given the comedic minds at TheBlaze TV's B.S. of A. some inspiration. They sent us this sketch from tonight's night's new episode and we wanted to share it with you. It's time for your check-up with The Tax DoctorHERE.
A 5-year-old male lion at an Oklahoma zoo with the name Bonedigger might sound intimidating, but looks and name can be deceiving. It turns out that the "king of the jungle" is a real softy, making an unusual friendship with a pack of small, dachshund dogs. One of them, Milo, even plays personal toothpick, cleaning Bonedigger's teeth. Watch the video of Bonedigger with his friendsHERE.
Thursday night on his TV show, Glenn Beck took a different approach to the scandals currently facing the Obama administration: let�s take our leaders at their word. If the President and his team were really not aware of the ongoing scandals swirling underneath them, what does that say about this administration? Watch the segment from TheBlaze TVHERE.
The small town of Roberts, Idaho is in the crosshairs of the latest debate about "separation of church and state." A local resident was worried that crosses on the town's water tank gave an impression that Roberts favors Christians over other religious people. The man took his concerns to city hall and to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). See how the town reactedHERE.
Speaking on the Senate floor on Thursday, a fed-up Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) scolded Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) over his objection to initiate House-Senate budget negations unless a debt limit increase is taken off the table. It�s a stance shared by another Tea Party favorite, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). Watch the retiring Senator air his party's dirty laundry in publicHERE.
According to Sky News, Royal Air Force fighter jets escorted the re-route of a Pakistan International Airlines� passenger plane destined for Manchester Airport in the U.K. Originally slated to land at Heathrow Airport, it was confirmed that the aircraft landed at Stansted Airport, where two men were arrested on suspicion that they would have endangered the aircraft. Read the latest newsHERE.
A Montana man returned home on Wednesday afternoon to find a burglar inside his home. The homeowner, also a gun owner, was able to retrieve one of his firearms and shoot the intruder once in the chest. That one shot proved to be fatal. Watch the local TV reportHERE.
Thursday, during President Obama�s counter-terrorism speech, he did something that hasn�t yet been acknowledged by the administration � at least not overtly. The President referred to the Fort Hood shooting as an act that was �inspired by larger notions of violent jihad.� Learn why this change could be so significantHERE.
You�re using your toilet when all the sudden the shampoo bottle sitting on the bathtub explodes, and when the lather settles there�s a bullet hole in your wall. What would you do? You must read the story and see the photos from inside a couple of bullet-riddled bathroomsHERE.
Kayla Earl, a 19-year-old aspiring model suffering from heartbreak and denial, reportedly chose to throw herself in a ditch with a plastic Walmart bag over her head and claim she was raped � all in an effort to win back her ex-boyfriend. Definitely not a healthy way of coping. Learn how investigators cracked this case HERE.
Karl Stefanovic, the host of Australia�s �Today� show, is famous for regularly pranking his co-hosts and chasing after bizarre and entertaining gimmicks. This week, Stefanovic was victimized by a prank involving a meat pie billed as the 'world's hottest.' Watch the videoHERE.
Allen Walton is the president of the Cheaters Spy Shop, an online store selling a fascinating array of surveillance gadgets. Walton says everyone from your "average Joe" to professional athletes, celebrities and politicians have used products from his site. Check out a few of our favorites HERE.
The United States is the most heavily armed nation in world history, and it seems we have President Barack Obama to thank for it. Stunning statistics suggest he has done as much to increase private gun ownership as anyone in U.S. history.
Illinois Democratic Rep. Danny K. Davis told PJ Media that there should have been a "reporting chain" that alerted President Obama of the IRS singling out conservative organizations seeking tax-exempt status, likening the scandal to the Bible.
The National Council of La Raza (translation: The Race) has partnered with the Office of Personnel Management to encourage Hispanic activists and members to burrow into the federal government.
It is the notion that a large dollop of American society can successfully be "reformed" by the stroke of a pen, with little consequence to this and future generations, that makes "comprehensive" legislation a symbol of bad and imprudent governance.
"In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution." --Thomas Jefferson
This week's congressional hearings into IRS abuse were illustrative of Leftist contempt for Rule of Law. For starters, it seems the only part of the Constitution that Barack Obama (former constitutional-law lecturer that he is) and his NeoCom lackeys know these days is the Fifth Amendment. And they even get that one wrong.
As the IRS targeted groups with "Patriot" or "Tea Party" in their names for audit or delay of tax-exempt status, one of its criteria was looking for organizations "educating on the constitution and bill of rights" (lowercase in the originalinspector general report). Obviously, voters educated on the Constitution and Bill of Rights wouldn't have elected Obama to begin with, but they also wouldn't fall for shenanigans like the one pulled by Lois Lerner, the IRS official who directs the offending office. Hence the need for education.
Summoned before Congress, Lerner gave a statement claiming innocence -- "I have not done anything wrong, I have not broken any laws, I have not violated any IRS rules and regulations, and I have not provided false information to this or any other congressional committee." She then invoked her Fifth Amendment right to not incriminate herself, and refused to answer any questions.
Former Justice Department prosecutor Andrew C. McCarthy explains, "To testify, by definition, is to agree to submit to cross-examination." In other words, Lerner waived her Fifth Amendment right by making a statement at all.
Lois Lerner
Unfortunately, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrel Issa (R-CA) let her get away with it, though he said he would call her back for questioning after realizing his mistake. McCarthy noted that Issa should have questioned Lerner anyway, showing by her every refusal to answer how very not innocent she and her IRS henchmen are. (In fact, she was directly involved.) Perhaps that will still happen, and Lerner will find herself in contempt of Congress. She's already found herself on paid administrative leave (a.k.a. vacation) after refusing to resign.
Former IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman simply confessed ignorance of the Constitution. Again, given that the targets were organizations "educating on the constitution and bill of rights," it's ironic that Shulman responded to a question about the Constitution with, "I don't necessarily have the Constitution memorized, sir." Perhaps he should carry one of our Essential Liberty Guides for reference. He may not have it memorized, but at least he should know what it says.
All of this raises the question of when Barack Obama or any administration officials (or his campaign staff) were informed of the IRS's actions. Our Sergeant Schultz president claims to have learned about the scandal on the news, but the White House Counsel knew of the inspector general's report at least by April 22 -- nearly three weeks before Obama's, er, press briefing. The report was supposed to be released last September, and the IRS concluded its own probe in May2012. Releasing either report just before the election certainly wouldn't have been convenient timing, hence the delay.
Stop The EPA From Raising Gas Prices And Damaging Our Cars
"Unprecedented price spikes" - Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)
"Increased costs to consumers" - Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
"Unworkable" - American Petroleum Institute VP of Regulatory and Economic Policy Kyle Isakower
If Congress does not REPEAL THE RENEWABLE FUEL STANDARD, we will experience damage to our vehicles and increased gas prices. Stop the EPA and the environmentalists' assault on America!
The IRS is in the news for being a deceptive and corrupt agency-but it isn't the only one. The Environmental Protection Agency has been busy during the Obama administration working up regulations for things that don't exist and imposing global warming hysteria on American citizens.
In 2007, Congress enacted the renewable fuel standard, and every year since then, the EPA has been increasing the amount of ethanol that has to be blended into our gasoline. The problem is, it's not safe. Higher amounts are going to damage our vehicles; and, ironically, are bad for the environment.
We are using less gasoline and diesel, so the amount of biofuels is too much for the mix. But, hey-the government is here, and they are ready to fix a problem that doesn't exist by making new ones.
Reps. Jim Matheson (D-UT) and Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) have introduced H.R. 1461, legislation calling for the repeal of RFS.
§ The initial reason for the RFS was to provide an environmentally better alternative to gasoline. However, the Natural Resources Defense Council said three years ago "What the ethanol industry is actually producing today is causing more climate pollution than gasoline." Only between 5 and 26 percent of the energy content of ethanol is renewable!
§ Vehicles will get 3 to 4 percent fewer miles per gallon on the current E10 ethanol blend ... and the EPA wants to increase that to E15, so we can expect our mpg rates to get worse.
§ Ethanol burns less efficiently and costs more.
§ Only 20 percent of vehicles on the road today are built to use the E15 ethanol blend. BMW, Chrysler, Nissan, Toyota, and Volkswagen have all said that their warranties do not cover problems caused by using E15, and another eight companies have said your warranty coverage may become void if you use it.
"An elective despotism was not the government we fought for, but one which should not only be founded on true free principles, but in which the powers of government should be so divided and balanced among general bodies of magistracy, as that no one could transcend their legal limits without being effectually checked and restrained by the others." ~ Thomas Jefferson
Not Without Reason
Congressman: Obama A 'Tyrannical Despot' America's Conservative News It's getting nasty out there. Now a Congressman has called Obama a "tyrannical despot."
DOJ Begged Judge to Keep Fox Reporter in Dark About Monitoring By Todd Beamon Newsmax.com The Justice Department begged a federal judge to not tell Fox News reporter James Rosen that it was tracking his telephone calls and emails in a probe regarding a national security leak.
DOJ Begged Judge to Keep Fox Reporter in Dark About Monitoring By Todd Beamon Newsmax.com The Justice Department begged a federal judge to not tell Fox News reporter James Rosen that it was tracking his telephone calls and emails in a probe regarding a national security leak.
England, Now France: Jihad Going Up-Close and Personal?
Authorities Look For Link Between Attack On French Soldier And Jihadists By Newsmax Wires A French soldier was stabbed in the throat in a busy commercial district outside Paris on Saturday, and France's president said authorities are investigating any possible links with the recent slaying of a British soldier.
Wage Web Warfare Against The Liberal Establishment: Sign Up For The GrassTopsUSA Action Alert.
"It has been objected also against a bill of rights, that, by enumerating particular exceptions to the grant of power, it would disparage those rights which were not placed in that enumeration, and it might follow by implication, that those rights which were not singled out, were intended to be assigned into the hands of the general government, and were consequently insecure. This is one of the most plausible arguments I have ever heard urged against the admission of a bill of rights into this system; but, I conceive, that may be guarded against. I have attempted it, as gentlemen may see by turning to the last clause of the 4th resolution." ~ James Madison
Liberals Claim We Have A Democracy? How About This!
New Poll: Half Of Americans Want Obama Impeached WorldNetDaily"It may be early in the process for members of Congress to start planning for impeachment of Barack Obama, but the American public is building a serious appetite for it."
Obama 'Respects Inherent Dignity Of Every Human Life'--When Deciding Whether To Abort Terrorists By Terence P. Jeffrey CNSNews.comGiving a speech on counter-terrorism policy at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., today, President Barack Obama explained that when deciding whether to target terrorists with drones--whether or not the terrorists are U.S. citizens--he has set a "high threshold" of respect for human life.
While Politicians Talked, They Did What They Could
Flying High with the Angels By Judi McLeod CanadaFreePress.comIt's not--thank God--the words of politicians like British Prime Minister David Cameron or London Mayor Boris Johnson that will be long remembered about the brutal murder of drummer Lee Rigby but the voluntary acts of three courageous women who tried to do what they could for "Riggers" at the horrific scene of his death.
McConnell: Obama Administration Trying to 'Shut People Up' Newsmax.com"I think what we know for sure is that there is a culture of intimidation across this administration--the president demonizing his enemies, attempting to shut people up. There is certainly a culture of intimidation," McConnell said.
Washington Post reporters Karen DeYoung and Scott Wilson (prompted, undoubtedly, by Team Obama) find that David Petraeus is to blame for the trouble in which the administration finds itself over the Benghazi talking points. It's not exactly a case of "blame the dead guy" - more like blame the unfaithful guy, even if he is an American hero.
In the Post's telling, Petraeus drafted talking points that exceeded the scope of what the House Intelligence Committee asked for. Thus, the talking points had to be changed, and that led to Benghazigate.
Team Obama's defense has thus come full circle. As "Totus Porcus" at Ricochet notes, originally David Petraeus was to blame for the administration's misstatements about Benghazi because the administration relied on information the intelligence community provided. Now that this story has fallen apart - Susan Rice and company didn't use what Petraeus provided - Petraeus is to blame for not writing the kind of talking points he was asked to.
But thus fall back excuse fares little better than its predecessor. According to "a senior White House official," House Intelligence Committee members were looking for the CIA to produce "the lowest common denominator" in its talking points - whatever that means. But from all that appears, this official wasn't at the meeting at which the request for an account was made to Petraeus.
The Post also reports that the request, made by Ranking Member "Dutch" Ruppersberger, was for a "minimalist" account. But the Post doesn't say that Ruppersberger used this word; nor, again, does it explain what it might mean in practice.
The CIA talking points Petraeus signed off on were not detailed. They provided the CIA's assessment that the attack was inspired by events in Cairo and that the "crowd" was a mix of various elements but included "Islamists extremists with ties to al Qaeda." The talking points also mention initial press reporting that linked the attacks to Ansar al-Sharia, but reaches no firm conclusion as to its involvement.
It's difficult to see how providing this basic information, along with the caveat that the assessment might change as additional information becomes available, went beyond the scope of Ruppersberger's request.
The Post/Team Obama piece objects to the reference to Ansar al-Sharia on the grounds that this was classified information. It also objects to the CIA including a line about how it had warned of the possibility of attacks. But both bits of information were true and relevant. And I don't see that classified information was revealed by telling House members that newspapers reported a link between Ansar al-Sharia and the attacks.
Moreover, the flak Susan Rice and others have taken doesn't stem solely, or even mainly, from the subsequent deletion of references to Ansar al Sharia and prior warnings. The White House and the State Department also caused the removal of references to Islamist extremists with ties to al Qaeda. And they subsequently went beyond the talking points to emphasize a video that the CIA did not mention in any version of the talking points.
These actions produced the main criticism the White House faces. Thus, under no account can the White House validly blame its woes on David Petreaus.
One more piece of shameless shilling by DeYoung and Wilson deserves mention. They Wilson say that the Obama White House was "the only government entity that did not object to the detailed talking points produced with Petraeus's input." But, as "Totus Porcus," reminds us, emails show that the White House (1) had previously sought to control the narrative by forbidding CIA from making any assessment of who was responsible for the attack, (2) was concerned about the "messaging ramifications" of the talking points being prepared for House Intelligence Committee members to use with media, and (3) backed the State Department in gutting the drafts.
Team Obama's attempts to shift blame to David Petraeus aren't the worst part of the Benghazi scandal. Indeed, it runs well behind (1) the administration's failure to heed warnings to beef up security at our facilities in Libya; (2) the fact that Obama apparently took a powder on the night of the crisis; (3) the subsequent cover-up, including the scrubbing of the talking points and the invention of the video as the motive for the attacks, (4) the subsequent mistreatment of whistleblowers, and (5) the failure of the administration so far to move against individuals it knows participated in attacking our facilities.
Nonetheless, it's sad, but not surprising, to see Team Obama engage in an unfair and cowardly attack on a distinguished, but wounded, former public servant. And it's sad, but not surprising, to see the Washington Post wield the knife for Obama.
Brian Ward and I return with a special Memorial Day episode of the Hinderaker-Ward Experience. We talk about the scandals of the day and award our Loon of the Week prize to a dim-witted Democratic senator. But the highlight is our interview with guest Adam Carolla-actor, comedian and the number one podcaster in America. (We are hoping some of that will rub off on us.) Carolla talks about what it is like to be a conservative (or libertarian, anyway) in Los Angeles, and plugs his new line of fortified wines-Mangria. "Fortified" means containing plenty of alcohol. It is, I think you will agree, a fun show.
You can listen to the podcast by playing it right here, or you can go to Ricochet to download or subscribe to the podcast in various ways, or you can hit the subscribe button in the graphic above to subscribe on iTunes or elsewhere. Or you can use Stitcher. There are many ways to experience the Hinderaker-Ward Experience, but I think the best is by subscribing on iTunes. That way, you never have to worry about missing an episode.
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Charles Enderlin is the France 2 Jerusalem correspondent who broadcast the incendiary account of the death of 12-year-old Muhammad al-Dura at the hands of Israeli troops operating in the Gaza Strip in September 2000. Based on film footage provided by a Palestinian cameraman, Enderlin's report has become infamous among students of terrorist propaganda both for its destructive effects and for its probable falsity. The al-Dura affair bids to join the Dreyfus affair in the French hall of shame.
Although Enderlin's report was broadcast in September 2000, and its probable falsity long since established, "the narrative deriving from the France 2 report regarding Israel's actions has served as an inspiration and justification for terrorism, anti-Semitism and the delegitimization of Israel." Here I am quoting from the report commissioned by Prime Minister Netanyahu and released this past week by Israel's Ministry of International Affairs and Strategy on the al-Dura story. The report is accessible here or here, with a summary by the Prime Minister's office here.
Although the hour is late and the story is old, the report is very much worth reading in its entirety. The authors of the report viewed raw footage (rushes) of the event in issue taken by the Associated Press, Reuters and France 2. The report notes parenthetically in footnote 1: "The France 2 rushes available to the authors, which were approximately eighteen minutes in length, were not provided to the authors by France 2." The executive summary states:
Following an extensive review of materials related to the affair, the committee determines that the France 2 report's central claims and accusations had no basis in the material which the station had in its possession at the time of the report. Contrary to the report's claim that the boy was killed, the committee's review of the raw footage showed that in the final scenes, which were not broadcast by France 2, the boy is seen to be alive.
The report does everything but produce the young al-Dura. The France 2 report was a fraud from beginning to end, a production of France 2's Gaza stringer, Talal Abu Rahma. Contrary to Enderlin's claim that Israelis killed al-Dura and wounded his father, "the raw footage shows clearly that in the final scenes, the boy is not dead." Yet, according to the report, Enderlin edited out these scenes from his France 2 story, "thereby creating the false impression that the footage substantiated his claims."
Here the report drops another mordant footnote: "It is interesting to note that while Enderlin initially claimed that these last seconds were edited out because they depicted the child's 'death throes,' he has in later statements abandoned this explanation."
Abu Rahma, like other stringers operating in territory controlled by terrorists, appears to be at the service of the terrorists. He is quoted as declaring that he had entered the profession of journalism to "defend the Palestinian cause." The report notes: "In the France 2 footage Abu Rahma or someone beside him is heard yelling 'the boy is dead' (mat el-walad) well before the boy makes any appearance of being wounded." Somebody get me rewrite!
Here the report drops yet another footnote: "An additional seemingly incongruous phrase is shouted by Jamal Al-Durrah [the boy's father]. According to an Arabic lip-reader to whom the German journalist Ester Schapira showed the Al-Durrah footage, Jamal turns in the direction of Abu Rahma before he or the boy make[s] any appearance of being hit and yells[,] 'It's enough. You have killed my son, it's over.'"
Commenting on the report (which he refers to as the Kuperwasser Report), Nick Gray notes that the terrorist groups "that make up the opposition to Israel have had a long time to perfect their publicity and media strategies." Gray adds:
Examples of this abound, from the notorious "green helmet man" in Israel's 2006 Lebanon conflict to the dead baby in Gaza reported as having been killed by Israeli shell fire when in fact he was killed by a Hamas rocket falling short. We have seen photographs retouched to suggest an inferno of Israeli missiles and murdered Syrian children made out to be casualties of Israeli attacks on Gaza. The Kuperwasser Report essentially places the Al-Durrah incident into the same category of staged tragedy to support terrorist publicity aims.
Gray does not name names, but among the mainstream media outfits perpetrating the "dead baby in Gaza reported as having been killed by Israeli shell fire when in fact he was killed by a Hamas rocket falling short" story are the BBC and the Washington Post. Neither has acknowledged its error. Instead, each has moved on, as tends to happen in these matters.
The New York Times, at least, takes cursory note of Israel's report in online notices by Isabel Kershner and Robert Mackey. Mackey comments that the report "endorsed a theory popular with pro-Israel bloggers," i.e., "the whole event might have been staged by Palestinian militants and the local cameraman who recorded the incident in order to damage Israel's standing and create a child martyr to advance their cause."
For Kershner and Mackey, it is apparently all just too much to sort out. Readers who rely on the dead tree edition of the Times and other newspapers for their news remain in a state of blissful ignorance. It's old news. Although it addresses something like ancient history, Israel's France 2 report presents a powerful case study raising issues of continuing relevance and concern.
Tuesday evening, Hugh Hewitt will be in town for a program sponsored by AM 1280 the Patriot: Taking Back the Tundra. The show will be in Brooklyn Park, and if you live within driving distance of there, I would urge you to attend. The program will include something of a Northern Alliance reunion: I will participate, and I think Scott will, too. Here is the information:
The dinner is now sold out, but general admission tickets remain, for a modest $12.80. We will be talking about the political situation in Minnesota-hence, "Taking Back the Tundra"-and immigration, but, with Obama scandals dominating the news, there will be lots more to discuss. Hope to see you there!
In Stockholm, riots have taken place for six consecutive nights, with windows smashed, cars and schools set on fire, and policemen pelted with rocks. This would normally be considered a major problem, but the Swedes seem to be taking it pretty casually:
Since last Sunday, May 19, rioters have taken to the streets of Stockholm's suburbs every night, torching cars, schools, stores, office buildings and residential complexes. Yesterday, a police station in Rågsved, a suburb four kilometers south of Stockholm, was attacked and set on fire.
But while the Stockholm riots keep spreading and intensifying, Swedish police have adopted a tactic of non-interference. "Our ambition is really to do as little as possible," Stockholm Chief of Police Mats Löfving explained to the Swedish newspaper Expressen on Tuesday.
"We go to the crime scenes, but when we get there we stand and wait," elaborated Lars Byström, the media relations officer of the Stockholm Police Department. "If we see a burning car, we let it burn if there is no risk of the fire spreading to other cars or buildings nearby. By doing so we minimize the risk of having rocks thrown at us."
Well, that's one way of looking at it. I noted last night that in Great Britain, police are powerless to deal with Islamic terrorists who attack innocent citizens with knives and meat cleavers (partly, at least, because most of them are unarmed), but a serious crackdown on those who criticize Muslim terrorists on Twitter or Facebook is in progress.
Something similar is happening in Sweden, as Joe Malchow points out. The police don't do anything to prevent cars from being torched by "youths"-here's a hint, the "youths" aren't named Erik or Gustav-but parking regulations are being strictly enforced. So we have this absurd situation:
Swedish parking laws, however, continue to be rigidly enforced despite the increasingly chaotic situation. Early Wednesday, while documenting the destruction after a night of rioting in the Stockholm suburb of Alby, a reporter from Fria Tider observed a parking enforcement officer writing a ticket for a burnt-out Ford.
When questioned, the officer explained that the ticket was issued because the vehicle lacked a tag showing its time of arrival. The fact that the vehicle had been effectively destroyed - its windshield smashed and the interior heavily damaged by fire - was irrelevant according to the meter maid, who asked Fria Tider's photographer to destroy the photos he had taken.
This, I take it, is one of those photos:
That's the thing about Sweden: just when you think there is not a single good thing about the country, you are forced to admit that they have the world's most fetching meter maids. Still, that doesn't prevent the decline of civilization from proceeding apace in Sweden, as in Great Britain.
The Daily Caller reports that Marco Rubio has a history of opposing enforcement of immigtation laws. As Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, Rubio blocked efforts to deal with illegal immigration at the state or local Miami level.
According to the Daily Caller, the record shows that Rubio used his power as Speaker to block legislation to tighten enforcement even after such legislation had saied through committee. He even opposed, and thwarted, bipartisan legislation to deport 5,000 illegal immigrant prisoners in Florida jails.
Rubio's Florida record helps us understand his indifferent attitude towards enforcement in connection with the Schumer-Rubio amnesty bill. As we have noted, Rubio's position on enforcement is, in essence: maybe there are problems with what I hve proposed, but others can fix them.
I think it's pretty clear that Rubio isn't backing amnesty and a path to citizenship reluctantly, as the only way we can attain better enforcement. Instead, amnesty and a path to citizenship are his objectives, with the promise of better enforcement just along for the ride.
The hard-line Rubio took on immigratiion when he ran for the Senate is an outlier in Rubio's history on the subject. That's a polite way of saying that this position was, in all likelihood, fraudulent - a cynical attempt tp appeal to conservatives in his long-shot race against Charlie Crist.
So take in this screen cap of the latest roster of headlines appearing on the AOL/HuffPo home page. Six of the ten headlines relate one way or another to terrorism or the problem of Islamic jihad. One of them sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb. The country's in the very best of hands, as Glenn Reynolds likes to remind us.
There's this much to be said in praise of Jonathan Turley, professor of "public interest law" at George Washington University Law School, and frequent bobblehead on cable TV shows: at least he isn't a supercilious smug-mugger like Jeffrey Toobin. In addition, unlike Toobin, Turley often gets things right.
But come on man, you're only just discovering nowthat the federal administrative bureaucracy-the "fourth branch of government"-has become problematic? From Turley's article today in the Washington Post:
The growing dominance of the federal government over the states has obscured more fundamental changes within the federal government itself: It is not just bigger, it is dangerously off kilter. Our carefully constructed system of checks and balances is being negated by the rise of a fourth branch, an administrative state of sprawling departments and agencies that govern with increasing autonomy and decreasing transparency. . .
This exponential growth has led to increasing power and independence for agencies. The shift of authority has been staggering. The fourth branch now has a larger practical impact on the lives of citizens than all the other branches combined.
The rise of the fourth branch has been at the expense of Congress's lawmaking authority. In fact, the vast majority of "laws" governing the United States are not passed by Congress but are issued as regulations, crafted largely by thousands of unnamed, unreachable bureaucrats. One study found that in 2007, Congress enacted 138 public laws, while federal agencies finalized 2,926 rules, including 61 major regulations.
This rulemaking comes with little accountability. It's often impossible to know, absent a major scandal, whom to blame for rules that are abusive or nonsensical. Of course, agencies owe their creation and underlying legal authority to Congress, and Congress holds the purse strings. But Capitol Hill's relatively small staff is incapable of exerting oversight on more than a small percentage of agency actions. And the threat of cutting funds is a blunt instrument to control a massive administrative state - like running a locomotive with an on/off switch.
From here Turley goes of the rails a bit, but failing to understand that Congress actually wants it this way.
But more to the point, it never ceases to amaze me when "mainstream" potentates like Turley come to understand what conservatives have been saying loudly for thirty or forty years, but somehow pose as though they've discovered something new or are offering brilliant new insights.
Since summer sequel season in the movie theaters has arrived, we might as well treat ourselves to the memes and images of the ongoing Obama scandals. Speaking of sequels, I took in Star Trek: Into Darkness yesterday. Meh. It's impossible to review without spoilers, so I'll just say it is as unimaginative as a Washington scandal involving political influence at a bureaucracy. But the Obama scandals do give rise to some good movie poster parodies, which is a good place to start our Week in Pictures.
Since it is Memorial Day weekend, let's offer a Power Line salute to the troops:
The latest reporting in the matter of Fox News Channel's James Rosen indicates the Obama administration fought to keep the search warrant for Rosen's private email account secret, arguing that the government might need to monitor the account for a lengthy period of time. Thank you, Ryan Lizza.
And one more thing. Despite Eric Holder's protestations of ignorance regarding the Rosen matter, NBC reports that Holder himself authorized the warrant application. Hmmm. Does that mean he might not have been entirely forthcoming about the matter in his testimony to a House Committee on the matter? The White House has gone silent over the Memorial Day weekend.
Our observant reader with long experience in the criminal investigative division of the IRS has an interesting sidebar on the affidavit supporting the Rosen email search warrant:
I thought I'd point out another Great Moment in Government Competence, this one from Eric Holder and his Justice Department in the Rosen "scandal." Take a look at the documents which were unsealed recently, particularly the Motion to Seal which was originally filed to protect the search warrants. That's Exhibit B. The papers are all at New Yorker's website, where Ryan Lizza wrote about it today.
Everything cruises along pretty smoothly until you get to this little gem on page 2: "The United States has considered alternatives less drastic than sealing and has found none that would suffice to protect the government's legitimate interest in attempting to locate and prosecute those responsible for THE BOMBINGS."
I added a little emphasis to highlight the most interesting part. So is Mr. Rosen involved in bombings? He sounds like a bad guy. Or did some idiot FBI agent or (more likely) AUSA recycle a motion from another case? It certainly would have reflected better on the author had he actually proof read his motion before he turned it in to the magistrate judge. Who obviously didn't read it, either. And apparently the US Attorney and, if reports are to be believed, Eric Holder also didn't read it closely enough to catch a pretty glaring error.
It's a little thing, I know, though Mr. Rosen might not appreciate being linked, however incompetently, with "bombings," but these are the same people who are asking to be trusted with investigation of the other scandals out there. It would be nice if one had some confidence in their ability to get the facts straight, especially in a federal court pleading.
I think it's fair to say that these are men in a hurry. Mistakes, as they say, were made.
This video of Jason Mattera trying to interview Al Franken and Chuck Schumer about their two letters to the IRS, asking the agency to crack down on tax-exempt "social welfare" groups, is pretty entertaining. Only I don't think Breitbart TV, which posted the video, described it correctly. Breitbart wrote:
Sen Al Franken (D-MN) was using such a circuitous "serpentine" walking pattern in an effort to avoid TRN's Jason Mattera's tough question that he inadvertently body checked one of his own staffers in the process.
I think Franken body-checked Mattera, not his aide, and it was clearly intentional. Franken has an anger management problem. He has been known to get into fist fights or wrestling matches with people who disagree with him about politics, and at the 2004 Republican convention he very nearly engaged in fisticuffs with Laura Ingraham's producer-an altercation which I photographed. The picture was used in a Norm Coleman ad during their epic 2008 campaign. It looked to me as though Franken could barely resist mixing it up with Mattera. Schumer, on the other hand, ignored him completely. Here is the video:
On May 24, 1963, the first place San Francisco Giants took on the second place Los Angeles Dodgers at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. It had taken a dramatic playoff series (won by the Giants) to separate the two teams in 1962, and well into the 1963 season, they were separated by only one game.
To add to the drama, the pitching matchup featured Sandy Koufax for the visitors and Juan Marichal for the home team. Coming into the game, Koufax was 6-1 with a 1.06 ERA. Marichal's record was 5-3 with a 3.00 ERA.
Neither pitcher had won 20 games in a season yet, but everyone understood that Koufax (late-blooming at age 27) was a dominant pitcher; only an injury had prevented him from fully displaying that dominance in 1962. And most close observers recognized that Marichal (age 25, with a 18-11 record in 1962) was on the verge of dominance.
However, dream pitching matchups don't always pan out. Earlier in May, when Koufax pitched a no-hitter against the Giants, Marichal failed to hold up his end of the deal. The Dodgers pounded out 4 runs and 9 hits against him in less than 6 innings.
This time, Koufax failed even more spectacularly than Marichal had. The great lefty retired only one Giant in the first inning and was charged with 5 runs (all earned), 5 hits, and 2 walks. The key blows were by Orlando Cepeda (a two-run double) and Felipe Alou (a two-run homer).
As a result of this battering, Koufax's ERA would balloon from 1.07 to 1.71. At season's end, the ERA was 1.88, and Koufax had won 25 wins with only 5 losses.
Marichal made easy work of the Dodgers on this day. He pitched a complete game, allowing 1 run on 4 hits.
Marichal finished the season at 25-8 with a 2.41 ERA. That's easily good enough for the Cy Young award in most years, but clearly not in the National League of 1963.
What about other Koufax-Marichal matchups? Actually, there were surprisingly few. My research found only 4 of them during the six-and-half years in which both played. There were many, many more between Marichal and the great Don Drysdale. Coincidence? I don't know.
The Giants and Dodgers split these 4 games. In a fifth encounter, Marichal came on in relief to defeat Koufax.
Only two of the 4 games head-to-head duels were close - a 4-3 Dodger win in 1961 and a 4-3 Giant win in 1965.
Even so, I'd pay big bucks to be transported back in time to witness any of these games, especially the Koufax no-hitter.
NOTE: This post has been modified slightly from the original version.
President Obama's legendary intellectual dishonesty was on full display once again in his "The Future of our Fight Against Terrorism" address. In essence, the speech called for a pullback, if not an end to, the "war" on terrorism. He prefaced this call with a quote from James Madison: "No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare." And he pushed it home by emphasizing the duration of the "war" and the resulting national weariness.
Yet until yesterday, Obama didn't especially like to speak about our confrontation with terrorism as a "war." Indeed, even the title of yesterday's speech refers to it as a "fight." But in the body of the speech, it was a war.
Why the pivot? Because "war" is an easy target. For one thing, it lends itself to quotations such as the one above from James Madison that have no applicability to our struggle against terrorism. Or does Obama believe, as the Code Pink lady who interrupted him does, that we are losing our freedom as a result of the war on terrorism as he has carried it out?
More importantly, Obama knows the nation is "war weary." By pivoting to the war metaphor, Obama hopes to parlay that weariness into the termination of policies that make him, but not most Americans, weary.
It's vintage Obama: identify a linguistic commonality between left-wing dogma and mainstream thinking - here "war weariness" - and through shameless punning - here of the word "war" - try to make left-wing dogma seem mainstream. You could argue that Obama's political success is based, more than anything else, on this form of dishonesty.
Yes, Americans are weary of shooting wars like the one we fought in Iraq and the one we are winding down in Afghanistan. But they are not weary of holding hard-core terrorists at Gitmo. And they are not weary of killing terrorists at no cost in American lives through drone strikes. Nor is there any evidence that they are weary of deploying forces at bases near potential trouble spots so that our forces can respond to attacks against U.S. interests more effectively than the Obama administration did in Benghazi.
In short, war weariness can justify ending the two shooting wars we've fought since 9/11 (which is a done deal) and not participating in new wars in places like Syria. But it cannot justify the scale-back in the fight against terrorism that Obama now has in mind.
It is only Obama and the hard-left that is weary of detaining terrorists indefinitely. It is only Obama and the hard-core left that is weary of drone strikes.
Nor can rhetoric about preserving our freedom justify a scale-back in the struggle against terrorism. Our freedom is threatened by IRS abuses and pretextual harassment of journalists - not by detaining foreign terrorists or using drones against them.
Obama didn't become president so he could protect America against terrorists - that mission is too pedestrian and perhaps too parochial. He doesn't enjoy being a war president, even in the limited sense that he still is one. And, to his credit, Obama doesn't relish signing off on targeted killings. Thus, now that he doesn't have to worry about another election, he wants to back off.
But being president isn't just about doing what one wants. If Obama lacks the stomach to continue his popular and often successful first term efforts against terrorism, he should either have told Americans so during the election campaign or bowed out of office.
But how can we expect honesty from a man who has built a hugely successful career on dishonesty?
One of my favorite Facebook groups is "2nd Amendment Hotties," and apparently more than a few other people like it too, as it has something like 16,000 "likes" on FB. Would seem an omission not to share some of its awesomeness with Power Line readers, especially since we're still in a too-long hiatus of beauty pageants worthy of John's coverage. So enjoy this respite from scandalmania for a holiday Friday.
If memory serves, Irving Kristol once remarked that the term "peace," as it was used by the left, "is a Stalinist concept," since the intent of the so-called "peace movement" was the unilateral disarmament of the West and the triumph of Communism. Today the term "diversity" works the same way: it has become a term meaning the opposite of its dictionary meaning, and is a vehicle for racial division and resentment.
Charlotte Allen writes splendidly in the Weekly Standard about "white privilege" conferences where Orwell would be astounded to find that the hate sessions go for a lot longer than the two minutes prescribed in 1984. Needless to say, the lack of irony is evident in the very fact of such conferences, for who is more "privileged" these days than academics and activists who can travel to these hootenannies where the registration fee alone is $435. But good for Charlotte; my experience, having long ago attended similar preposterous round-robins of radical resentment, is that the worst thing you can do is simply report what is said. Like mushrooms, these kinds of lefty hate-ins flourish best in the dark.
But if you needed fresh evidence, check out this story out of Northwestern University, where a white student was rejected for a diversity appointment because "he is a white heterosexual male." The student's name, incidentally, is Stephen Piotrkowski. Just a hunch here, but he sounds like someone with immigrant roots that don't trace back to the Anglosphere, and as such would represent what ought to be meant by "diversity" if it was meant seriously. (Turns out his sister is gay, but that's apparently not enough.) But pigment is everything for the diversity-haters.
No religion in school ... except THIS one
A half-million dollar grant from a foundation that promotes a religious practice was all it took for this school district to adopt its program into the curriculum, place instructors on campus and trample the faith of students.
But it's not only happening in this district. It's being seen nationwide ...
Even while the clowns running the White House think the war on terror is dead, there are brand-new concerns about a massive terror strike on this major U.S. city.
Will anyone pay attention before more American blood gets spilled?
The heavy hitters are now stepping up to the plate in the series of Barack Obama scandals.
Media powerhouse Glenn Beck is at his finest as he joins WND Editor Joseph Farah in the effort to uncover even MORE insidious actions by the tyrants in charge ...
A lot of conservatives talk about restoring America to its roots ... applying the standard of "original intent" to interpreting the Constitution ... embracing the wisdom and values of the those first Americans who won our liberty.
But talk's cheap.
The question is, are they willing to DO what those patriots DID?
'Youth rioting' in Sweden? It's the Muslims, stupid
Check out these numbers.
They should make the hair stand on the back of your head.
How low a percentage of the population Muslim immigrants have to represent before the "tipping point" is reached ... before concessions are demanded ... before the fires are burning ... and how rapidly that population is growing.
They're armed ... they've taken an oath to defend the Constitution ... they see themselves as "the last line of defense in protecting Americans' constitutional rights" ... and they're meeting next week to plot how "to set our nation free."
Congressman utters 2 words Obama doesn't want to hear
This Republican lawmaker has just upped the ante, making a call on Obama's erupting scandals with just two words that will take it all to a brand new level.
"There's just so much there, we haven't got nearly to the bottom, and it already stinks to high heaven," he says.
If you're driving from Maine to Texas ... and you've got all your belongings in your car ... and you get sleepy and want to catch a few winks ... don't do it in New Jersey.
Do it in Maine, do it in Texas, do it next door in Pennsylvania, do it in some other state ... it's legal there ... but DON'T do it in New Jersey.
Unless you don't mind being sentenced to five years in prison ...
If you thought the Internal Revenue Service was going to be stopped by revelations it had harassed some tea party groups, forget about it.
The IRS has grand views of its power over American citizens, and now it's putting an unorthodox spin on the Bill of Rights that leaves anyone it decides to investigate constitutionally naked.
The decision to keep the bureaucrat who headed up Tea Party targeting in charge of Obamacare speaks to a bald affront by the Obama administration to a US Congress now facing some very tough questions of its own. Sarah Hall Ingram scored not a lateral but an up the chain promotion when she was put in charge of a reform division of the Affordable Care Act. But just what are the political ramifications of the 18 month long period in which the painful targeting of conservatives successfully squelched Tea Party opposition to her big boss's re-election?
The Tea Party targeting scandal has called into question the role which the IRS and thousands of new agents will play as they become healthcare auditors and decision makers for millions of Americans under Obamacare. And now some analysts are going back to re-examine the amazing Affordable Care Act flip flop of Supreme Court Chief Justice John ... Continue Reading:The coming scourge of ObamaCare still the fault of John Roberts
The conventional wisdom still holds that "Social Security is the third rail in American politics." The metaphor refers, of course, to the third rail of electric-powered trains, and touching that rail will most likely be fatal.
Like most conventional wisdom, though, it is clearly wrong. For example, if some politician discussed making social security voluntary, it is difficult to see how such a concept would be fatal-especially if articulated to younger voters. What would be fatal is the notion of taking social security away from those already receiving and relying on it, and I've never heard anyone suggest that.
The real third rail is a concept that would be popular with the majority of our citizens, but under current PC diktat would nonetheless be fatal. This real third rail is quite simple: Imposing qualifications for voting.
I'm not talking about any sort of literacy test or a poll tax. Rather, I suggest that one need to be a taxpayer ... Continue Reading:The real third rail in American politics
The culture of death has two halves: Islam is a theocracy embracing imposed death or slavery for infidels - even suicide bombing each other's prayer times. "Progressivism" completes the culture with its complete disdain for the sanctity of human life at all stages, even to the marital covenant between a man, woman and God on which human survival depends.
Islam with Sharia law and "progressivism" are incompatible with the Constitution and ultimately with any hope for a civilized society. The "progressives" are being led to a predictable outcome of bloody conflict and dragging us with them. The two 20th century socialisms - Communism and Nazism should have also taught us something about "The Night of the Long Knives" where Hitler dealt with "inconvenient" supporters just as Obama and the Muslim Brotherhood have dealt with "inconvenient" Muslim dictators. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Long_Knives
This week the AP reported the United States government knows who are responsible for the murders of Americans at the U.S. Mission in Benghazi. Despite Mr. Obama's promise to punish the terrorists he is doing nothing. Talk is cheap. The White house resident could easily order armed drones to target these thugs but he doesn't. This is a feckless President whose inaction can be easily explained by the Limbaugh theorem. (1) If he gave the order to kill the terrorists, Obama would be seen as governing. Should anything go wrong he just might have to accept responsibility. Such a possibility is unacceptable to a spoiled man-child as his ego couldn't handle it. But if he brings them to civilian courts his hands would be clean of any decisions.
These are terrorists. Under the Geneva conventions they have no rights and can be killed without recourse. Of course, the ... Continue Reading:Feckless Leadership an art form under Obama
Some time ago, I had occasion to study a number of so-called "landmark" Supreme Court cases, and when you come right down to it, most of them are essentially crapola.
In Roe v. Wade, for example, no matter what side of the abortion debate you're on, you have to be struck by one very stupid thing: If Norma McCorvey (Roe) wanted an abortion so badly, why didn't she just go to another state to get one? It was even part of the dissent that by the time the case reached the Supremes it was moot, since the baby was already born. Normally, test cases are not moot, and normally test cases do not occur because someone volunteers to purposely create one against their own interest!
In Dalehite v. US (a case involving the worst industrial accident in US history) an entire law was invalidated on absurd grounds, mostly so that the government would not have to accept culpability. In ... Continue Reading:Not So Supreme
Confusion surrounding the term "autism" is surely nothing new. The word was first used in 1911 by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler, who presumably invoked the Greek autos, meaning "self." Bleuler was describing the behavior of many schizophrenics, whereby they withdraw into their own inner world. But, it would take the brilliant Dr. Leo Kanner, founder of child psychiatry, to identify the disease as it is understood today.
His breakthrough paper, entitled "Autistic Disturbances of Affective Contact," appeared in 1943.
A follow-up paper ("Early Infantile Autism 1943-1955") would appear in 1956, in which Kanner and his associate Leon Eisenberg elaborated on Kanner's original concept of autism and the five features he considered to be diagnostic:
A profound lack of affective contact with other people An anxiously obsessive desire for the preservation of sameness in the child's routines and environment A fascination for objects, which are handled with skill in fine motor movements Mutism (consistent failure to speak in situations ... Continue Reading:Don't call it autism
With the Boy Scout of America's (BSA) vote to allow gay scouts (but not gay leaders as if that makes a difference) the Gay Mafia won another victory in its ongoing effort to destroy the moral fabric of America.
Since losing in the Supreme Court a decade ago when the Court said the BSA could exclude gays, the thug wing of gaydom has been threatening extorting and lobbying to get the organization to allow gays to be part of their "family."
For over 103 years the Scouts have turned out some of our best Americas. Their creed has always been built around a foundation of moral rectitude that does not accept homosexual conduct as a substitute for genuine wholesomeness.
Now with a vote which may or may not have been an honest reflection of its members' sentiment, the BSA has reversed its earlier reaffirmation of excluding morally challenged and confused gay young ... Continue Reading:Gay Boy Scouts? Ask the Canadians how it worked out for them eh?
Given our level of government dependency, being a confessed socialist is great cover for what I believe Obama really is - a supreme caliph-in-waiting.
Haven't we blindly spent trillions in American treasure and technology and thousands of American lives and wounded to see every country we supposedly are freeing from despots end up with Sharia law in their constitutions?
The Muslim Brotherhood are persecuting, murdering and forcing out Christians wherever they gain control. They are harassing and killing Buddhists and Hindus. How dumb can we get? Don't we have the most successful triune philosophy of government in history in the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights? Why sacrifice it and ourselves to impose the most despotic theocracy in all history? Note to ACLU: You want separation of church and state? Hello!
Guest Column Keeping Our Heads in the Sand after Boston By Steve Emerson | May 24, 2013 The Obama administration's policy banning references to "Islamic extremism" and "jihad" in discussions about terrorism drew criticism during the House Homeland Security Committee hearing on the Boston Marathon bombings. The bombings "should again teach us that the enemy we face is violent Islamist extremism, not just al Qaida," said former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman. "Osama bin Laden [...] AIM Newswire Alaskan Volcano erupts Ash, leads to precautions
FPN President Joe Glover issued the following response to the announcement that the Boy Scouts of America will permit open homosexuality among troop members:
Glover said:
"The Boy Scouts of America should drop the phrase 'to God' and 'morally straight' from their oath, since they've decided to reject His standards of morality. The Bible clearly states homosexuality is a sin against God, and yet the Boy Scouts of America has decided to allow it."
Glover said Christian parents should immediately remove their sons from the Boy Scouts of America due to the change in policy. He said:
"Parents should only place their children in the care of people who readily accept God's definition of what it means to be 'morally straight.' Unfortunately, the leaders of the Boy Scouts of America have chosen a form of moral character that arrogantly rejects God's written Word."
On my honor I will do my best To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.
The state discovered that an employee with no medical training had administered misoprostol to induce an abortion, and had also performed an ultrasound on a woman who was 22 weeks pregnant.
He noted WHO should not call the drug "life-saving, because "when conception already has occurred, certain substances used in 'emergency contraception' produce an abortifacient effect."
After being arrested for pro-life protests and working for Pat Robertson's presidential campaign, "I describe myself as being very pro-life and very pro-choice," Joseph McAuliffe now says.
Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer has said the blogging platform will not remove its copious amounts of pornography, which includes such bizarre fetishes as zoophilia.
Toronto's Catholic trustees rejected a motion to ban homosexual activist clubs in North America's largest Catholic school system on Thursday after a marathon meeting featuring over two hours of speeches, mostly supporting the ban.
"There's no clear benefit in prolonging life when you cannot tell whether the life that's being prolonged is actually worth living for," said Dr. Andre Amaral of Sunnybrook.
Effectively blackmailed by CEOs representing corporate giants (e.g., UPS, Intel, AT&T) that had already sold out on homosexuality, the BSA leaders panicked out of fear of losing more Fortune 500 grants.
"I love life and expect nothing after it, only the perpetuation of my race and my spirit," wrote Dominique Venner before shooting himself inside Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
"It is totally unacceptable to refer to a medical product that constitutes a direct attack on the life of the child in utero as a 'life-saving commodity,'" said Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan has a duty to deny the Sacrament to politicians "who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin," even his good buddy Andrew Cuomo.
They spent the better part of a floor debate explaining why Kermit Gosnell's crimes against humanity were no different than getting a root canal in a dirty dentist's office.
What seems like compassion for the poor is, in fact, the dark ideology, borrowed from the eugenic visions of progressivism. The best thing for the developing world would be for all of these recommendations to fail.
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Gang of Eight's immigration bill on Tuesday. It will go to the Senate floor after the Memorial Day recess.
Heritage Foundation experts created this infographic to explain a principled alternative to this bad bill. Our plan secures the border and fixes the broken immigration system. Share this graphic with your friends on Facebook!
The "farm bill" is a deceiving name name for this recurring piece of legislation. It is really just a food stamp bill mixed with numerous agriculture subsidies. Bakst and Katz note that "the vast majority of spending-about 80 percent in the 2008 bill-is dedicated to food stamps and other nutrition programs." This isn't really a farm bill - it's a welfare bill.
The Obama administration is proposing to replace the only remaining Republican member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the body which oversees the U.S. government's international radio and television broadcasts. This move is "a power grab that is as outrageous as it is brazen," The Heritage Foundation's Helle Dale writes.
Dale explains the BBG's role in promoting America's interests through public diplomacy:
[It] is supposed to be bipartisan with nine members, four Democrats and four Republicans with the last seat being held by the Secretary of State or his designee. It has the executive power to oversee the running of Voice of America, Radio/TV Marti, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, and other parts of U.S. international broadcasting.
President Obama's plan for the BBG is a clear example, Dale says, of what Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel (R-KY) has called President Obama's "culture of intimidation."
Moreover, Obama plans to replace Republican member Victor Ashe, who has been a champion of Voice of America and other critical tools of American foreign policy.
This Memorial Day weekend, the Blaze TV will feature Veteran Nation, a documentary that honors the courage and heroism of our veterans from Bunker Hill to Baghdad.
Fox News president Roger Ailes sent a letter to employees condemning the Obama administration's violation of the press' constitutional rights. He wrote: "The administration's attempt to intimidate Fox News and its employees will not succeed and their excuses will stand neither the test of law, the test of decency, nor the test of time. We will not allow a climate of press intimidation, unseen since the McCarthy era, to frighten any of us away from the truth."
A bridge in Washington state collapsed yesterday. The collapse is thought to have been caused by a truck crash. There were no fatalities, though two people were hospitalized for hypothermia after being rescued from the frigid water.
As the Senate began discussions on the fraudulent "farm bill", Heritage Action is working closely with Senate offices urging them to amend the bill to make it unattractive to liberals-forcing them to put off or even cancel the final vote. Our lobbying team saw a victory in their strategy when the vote on the Senate farm bill was postponed until after recess in June.
Why are we working for a delay? This extra time allows our team to do two things. First, we are able to prepare a firewall of conservative resistance in the House of Representatives. And second, it allows us to keep up the fight against the Gang of Eight's amnesty bill. Ultimately, the longer the discussion on these big-government bills, the more likely we can score victories on both fronts.
Key Vote Alert: NO on the Senate Amnesty Bill
The Senate will soon vote on the Gang of Eight's amnesty bill, which would undermine the rule of law and place a tremendous burden on those in the country legally. Heritage Action affirms that America can get the benefit of a reformed immigration system without the costs associated with legalizing millions of illegal immigrants. By following The Heritage Foundation's policy prescription of a transparent, step-by-step approach, we can create an immigration system that welcomes immigrants, protects our sovereignty and expands opportunity and upward mobility for everyone. America needs an immigration system that works, and the Gang of Eight's amnesty bill falls woefully short of that marker.
Outside The Beltway
This week we activated both our grassroots army and Twitter Rapid Response Team to fight on immigration. Less than 24 hours after our call to action, over 7,500 activists emailed their Senators opposing the Gang of Eight's amnesty bill. Additionally our Twitter Rapid Response Team tweeted out over 2,300 messages to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) asking him to lead the charge against this bill.
He is Open to Destroying the Second Amendment Again
To review the bidding: You remember the beginning of April, when it appeared that the pro-gun movement would achieve a definitive victory which would send anti-gun crazy Mike Bloomberg into hiding for another decade?
Then, straight to the aid of people like Bloomberg who want to eliminate gun ownership in America, came Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey.
The so-called Toomey-Manchin "compromise" was actually drafted by New York Senator Chuck Schumer, and earlier versions still had his name at the top.
The Toomey proposal would create a national gun registry, and give the gun-grabbers and Barack Obama a huge victory from which they could make their next round of gun demands.
The "weasel-words" which purported to prohibit a gun registry were actually full of loopholes. For example, Attorney General Eric Holder is authorized to prosecute himself (and his subordinates) for creating a gun registry. But after Holder's performance on Fast & Furious and the IRS scandal, does anyone trust him to do that?
Since the defeat of Schumer-Toomey-Manchin, Toomey has normally tried to tamp down efforts to get the gun control debate jump-started again.
But now, Toomey has told reporter Jonathan Tamari that he is "open to reviving the background-check bill."
Toomey's statement, of course, will be used to resume a feeding frenzy to destroy the Second Amendment.
Toomey has made it quite clear to the Associated Press and others that he believes his role in trying to destroy the Second Amendment has been a political benefit for him in Pennsylvania.
You need to convince him differently.
ACTION: Contact Senator Toomey. Tell him how you feel about his efforts to further his political career by attacking gun ownership.
You can call Senator Toomey at 202-224-4254If it is not possible for you to call, then e-mail him by using his webform at
I see that you told an Inquirer reporter that you are "open to reviving the background check bill."
You are reported to think that destroying the Second Amendment is good politics in Pennsylvania.
Arlen Specter thought the same thing. Remember him?
Make no mistake about it: We know that the so-called Toomey-Manchin "compromise" was actually drafted by New York Senator Chuck Schumer, and earlier versions still had his name at the top.
Your proposal would create a national gun registry, and give the gun-grabbers and Barack Obama a huge victory from which they could make their next round of gun demands.
The "weasel-words" which you use to purport to prohibit a gun registry were actually full of loopholes. For example, Attorney General Eric Holder is authorized to prosecute himself (and his subordinates) for creating a gun registry. But after Holder's performance on Fast & Furious and the IRS scandal, does anyone trust him to do that?
Please cease and desist in your efforts to destroy gun ownership for your own political gain.
Sincerely,
Gun Owners of America 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102 Springfield, VA 22151
Hatch Biometric Exit Amendment Falls Short of Current LawOn Monday, the Senate Judiciary Committee adopted an amendment to the Gang of Eight amnesty bill (S.744) that merely begins the process of implementing a biometric exit system-a system already required by law. Full Story
Another Houston Law Officer Killed by Illegal AlienDeputy Polk was on his way home from work and died in a car crash with an illegal alien driver. The illegal alien charged with his death actually has a serious criminal record and should have been deported last year. Full Story
List of Rejected Amendments that Could Have Improved the Gang of Eight Amnesty BillRather than improving the legislation, the markup only made the bill worse, doing nothing to secure our porous borders and making it even easier for illegal aliens to gain citizenship. Full Story
150 Conservative Leaders, Organizations Sign Anti-Amnesty LetterOver 150 conservative leaders, groups and grassroots activists have signed an open letter opposing the Senate immigration reform bill. Full Story
AFL-CIO: We Have No Higher Priority than Amnesty for Illegal AliensOne might think that given more than 20 million Americans unable to find full-time jobs, and testimony by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke that the American job market remains weak, that organized labor's highest priority would be getting Americans back to work. Full Story
The 'Assassinate Wall Street' Movie By L. Brent Bozell III A new movie suggests that the Occupy Wall Street movement was for sissies. It's time for someone to start a new campaign: Assassinate Wall Street, an exercise in anti-capitalist class warfare.
Will the West Wake Up? By Patrick Buchanan Since 1965, immigration policy has been run by people who wanted a new nation that looked less like Europe and more like a continental replica of the U.N. General Assembly.
Obama's Bloody Recipe for More Benghazis By Michelle Malkin President Obama intends to empty out Guantanamo Bay and send scores of suspected Muslim terror operatives back to their jihadist-coddling native countries. How much more American blood and treasure will this reckless, feckless game of jihadi catch-and-release cost?
Tom Ridge By Rich Galen The official portrait of the first Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security was unveiled yesterday at the department headquarters in Washington, seven years after he left the job.
Senator John McCain sanctimoniously lectured Senator Mike Lee this week on how things are done in Washington DC, never realizing he was making a mockery of himself. That very corrupt process he praised is what has so badly damaged America. Glenn expressed his gratefulness for having people like Senator Lee and Ted Cruz because of their willingness to stand up to the establishment. Glenn plays audio of Sen Cruz rebuking John McCain on radio today.
Courage among the cowards: woman stands up to ax-wielding killers
In the story of the brutal murder of a soldier, committed by radical Islamists in London this week, there is an act of courage that needs to be shared. One lone woman stood out in the crowd and confronted the two terrorists, who were still carrying weapons in their bloodied hands. Fearless, the woman put her own life ahead of others in this amazing display of heroism. Glenn reacts to her bravery and to the cowards in the streets of London. WATCH
Did Holder sign off on the Fox snoop; set to investigate himself
According to a new report, Eric Holder personally signed off on the order to seize phone records from Fox News. But don't worry, the administration is going to get to the bottom of this. President Obama showed how seriously he is taking these allegations by directing Eric Holder to investigate, well, himself. More from radio today.
This weekend join TheBlaze for the award winning documentary: Veteran Nation
Veteran Nation honors the courage and heroism of our veterans from Bunker Hill to Baghdad. See how they have been treated throughout history, the challenges they face returning home, and what we can do to serve them. Veteran Nation - Watch live or on demand this Saturday at 12pm ET, on TheBlaze.
What if the President is telling the truth?
It's been painfully obvious that the administration is distorting the truth and even outright lying when it comes to the scandals plaguing the White House. But what if the story the White House is spinning is actually true - that the President, Holder, Hillary and other top officials don't know anything about anything. What does that say about the administration? Glenn explains on radio today.
Girls dress as boys and boys dress as girls. Gender switching is what a group of young school children are learning at one Milwaukee school, to the dismay of at least one parent. Despite the complaints, the event will go on as planned - although it did get a slight name change. Glenn has the story on radio today.
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.
Calling All History Buffs!
Glenn's looking for some GREAT, untold (or misunderstood) stories from American history for an upcoming project. The stories can be from any era, but they should be things that will amaze, inspire or educate. Know of one that fits the bill? Click HERE.
Interview with CO Sheriff Terry Maketa Colorado was once a staunchly conservative state but things seem to be shifting, at least when it comes to gun laws. The state jammed several new restrictions down the throats of the citizens - but some Sheriffs are standing up and vowing not to enforce the measures. Glenn interviews one of these brave Sheriffs on radio today.
It's the man, not the gun The mainstream media wants you to believe that gun crime originates with the gun. It doesn't. Debunk the progressive myths, the talking points, and arguments with #1 New York Times bestseller CONTROL. Backed by hundreds of sources, Glenn's latest book gives everyone who cares about the Second Amendment the indisputable facts they need to reclaim the debate, defeat the fear, and take back their natural rights. Get your copy HERE.
Tonight's primetime lineup on TheBlaze TV
5pm ET -The Glenn Beck Program: Glenn sits down with college students for an episode of 'Ask Glenn Anything'!
6pm ET -Real News: Amy, Will, S.E. and Buck bring you intelligent analysis & comprehensive news coverage that you can't find anywhere else.
7pm ET -Wilkow!: Andrew tackles the biggest issues facing America with unvarnished analysis and fearless solutions.
This Saturday on TheBlaze TV: Don't miss an all new episode of the Wonderful World of Stu @ 10pm ET, followed by a hilarious new episode of The B.S. of A. at 10:30pm ET.
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Some Libyan rebel leaders, including at least one who had spent time in a training camp in Afghanistan and who was in that country in September 2001, specifically asked Western countries to send Stinger missiles.
Qaddafi's intelligence services believed that the rebels were having the missiles smuggled in over the country's southern border - but they believed the French were supplying the missiles.
There is no evidence that the U.S. supplied the weapons, but it appears they gave their blessing to a secret Qatari effort to ship arms across Libya's southern border in violation of a United Nations arms embargo.
Anti-Qaddafi forces also obtained a significant number of anti-aircraft missiles from the regime's bunkers early in the conflict.
Enough Stinger missiles disappeared from regime stockpiles during the civil war to become a high priority and serious worry for the administration.
Condescending: McCain lectures Mike Lee
