As we prepare to usher in 2014, here is hoping your 2013 was more ineteresting that you 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008. I also hope that found someone new who you would carry and who would carry you.
Just as I have encouraged for the last few years; think about what you have done this past year and what you might have have done differently, not to live in regret but as a guide for the coming year. With the year coming to a close, so does your chance of living it to the fullest. The lucky among us will have the full coming year to try again. Stop putting off what you really want to do, because you never know when not being able to do it will stop being a voluntary choice and just becomes your new reality.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Monday, December 30, 2013
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Extortion: How Politicians Extract Your Money, Buy Votes, and Line Their Own Pockets
Video embedded below.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Friday, December 27, 2013
The End of Overkill? Reassessing U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy (featuring Hans Kristensen)
Video embedded below.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Top of the Trifecta Christmas Wish List: The Obama Scandals Commemorative Plates!
Video embedded below.
Monday, December 23, 2013
"Unprecedented: The Constitutional Challenge to Obamacare" (featuring Randy Barnett)
Video embedded below.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
All I Want for Christmas is U... (Remy's Holiday Ode to a Sound Monetary Policy)
Video embedded below.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Obama's Second-Term Disappointment: Reduced to Mafioso Behavior and Hipster Twitter Ads
Video embedded below.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Monday, December 16, 2013
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Friday, December 13, 2013
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Discovering Your Inner Hunter-Gatherer: Q&A with Paleo Manifesto Author John Durant
Video embedded below.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Monday, December 9, 2013
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Private Anti-Piracy Navies: How Warships for Hire Are Changing Maritime Security
Video embedded below.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Common Core Survey Series, Part One: Hey! Teacher! Seriously! Leave them Kids Alone!
Video embedded below.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Nelson Mandela Dies at the age of 95
There are vanishingly few people in this world who are as universally known as well as admired. The world lost a truly great man today.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2013/12/nelson-mandela-rip.php
"News is crossing the wire in the last few minutes of the passing today of Nelson Mandela, at the age of 95. I never quite knew exactly what to make of Mandela. During his long years in prison, when his clearly loathsome wife Winnie and the African National Congress were openly pro-Communist, I naturally feared the worst. But around the time Mandela was released I happened to make the acquaintance of Leon Louw, one of South Africa’s leading (perhaps only) libertarian intellectuals. Leon noted, among other things, that Apartheid was essentially just another form of centralized socialism. About Mandela he said to reserve judgment, and that he was optimistic about Mandela’s future.
I started to think Leon was on to something when one of the first things Mandela did after gaining his freedom was divorce Winnie. I’m not a close student of South African affairs, but there was certainly a marked contrast between Mandela’s stewardship of the transition to full democratic rule there and the course of events in most other African nations such as Zimbabwe, which seem to follow the rule “One man, one vote–once.” RIP."
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2013/12/nelson-mandela-rip.php
"News is crossing the wire in the last few minutes of the passing today of Nelson Mandela, at the age of 95. I never quite knew exactly what to make of Mandela. During his long years in prison, when his clearly loathsome wife Winnie and the African National Congress were openly pro-Communist, I naturally feared the worst. But around the time Mandela was released I happened to make the acquaintance of Leon Louw, one of South Africa’s leading (perhaps only) libertarian intellectuals. Leon noted, among other things, that Apartheid was essentially just another form of centralized socialism. About Mandela he said to reserve judgment, and that he was optimistic about Mandela’s future.
I started to think Leon was on to something when one of the first things Mandela did after gaining his freedom was divorce Winnie. I’m not a close student of South African affairs, but there was certainly a marked contrast between Mandela’s stewardship of the transition to full democratic rule there and the course of events in most other African nations such as Zimbabwe, which seem to follow the rule “One man, one vote–once.” RIP."
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Friday, November 29, 2013
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Thoughts on Streaming Video From your Phone Technology
One of our "Massive Lists" was websites that allowed you to stream video from your video enabled phone live to the web (Berman Post: Stream Videos From Your Cell Phone). This post will be about why I believe that this is an extremely important and valuable technology that everyone should have on their cell phone.
There are a number of useful applications which do not raise this technology to critical but make it worth having. When you stream video directly from your phone to the web, there is no need to worry about running out of memory on your cell and memory card. The data need not be stored on your phone, and it usually is not. Since the data is not stored on your phone or memory card, the survival of the video is independent of that of your phone. In other words, if your phone is stolen, destroyed, misplaced, or corrupted, your videos remain unaffected. There is no need to worry about backing up the data as the web service you are using is/should be doing that on their end.
As a side note, it is still worth backing up any important videos as the company you are using could have any number of problems. Chose the right service provider and it is less likely that they will lose your data then the average person. Still, it never hurts to have a back up just in case.
Instant turn around time is another useful feature. For example, you just has a baby. Your friends and family are scattered all over and want to see the child. Without this technology you had to take the video, drive home, load the video onto your computer, upload the video to the web, and then send out a link to people who want to see the video. With the technology all you need to do is give the people a link and you can stream live from the hospital. If they are not available to watch the video live, it is automatically archived for them to see when ever they have a free moment. Often, the people on the receiving end of the video do need to find an internet connected computer and can just watch the video on their phone.
All of this is just icing on the proverbial "critical" cake. The reason this technology is extremely important is because of what else you can do with it. To truly understand its importance, we must reflect upon a given situation occurring with different problems and how they have been solved. The example is witnessing a crooked cop in action, but this applies to many situations including seeing human rights abuses commited by represive governments or being in any dangerous situation.
1) No video cameras / you do not have your camera -> your word against thiers
Likely Result -> you lose or at least you do not win
Solution -> smaller cameras that are now in phones and are always with you
2) No effective distribution method -> you have the tape but do not have a way of easily disseminating it for viewing
Likely Result -> Failure to reach a critical mass of outrage and apathy prevails
Solution -> the internet, more specifically YouTube and other sites of similar nature
3) In camera data storage -> risk of being discovered and having the video destroyed
Likely Result -> if discovered same as example 1
Solution -> Technology that streams video to the web from your phone instantly
As you can see, this technology easily solves the last two problems by ensuring the survival of the video (provided you have service or an internet connection which is likely and becomes more likely every day) and placing it onto a disseminating network.
When you find yourself in a dangerous situation, your best chance for safety after going unnoticed is publicity. The likelihood of you being able to defend yourself against a crooked cop trained to fight and in the use of their weapons is minuscule. While slipping out unnoticed would be the safest, once discovered the more publicity the safer you are under most circumstances.
Lets look at another example. You are waling on the street alone at night. Most of the time nothing will happen, but their is always that chance that your situation will be one of sad few. What can you do? Not put your self into that situation in the first place. Of course, sometimes they can not be avoided, and that notion really does not help once you are in that situation. As long as their is enough "juice" (electricity / battery life) left in your cell phone, just turn on the live stream.
If nothing happens to you, great. Delete the video later. If you are approached by a suspicious individual or group make sure to get a shot of them. If you pass without incident, great. Delete the video later. If that individual or group approaches you or confront you in a threatening way, explain that pictures of them, along with everything that is being said, is / has been streaming to the web and nothing they can do will erase that video. Depending on the situation explain further that nothing they have done yet is a crime, and you are content to walk away and forget about this unfortunate misunderstanding. It does not matter if this is true, you are creating an out for them and hoping they take it instead of escalating the situation. Finally, if necessary, tell them that if anything happens to you their is someone who has access to the video and knows to check it. Most, if they believe you, will be dissuaded from continuing. They are not stupid and know that the $50 they might get from you is not worth the police having at least their picture and possibly some of the crime on video.
That last spoken part should be true. Most people have an unspoken checklist of where to look for someone who they think is missing: call the cell, check their home, where is the car, local hospitals.... This one should be spoken, or set up a delayed message that will be sent to them when you stop postponing it. This includes making sure they have access if you have your account default set on privet.
This same principles applies to helping others.
Other examples are abundant but need not be explored here. Surely you can imagine many situations in which the ability to stream live video could be extremely important.
This technology does create some problems or headaches in some circumstances. Imagine having people in the audience of a concert streaming it live across the internet. All in all, these problem seem heavily out weighed by the benefits.
Finally, the technology is free so their is absolutely no reason not to get it once one of the services offers their service for your phone. Even if you never need to use it, what is the harm in having it available. Chances are good that even if you never need to use live streaming technology for a critical situation, you will still use it for some non critical situations.
In case this post has been to subtle, you should head over to Berman Post: Stream Videos From Your Cell Phone, find a service that has support for your phone, and get the free application.
There are a number of useful applications which do not raise this technology to critical but make it worth having. When you stream video directly from your phone to the web, there is no need to worry about running out of memory on your cell and memory card. The data need not be stored on your phone, and it usually is not. Since the data is not stored on your phone or memory card, the survival of the video is independent of that of your phone. In other words, if your phone is stolen, destroyed, misplaced, or corrupted, your videos remain unaffected. There is no need to worry about backing up the data as the web service you are using is/should be doing that on their end.
As a side note, it is still worth backing up any important videos as the company you are using could have any number of problems. Chose the right service provider and it is less likely that they will lose your data then the average person. Still, it never hurts to have a back up just in case.
Instant turn around time is another useful feature. For example, you just has a baby. Your friends and family are scattered all over and want to see the child. Without this technology you had to take the video, drive home, load the video onto your computer, upload the video to the web, and then send out a link to people who want to see the video. With the technology all you need to do is give the people a link and you can stream live from the hospital. If they are not available to watch the video live, it is automatically archived for them to see when ever they have a free moment. Often, the people on the receiving end of the video do need to find an internet connected computer and can just watch the video on their phone.
All of this is just icing on the proverbial "critical" cake. The reason this technology is extremely important is because of what else you can do with it. To truly understand its importance, we must reflect upon a given situation occurring with different problems and how they have been solved. The example is witnessing a crooked cop in action, but this applies to many situations including seeing human rights abuses commited by represive governments or being in any dangerous situation.
1) No video cameras / you do not have your camera -> your word against thiers
Likely Result -> you lose or at least you do not win
Solution -> smaller cameras that are now in phones and are always with you
2) No effective distribution method -> you have the tape but do not have a way of easily disseminating it for viewing
Likely Result -> Failure to reach a critical mass of outrage and apathy prevails
Solution -> the internet, more specifically YouTube and other sites of similar nature
3) In camera data storage -> risk of being discovered and having the video destroyed
Likely Result -> if discovered same as example 1
Solution -> Technology that streams video to the web from your phone instantly
As you can see, this technology easily solves the last two problems by ensuring the survival of the video (provided you have service or an internet connection which is likely and becomes more likely every day) and placing it onto a disseminating network.
When you find yourself in a dangerous situation, your best chance for safety after going unnoticed is publicity. The likelihood of you being able to defend yourself against a crooked cop trained to fight and in the use of their weapons is minuscule. While slipping out unnoticed would be the safest, once discovered the more publicity the safer you are under most circumstances.
Lets look at another example. You are waling on the street alone at night. Most of the time nothing will happen, but their is always that chance that your situation will be one of sad few. What can you do? Not put your self into that situation in the first place. Of course, sometimes they can not be avoided, and that notion really does not help once you are in that situation. As long as their is enough "juice" (electricity / battery life) left in your cell phone, just turn on the live stream.
If nothing happens to you, great. Delete the video later. If you are approached by a suspicious individual or group make sure to get a shot of them. If you pass without incident, great. Delete the video later. If that individual or group approaches you or confront you in a threatening way, explain that pictures of them, along with everything that is being said, is / has been streaming to the web and nothing they can do will erase that video. Depending on the situation explain further that nothing they have done yet is a crime, and you are content to walk away and forget about this unfortunate misunderstanding. It does not matter if this is true, you are creating an out for them and hoping they take it instead of escalating the situation. Finally, if necessary, tell them that if anything happens to you their is someone who has access to the video and knows to check it. Most, if they believe you, will be dissuaded from continuing. They are not stupid and know that the $50 they might get from you is not worth the police having at least their picture and possibly some of the crime on video.
That last spoken part should be true. Most people have an unspoken checklist of where to look for someone who they think is missing: call the cell, check their home, where is the car, local hospitals.... This one should be spoken, or set up a delayed message that will be sent to them when you stop postponing it. This includes making sure they have access if you have your account default set on privet.
This same principles applies to helping others.
Other examples are abundant but need not be explored here. Surely you can imagine many situations in which the ability to stream live video could be extremely important.
This technology does create some problems or headaches in some circumstances. Imagine having people in the audience of a concert streaming it live across the internet. All in all, these problem seem heavily out weighed by the benefits.
Finally, the technology is free so their is absolutely no reason not to get it once one of the services offers their service for your phone. Even if you never need to use it, what is the harm in having it available. Chances are good that even if you never need to use live streaming technology for a critical situation, you will still use it for some non critical situations.
In case this post has been to subtle, you should head over to Berman Post: Stream Videos From Your Cell Phone, find a service that has support for your phone, and get the free application.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Enroll America Director Conspires to Release Private Data for Political Purposes
Video embedded below.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Quintessential Question
You know them when you hear them. A question that seems so simple, yet is so amazingly complex that they stop you dead in you tracks. They are questions that can take you anyone of a hundred ways, some completely contradictory toward each other. Despite what ever answer you assign, the question still nags at you. "Are you sure", "Could it be something else", "Is their another, better answer"... ? Try as you might, a final conclusion, meaning, or interpretation is ultimately allusive. You may think you have it, and you may just brush the question aside content or frustrated. But a closer inspection will almost certainly cause a revelation or beg a different approach. In this way, the questions have the qualities of a proverb.
Why the long explanation about these still unasked yet mystically powerful questions? It is because I plan on asking them. The answers will be spread across multiple posts for the same question to approach some of the different angles. Also, it is special encouragement for you to either comment (and at length if you would like) or post your own answer somewhere else. Email me with a link and I will put that link on the master page for the question.
Just to be clear. The first post, or master post, for each question will contain the question, possible clarification/explanation if necessary, and then links to all the current answer(s). Each avenue or answer gets its own subsequent post or page. Your answers will also be linked to in the master page (just email me with the link [and put the question as the subject] and be sure to link to the master page in your post). If I like your answer/thought posted in the comment section, I will give it its own post page.
This will all be much clearer after seeing the first example. For an example see the link(s) listed below or click on the "Quintessential Question" label.
Why the long explanation about these still unasked yet mystically powerful questions? It is because I plan on asking them. The answers will be spread across multiple posts for the same question to approach some of the different angles. Also, it is special encouragement for you to either comment (and at length if you would like) or post your own answer somewhere else. Email me with a link and I will put that link on the master page for the question.
Just to be clear. The first post, or master post, for each question will contain the question, possible clarification/explanation if necessary, and then links to all the current answer(s). Each avenue or answer gets its own subsequent post or page. Your answers will also be linked to in the master page (just email me with the link [and put the question as the subject] and be sure to link to the master page in your post). If I like your answer/thought posted in the comment section, I will give it its own post page.
This will all be much clearer after seeing the first example. For an example see the link(s) listed below or click on the "Quintessential Question" label.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
The Obama Doctrine: How Indecision and Inconsistency Threaten our National Security
Video embedded below.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Friday, November 15, 2013
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Monday, November 11, 2013
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Friday, November 8, 2013
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Monday, July 8, 2013
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Friday, July 5, 2013
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Happy fourth of July!
The Greatness that is America.
Videos Embedded Below.
Not that their is a bad day, but today is another good day to thank a soldier.
Videos Embedded Below.
Not that their is a bad day, but today is another good day to thank a soldier.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Five Year Blogiversary of the BermanPost!
It may be hard to believe, but exactly five years ago, the first post went live. Things have been a little light lately thanks to some medical issues and a heavy work load, but I hope to change that soon. Regardless, thanks to everyone for five years of your support.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Monday, July 1, 2013
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Friday, June 21, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Uncovered: 'Obama Phones' Sold to Buy Drugs and Louis Vuittons
Video embedded below.
Raw Video
Video embedded below.
Raw Video
Video embedded below.
James O'Keefe Confronts Attorney General "Richard Head" Over Indicting Journalists
Video embedded below.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Saturday, June 15, 2013
"Libertarianism: What Everyone Needs to Know" featuring the author Jason Brennan
Video embedded below.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Smartgun can hit a target over 1,100+ yards away
If anyone is looking for a tester...
Video embedded below.
Protecting VIPs just got a whole lot harder.
Video embedded below.
Protecting VIPs just got a whole lot harder.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013
"The Fire Next Door: Mexico's Drug Violence and the Danger to America" (Ted Carpenter)
Video embedded below.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Friday, June 7, 2013
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
The Bully-crats: The Democrats Are Bigoted Bullies
Video embedded below.
The Bully-crats: The Democrats Are Bigoted Bullies
The Bully-crats: The Democrats Are Bigoted Bullies
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Monday, June 3, 2013
Senator Frank Lautenberg (D) Dies at 89
The last of the WW2 veterans serving in the Senate, and by all accounts someone who lived the american dream.
http://hotair.com/archives/2013/06/03/breaking-senator-frank-lautenberg-passes-away-at-89
"The North Jersey Record reports this morning that Senator Frank Lautenberg has passed away at 89 years old. Other news agencies are reporting the same, but so far all seem to be based on the Record’s report:
Sne. Frank Lautenberg died this morning of viral pneumonia at age 89, his office said.
The oldest member of the Senate, Lautenberg had struggled with health problems since late last year, when he missed several weeks of votes because of what he said was flu and bronchitis.
The death of Lautenberg, a Democrat who was the longest-serving senator in New Jersey history, creates a vacancy that Governor Christie, a Republican, will fill.
I’m still awaiting confirmation, since we had a hoax almost three years ago about Lautenberg. The NJ Record is a pretty reliable source, though, and we should be seeing more information shortly. (No one answered at the Senator’s office when I tried to get confirmation.)
Our prayers are with the Lautenberg family, friends, and staff at this time. Keep checking back for updates.
Update: Frank Lautenberg was the last of the WWII veterans in the US Senate"
http://hotair.com/archives/2013/06/03/breaking-senator-frank-lautenberg-passes-away-at-89
"The North Jersey Record reports this morning that Senator Frank Lautenberg has passed away at 89 years old. Other news agencies are reporting the same, but so far all seem to be based on the Record’s report:
Sne. Frank Lautenberg died this morning of viral pneumonia at age 89, his office said.
The oldest member of the Senate, Lautenberg had struggled with health problems since late last year, when he missed several weeks of votes because of what he said was flu and bronchitis.
The death of Lautenberg, a Democrat who was the longest-serving senator in New Jersey history, creates a vacancy that Governor Christie, a Republican, will fill.
I’m still awaiting confirmation, since we had a hoax almost three years ago about Lautenberg. The NJ Record is a pretty reliable source, though, and we should be seeing more information shortly. (No one answered at the Senator’s office when I tried to get confirmation.)
Our prayers are with the Lautenberg family, friends, and staff at this time. Keep checking back for updates.
Update: Frank Lautenberg was the last of the WWII veterans in the US Senate"
Obama administration publishes details of missile base Israel wanted kept secret
With friends like these...
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/06/03/192895/us-publishes-details-of-missile.htmlVia
"Israel’s military fumed Monday over the discovery that the U.S. government had revealed details of a top-secret Israeli military installation in published bid requests.
The Obama administration had promised to build Israel a state-of-the-art facility to house a new ballistic-missile defense system, the Arrow 3. As with all Defense Department projects, detailed specifications were made public so that contractors could bid on the $25 million project. The specifications included more than 1,000 pages of details on the facility, ranging from the heating and cooling systems to the thickness of the walls.
"If an enemy of Israel wanted to launch an attack against a facility, this would give him an easy how-to guide. This type of information is closely guarded and its release can jeopardize the entire facility," said an Israeli military official who commented on the publication of the proposal but declined to be named because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the facility. He declined to say whether plans for the facility have been altered as a result of the disclosure.
"This is more than worrying, it is shocking," he said."
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/06/03/192895/us-publishes-details-of-missile.htmlVia
"Israel’s military fumed Monday over the discovery that the U.S. government had revealed details of a top-secret Israeli military installation in published bid requests.
The Obama administration had promised to build Israel a state-of-the-art facility to house a new ballistic-missile defense system, the Arrow 3. As with all Defense Department projects, detailed specifications were made public so that contractors could bid on the $25 million project. The specifications included more than 1,000 pages of details on the facility, ranging from the heating and cooling systems to the thickness of the walls.
"If an enemy of Israel wanted to launch an attack against a facility, this would give him an easy how-to guide. This type of information is closely guarded and its release can jeopardize the entire facility," said an Israeli military official who commented on the publication of the proposal but declined to be named because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the facility. He declined to say whether plans for the facility have been altered as a result of the disclosure.
"This is more than worrying, it is shocking," he said."
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Paleo-Greens: As Earth Cools, Environmental Troglodytes Burn Wood to Heat Homes
Video embedded below.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Former IRS Commissioner: I Only Went to White House Once
Video embedded below.
"Former IRS commissioner Douglas Shulman’s 157 White House visits is an “unusual fact pattern,” according to another former commissioner of the agency.
“I only went over there, to my recollection, once on a policy matter,” Mark Everson, who served from 2003 to 2007, told Bill O’Reilly last night. (He explained that it was an interagency policy meeting on immigration reform.)
Although Everson said Shulman probably would have had more reasons to go to the White House because of the IRS’s role in implementing the Affordable Care Act, he still found the frequency of Shulman’s visits, from 2008 to 2012, surprising, especially given that it was even higher than the secretaries of state and defense. “That’s an unusual fact pattern,” Everson chuckled."
"Former IRS commissioner Douglas Shulman’s 157 White House visits is an “unusual fact pattern,” according to another former commissioner of the agency.
“I only went over there, to my recollection, once on a policy matter,” Mark Everson, who served from 2003 to 2007, told Bill O’Reilly last night. (He explained that it was an interagency policy meeting on immigration reform.)
Although Everson said Shulman probably would have had more reasons to go to the White House because of the IRS’s role in implementing the Affordable Care Act, he still found the frequency of Shulman’s visits, from 2008 to 2012, surprising, especially given that it was even higher than the secretaries of state and defense. “That’s an unusual fact pattern,” Everson chuckled."
88 IRS employees Identified in the scandal ... So Far
A few bad apples...
http://nation.foxnews.com/2013/05/31/just-nearly-90-irs-employees-involved-scandal
"The Internal Revenue Service has told House GOP investigators they have identified 88 IRS employees who may have documents relevant to the congressional investigation into targeting of conservative groups, according to a congressional source familiar with the investigation.
The IRS asked these employees to preserve all the "responsive documents" on their computers, and it has been in the process of collecting it all to comply with congressional requests for information. The IRS missed its May 21st deadline to turn over documents to the House Ways and Means Committee."
http://nation.foxnews.com/2013/05/31/just-nearly-90-irs-employees-involved-scandal
"The Internal Revenue Service has told House GOP investigators they have identified 88 IRS employees who may have documents relevant to the congressional investigation into targeting of conservative groups, according to a congressional source familiar with the investigation.
The IRS asked these employees to preserve all the "responsive documents" on their computers, and it has been in the process of collecting it all to comply with congressional requests for information. The IRS missed its May 21st deadline to turn over documents to the House Ways and Means Committee."
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Koch LA Times Buyout Enrages Protesters: What We Saw at the "Save Our News" Rally
Video embedded below.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
House Judiciary Committee opens formal perjury investigation into Holder testimony
http://hotair.com/archives/2013/05/29/house-judiciary-committee-opens-formal-investigation-into-holder-perjury
"Eric Holder may face an uphill battle in his charm offensive with the media. He’s already failing miserably on Capitol Hill. Today the House Judiciary Committee opened a formal investigation into Holder’s testimony last week to determine if the Attorney General committed perjury:
The top two Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday formally initiated an investigation into whether Attorney General Eric Holder lied under oath during his May 15 testimony on the Justice Department’s (DOJ) surveillance of reporters.
Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), the chairman of the subcommittee on investigations, sent a letter to Holder detailing specific aspects of his testimony that they say conflicts with subsequent media reports.
The letter demands specific answers to questions raised by later revelations that, despite his protests to the contrary, Holder not only knew about Department of Justice efforts to accuse reporters of crimes under the Espionage Act of 1917, he personally approved the warrant that made the claim:
“How can you claim to have never been involved in the potential prosecution of a member of the media but you were admittedly involved in discussions regarding Mr. Rosen’s email?,” the letter asks. “How can you claim to have never even heard of the potential prosecution of the press but were, at a minimum, involved in discussions regarding Mr. Rosen?”
Good questions, and the Judiciary Committee could go even farther. Holder’s signature appears on the Rosen warrant, which documents his involvement in the case despite his denial of knowledge of these efforts."
"Eric Holder may face an uphill battle in his charm offensive with the media. He’s already failing miserably on Capitol Hill. Today the House Judiciary Committee opened a formal investigation into Holder’s testimony last week to determine if the Attorney General committed perjury:
The top two Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday formally initiated an investigation into whether Attorney General Eric Holder lied under oath during his May 15 testimony on the Justice Department’s (DOJ) surveillance of reporters.
Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), the chairman of the subcommittee on investigations, sent a letter to Holder detailing specific aspects of his testimony that they say conflicts with subsequent media reports.
The letter demands specific answers to questions raised by later revelations that, despite his protests to the contrary, Holder not only knew about Department of Justice efforts to accuse reporters of crimes under the Espionage Act of 1917, he personally approved the warrant that made the claim:
“How can you claim to have never been involved in the potential prosecution of a member of the media but you were admittedly involved in discussions regarding Mr. Rosen’s email?,” the letter asks. “How can you claim to have never even heard of the potential prosecution of the press but were, at a minimum, involved in discussions regarding Mr. Rosen?”
Good questions, and the Judiciary Committee could go even farther. Holder’s signature appears on the Rosen warrant, which documents his involvement in the case despite his denial of knowledge of these efforts."
Juan Williams defends Eric Holder on behalf of ‘real journalists’
One of a select few still backing Holder. The logic of the defense is not quite there, but in all fairness there is not much of a case to defend him.
Video embedded below.
Video embedded below.
IRS higher-ups requested info on conservative groups, letters show
A few people in Cincinnati, sure...
http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/28/18563008-irs-higher-ups-requested-info-on-conservative-groups-letters-show
"Additional scrutiny of conservative organizations’ activities by the IRS did not solely originate in the agency’s Cincinnati office, with requests for information coming from other offices and often bearing the signatures of higher-ups at the agency, according to attorneys representing some of the targeted groups. At least one letter requesting information about one of the groups bears the signature of Lois Lerner, the suspended director of the IRS Exempt Organizations department in Washington.
Jay Sekulow, an attorney representing 27 conservative political advocacy organizations that applied to the Internal Revenue Service for tax-exempt status, provided some of the letters to NBC News. He said the groups’ contacts with the IRS prove that the practices went beyond a few “front line” employees in the Cincinnati office, as the IRS has maintained.
“We've dealt with 15 agents, including tax law specialists -- that's lawyers -- from four different offices, including (the) Treasury (Department) in Washington, D.C.,” Sekulow said. “So the idea that this is a couple of rogue agents in Cincinnati is not correct.”
Among the letters were several that bore return IRS addresses other than Cincinnati, including "Department of the Treasury / Internal Revenue Service / Washington, D.C.," and the signatures of IRS officials higher up the chain. Two letters with "Department of the Treasury / Internal Revenue Service / Washington, D.C." letterhead were signed by "Tax Law Specialist(s)" from Exempt Organizations Technical Group 1 and Technical Group 2. Lerner’s signature, which appeared to be a stamp rather than an actual signature, appeared on a letter requesting additional information from the Ohio Liberty Council Corp."
http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/28/18563008-irs-higher-ups-requested-info-on-conservative-groups-letters-show
"Additional scrutiny of conservative organizations’ activities by the IRS did not solely originate in the agency’s Cincinnati office, with requests for information coming from other offices and often bearing the signatures of higher-ups at the agency, according to attorneys representing some of the targeted groups. At least one letter requesting information about one of the groups bears the signature of Lois Lerner, the suspended director of the IRS Exempt Organizations department in Washington.
Jay Sekulow, an attorney representing 27 conservative political advocacy organizations that applied to the Internal Revenue Service for tax-exempt status, provided some of the letters to NBC News. He said the groups’ contacts with the IRS prove that the practices went beyond a few “front line” employees in the Cincinnati office, as the IRS has maintained.
“We've dealt with 15 agents, including tax law specialists -- that's lawyers -- from four different offices, including (the) Treasury (Department) in Washington, D.C.,” Sekulow said. “So the idea that this is a couple of rogue agents in Cincinnati is not correct.”
Among the letters were several that bore return IRS addresses other than Cincinnati, including "Department of the Treasury / Internal Revenue Service / Washington, D.C.," and the signatures of IRS officials higher up the chain. Two letters with "Department of the Treasury / Internal Revenue Service / Washington, D.C." letterhead were signed by "Tax Law Specialist(s)" from Exempt Organizations Technical Group 1 and Technical Group 2. Lerner’s signature, which appeared to be a stamp rather than an actual signature, appeared on a letter requesting additional information from the Ohio Liberty Council Corp."
Carney: W.H. Satisfied With IRS Response to Scandal Questions
That makes one of us...
Video embedded below.
Video embedded below.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Monday, May 27, 2013
Memorial Day
This year I want to end Memorial Day with the simple thought that you do not have to wait for Memorial Day to take a second to think about all of the people who made the ultimate sacrifices so you can write what you want to and read what you want to; so you can live your life in the way you see fit and not at the whims of some foreign despot.
Durbin (D) wonders: Does First Amendment apply to bloggers, Twitter?
Yes ... Obviously.
Video embedded below.
"Here’s what the First Amendment actually says: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Press at the time would certainly have meant newspapers, which were the high-tech information revolution of the day. It would also have included pamphleteers, perhaps even more than newspapers, as pamphleteers helped drive revolutionary sentiment. Their modern-day analogs would arguable be bloggers and Twitter users, those who reported news and proclaimed opinions outside of the establishment press.
However, Durbin’s asking the wrong question. The question isn’t who gets protected, but what. Journalism is not an identity or a guild, but an action and a process — and anyone engaged in that activity must be treated equally before the law. A shield law based on membership via employment in privileged workplaces or certified by guilds doesn’t protect journalism, it becomes rent-seeking behavior that ensures that only the large players get protected, as I wrote ten days ago.
Durbin’s question isn’t even the biggest non-sequitur in this argument. The biggest non-sequitur is the shield law itself, which wouldn’t have even addressed the Rosen or AP situation. And considering that the Obama administration ignored existing statutes in both cases, why should we believe they would obey a shield law when it got in their way?"
Video embedded below.
"Here’s what the First Amendment actually says: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Press at the time would certainly have meant newspapers, which were the high-tech information revolution of the day. It would also have included pamphleteers, perhaps even more than newspapers, as pamphleteers helped drive revolutionary sentiment. Their modern-day analogs would arguable be bloggers and Twitter users, those who reported news and proclaimed opinions outside of the establishment press.
However, Durbin’s asking the wrong question. The question isn’t who gets protected, but what. Journalism is not an identity or a guild, but an action and a process — and anyone engaged in that activity must be treated equally before the law. A shield law based on membership via employment in privileged workplaces or certified by guilds doesn’t protect journalism, it becomes rent-seeking behavior that ensures that only the large players get protected, as I wrote ten days ago.
Durbin’s question isn’t even the biggest non-sequitur in this argument. The biggest non-sequitur is the shield law itself, which wouldn’t have even addressed the Rosen or AP situation. And considering that the Obama administration ignored existing statutes in both cases, why should we believe they would obey a shield law when it got in their way?"
News Corp. Says It Was Not Told of Subpoena for Reporter’s Phone Records
Nice try...
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/27/business/media/news-corp-says-it-was-not-told-of-subpoena-for-reporters-phone-records.html
"News Corporation said on Sunday that it had no record of being notified by the Justice Department nearly three years ago of a subpoena for the telephone records of a reporter at its Fox News cable channel.
Related
The company’s chief legal counsel at the time also said that he had never seen material from the government related to the subpoena.
The Justice Department has signaled that it notified News Corporation on Aug. 27, 2010, that it had seized the phone records of a Fox News reporter — who turned out to be the Washington correspondent James Rosen — after one of his articles had included details of a secret United States report on North Korea."
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/27/business/media/news-corp-says-it-was-not-told-of-subpoena-for-reporters-phone-records.html
"News Corporation said on Sunday that it had no record of being notified by the Justice Department nearly three years ago of a subpoena for the telephone records of a reporter at its Fox News cable channel.
Related
The company’s chief legal counsel at the time also said that he had never seen material from the government related to the subpoena.
The Justice Department has signaled that it notified News Corporation on Aug. 27, 2010, that it had seized the phone records of a Fox News reporter — who turned out to be the Washington correspondent James Rosen — after one of his articles had included details of a secret United States report on North Korea."
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Trevor Burrus and David B. Kopel discuss gun laws and the second amendment on C-SPAN 2
Video embedded below.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
French Soldier Stabbed Outside of Paris
A copy cat of the London attack?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/25/us-france-stabbing-idUSBRE94O09420130525
"A French soldier patrolling a business neighborhood west of Paris was stabbed in the neck and injured on Saturday by a man who fled the scene and is being sought by police, President Francois Hollande said.
The 23-year-old was patrolling in uniform with two other soldiers as part of France's Vigipirate anti-terror surveillance plan when he was approached from behind around 6 p.m. and attacked with a knife or a box-cutter.
A police union spokesman said surveillance footage of the attacker showed him as tall and bearded, aged about 35, possibly of North African origin and wearing a white Arab-style tunic."
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/25/us-france-stabbing-idUSBRE94O09420130525
"A French soldier patrolling a business neighborhood west of Paris was stabbed in the neck and injured on Saturday by a man who fled the scene and is being sought by police, President Francois Hollande said.
The 23-year-old was patrolling in uniform with two other soldiers as part of France's Vigipirate anti-terror surveillance plan when he was approached from behind around 6 p.m. and attacked with a knife or a box-cutter.
A police union spokesman said surveillance footage of the attacker showed him as tall and bearded, aged about 35, possibly of North African origin and wearing a white Arab-style tunic."
Friday, May 24, 2013
Eric Holder caught lie in Congressional testimony under oath?
Video embedded below.
"As it turns out, Holder not only heard of it, he personally approved it. The warrant in the Rosen case specified that he was considered a potential suspect in the leak of classified material, the reason that the DoJ didn’t bother to follow the existing Watergate-era statute in coordinating the records request with Fox News. And note that Holder’s testimony in this case wasn’t produced by some sophisticated perjury trap sprung by a Republican, but as a freely-offered representation to no particular question during the question period of a Democrat.
There is no other way to view this except as a lie. Even if Holder wasn’t under oath, that would constitute a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. It certainly should produce at least a resignation, and almost assuredly would require the appointment of a special prosecutor, especially since the next person down in the organization, James Cole, is suspected of doing the same thing with reporters."
"As it turns out, Holder not only heard of it, he personally approved it. The warrant in the Rosen case specified that he was considered a potential suspect in the leak of classified material, the reason that the DoJ didn’t bother to follow the existing Watergate-era statute in coordinating the records request with Fox News. And note that Holder’s testimony in this case wasn’t produced by some sophisticated perjury trap sprung by a Republican, but as a freely-offered representation to no particular question during the question period of a Democrat.
There is no other way to view this except as a lie. Even if Holder wasn’t under oath, that would constitute a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. It certainly should produce at least a resignation, and almost assuredly would require the appointment of a special prosecutor, especially since the next person down in the organization, James Cole, is suspected of doing the same thing with reporters."
Lois Lerner Directly Involved in IRS Targeting, Letters Show
So that is what they meant by low level employees...
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/349212/%5Btitle-raw%5D
"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.
“One thing is clear: this correspondence shows [Lerner’s] direct involvement in the scheme,” wrote Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the ACLJ. “Further, sending a letter from the top person in the IRS Exempt Organization division to a small Tea Party group also underscores the intimidation used in this targeting ploy.”"
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/349212/%5Btitle-raw%5D
"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.
“One thing is clear: this correspondence shows [Lerner’s] direct involvement in the scheme,” wrote Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the ACLJ. “Further, sending a letter from the top person in the IRS Exempt Organization division to a small Tea Party group also underscores the intimidation used in this targeting ploy.”"
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Insurers feel pressure from health group with ties to White House
A major scandal that is just getting crowded out by bigger scandals.
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/301471-insurers-feel-pressure-from-health-group-with-close-ties-to-white-house
"The links between a nonprofit promoting President Obama’s healthcare law and the White House have created an “air of expectation” that insurers will contribute to the group, according to an insurance industry official.
Current and former administration officials have taken on leadership and fundraising roles for Enroll America, a nonprofit aiming to make sure people sign up for new coverage options. As the ties grow deeper, the organization has come to feel like “just an arm of the administration,” said one official who works closely with insurers.
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has already come under fire from congressional Republicans because she has raised money for the organization.
They say it puts inappropriate pressure on insurers, who will need the department’s approval to sell their products through a federally run insurance exchange in more than half the country.
...
In addition to Sebelius’s involvement, Obama himself made a vague but personal appeal for a close partnership with insurers, which some in the industry saw as a precursor to direct fundraising pitches.
Several industry sources also believe the White House orchestrated a recent leadership change in which a former administration official took the reins of Enroll America. The group’s chairman disputed that account.
At the beginning of this year, Anne Filipic left the White House Office of Public Engagement to become president of Enroll America.
Officials in the insurance industry believe the White House pushed for the change, fearing that the group’s origins in political advocacy were not ideally suited to the massive and focused enrollment campaign."
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/301471-insurers-feel-pressure-from-health-group-with-close-ties-to-white-house
"The links between a nonprofit promoting President Obama’s healthcare law and the White House have created an “air of expectation” that insurers will contribute to the group, according to an insurance industry official.
Current and former administration officials have taken on leadership and fundraising roles for Enroll America, a nonprofit aiming to make sure people sign up for new coverage options. As the ties grow deeper, the organization has come to feel like “just an arm of the administration,” said one official who works closely with insurers.
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has already come under fire from congressional Republicans because she has raised money for the organization.
They say it puts inappropriate pressure on insurers, who will need the department’s approval to sell their products through a federally run insurance exchange in more than half the country.
...
In addition to Sebelius’s involvement, Obama himself made a vague but personal appeal for a close partnership with insurers, which some in the industry saw as a precursor to direct fundraising pitches.
Several industry sources also believe the White House orchestrated a recent leadership change in which a former administration official took the reins of Enroll America. The group’s chairman disputed that account.
At the beginning of this year, Anne Filipic left the White House Office of Public Engagement to become president of Enroll America.
Officials in the insurance industry believe the White House pushed for the change, fearing that the group’s origins in political advocacy were not ideally suited to the massive and focused enrollment campaign."
Lois Lerner(IRS director of tax exempt organizations) placed on administrative leave
Administrative leave, or paid vacation without using her vacation days...
http://www.nationalreview.com/node/349199
"Lois Lerner, the Internal Revenue Service’s director of exempt organizations, has been placed on administrative leave, according to a source in the agency’s Cincinnati office.
Lerner on Thursday afternoon sent an e-mail to employees in the exempt-organizations division she oversees stating, “Due to the events of recent days, I am on administrative leave starting today. An announcement will be made shortly informing you who will be acting while I am on administrative leave. I know all of you will continue to support EO’s mission during these difficult times.” She concluded, “I thank you for all your hard work and dedication,” adding, “The work you do is important.”"
http://www.nationalreview.com/node/349199
"Lois Lerner, the Internal Revenue Service’s director of exempt organizations, has been placed on administrative leave, according to a source in the agency’s Cincinnati office.
Lerner on Thursday afternoon sent an e-mail to employees in the exempt-organizations division she oversees stating, “Due to the events of recent days, I am on administrative leave starting today. An announcement will be made shortly informing you who will be acting while I am on administrative leave. I know all of you will continue to support EO’s mission during these difficult times.” She concluded, “I thank you for all your hard work and dedication,” adding, “The work you do is important.”"
Holder OK'd search warrant for Fox News reporter's private emails
This goes to the top...
http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/23/18451142-holder-okd-search-warrant-for-fox-news-reporters-private-emails-official-says
"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.
The disclosure of the attorney general’s role came as President Barack Obama, in a major speech on his counterterrorism policy, said Holder had agreed to review Justice Department guidelines governing investigations that involve journalists.
"I am troubled by the possibility that leak investigations may chill the investigative journalism that holds government accountable," Obama said. "Journalists should not be at legal risk for doing their jobs."
Rosen, who has not been charged in the case, was nonetheless the target of a search warrant that enabled Justice Department investigators to secretly seize his private emails after an FBI agent said he had "asked, solicited and encouraged … (a source) to disclose sensitive United States internal documents and intelligence information." "
http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/23/18451142-holder-okd-search-warrant-for-fox-news-reporters-private-emails-official-says
"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.
The disclosure of the attorney general’s role came as President Barack Obama, in a major speech on his counterterrorism policy, said Holder had agreed to review Justice Department guidelines governing investigations that involve journalists.
"I am troubled by the possibility that leak investigations may chill the investigative journalism that holds government accountable," Obama said. "Journalists should not be at legal risk for doing their jobs."
Rosen, who has not been charged in the case, was nonetheless the target of a search warrant that enabled Justice Department investigators to secretly seize his private emails after an FBI agent said he had "asked, solicited and encouraged … (a source) to disclose sensitive United States internal documents and intelligence information." "
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Terrorists Behead British Soldier in London, In Broad Daylight
Just incredible...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2329089/Woolwich-attack-Two-men-hack-soldier-wearing-Help-Heroes-T-shirt-death-machetes-suspected-terror-attack.html
"Clutching a bloodied meat cleaver after executing a soldier on a crowded street, he delivers a chilling message of hate.
‘You people will never be safe,’ he declares in a clear south London accent. ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.’
In broad daylight, he and an accomplice had just repeatedly stabbed and tried to behead an off-duty soldier in front of dozens of passers-by.
Throughout the frenzied attack they shouted ‘Allah Akbar’ – Arabic for ‘God is great’ – then demanded horrified witnesses film them as they ranted over the crumpled body.
The two black men in their 20s, waited calmly for armed police to arrive before charging at officers brandishing a rusty revolver, knives and meat cleavers."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2329089/Woolwich-attack-Two-men-hack-soldier-wearing-Help-Heroes-T-shirt-death-machetes-suspected-terror-attack.html
"
‘You people will never be safe,’ he declares in a clear south London accent. ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.’
In broad daylight, he and an accomplice had just repeatedly stabbed and tried to behead an off-duty soldier in front of dozens of passers-by.
Throughout the frenzied attack they shouted ‘Allah Akbar’ – Arabic for ‘God is great’ – then demanded horrified witnesses film them as they ranted over the crumpled body.
The two black men in their 20s, waited calmly for armed police to arrive before charging at officers brandishing a rusty revolver, knives and meat cleavers.
IRS IG report was originally supposed to be released last September?
They could not have this kind of information being released before the election...
http://hotair.com/archives/2013/05/22/house-oversight-e-mails-irs-ig-report-was-originally-supposed-to-be-released-last-september
"Issa himself said a few days ago that he knew last year “approximately” what would be in the report, but it’s one thing to think you know based on a leak and another for the IG to confirm it with an update. Here’s the real question: Why was George, the IG, reluctant to release “incremental information” when the IRS itself had concluded in May 2012 that its anti-conservative criteria for tax-exempt orgs were FUBAR? Didn’t his office specifically say they’d keep the committee updated? (“We would be happy to provide a status update to the Subcommittee staff and provide a copy of our interim and final reports on the matter when they are issued.”) More from Issa:
‘Just yesterday the committee interviewed Holly Paz, the director of exempt organizations, rulings and agreements, division of the IRS,’ Issa said. ‘While a tremendous amount of attention is centered about the Inspector General’s report, or investigation, the committee has learned from Ms. Paz that she in fact participated in an IRS internal investigation that concluded in May of 2012 – May 3 of 2012 – and found essentially the same thing that Mr. George found more than a year later.’
‘Think about it,’ he continued: ‘For more than a year, the IRS knew that it had inappropriately targeted groups of Americans based on their political beliefs, and without mentioning it, and in fact without honestly answering questions that were the result of this internal investigation.’
We already knew that, more or less, from the results of the IG report itself. Check the timeline on page 13. The media starts picking up reports of tea-party complaints in February 2012, and soon thereafter the director of the exempt organizations puts a halt to IRS demands for more intrusive info from conservative groups. Three months later, in May, they hold a “workshop” providing guidance on tax-exempt groups to its analysts and approv more neutral criteria for scrutinizing applications. That’s probably why Issa’s committee had an inkling at the time — because the IRS itself already knew it had done wrong and was moving to undo it to some extent. And yet no one, including the IG, felt moved to confirm for the committee until this month that yes, “mistakes were made” and it was now safe to tell the public that."
http://hotair.com/archives/2013/05/22/house-oversight-e-mails-irs-ig-report-was-originally-supposed-to-be-released-last-september
"
‘Just yesterday the committee interviewed Holly Paz, the director of exempt organizations, rulings and agreements, division of the IRS,’ Issa said. ‘While a tremendous amount of attention is centered about the Inspector General’s report, or investigation, the committee has learned from Ms. Paz that she in fact participated in an IRS internal investigation that concluded in May of 2012 – May 3 of 2012 – and found essentially the same thing that Mr. George found more than a year later.’
‘Think about it,’ he continued: ‘For more than a year, the IRS knew that it had inappropriately targeted groups of Americans based on their political beliefs, and without mentioning it, and in fact without honestly answering questions that were the result of this internal investigation.’
We already knew that, more or less, from the results of the IG report itself. Check the timeline on page 13. The media starts picking up reports of tea-party complaints in February 2012, and soon thereafter the director of the exempt organizations puts a halt to IRS demands for more intrusive info from conservative groups. Three months later, in May, they hold a “workshop” providing guidance on tax-exempt groups to its analysts and approv more neutral criteria for scrutinizing applications. That’s probably why Issa’s committee had an inkling at the time — because the IRS itself already knew it had done wrong and was moving to undo it to some extent. And yet no one, including the IG, felt moved to confirm for the committee until this month that yes, “mistakes were made” and it was now safe to tell the public that.
IRS official Lois Lerner invoked the Fifth Amendment, After on The Record Opening Statement (which may have waved her Fifth Amendment Right)
Alternative headline, IRS official says she did nothing wrong before invoking her right not to be forced to admit her wrongdoing.
Video embedded below.
Video embedded below.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Carney - 'Asking about Sebelius fundraising for ObamaCare a lot like being a birther, or something'
This is a real scandel, one that is not getting a lot of play because of everything else going on, but if he wants to talk about it he is going to lose that debate.
Video embedded below.
Video embedded below.
Sharyl Attkisson's (CBS) Computers Compromised
She does not say it, but brushes right up against it with a timeline that fits. The scandel grows...
http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2013/05/sharyl-attkissons-computers-compromised-164456.html
"Sharyl Attkisson, the Emmy-award winning CBS News investigative reporter, says that her personal and work computers have been compromised and are under investigation.
"I can confirm that an intrusion of my computers has been under some investigation on my end for some months but I'm not prepared to make an allegation against a specific entity today as I've been patient and methodical about this matter," Attkisson told POLITICO on Tuesday. "I need to check with my attorney and CBS to get their recommendations on info we make public."
In an earlier interview with WPHT Philadelphia, Attkisson said that though she did not know the full details of the intrustion, "there could be some relationship between these things and what's happened to James [Rosen]," the Fox News reporter who became the subject of a Justice Dept. investigation after reporting on CIA intelligence about North Korea in 2009."
http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2013/05/sharyl-attkissons-computers-compromised-164456.html
"Sharyl Attkisson, the Emmy-award winning CBS News investigative reporter, says that her personal and work computers have been compromised and are under investigation.
"I can confirm that an intrusion of my computers has been under some investigation on my end for some months but I'm not prepared to make an allegation against a specific entity today as I've been patient and methodical about this matter," Attkisson told POLITICO on Tuesday. "I need to check with my attorney and CBS to get their recommendations on info we make public."
In an earlier interview with WPHT Philadelphia, Attkisson said that though she did not know the full details of the intrustion, "there could be some relationship between these things and what's happened to James [Rosen]," the Fox News reporter who became the subject of a Justice Dept. investigation after reporting on CIA intelligence about North Korea in 2009."
DOJ Tapped at Least Five Fox News Phone Numbers
Did Holder recuse himself on this as well. That is, recuse himself without remembering where, when or how (but not in writing)...
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2013/05/the-justice-department-and-fox-newss-phone-records.html
"The Obama Justice Department has seized the phone records of numbers that are associated with White House staffers and, apparently, with Fox News reporters, according to a document filed in the case of Stephen Jin-Woo Kim, on October 13, 2011. Kim is a former State Department contractor accused of violating the Espionage Act for allegedly leaking classified information to James Rosen, a Fox News reporter. Ronald C. Machen, Jr., the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, who is prosecuting the case, has seized records associated with two phone numbers at the White House, at least five numbers associated with Fox News, and one that has the same area code and exchange as Rosen’s personal-cell-phone number (the last four numbers are redacted).
In all, Ronald C. Machen, Jr., the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, has seized records associated with over thirty different phone numbers. In the filing that included the new information, the last four digits of each telephone line targeted by the Obama Administration are redacted. Two of the numbers begin with area code 202 and the exchange 456, which, according to current and former Administration officials, are used exclusively by the White House. (The phone number for the White House switchboard is (202) 456-1414.)
At least five other numbers targeted by the government include the area code 202 and the exchange 824. The phone number for the Fox News Washington bureau, which is publicly available, is (202) 824-0001. Rosen’s work phone number at Fox News begins with the same area code and exchange.
William Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney, told The New Yorker this afternoon, “Because that information is sealed, I can’t confirm the owner or subscriber for any of those records.” Asked if the phone numbers of any reporters had been targeted in the Kim investigation, Miller said he could not comment."
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2013/05/the-justice-department-and-fox-newss-phone-records.html
"The Obama Justice Department has seized the phone records of numbers that are associated with White House staffers and, apparently, with Fox News reporters, according to a document filed in the case of Stephen Jin-Woo Kim, on October 13, 2011. Kim is a former State Department contractor accused of violating the Espionage Act for allegedly leaking classified information to James Rosen, a Fox News reporter. Ronald C. Machen, Jr., the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, who is prosecuting the case, has seized records associated with two phone numbers at the White House, at least five numbers associated with Fox News, and one that has the same area code and exchange as Rosen’s personal-cell-phone number (the last four numbers are redacted).
In all, Ronald C. Machen, Jr., the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, has seized records associated with over thirty different phone numbers. In the filing that included the new information, the last four digits of each telephone line targeted by the Obama Administration are redacted. Two of the numbers begin with area code 202 and the exchange 456, which, according to current and former Administration officials, are used exclusively by the White House. (The phone number for the White House switchboard is (202) 456-1414.)
At least five other numbers targeted by the government include the area code 202 and the exchange 824. The phone number for the Fox News Washington bureau, which is publicly available, is (202) 824-0001. Rosen’s work phone number at Fox News begins with the same area code and exchange.
William Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney, told The New Yorker this afternoon, “Because that information is sealed, I can’t confirm the owner or subscriber for any of those records.” Asked if the phone numbers of any reporters had been targeted in the Kim investigation, Miller said he could not comment."
Head of IRS Tax-Exempt Division to Plead the Fifth?
In a court of law, you are not allowed to use the fact that someone is pleading the fifth; that is refusing to incriminate themselves, as evidence in and of itself that they are guilty of a crime. In the real world, there seems an implicit admission of wrongding, likley criminal wrong doing, in pleading the fifth.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2328696/Lois-Lerner-Top-IRS-official-invoke-Fifth-Amendment-congressional-hearing-tea-party-targeting-program.html
"The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday afternoon that Lois Lerner, who heads up the Internal Revenue Service's tax-exempt division, plans to invoke the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in a hearing Wednesday before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Affairs.
The Fifth Amendment provides that U.S. citizens may not be compelled to offer testimony if telling the truth would incriminate them.
Lerner's defense lawyer, William W. Taylor III, wrote to the committee on Tuesday that his client would refuse to answer questions related to what she knew about the extra levels of scrutiny applied to conservative nonprofit organizations that applied for tax-exempt status beginning in 2010."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2328696/Lois-Lerner-Top-IRS-official-invoke-Fifth-Amendment-congressional-hearing-tea-party-targeting-program.html
"The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday afternoon that Lois Lerner, who heads up the Internal Revenue Service's tax-exempt division, plans to invoke the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in a hearing Wednesday before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Affairs.
The Fifth Amendment provides that U.S. citizens may not be compelled to offer testimony if telling the truth would incriminate them.
Lerner's defense lawyer, William W. Taylor III, wrote to the committee on Tuesday that his client would refuse to answer questions related to what she knew about the extra levels of scrutiny applied to conservative nonprofit organizations that applied for tax-exempt status beginning in 2010."
Monday, May 20, 2013
Obama - 'I Fantasize About Dropping the Act and Just Telling Everyone My Truth'
With so many scandles, it was easy to miss this slip of the mask.
http://ace.mu.nu/archives/340160.php
"Does this mean he's not quite on the level when he constantly claims he's just all about the middle class?
Buried in the 17th paragraph of one of those mewling New York Times pieces on the woes of Obama — can we start calling him Woe-bama yet? — appeared these two words: “going Bulworth.”
Obama himself, the Times explained, has been “longingly” telling his inner circle that what he’d really like to do is what Sen. Jay Bulworth, played by Warren Beatty in his 1998 movie “Bulworth,” did: to go public as an unabashed, angry and admitted socialist.
It’s as if Ronald Reagan had been caught saying he wanted to “Go Strangelove.”
In confessing his dreams of “going Bulworth,” Obama confirmed that what he thinks and what he says out loud are two different things. He let slip the mask of a center-left moderate — a “pragmatist” who only cares about “what works.” The press and even right-of-center columnists like Ross Douthat and David Brooks have always insisted that this completely unconvincing masquerade is genuine.
No follow-up from the New York Times, of course. It's natural to ask What would the Truth sound like, should you utter it? At least it would be natural if you were interested in gathering and then reporting new information.
But the Times isn't interested in that. They realize Obama is best served by signaling the left while continuing to proclaim his same rehearsed horseshit for the rest of the country, so they do not inquire any deeper."
http://ace.mu.nu/archives/340160.php
"Does this mean he's not quite on the level when he constantly claims he's just all about the middle class?
Buried in the 17th paragraph of one of those mewling New York Times pieces on the woes of Obama — can we start calling him Woe-bama yet? — appeared these two words: “going Bulworth.”
Obama himself, the Times explained, has been “longingly” telling his inner circle that what he’d really like to do is what Sen. Jay Bulworth, played by Warren Beatty in his 1998 movie “Bulworth,” did: to go public as an unabashed, angry and admitted socialist.
It’s as if Ronald Reagan had been caught saying he wanted to “Go Strangelove.”
In confessing his dreams of “going Bulworth,” Obama confirmed that what he thinks and what he says out loud are two different things. He let slip the mask of a center-left moderate — a “pragmatist” who only cares about “what works.” The press and even right-of-center columnists like Ross Douthat and David Brooks have always insisted that this completely unconvincing masquerade is genuine.
No follow-up from the New York Times, of course. It's natural to ask What would the Truth sound like, should you utter it? At least it would be natural if you were interested in gathering and then reporting new information.
But the Times isn't interested in that. They realize Obama is best served by signaling the left while continuing to proclaim his same rehearsed horseshit for the rest of the country, so they do not inquire any deeper."
White House senior aides knew details of IRS probe
But did not tell Obama? That does not pass the smell test. Unless of course that was part of the design. That is to say make sure Obama did not 'offically' no anything to give him plausable deniability. That might even be worse.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/05/20/white-house-senior-aides-knew-details-of-irs-probe-earlier-spokesman-says
"Senior White House officials, including Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, learned last month about a review by the Treasury Department’s inspector general into whether the Internal Revenue Service targeted conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, but they did not inform President Obama, the White House said Monday.
The acknowledgement is the White House’s latest disclosure in a piecemeal, sometimes confusing release of details concerning the extent to which White House officials knew of the IG’s findings that IRS officials engaged in the “inappropriate” targeting of conservative non-profits for heightened scrutiny. Previously, the White House said counsel Kathryn Ruemmler did not learn about the final results of the investigation until the week of April 22nd, and had not disclosed that McDonough and other aides had also been told about the investigation. On Monday, White House Spokesman Jay Carney said a member of Ruemmler’s staff learned of the probe the week of April 16; Ruemmler learned of the investigation on April 24th; and after that point she informed the chief of staff and other aides about the probe’s findings.
The White House has said President Obama did not learn of the IRS’s actions until he saw news reports on the matter earlier this month."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/05/20/white-house-senior-aides-knew-details-of-irs-probe-earlier-spokesman-says
"Senior White House officials, including Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, learned last month about a review by the Treasury Department’s inspector general into whether the Internal Revenue Service targeted conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, but they did not inform President Obama, the White House said Monday.
The acknowledgement is the White House’s latest disclosure in a piecemeal, sometimes confusing release of details concerning the extent to which White House officials knew of the IG’s findings that IRS officials engaged in the “inappropriate” targeting of conservative non-profits for heightened scrutiny. Previously, the White House said counsel Kathryn Ruemmler did not learn about the final results of the investigation until the week of April 22nd, and had not disclosed that McDonough and other aides had also been told about the investigation. On Monday, White House Spokesman Jay Carney said a member of Ruemmler’s staff learned of the probe the week of April 16; Ruemmler learned of the investigation on April 24th; and after that point she informed the chief of staff and other aides about the probe’s findings.
The White House has said President Obama did not learn of the IRS’s actions until he saw news reports on the matter earlier this month."
Justice Department targeted TWO Fox News Channel reporters and a producer for talking with government sources
Alternative headline, Justice Department targets Fox News employeses for doing their job.
No words; strike that, people need to go to jail. Not just lose their jobs, go to jail...
Video embedded below.
No words; strike that, people need to go to jail. Not just lose their jobs, go to jail...
Video embedded below.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Friday, May 17, 2013
The I.R.S. Abusing Americans Is Nothing New
Which of course does not make this any better.
Video embedded below.
Video embedded below.
IRS hid existence of Tea Party targeting documents?
Part of the growing scandel, or a seperate but related scandel...
http://freebeacon.com/cover-up
"The Internal Revenue Service denied the existence of any documents related to its policy of targeting Tea Party organizations in response to a 2010 Freedom of Information Act request, even though such documents were later discovered by the IRS inspector general.
The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law, a conservative nonprofit group, filed a FOIA request in 2010 through investigative journalist Lynn K. Walsh seeking all IRS documents related to the agencies tax-exempt division specifically mentioning the Tea Party.
IRS headquarters responded in 2011 that it “found no documents specifically responsive to your request.”
However, the May 14 inspector general report found that the “first Sensitive Case Report [identifying Tea Party groups] was prepared by the Technical Unit” in April of 2010.
The report’s timeline chronicles the existence of numerous 2010 emails, memoranda, and policies related to the targeting of conservative organizations.
According to the IG timeline, an email was sent on July 27, 2010 “updating the description of applications involving potential political campaign intervention and providing a coordinator contact for the cases.”
“The description was changed to read, ‘These cases involve various local organizations in the Tea Party movement [that] are applying for exemption under 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4).’”
The IRS determinations unit developed a “be on the lookout” listing on Aug. 12, 2010, “in order to replace the existing practice of sending separate e-mails to all Determinations Unit employees as to cases to watch for, potentially abusive cases, cases requiring processing by the team of specialists, and emerging issues.”
The language of the listing was identical to the July 27, 2010 email.
“Either IRS Headquarters was entirely incompetent in maintaining awareness of prominent policies and documents within the IRS, or it deliberately covered up the existence of anti-conservative IRS policies. Either is terrifying,” Maurice Thompson, Executive Director of the 1851 Center, said in a statement. “Legal action is necessary to ensure that the IRS does not lie to taxpayers in this manner in the future.”"
http://freebeacon.com/cover-up
"The Internal Revenue Service denied the existence of any documents related to its policy of targeting Tea Party organizations in response to a 2010 Freedom of Information Act request, even though such documents were later discovered by the IRS inspector general.
The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law, a conservative nonprofit group, filed a FOIA request in 2010 through investigative journalist Lynn K. Walsh seeking all IRS documents related to the agencies tax-exempt division specifically mentioning the Tea Party.
IRS headquarters responded in 2011 that it “found no documents specifically responsive to your request.”
However, the May 14 inspector general report found that the “first Sensitive Case Report [identifying Tea Party groups] was prepared by the Technical Unit” in April of 2010.
The report’s timeline chronicles the existence of numerous 2010 emails, memoranda, and policies related to the targeting of conservative organizations.
According to the IG timeline, an email was sent on July 27, 2010 “updating the description of applications involving potential political campaign intervention and providing a coordinator contact for the cases.”
“The description was changed to read, ‘These cases involve various local organizations in the Tea Party movement [that] are applying for exemption under 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4).’”
The IRS determinations unit developed a “be on the lookout” listing on Aug. 12, 2010, “in order to replace the existing practice of sending separate e-mails to all Determinations Unit employees as to cases to watch for, potentially abusive cases, cases requiring processing by the team of specialists, and emerging issues.”
The language of the listing was identical to the July 27, 2010 email.
“Either IRS Headquarters was entirely incompetent in maintaining awareness of prominent policies and documents within the IRS, or it deliberately covered up the existence of anti-conservative IRS policies. Either is terrifying,” Maurice Thompson, Executive Director of the 1851 Center, said in a statement. “Legal action is necessary to ensure that the IRS does not lie to taxpayers in this manner in the future.”"
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Second IRS Offical on The Chopping Block Was Also Set to Resign Next Month? Promoted only 8 Days Ago?
More 'low level staffers' of couse...
http://hotair.com/archives/2013/05/16/abc-yes-its-true-the-acting-irs-commissioner-was-preparing-to-leave-in-a-few-weeks-anyway
" I take it we’ll find out tomorrow that this guy has been planning to retire for six months.
An internal IRS memo says Joseph Grant, commissioner of the agency’s tax exempt and government entities division, will retire June 3. Grant joins Steven Miller, who was forced to resign as acting IRS commissioner on Wednesday.
As part of his duties, Grant oversaw the IRS division that targeted tea party groups for additional scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status.
Grant wasn’t the commissioner of the tax-exempt division, he was the acting commissioner, just as Miller was the acting commissioner of the entire agency. Does that mean he’s term-limited too and was on his way out anyway?
Update: You can’t be serious.
Lauren French @laurennfrench
Joseph Grant, retiring IRS official, was promoted to commissioner of the tax-exempt division just 8 days ago
5:37 PM - 16 May 2013
Was he promoted from acting commissioner to commissioner, or from some lower rank to acting commissioner? I can’t find any personnel announcement online. The distinction is important, as one suggests this is a legit scalp-taking and the other suggests it’s a farce. If he was installed as permanent commissioner only to “retire” now, then obviously he was pushed out against his wishes. If he was merely promoted to acting commissioner, then it looks like he was elevated for the purpose of taking the fall."
http://hotair.com/archives/2013/05/16/abc-yes-its-true-the-acting-irs-commissioner-was-preparing-to-leave-in-a-few-weeks-anyway
" I take it we’ll find out tomorrow that this guy has been planning to retire for six months.
An internal IRS memo says Joseph Grant, commissioner of the agency’s tax exempt and government entities division, will retire June 3. Grant joins Steven Miller, who was forced to resign as acting IRS commissioner on Wednesday.
As part of his duties, Grant oversaw the IRS division that targeted tea party groups for additional scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status.
Grant wasn’t the commissioner of the tax-exempt division, he was the acting commissioner, just as Miller was the acting commissioner of the entire agency. Does that mean he’s term-limited too and was on his way out anyway?
Update: You can’t be serious.
Lauren French @laurennfrench
Joseph Grant, retiring IRS official, was promoted to commissioner of the tax-exempt division just 8 days ago
5:37 PM - 16 May 2013
Was he promoted from acting commissioner to commissioner, or from some lower rank to acting commissioner? I can’t find any personnel announcement online. The distinction is important, as one suggests this is a legit scalp-taking and the other suggests it’s a farce. If he was installed as permanent commissioner only to “retire” now, then obviously he was pushed out against his wishes. If he was merely promoted to acting commissioner, then it looks like he was elevated for the purpose of taking the fall."
Benghazi Emails Directly Contradict White House Claims
What is still hiding in the rest of those emails.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/newly-released-benghazi-emails-directly-contradict-white-house-claims_724603.html
"The White House on Wednesday released 94 pages of emails between top administration and intelligence officials who helped shape the talking points about the attacks in Benghazi, Libya, that the CIA would provide to policymakers in both the legislative and executive branches.
The documents, first reported by THE WEEKLY STANDARD in articles here and here, directly contradict claims by White House press secretary Jay Carney and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the revisions of those talking points were driven by the intelligence community and show heavy input from top Obama administration officials, particularly those at the State Department.
The emails provide further detail about the rewriting of the talking points during a 24-hour period from midday September 14 to midday September 15. As THE WEEKLY STANDARD previously reported, a briefing from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence shows that the big changes came in three waves – internally at the CIA, after email feedback from top administration officials, and during or after a meeting of high-ranking intelligence and national security officials the following morning.
The initial CIA changes softened some of the language about the participants in the Benghazi assault – from “Islamic extremists with ties to al Qaeda” to “Islamic extremists.” But CIA officials also added bullet points about the possible participation of Ansar al Sharia, an al Qaeda-linked jihadist group, and previous warnings about the deteriorating security situation in Benghazi. Those additions came out after the talking points were sent to “the interagency,” where the CIA’s final draft was further stripped down to little more than boilerplate. The half dozen references to terrorists – both in Benghazi and more generally – all but disappeared. Gone were references to al Qaeda, Ansar al Sharia, jihadists, Islamic extremists, etc. The only remaining mention was a note that “extremists” had participated in the attack.
As striking as what appears in the email traffic is what does not. There is no mention of the YouTube video that would become a central part of the administration’s explanation of the attacks to the American people until a brief mention in the subject line of emails coming out of an important meeting where further revisions were made.
Carney, in particular, is likely to face tough questioning about the contents of the emails because he made claims to reporters that were untrue. “The White House and the State Department have made clear that the single adjustment that was made to those talking points by either of those two – of these two institutions were changing the word ‘consulate’ to ‘diplomatic facility,’ because the word ‘consulate’ was inaccurate,” he told reporters on November 28, 2012.
That’s not true. An email sent at 9:15 PM on September 14, from an official in the CIA’s Office of Public Affairs to others at the agency, described the process this way. “The State Department had major reservations with much or most of the document. We revised the document with their concerns in mind.”"
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/newly-released-benghazi-emails-directly-contradict-white-house-claims_724603.html
"The White House on Wednesday released 94 pages of emails between top administration and intelligence officials who helped shape the talking points about the attacks in Benghazi, Libya, that the CIA would provide to policymakers in both the legislative and executive branches.
The documents, first reported by THE WEEKLY STANDARD in articles here and here, directly contradict claims by White House press secretary Jay Carney and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the revisions of those talking points were driven by the intelligence community and show heavy input from top Obama administration officials, particularly those at the State Department.
The emails provide further detail about the rewriting of the talking points during a 24-hour period from midday September 14 to midday September 15. As THE WEEKLY STANDARD previously reported, a briefing from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence shows that the big changes came in three waves – internally at the CIA, after email feedback from top administration officials, and during or after a meeting of high-ranking intelligence and national security officials the following morning.
The initial CIA changes softened some of the language about the participants in the Benghazi assault – from “Islamic extremists with ties to al Qaeda” to “Islamic extremists.” But CIA officials also added bullet points about the possible participation of Ansar al Sharia, an al Qaeda-linked jihadist group, and previous warnings about the deteriorating security situation in Benghazi. Those additions came out after the talking points were sent to “the interagency,” where the CIA’s final draft was further stripped down to little more than boilerplate. The half dozen references to terrorists – both in Benghazi and more generally – all but disappeared. Gone were references to al Qaeda, Ansar al Sharia, jihadists, Islamic extremists, etc. The only remaining mention was a note that “extremists” had participated in the attack.
As striking as what appears in the email traffic is what does not. There is no mention of the YouTube video that would become a central part of the administration’s explanation of the attacks to the American people until a brief mention in the subject line of emails coming out of an important meeting where further revisions were made.
Carney, in particular, is likely to face tough questioning about the contents of the emails because he made claims to reporters that were untrue. “The White House and the State Department have made clear that the single adjustment that was made to those talking points by either of those two – of these two institutions were changing the word ‘consulate’ to ‘diplomatic facility,’ because the word ‘consulate’ was inaccurate,” he told reporters on November 28, 2012.
That’s not true. An email sent at 9:15 PM on September 14, from an official in the CIA’s Office of Public Affairs to others at the agency, described the process this way. “The State Department had major reservations with much or most of the document. We revised the document with their concerns in mind.”"
IRS Building Largest Government Database
I sure this will end well...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324715704578481461934680982.html
"To monitor compliance with these rules, the IRS and HHS are now building the largest personal information database the government has ever attempted. Known as the Federal Data Services Hub, the project is taking the IRS's own records (for income and employment status) and centralizing them with information from Social Security (identity), Homeland Security (citizenship), Justice (criminal history), HHS (enrollment in entitlement programs and certain medical claims data) and state governments (residency).
The data hub will be used as the verification system for ObamaCare's complex subsidy formula. All insurers, self-insured businesses and government health programs must submit reports to the IRS about the individuals they cover, which the IRS will cross-check against tax returns.
Good luck in advance to anyone who gets caught in this system's gears, assuming it even works. Centralizing so much personal information in one place is another invitation for the IRS wigglers in some regional office—or maybe higher up—to make political decisions about enforcement."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324715704578481461934680982.html
"To monitor compliance with these rules, the IRS and HHS are now building the largest personal information database the government has ever attempted. Known as the Federal Data Services Hub, the project is taking the IRS's own records (for income and employment status) and centralizing them with information from Social Security (identity), Homeland Security (citizenship), Justice (criminal history), HHS (enrollment in entitlement programs and certain medical claims data) and state governments (residency).
The data hub will be used as the verification system for ObamaCare's complex subsidy formula. All insurers, self-insured businesses and government health programs must submit reports to the IRS about the individuals they cover, which the IRS will cross-check against tax returns.
Good luck in advance to anyone who gets caught in this system's gears, assuming it even works. Centralizing so much personal information in one place is another invitation for the IRS wigglers in some regional office—or maybe higher up—to make political decisions about enforcement."
IRS to pro-life group: Send letter pledging not to protest Planned Parenthood to get your tax exemption
The IRS scandle grows...
http://hotair.com/archives/2013/05/16/irs-to-pro-life-group-send-letter-pledging-not-to-protest-planned-parenthood-to-get-your-tax-exemption
"The Inspector General of the Treasury reported this week that the IRS began applying extra scrutiny and conducting harassment of Obama administration opponents as early as March 2010. However, for at least two pro-life groups, that scrutiny appears to have started a year earlier. Joel Gehrke reports that one group was told its tax-exempt application depended not on promising to stay out of electoral politics, but on pledging not to protest Planned Parenthood — a prominent supporter of Barack Obama:
IRS officials refused to grant tax exempt status two pro-life organizations because of their position on the abortion issue, according to a non-profit law firm, which said that one group was pressured not to protest a pro-choice organization that endorsed President Obama during the last election.
“In one case, the IRS withheld approval of an application for tax exempt status for Coalition for Life of Iowa. In a phone call to Coalition for Life of Iowa leaders on June 6, 2009, the IRS agent ‘Ms. Richards’ told the group to send a letter to the IRS with the entire board’s signatures stating that, under perjury of the law, they do not picket/protest or organize groups to picket or protest outside of Planned Parenthood,” the Thomas More Society announced today. “Once the IRS received this letter, their application would be approved.”
Most have assumed that the obstructionism on the application from conservative groups came because the IRS assumed that they would get involved in politics, but the laws on 501(c)4s don’t prohibit that, as Mary Katharine explained yesterday. Their purpose and work has to be primarily for “social welfare,” but that can take on any number of forms.
In this case, though, there wasn’t even a pretense of suspicion about electioneering. If this is true, then the IRS was actively attempting to intimidate a pro-life group into curtailing its perfectly legal activism. In fact, protests against Planned Parenthood by this group would be exactly the kind of “social welfare” protected by an exemption. This not only infringed on the group’s free-speech rights, but also its religious liberty, at least indirectly."
http://hotair.com/archives/2013/05/16/irs-to-pro-life-group-send-letter-pledging-not-to-protest-planned-parenthood-to-get-your-tax-exemption
"The Inspector General of the Treasury reported this week that the IRS began applying extra scrutiny and conducting harassment of Obama administration opponents as early as March 2010. However, for at least two pro-life groups, that scrutiny appears to have started a year earlier. Joel Gehrke reports that one group was told its tax-exempt application depended not on promising to stay out of electoral politics, but on pledging not to protest Planned Parenthood — a prominent supporter of Barack Obama:
IRS officials refused to grant tax exempt status two pro-life organizations because of their position on the abortion issue, according to a non-profit law firm, which said that one group was pressured not to protest a pro-choice organization that endorsed President Obama during the last election.
“In one case, the IRS withheld approval of an application for tax exempt status for Coalition for Life of Iowa. In a phone call to Coalition for Life of Iowa leaders on June 6, 2009, the IRS agent ‘Ms. Richards’ told the group to send a letter to the IRS with the entire board’s signatures stating that, under perjury of the law, they do not picket/protest or organize groups to picket or protest outside of Planned Parenthood,” the Thomas More Society announced today. “Once the IRS received this letter, their application would be approved.”
Most have assumed that the obstructionism on the application from conservative groups came because the IRS assumed that they would get involved in politics, but the laws on 501(c)4s don’t prohibit that, as Mary Katharine explained yesterday. Their purpose and work has to be primarily for “social welfare,” but that can take on any number of forms.
In this case, though, there wasn’t even a pretense of suspicion about electioneering. If this is true, then the IRS was actively attempting to intimidate a pro-life group into curtailing its perfectly legal activism. In fact, protests against Planned Parenthood by this group would be exactly the kind of “social welfare” protected by an exemption. This not only infringed on the group’s free-speech rights, but also its religious liberty, at least indirectly."
Obama Calls-In The Marines...To Shield Him From Rain
The optics of this are horrible. Who thought this would be a good idea, a good back up incase it rained?
Video embedded below.
Video embedded below.
IRS Official in Charge During Tea Party Targeting Now Runs IRS Office Responsible For ObamaCare
I am sure she will not abuse this position though...
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/05/irs-official-in-charge-during-tea-party-targeting-now-runs-health-care-office
"The Internal Revenue Service official in charge of the tax-exempt organizations at the time when the unit targeted tea party groups now runs the IRS office responsible for the health care legislation.
Sarah Hall Ingram served as commissioner of the office responsible for tax-exempt organizations between 2009 and 2012. But Ingram has since left that part of the IRS and is now the director of the IRS’ Affordable Care Act office, the IRS confirmed to ABC News today.
Her successor, Joseph Grant, is taking the fall for misdeeds at the scandal-plagued unit between 2010 and 2012. During at least part of that time, Grant served as deputy commissioner of the tax-exempt unit.
Grant announced today that he would retire June 3, despite being appointed as commissioner of the tax-exempt office May 8, a week ago.
As the House voted to fully repeal the Affordable Care Act Thursday evening, House Speaker John Boehner expressed “serious concerns” that the IRS is empowered as the law’s chief enforcer."
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/05/irs-official-in-charge-during-tea-party-targeting-now-runs-health-care-office
"The Internal Revenue Service official in charge of the tax-exempt organizations at the time when the unit targeted tea party groups now runs the IRS office responsible for the health care legislation.
Sarah Hall Ingram served as commissioner of the office responsible for tax-exempt organizations between 2009 and 2012. But Ingram has since left that part of the IRS and is now the director of the IRS’ Affordable Care Act office, the IRS confirmed to ABC News today.
Her successor, Joseph Grant, is taking the fall for misdeeds at the scandal-plagued unit between 2010 and 2012. During at least part of that time, Grant served as deputy commissioner of the tax-exempt unit.
Grant announced today that he would retire June 3, despite being appointed as commissioner of the tax-exempt office May 8, a week ago.
As the House voted to fully repeal the Affordable Care Act Thursday evening, House Speaker John Boehner expressed “serious concerns” that the IRS is empowered as the law’s chief enforcer."
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
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