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«Updated Daily« |
Saturday May 18, 2013
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Made in the USA since 1998
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Sarah Hall Ingram, commissioner of the Tax-Exempt & Government Entities Division while it was targeting the TEA Party, is now the head of Obamacare Enforcement at the IRS
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IRS Official Who Targeted TEA Party
Now Runs Obamacare Division
FOX News
The outgoing commissioner of the IRS is in the hot seat Friday, scheduled to testify for the first time on his agency's scandalous practice of targeting conservative groups -- after it was revealed that another implicated official is now in charge of an Obamacare unit. Steven Miller, the acting commissioner who was ousted by the administration earlier this week, will testify before the House Ways and Means Committee Friday morning. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are sure to have plenty of questions for Miller, as they search for who was responsible for the program. Outrage mounted after lawmakers learned that the IRS official who led the tax-exempt organizations unit when the targeting took place -- Sarah Hall Ingram -- has since moved over to the IRS office responsible for Obamacare. "Stunning. Just stunning," Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said in reaction to the latest development. President Obama, meanwhile, maintained Thursday that he didn't know about the investigation into the IRS program until it was made public. |
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If There Was Ever a Golden Opportunity
Frank Salvato
The recent “scandals” plaguing the Obama Administration serve to illustrate that nothing lasts forever. The honeymoon with the mainstream media has ended after a record run and their steamroller approach to Washington politics has hit a “bump in the road,” and one they cannot circumvent. This moment in time presents some golden opportunities for those of us who identify it as one of vulnerability for those who quest to “fundamentally transform the United States of America.” But in every golden opportunity exists some danger. And while we of the constitutional and conservative bent never cease to protest this truth, it is a truth nevertheless. We could be winning a baseball game by 15 runs in the bottom of the ninth inning and find a way to lose by 3. While all the so-called “Republican strategists” and conservative pundits debate the depth of the Obama Administration’s “evil deeds,” and while everyone in the conservative blogosphere is screeching “impeachment” at the top of their cyber-lungs, we who possess level heads; who deal in facts and realism instead of emotion and appearance, understand that the probability of impeachment is next to zero.
Benghazi: Progressives
Rewrite History in Real Time
Frank Salvato
If there was ever a moment in time when the American people could collectively glean knowledge from a “teachable moment,” the Obama Administration’s handling of the al Qaeda-related attacks on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya is surely one. From the moment the public became aware of what can only be perceived as an act of war, perpetrated at the hands of an enemy that has officially declared war on the United States and the West, the Obama Administration – Progressives one and all – have engaged in one of their favorite tactics of political opportunism: re-writing history. In this instance, they are doing it in real time; right in front of our faces. From the moment UN Amb. Susan Rice took to the airwaves to insist that the attacks that took the lives of a US Ambassador and three of his colleagues were, in fact, not a coordinated and planned terrorist assault of a US target of interest, but, rather, a “spontaneous” uprising turned violent, spurred by a third-rate video that literally no one had ever seen, the American people were being subjected to fact manipulation for political purposes. With an election coming up, a terrorist attack did not fit the Obama Campaign’s narrative that, “Osama bin Laden is dead and al Qaeda is on the run.” If the al Qaeda was on the run on September 11, 2012, it was running forward, bayonets fixed, with death in their eyes.
Days of Distress, Rebuke & Disgrace
AJ DiCintio
On September 12, 2012, the American public awakened to news about the attack on the diplomatic post in Benghazi, which included the Obama administration's carefully calculated lie it was incited by a video that vilified Islam. Despite that lie about an act of terrorism which resulted in the death of four Americans, every person except the irredeemable sycophants who comprise a huge part of the president's flock immediately understood two fundamental realities. First, that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had irresponsibly continued to operate an undefended diplomatic post in the extremely dangerous city of Benghazi in the utterly shattered nation of Libya. Second, that under the charge of Commander-in-Chief Barack Obama, the administration had not even attempted to save American lives during the many hours of the attack. Having come to those understandings alone, millions reacted in a manner that recalls the following outcry of long ago: "This is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth and there is no strength to deliver them." (NIV)
Benghazi's Portent &
The Decline of US Military Strength
Mark Helprin
From World War II onward, the US Sixth Fleet stabilized the Mediterranean region and protected American interests there with the standard deployment, continued through 2008, of a carrier battle group, three hunter killer submarines, and an amphibious ready group with its MEU or equivalent. But in the first year of the Obama presidency this was reduced to one almost entirely unarmed command ship. No MEU could respond to Benghazi because none was assigned to, or by chance in, the Mediterranean. Whereas during most of the Obama years the United States has kept one ship in the Mediterranean, during World War I no less than Japan deployed 14 destroyers and a cruiser there. But today--with the Muslim Brotherhood watching over the Egyptian powder keg, terrorist warlords murdering our diplomats in Libya, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb reaching up from the Sahel into the Mediterranean littoral, instability in Tunisia, Bedouin kidnappers in the Sinai, Hamas rockets streaming from Gaza, Lebanon riding the Hezbollah tiger, Jordan imperiled, and a civil war raging in Syria --what possible reason could there be for a powerful Sixth Fleet?
Hillary Never Called Back
Hugh Hewitt
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her senior staff conducted a conference call with Gregory Hicks, deputy chief of the US mission in Libya, in the early morning hours of Sept. 12, 2012. Hicks was overseeing a chaotic scene in Tripoli, where his staff was busy destroying classified material with axes and whatever else was at hand and as the few security people left in Tripoli were preparing to evacuate to a safer location at dawn. (Think the opening scenes of the movie "Argo.") The US Consulate in Benghazi had been stormed and the ambassador was missing. In his testimony Wednesday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the inspiring and obviously fearless Hicks recounted that, at the end of the 2 a.m. call, Hillary concurred with his decision to evacuate, and the call ended. An hour later, having received "the saddest phone call of his life," Hicks then relayed to the State Department in Washington that Ambassador Christopher Stevens was dead. Hillary never called back.
Starring Pres. Obama as Sergeant Schultz
Alan Caruba
How is it that, time and again, the most powerful man on the planet doesn't seem to have a clue what is happening in his own government? Famed for never accepting blame for anything, the more I see President Obama these days, the more I am reminded of Sergeant Hans Schultz of the TV sitcom, "Hogan's Heroes", that ran from 1965 to 1971. The wonderful John Banner, born Johann Banner, the actor who played the prisoner of war guard left an indelible legacy with his repeated denials, "I know nothing. I hear nothing, and I see nothing"; often all three at the same time to avoid being implicated in Col. Robert E. Hogan's manipulation of Werner Klemperer's Col. Wilhelm Klink, the camp commandant of Luftwaffe Stalag 13. Obama's way of dealing with everything has been to talk it to death and he has been responding to questions from the press, claiming that the accusations are all "a sideshow" or that "there's no there, there." It is not working. In the case of Benghazi-Gate, his lies are so blatant that it has gone from an embarrassment to a full-fledged cover-up.
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▪ IRS Official Who Targeted TEA Party Now Runs Obamacare Division
▪ IRS ‘Liked’ TEA Party Facebook Information, Other Documents
▪ House Votes to Fully Repeal Obamacare
▪ Second Appeals Court Invalidates Obama’s NLRB Recess Appointments
▪ Uzbekistan National Arrested in Idaho on Terrorism Charges
▪ Chinese Tests Satellite-Killer Missile
▪ Iranian Cleric Rules Out Women Presidential Candidates
▪ Al Qaeda Websites Hacked
▪ John Edwards Re-Emerges, Begins Public Comeback
▪ Lawsuit: IRS Stole 60 Million Medical Records
▪ Analysis: The Nine Lies of Lois Lerner
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Chinese Tests Satellite-Killer Missile
The London Telegraph
China has tested a long-range missile capable of intercepting satellites, US intelligence sources have claimed. On Monday night local time a rocket was sent into space from a launch center in Sichuan province, southwest China. Beijing said the launch was part of a scientific data-collecting mission. But that version has now been called into question, with one anonymous US defense source telling Reuters: "It was a ground-based missile that we believe would be their first test of an interceptor that would be designed to go after a satellite that's actually on orbit." Mike Rogers, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, declined to comment on the claim at a cybersecurity conference organized by Reuters but hinted at US anxiety over the launch. "Any time you have a nation-state looking to have a more aggressive posture in space, it's very concerning," he said.
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Iranian Cleric Rules Out Women Presidential Candidates
BBC News
A constitutional body in Iran has ruled that women cannot run in presidential elections scheduled for 14 June. Mohammad Yazdi, a clerical member of the Guardian Council, said the constitution ruled out the participation of women. Thirty women registered as candidates but there had been little expectation they would be allowed to stand. The Guardian Council is charged with vetting election candidates according to their Islamic credentials. Observers say there is ambiguity in the constitution about the participation of women in presidential elections in Iran. However, the latest interpretation appears to put an end to the debate. The Mehr news agency quoted Mr. Yazdi as saying that the "law does not approve" of a woman in the presidency and a woman on the ballot is "not allowed." Women are able to stand for election to the Iranian parliament and have served as lawmakers..
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Uzbekistan National Arrested in Idaho on Terrorism Charges
Associated Press
An Uzbek national living in Idaho has been arrested on federal charges that he gave support, cash and other resources to help a terrorist group in his home country plan a terrorist attack. Fazliddin Kurbanov, 30, will appear in US District Court Friday morning, one day after federal agents arrested him during a raid of his small Boise apartment. Kurbanov was arrested after an extensive investigation into his activities in Idaho and Utah late last year and this year. A federal grand jury indictment charges Kurbanov with one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, and one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and possession of an unregistered explosive device. A separate federal grand jury in Utah also returned an indictment charging the distribution of information about weapons of mass destruction.
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Al Qaeda Websites Hacked
The Washington Times
Three of al Qaeda's major websites for recruiting terrorists and communicating propaganda were shut down recently in an apparent case of counterterrorism hacking or possibly as a result of internal disputes among terrorists. US officials familiar with intelligence reports said the websites of Ansar al-Mujahidin, Shumukh al-Islam and Al Fida -- all accredited as official outlets of the terrorist group once led by Osama bin Laden -- were knocked off the Internet by cyberattacks in early May. Two of the sites -- Ansar al-Mujahidin (as-ansar.com) and Shumukh al-Islam (shamikh1.info) -- came back up Monday and Tuesday. The site Al Fida remains down. Although the origin of the attack is not known, some online jihadists claimed that the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas was behind the cyberattack. A hacker group Qassam HackeRs, which supports Hamas, claimed credit.
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IRS ‘Liked’ TEA Party Facebook Information, Other Documents
Politico.com
The Internal Revenue Service asked tea party groups to see donor rolls. It asked for printouts of Facebook posts. And it asked what books people were reading. A Politico.com review of documents from 11 TEA Party and conservative groups that the IRS scrutinized in 2012 shows the agency wanted to know everything -- in some cases, it even seemed curious what members were thinking. The review included interviews with groups or their representatives from Hawaii, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas and elsewhere. The long-awaited Treasury Department inspector general report released Tuesday says the agency itself decided some of its questions to conservative groups were way over the line -- especially the one about donors. "They were asking for a U-Haul truck's worth of information," said Toby Marie Walker, the president of the Waco TEA Party.
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House Votes to Fully Repeal Obamacare
The Daily Caller
The Republican-controlled House voted Thursday to repeal the Affordable Care Act in its entirety. With implementation of Obamacare set to begin later this year, the vote is largely symbolic. The Senate is highly unlikely to even take up a vote on repeal. The House voted for repeal 229-195, with votes cast almost entirely down party lines. Two Democrats voted with Republicans in favor of repeal: Rep. Jim Matheson of Utah and Rep. Mike McIntyre of North Carolina. This is the third time the House has voted to fully repeal Obamacare, and there have been a number of other votes to repeal parts of it -- 37 votes in total. Boehner explained last week that he was holding the vote again because new members had been asking for the opportunity to vote on repeal. In the days leading up to the vote, Democrats dismissed the effort as wasteful and unproductive.
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Obamacare Socks Union Health Plans with 40% Tax
The Washington Examiner
Deep in the list of taxes that the president's Obamacare plan will hit Americans with is a 40 percent excise tax on health plans typical union members have, especially in Midwest states, according to a new analysis. The Obamacare tax won't take place until 2018, but when it does it will smack high cost, or so-called "Cadillac" health insurance plans, according to the group Americans for Tax Reform. "This tax will most directly affect union families and early retirees, who are likely to be covered by such plans," said ATR in a review of upcoming tax cuts in the health reform package set to go into effect in January. It will target plans whose premiums exceed $10,200 for an individual and $27,500 for a family. "Middle class union members tend to be covered by such plans in states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan," said ATR.
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7 Cased One of Largest US Public Water Supplies
CBS News
Shortly after midnight Tuesday, seven people were caught trespassing at the Quabbin Reservoir. State Police say the five men and two women are from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore, and "cited their education and career interests" for being in the area. The men told police they were chemical engineers and recent college graduates. The Quabbin, in Belchertown, is one of the country's largest man-made public water supplies. Boston's drinking water comes, in part, from the Quabbin Reservoir. State Police say there were no warrants or advisories on any of the individuals and "there was no evidence that the seven were committing any crime beyond the trespassing." All seven were allowed to leave and will be summonsed to court for trespassing. The FBI is investigating and routine checks of public water supplies have been increased.
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Second Appeals Court Invalidates Obama’s NLRB Recess Appointments
Politico.com
A second appeals court has joined the DC Circuit in ruling that President Barack Obama's recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board were unconstitutional, concluding that some board actions taken in the wake of those appointments were also invalid. The issue has far-reaching implications for both the NLRB and other boards, including Obama's Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has been a frequent target of conservatives and whose director was a recess appointment. The 2-1 decision Thursday from the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit found that the presidential recess appointment power is limited to breaks between sessions of Congress, not breaks within sessions or other adjournments during which the Senate might meet in pro forma sessions. The reasoning mirrors that in a ruling of the DC Circuit Court in January.
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Lawsuit: IRS Stole 60 Million Medical Records
Washington Free Beacon
The IRS is facing allegations that it illegally stole medical records from more than ten million Americans during a raid on a Southern California healthcare facility this year. IRS agents "stole more than 60,000,000 medical records of more than 10,000,000 Americans, including at least 1,000,000 Californians," according to a lawsuit filed in March by an unnamed company in California superior court. "This is an action involving the corruption and abuse of power by several Internal Revenue Service agents," the plaintiffs claim. The lawsuit could fuel public outrage at the IRS, which is already under fire for targeting Tea Party groups for increased legal scrutiny while allowing liberal groups to operate relatively unimpeded. The IRS is also the chief enforcement agency for the Affordable Care Act, making concerns about their handling of healthcare records of particular note.
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John Edwards Re-Emerges, Begins Public Comeback
The Washington Times
Disgraced former presidential candidate and North Carolina senator John Edwards is plotting his own comeback. The wealthy lawyer has reactivated his law license and also is hitting the speaking circuit. Mr. Edwards is scheduled to speak at a private retreat in Orlando, FL, on June 6, where he'll address fellow attorneys and marketing gurus. An itinerary for the event says the highly successful trial lawyer will speak as part of a program titled "Historic Trials of the Century." Meanwhile, his law license, dormant for more than a decade, has been resuscitated, AP reported. It's unclear whether he plans to return to the courtroom. Mr. Edwards has remained in the shadows for the past year following his acquittal on one charge of campaign finance fraud in May 2012. Other criminal counts were dismissed after a federal judge declared a mistrial in the case.
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Muslim Brotherhood: Convention to Protect Women is Anti-Islamic
ClarionProject.org
The Muslim Brotherhood has published an article highlighting the comments of a senior Egyptian Islamist scholar criticizing the UN's Violence Against Women Convention for violating Islam and promoting Westernization. Dr. Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Al-Mahdi, a member of Al-Azhar University's Council of Senior Scholars, was reacting to the endorsement of the UN convention by the leader of Egypt's National Council for Women. Dr. Al-Mahdi said that the UN convention is part of a war on Islam and that women are treated better under Sharia than Western law. He claimed "that Islam has given women a place of honor, and has allowed them to take part in the country's awakening, while in the West, the women have to search for employment and rely only on themselves. Islam, on the other hand, has given women partners or husbands to take care of them."
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InFocus Obama Finding Ways to Wield Power Without Executive Orders
President Obama could wind up issuing fewer executive orders than any two-term president in a century, records show. Obama has often exerted the power of his office in pursuit of his agenda, drawing charges from Republicans that he is acting like a "monarch" intent on destroying the Constitution's balance of powers. But a review of the historical record shows Obama is on track to issue roughly the same number of executive orders as President George W. Bush, and fewer than President Clinton. Comparing Obama's use of executive power to his predecessors is tricky, however, since presidents can wield their authority in a number of ways. His executive orders tell only part of the story, experts say. "They're not the only measure of presidential assertion of authority," said Kenneth Mayer, a University of Wisconsin political science professor who has studied the presidency extensively. "He's actually been pretty aggressive on a number of fronts."
The Briefing for May 9, 2013
The Syrian military is making significant gains against the Rebels. These successes are in large part thanks to unending and, nothing less than, massive re-supply and support from Russia and Iran. These successes are equally attributable to the thousands of Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah troops fighting alongside their Syrian military comrades...Syrian President Assad may have issued standing orders that his missile batteries immediately launch against Israel should there be another Israeli attack against targets inside Syria. Israel has attacked and destroyed advanced weaponry located in Syria, about to be transported to Hezbollah in Lebanon, three times this year. Russia has promised to rush its most advanced anti-aircraft missile system to Syria in an effort to stop the Israeli fighter aircraft. Thus far, the attacking Israeli aircraft have only been discovered when the missiles they fired hit their targets and the planes were already on the way back to their bases.
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