Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for May 18, 2013

Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for May 18, 2013

Robert A. Hall

Your one-stop-shop for political news and opinion--who needs newspapers or TV? Please forward to friends who need to be informed. This SitRep (Military for “Situation Report”) is created by many readers who send me items for inclusion, which I would have likely missed or skipped. And I can only spend at most three hours a night pulling stuff, plus the healthcare or economic stuff that crosses my desk at work. As always, I—and you—owe them thanks and appreciation. I post articles because I think they are of interest and will stimulate thought and discussion. Doing so doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree (or disagree) with every—or any—opinion in the posted article, or that I was able to verify the information presented, which is the responsibility of the author. I try not to post things that are false, or too far a stretch, regardless of the view point, but I don’t always succeed. As always on the Net, or in the legacy media, you must read critically and with skepticism.

Advice for my Granddaughter: For When I'm Gone

http://www.amazon.com/Advice-Granddaughter-When-Im-Gone/dp/147004238X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1329662198&sr=8-2

https://www.createspace.com/3792897All royalties go to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (which gets a larger royalty if you order directly through Create Space.).

Worth Reading: Democrats and the ‘Ethics' of Max Baucus. By Froma Harrop

http://www.creators.com/opinion/froma-harrop/democrats-and-the-ethics-of-max-baucus.html

Excerpt: Max Baucus' reputation as one of the most ethically challenged members of the U.S. Senate is well earned. The Montana Democrat's decision to retire in 2014 can't help but improve the chamber's sorry record of self-enrichment at taxpayers' expense. But Baucus has over a year left to do more mischief. (The chief sponsor of ObamaCare, which he recently called a "train wreck"--before leaping from the train. You and I are still aboard. ~Bob.)

Worth Reading: The Cruel Things Obama Is Doing To The Labor Market. By John C. Goodman

http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngoodman/2013/05/10/the-cruel-things-obama-is-doingto-the-labor-market/

Excerpt: President Obama’s proposal to increase the minimum wage, combined with existing ObamaCare mandates, will destroy job opportunities for young, unskilled workers in cities and towns across the country. The minimum wage could jump to $9 an hour. ObamaCare is already the law of the land, and its effects are being felt right now, even though the employer mandate doesn’t go into effect until next January. 9Obama’s a Progressive. For progressives, only intentions matter, not the harsh results for real people. ~Bob.)

Guest Post: Doesn’t anyone LISTEN to this guy? By Thomas J. Hall, JD

http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2013/05/guest-post-doesnt-anyone-listen-to-this.html

Achtung, Baby: Are People Being Encouraged to Rat On ‘Anti-Government’ Neighbors?
http://clashdaily.com/2013/05/achtung-baby-are-people-being-encouraged-to-rat-on-anti-government-neighbors/

Excerpt: Just when you thought the crap couldn’t get any creepier in Obamaland, BOOM, it does and things just got a little bit more … how shall I say it … peculiar. Can we still use the word “peculiar”? We can? Good. Cue Twilight Zone music, por favor, and allow me to proceed.

Unbelievable: IRS Official in Charge During Tea Party Targeting Now Runs Health Care Office

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/05/irs-official-in-charge-during-tea-party-targeting-now-runs-health-care-office/

Excerpt: 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. (What could possibly go wrong? --Steve M.)

New comment on "I'm tired"

There is not an individual on this earth that pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps. This country didn't get in this mess during Obama's term. Today's circumstances are the result of old ways of doing things applied to new problems. If you have a good work ethic you probably had it demonstrated to you and you probably had the support of caregivers but you gave them no credit. That means you truly don't understand white-privilege so you wont understand racism you just continue to perpetrate the slaughter of women, hunger for children, drug addiction in your own community and exploitation of the marginalized. It is the attitudes I just read that will only bring more problems. We have already tried it your way. Its the super wealthy that caused this problem and you are blaming the poor and disenfranchised. (Huh. I didn't know Gus Hall was still alive. ~Bob.)

Flashback 2008: Biden Rips Bush Administration

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2008/09/biden-rips-bush/

Excerpt: "In an Obama-Biden administration, we will not have an attorney general who blatantly breaks the law," Biden said at a town-hall meeting in West Palm Beach, Florida, his voice at times drowned out by applause. "We will not have a president who doesn’t understand the Constitution. And I will not be a vice-president who thinks he’s not part of any of the three branches of government."

Washington Post Editorial: Playing politics with tax records

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-05-10/opinions/39167074_1_u-s-democracy-partisanship-shortcut

Excerpt: So it was appalling to learn Friday that the IRS had improperly targeted conservative groups for scrutiny. It was almost as disturbing that President Obama and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew have not personally apologized to the American people and promised a full investigation.

Lovely: US Marshals Service loses two terrorists

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/300225-us-marshals-lose-two-terrorists

Excerpt: The U.S. Marshals lost two known or suspected terrorists it had formerly placed into its witness protection program, according to the summary of a new report. (They’ll turn up. Listen for the loud noise. ~Bob.)

David Axelrod tells us: The Government Is ‘So Vast,‘ President Obama Can't Know About Wrongdoing
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/348346/scarborough-goes-axelrod-spinning-ap-tapping-%E2%80%98save-somebody-else-buy-that%E2%80%99
Excerpt: "David Axelrod, told MSNBC. “Part of being president is there’s so much beneath you that you can’t know because the government is so vast,” he explained." (Perhaps if it were only “half-vast” he could manage it – so let’s make it smaller by half -- the Washington Bureaucracy part. It will be marvelous in lowering DC housing prices -- and making them reasonable for the first time in many years. –Spence)

Hispanic High School Graduates Pass Whites in Rate of College Enrollment. By Richard Fry and Paul Taylor

http://www.pewhispanic.org/2013/05/09/hispanic-high-school-graduates-pass-whites-in-rate-of-college-enrollment/

Excerpt: A record seven-in-ten (69%) Hispanic high school graduates in the class of 2012 enrolled in college that fall, two percentage points higher than the rate (67%) among their white counterparts, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. (But what are the graduation rates? And when they get a degree, were they required to learn anything, or are they everyone-gets-a-trophy degrees, because failing them would be racist, even if they do no work? ~Bob.)

ICE admits hundreds of illegal immigrants with criminal records released

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/16/ice-admits-hundreds-illegal-immigrants-with-criminal-records-released/

Excerpt: Hundreds of illegal immigrants with criminal records were released earlier this year as the Obama administration prepared for budget cuts, according to newly released data that challenged claims the program involved "low-risk" individuals. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released the figures to two top senators, after a three-month delay and under the threat of congressional subpoenas. (Good information, but we did not need amnesty-promoting John McCain to tell us. He is leading from behind as usual and is pretending he and his RINO cronies are not responsible for the presence of these criminals among us. --Don Hank. Coming soon to a mugging near you. Very near you. ~Bob.)

Homeland Security guidelines advise deference to pro-Shariah Muslim supremacistshttp://dailycaller.com/2013/05/17/homeland-security-guidelines-advise-deference-to-pro-sharia-muslim-supremacists/#ixzz2TYfLRLQR

Excerpt: The Department of Homeland Security, which under Secretary Janet Napolitano has shown a keen interest in monitoring and warning about outspoken conservatives, takes a very different approach in monitoring political Islamists, according to a 2011 memo on protecting the free speech rights of pro-Shariah Muslim supremacists.

Flashback: Schumer, Franken urged IRS to target tea party in 2012
http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/17/flashback-schumer-franken-urged-irs-to-target-tea-party-in-2012/#ixzz2TYfgXgGz

Excerpt: Long before the Internal Revenue Service revealed it had improperly targeted conservative 501(c)(4) groups, a group of Democratic senators led by New York Sen. Chuck Schumer urged the IRS to do just that.

Steyn warns of ‘serious secession movements’ if drift toward socialism not reversed [VIDEO]
http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/16/steyn-warns-of-serious-secession-movements-video/#ixzz2TYgDCq9r

Excerpt: If socialism became the prevailing governing philosophy, Miller speculated, escaping it wouldn’t require a move to the Australian outback. Instead he suggested heading for the state of Texas, because it would be the first place to push back against it.

African country prohibits witches from flying higher than 150 meters
http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/17/african-country-prohibits-witches-from-flying-higher-than-150-meters/#ixzz2TYgcnDeK

Excerpt: In the country of Swaziland, witches are no longer allowed to fly higher than 150 meters in the air, lest they be subject to arrest and heavy fines. (I blame the sequester. ~Bob.)

Obama evades question on White House knowledge of IRS targeting

http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/16/obama-evades-question-on-white-house-knowledge-of-irs-targeting/#ixzz2TYh3HfSu

Excerpt: President Barack Obama dismissed calls for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the IRS scandal, and evaded a question asking if White House officials knew of the IRS targeting of conservative political groups.

Russia Sends More Advanced Missiles to Aid Assad in Syria

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/17/world/middleeast/russia-provides-syria-with-advanced-missiles.html?ref=middleeast&_r=0

Excerpt: Russia has sent advanced antiship cruise missiles to Syria, a move that illustrates the depth of its support for the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad, American officials said Thursday. (How’s that “more flexibility” with Russia thing working out for you, Barack? ~Bob.)

Russia Raises Stakes in Syria: Assad Ally Bolsters Warships in Region; U.S. Sees Warning
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323398204578487333332405720.html

If you hit a pay wall, Google the title. Excerpt: Russia has sent a dozen or more warships to patrol waters near its naval base in Syria, a buildup that U.S. and European officials see as a newly aggressive stance meant partly to warn the West and Israel not to intervene in Syria's bloody civil war.

Iran election: Cleric rules out women candidates

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22560976

Excerpt: 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. (Expect silence from the American Left. Islamism trumps feminism in their PC world. ~Bob.)

Some question whether AP leak on al-Qaeda plot put U.S. at risk. By Carol D. Leonnig and Julie Tate, Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/some-question-whether-ap-leak-on-al-qaeda-plot-put-us-at-risk/2013/05/15/47003ed4-bd77-11e2-89c9-3be8095fe767_print.html

Excerpt: For five days, reporters at the Associated Press had been sitting on a big scoop about a foiled al-Qaeda plot at the request of CIA officials. Then, in a hastily scheduled Monday morning meeting, the journalists were asked by agency officials to hold off on publishing the story for just one more day. The CIA officials, who had initially cited national security concerns in an attempt to delay publication, no longer had those worries, according to individuals familiar with the exchange. Instead, the Obama administration was planning to announce the successful counterterrorism operation that Tuesday. AP balked and proceeded to publish that Monday afternoon. (Gee, you mean it was politics and not national security? I’m shocked, socked I say. ~Bob.)

WaPo: Eric Holder May Have Lied About that Whole ‘It Put Americans at Risk’ Thing. By Byron Preston

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2013/05/16/wapo-eric-holder-may-have-lied-about-that-whole-it-put-americans-at-risk-thing/

Excerpt: When he was asked why the Department of Justice subpoenaed the AP’s phone records, Holder responded that the leak involved was “very, very serious.” So serious, in fact, that “It put Americans at risk.” So the DOJ had to act. Yeah, about that. It appears not to be true.

Worth Reading: The IRS Scandal Is Not about the President. By Kevin Williamson

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/348467/irs-scandal-not-about-president-kevin-williamson

Excerpt: I myself doubt very much that the president or any of his immediate circle had a hand in this — it is in the nature of the Left (and in the nature of political power itself) that no marching orders from the top are necessary. University presidents do not tell hiring committees to discriminate against conservative academics, they just do it. No president or Treasury secretary had to tell the IRS to do this. In some ways, the received version of events is worse than would be a top-directed cabal of rogue IRS agents acting on orders from political superiors. A corrupt element within an agency can be rooted out, and a criminal conspiracy can be unraveled. When the agency is the criminal conspiracy, then the challenge of reform becomes that much greater.

An Agency after Obama’s Own Heart: Sure, Obama probably didn’t order the IRS to discriminate. But he set the tone. By Jonah Goldberg

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/348566/agency-after-obama%E2%80%99s-own-heart-jonah-goldberg

Excerpt: Yes, it’s extremely unlikely he ordered the IRS to discriminate against tea-party, pro-life, or Jewish groups opposed to his agenda (though why anyone should take his word for it is beyond me). And his outrage now — however convenient — is appreciated. But when people he views as his “enemies” complained about a politicized IRS, what did he do? Nothing. Imagine for a moment if black civil-rights organizations, gay groups, or teachers’ unions loudly complained to members of Congress and the press that the IRS was discriminating against them. 

IRS stalled conservative groups, but gave speedy approval to Obama foundation

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/irs-stalled-conservative-groups-but-gave-speedy-approval-to-obama-foundation/2013/05/16/90c53e8a-be57-11e2-89c9-3be8095fe767_story.html?wpisrc=nl_politics

Excerpt: When the Barack H. Obama Foundation sought tax-exempt status to raise money for good works in Kenya, the Internal Revenue Service provided quick help. The IRS approved charitable status for the foundation, which was run by President Obama’s brother and named after his father, in about a month’s time. The IRS also agreed to give the group this important financial status retroactively, back to 2009, when it had begun its fundraising.

Jon Stewart Continues Piling On Scandal-Plagued Obama: He’s Either Nixon Or Mr. Magoo. By Josh Feldman 

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/jon-stewart-continues-piling-on-scandal-plagued-obama-hes-either-nixon-or-mr-magoo/

Excerpt: For the third night in a row, Jon Stewart was unrelenting in going after the Obama administration for the multiple scandals it’s been caught up in. Stewart admitted that after piling on Fox News for so long for overreacting to every little thing Obama does, they finally have something to be justifiably angry about, and could not begrudge them their moment of outrage. Stewart even agreed that President Obama could have acted like Richard Nixon, but if he wasn’t directly involved, it’s still bad because that makes him Mr. Magoo.

US Grants Asylum to Muslim Terrorists but Not to Christian Homeschoolers
http://politicaloutcast.com/2013/05/us-grants-asylum-to-muslim-terrorists-but-not-to-christian-homeschoolers/#ixzz2TYq0WwHo

Excerpt: Now the Obama administration is pushing to allow 11 million illegal aliens to remain in the US and eventually be granted citizenship. It seems that our government is bending over backwards to allow Muslims and illegals access to America. However, in a clear demonstration of President Obama’s war on Christians, his administration has targeted a Christian family and is hell bent on deporting them back to Germany. 

Defense official says U.S. has authority to target terrorists anywhere: Some in Congress sharply question how a law that sprang from the Sept. 11 attacks can be applied so broadly. Panel is also told war with Al Qaeda could last 20 more years.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-terror-war-20130517,0,1474090.story

Excerpt: A senior Pentagon official told a Senate committee Thursday that the U.S. would be at war with Al Qaeda for 15 to 20 more years and said the military could target terrorists anywhere under a law passed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. (Huh. During the election, Obama claimed that al Qaeda was “on it’s heels.” Maybe to just get a better shooting stance. ~Bob.)

Attack on U.S. Military Vehicles Kills at Least 16 in Kabul

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/17/world/asia/kabul-car-bomb-attack.html?ref=world

Excerpt: A Toyota Corolla packed with explosives rammed a pair of American military vehicles in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Thursday, setting off a blast that killed at least 16 people, including 6 American military advisers, and shook the relative calm that has prevailed for months in the city, Afghan officials said. (They are dying, not to win a war, but to save face for Obama. ~Bob.)

Pakistan mosques hit by deadly blasts

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22566819

Didn’t get the “Islam is a religion of peace” memo. Most victims of Allahmurder are fellow Muslims. ~Bob. Excerpt: Two explosions in the Malak and region of north-west Pakistan have killed at least 13 people, officials say. The bombs went off near two mosques in Bazdarra village, close to the tribal areas that border Afghanistan.

Strange Goings-On at the White House: A tight-knit inner circle plays all politics, all the time, while Obama remains disengaged. By John Fund

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/348591/strange-goings-white-house-john-fund

Excerpt: The recent spate of Washington scandals has some liberals finally confessing in public what many of them have said privately for a long time. The Obama administration is arrogant, insular, prone to intimidation of adversaries, and slovenly when it comes to seeing that rules are followed. Indeed, the Obama White House is a strange place, and it’s good that its operational model is now likely to be finally dissected by the media.

What the Obama Scandals Reveal About Progressive Ideology. By Bruce Thornton 

http://frontpagemag.com/2013/bruce-thornton/what-the-obama-scandals-reveal-about-progressive-ideology/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=b5806e345c-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag&utm_term=0_57e32c1dad-b5806e345c-156414477

Excerpt: The three scandals dominating the news this week all reveal the moral and intellectual corruption at the heart of progressive ideology. Whether are not these revelations gain enough traction to halt the country’s downward spiral is the more important question.

Obama and the ‘official truth’: Obama administration targets those who oppose, expose failure of president's policies. By Caroline B. Glick

http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=313405

Excerpt: On the surface, they seem like unrelated events. But they are not. They expose the modus operandi of the Obama administration: To establish an “official truth” about all issues and events, and use the powers of the federal government to punish all those who question or expose the fraudulence of that “official truth.”

Pro-Life Groups Confirm: IRS Targeting Began in 2009. By Arnold Ahlert

http://frontpagemag.com/2013/arnold-ahlert/pro-life-groups-confirm-irs-targeting-began-in-2009/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=b5806e345c-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag&utm_term=0_57e32c1dad-b5806e345c-156414477

Excerpt: The timing of the former case is a critical revelation. A report about the IRS’s abuse of the Coalition for Life of Iowa was made available to the press by the Thomas More Society on August 4, 2009. Yet the timeline of IRS harassment, determined from the Inspector General for Tax Administration’s report on the scandal, dates the IRS targeting to March of 2010.

IRS scandal: What we still haven’t learned

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/irs-scandal-hearing-91521.html

Excerpt: For all the ink that has been spilled on the IRS’s practice of scrutinizing conservative groups applying for a tax exemption, there’s still plenty new territory to cover in the first congressional hearing on the scandal. Here is a breakdown of what is still unknown:

President Obama attempts scandal reduction surgery

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/barack-obama-scandal-reduction-91513.html

Excerpt: President Barack Obama appeared before the White House press corps Thursday, performing what could best be described as scandal reduction surgery: an operation to cut the number of scandals he’s dealing with from three to one.

The Obama Scandals Aren’t About Bad Government, but Big Government. By Senator Mike Lee

http://www.redstate.com/senmikelee/2013/05/16/the-obama-scandals-arent-about-bad-government-but-big-government/

Excerpt: The ballooning Obama scandals – IRS, HHS, DOJ, EPA – are not really about character or competence, but the danger of big government itself. The more power any government has, the more power it will abuse. The more money it spends, the more money it will mis-spend. Dysfunction and corruption grow on government like mold on otherwise perfectly good bread. It has nothing to do with party or ideology – it has to do with human nature.

Meet the Partisan Union Behind The Partisan Internal Revenue Service: A union of government tax collectors that opposes small-government Conservatives & anti-tax Tea Parties--and Obama doesn't want a special prosecutor...Coincidence?

http://www.redstate.com/2013/05/16/meet-the-partisan-union-behind-the-partisan-internal-revenue-service/

Excerpt: At a protest in downtown Manhattan last week, a group of federal workers chanted: “Hey, hey, ho, ho, sequestration has got to go!” Where do the anti-sequester, federal government workers-turned-protestors work? They work at the Internal Revenue Service–and they are unionized.

Islamist rebels execute 11 Syrian soldiers for 'massacres'

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/May-16/217305-islamist-rebels-execute-11-syrian-soldiers-for-massacres.ashx#ixzz2TZ0uLk00
Excerpt: Islamist militants with black flags shouted "God is great" as each man was shot. The executioner returned to some victims, firing more bullets into them to make sure they were dead.

‘Imams promote grooming rings’, Muslim leader claims

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/10061217/Imams-promote-grooming-rings-Muslim-leader-claims.html

Excerpt: Dr Taj Hargey, imam of the Oxford Islamic Congregation, said race and religion were inextricably linked to the recent spate of grooming rings in which Muslim men have targeted under-age white girls. Earlier this week seven members of a child sex ring from Oxford were found guilty of forcing under age girls to commit acts of "extreme depravity". (He must be an Islamophobic racist. ~Bob.)

Examiner Editorial: Tom Perez and his 'disparate impact' hiring quotas lose in court

http://washingtonexaminer.com/examiner-editorial-tom-perez-and-his-disparate-impact-hiring-quotas-lose-in-court/article/2529864?utm_source=Washington%20Examiner:%20Opinion%20Digest%20-%2005/17/2013&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Washington%20Examiner:%20Opinion%20Digest

Excerpt: Do Americans have a right to expect that firefighters responding to calls from their neighborhoods will always be the best-trained, most capable individuals available? Not if the U.S. Department of Justice has its way. That's the disturbing message from a discrimination suit DOJ filed against the New York City Fire Department alleging that it discriminated against black and Hispanic applicants. Oddly enough, the case was not based on any particular act of discrimination. It was based purely on the fact that somebody somewhere decided that too many NYFD applicants had failed a job exam. (So, why can we not sue the NBA and the NFL? Their hiring practices have a “disparate impact” on whites, Asians, Hispanics and Native Americans. ~Bob.)

Quote of the Week from The Patriot Post

www.patriotpost.us/subscribe/

"Obama recently warned some college graduates against being all worried about government tyranny, and Obama has good reason to warn you against that because worrying about government tyranny is the exact sort of thing that will get you audited. Or, when Obamacare is in full force, it will be the attitude that gets you denied life saving health care. So have faith in government. Or it will get you." --humorist Frank J. Fleming

Iran ‘Elections’: Lots of Circus, Not So Much Bread. By Michael Ledeen

http://pjmedia.com/michaelledeen/2013/05/16/iran-elections-lots-of-circus-not-so-much-bread/

Excerpt: I’m always entertained by the oceans of ink that get poured out over Iranian “elections.” As if there were such things. Iran doesn’t have elections, it stages circuses. It’s a variation on a famous Cold War theme about the ways a tyranny attempts to trick the people, and how the people, who aren’t fooled at all, respond with tricks of their own. 

At The Brink: Dr. John Lott Defines America’s Calamity. By Clayton E. Cramer

http://pjmedia.com/blog/at-the-brink-dr-john-lott-defines-americas-calamity/

Excerpt: At The Brink, the new book by economist Dr. John Lott (author of More Guns, Less Crime and other books; also, he is a friend of mine), provides a detailed examination of five areas where the Obama administration is about to take us over the edge into, perhaps, the irrevocable collapse of our republic. Unfortunately, Dr. Lott makes it clear that these problems are not just Obama’s doing, but the result of bad policy decisions that have been coming from D.C. for a long time. The five areas that Dr. Lott examines, in his thorough but readable manner: Obamacare; the stimulus bills that actually destroyed more jobs than they created; how Obama’s gun control policy was politically driven when not actually criminal; the regulatory destruction of business (at least businesses that were not contributing money to the Obama campaign); and the effects of tax policy.

Report: IRS Deliberately Chose Not to Fess Up to Scandal Before Election

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/report-irs-deliberately-chose-not-fess-scandal-election_724711.html

Excerpt: NBC's Lisa Myers reported this morning that the IRS deliberately chose not to reveal that it had wrongly targeted conservative groups until after the 2012 presidential election: (Okay, I’m all in for a “Fair Tax” based on consumption, and abolishing the IRS. ~Bob.)

Do you know more about science and technology than the average American?

http://www.pewresearch.org/quiz/science-knowledge/

Rats, 12/13, missed one. Now I’ll hear from everyone who got 13. ~Bob. Excerpt: Take our 13-question quiz to test your knowledge of scientific concepts. Then see how you did in comparison with the 1,006 randomly sampled adults asked the same questions in a national poll conducted by the Pew Research Center and Smithsonian magazine.

Stand Up For Your Rights. Demand an Independent Investigation of the IRS scandal - Sign the Petition

http://www.nrsc.org/campaigns/demandaninvestigation/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=tweet&utm_campaign=IRS

Of course, they then ask for money. ~Bob.

More mystery over AP subpoenas process at Justice Department

http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2013/05/more-mystery-over-ap-subpoenas-process-at-justice-164202.html?hp=r4

Excerpt: Conflicting information is emerging over the process the Justice Department used to approve the subpoenas for Associated Press telephone records in connection with a national security leak investigation.

Sharyl Attkisson Scoop: Deployment Of Counterterror Response Team To Benghazi ‘Was Ruled Out From The Start’

http://www.mediaite.com/online/sharyl-attkisson-scoop-deployment-of-counterterror-response-team-to-benghazi-was-ruled-out-from-the-start/

Excerpt: CBS News reporter Sharyl Attkisson, who has doggedly been pursuing the details of the federal government’s response to the attack on an American consulate in Benghazi in 2012, spoke to a number of White House officials who told her anonymously that they regret the decision not to send Foreign Emergency Support Team (FEST), a counterterror rapid response team, into the theater of combat that night. “We’re portrayed by Republicans as either being lying or idiots,” one unnamed Obama administration official told Attkisson. “It’s actually closer to us being idiots.” According to Attkisson’s report, a FEST team was ready to intervene in the Benghazi attack and was preparing to respond but were never given the approval to engage. (My take all along was they made a cold political calculation to let Americans die, rather than risk a fire fight with Muslim civilians being killed, letting the jihadist organize worldwide Muslim anti-American riots that would threaten the President’s reelection. ~Bob.)

Attorney: “Every single application of a Muslim nonprofit has flown through the IRS, with less scrutiny”

http://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/attorney-every-single-application-of-a-muslim-nonprofit-has-flown-through-the-irs-with-less-scrutiny/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Excerpt: Including terror-linked CAIR (see links below). via ILLUME reporter, a corporate and tax attorney, Maryam Khan Ansari.

Denial Flows Like a River at the IRS. By Jonathan S. Tobin

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2013/05/17/denial-flows-like-a-river-at-the-irs-scandal-robert-miller/

Excerpt: Republican members tried to get Miller to respond to the key question hanging over this entire affair: Who gave the order to target groups with words like “Tea Party” or “Patriot” in their names and that criticized the way the country was being run? They got no answers, but they did get a refusal on his part to admit that he lied to Congress last year when he claimed no such targeting was going on. He also arrogantly claimed the abuses did not constitute targeting because he asserted that it was not politically motivated.

Prominent American Muslim, Umar Lee, leaves Islam: "We were lied to"

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/05/prominent-american-muslim-umar-lee-leaves-islam-we-were-lied-to.html

Excerpt: Umar Lee, a convert to Islam from St. Louis, was once enough of an Islamic supremacist to write to a rival: "i could cut your neck with the sword of islam and watch you squeal like a bitch like daniel pearl." In an email exchange with me, he endorsed. But now he has left Islam and returned to Christianity. Watch the video; in it he makes many, many important points about how converts to Islam are lied to, and how Islam establishes an empire of fear.

Max Baucus: Uh-oh, IRS Scandal May Grow

http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2013/05/17/max-baucus-uh-oh-irs-scandal-may-grow/

And “Train Wreck” Baucus knows scandals! ~Bob.

Fashion Magazine for Conservative Women

http://www.counterculturedusa.com/17/post/2013/05/ladies-say-hello-to-verily-magazine.html

The Unstoppable Force vs. the Immovable Object: Could the United States really go to war with China? By Noah Feldman

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/05/16/china_united_states_cool_war_power#.UZZdWfRFLUs.twitter

Excerpt: Are we on the brink of a new Cold War? The question isn't as outlandish as it seemed only a few years ago. The United States is still the sole reigning superpower, but it is being challenged by the rising power of China, just as ancient Rome was challenged by Carthage, and Britain was challenged by Germany in the years before World War I. Should we therefore think of the United States and China as we once did about the United States and the Soviet Union, two gladiators doomed to an increasingly globalized combat until one side fades?

Tweet from Greg M ‏@Pqlyur158m

Subpoena the Senators that signed the letter ordering the IRS to investigate the Tea Party. Find out if they received reports.

Tweet from jimgeraghty ‏@jimgeraghty1h

Man, these IRS guys speak and act as if they got a whole bunch of prewritten presidential pardons hidden away somewhere.

Tweet from Congressman Tom Price ‏@RepTomPrice1h

Acting IRS Commissioner tells me it's ‘absolutely not illegal’ for #IRS to target Americans.

Worth Reading: Weiner’s Wife Didn’t Disclose Consulting Work She Did While Serving in State Dept.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/17/nyregion/weiners-wife-huma-abedin-failed-to-disclose-consulting-work-done-while-a-state-dept-aide.html?smid=tw-share

New York Times late to the party. Doesn’t mention that she’s a Muslim. It would if she were an evangelical Christian. ~Bob. Excerpt: The State Department, under Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, created an arrangement for her longtime aide and confidante Huma Abedin to work for private clients as a consultant while serving as a top adviser in the department. Ms. Abedin did not disclose the arrangement — or how much income she earned — on her financial report. 

Humor: Obama vows to assign his top Benghazi investigators to the IRS probe. By Andrew Malcolm

http://news.investors.com/politics-andrew-malcolm/051513-656092-benghazi-irs-scandals-prompt-obama-reaction.htm?ven=rss

Quips from the comics. ~Bob

Republicans press for more documents on Benghazi, Dems say case closed
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/16/republicans-press-for-more-documents-on-benghazi-dems-say-case-closed/#ixzz2TZhD99WM

Excerpt: He noted the documents released late Wednesday -- a release long sought by Republicans -- for the most part covered two days of communications. "What about the ones before and what about all the ones after? …The administration gave no indication that more documents would be forthcoming. White House spokesman Eric Schultz said the decision to make the records public was an "extraordinary step." He said "hopefully" Washington can now move beyond the controversy. (Just want to get past those bumps in the road; does not matter that they are corpses. –Barb)

Tweet from John Kass ‏@John_Kass2h (Chicago Tribune Political Columnist)

#Obama and the #IRS scandal? Why so surprised? I told you the Chicago Way would be the Potomac Way

23 Dead In Initiation Rites In South Africa. By Wandoo Makurdi

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/death-toll-rises-mpumalanga-initiation-deaths

Excerpt: Twenty-three youths have died in the past nine days at initiation ceremonies that include circumcisions and survival tests, South African police said Friday. (It’s their culture. Who are we to judge? ~Bob.)

Minnesota lakes reportedly contaminated with cocaine, antidepressants

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/16/minnesota-lakes-reportedly-contaminated-with-cocaine-antidepressants/?test=latestnews#ixzz2TZk9eyCE

Excerpt: A veritable hodgepodge of chemicals — including cocaine, synthetic estrogen and antidepressants — have reportedly been found in isolated Minnesota lakes. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the findings indicate that some contamination has become the norm for virtually all of the waters in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” …. Cocaine was found in 32 percent of the lakes, while the insect repellent DEET was found in 76 percent of the waters.

Pakistani doctor who helped get Bin Laden was denied asylum in U.S., report reveals
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/05/16/pakistani-doctor-who-helped-get-bin-laden-was-denied-asylum-in-us-report/?test=latestnews#ixzz2TZjnft8t

He was trying to glom onto Obama’s “I got bin Laden” credit. ~Bob. Excerpt: The State Department declined to comment on the report's claims that Afridi had applied for asylum while staying in the U.S. The commission report acknowledges Afridi was subjected to harsh treatment in prison, and moved several times to various undisclosed locations by Pakistan’s spy agency. His Pakistani handlers also note his incarceration for a year without judicial process was unfair, according to the report.

Plot Thickens on AP Records Scandal

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/17/plot-thickens-on-ap-records-scandal/#ixzz2TZiHt5jB

Excerpt: A story about the CIA infiltrating a group of Islamist militants in Yemen and foiling an attack on the homeland, therefore, would be a thing of great political value, especially if it could be unveiled just so. If the AP went with a less glorious version of events not only would it deny the administration the chance to depict the mission in the most favorable light, it would also turn an announcement into a confirmation. It is hard to get news organizations to bite on a story about something that didn’t happen, and even harder when the thing that didn’t happen has already been reported by the nation’s largest wire service. (Article in blog yesterday said 71 detainees in Gitmo are from Yemen and “cleared to be released” by Holder.)

IRS seizes 60 million medical records without a warrant. By Clarice Feldman
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2013/05/irs_seizes_60_million_medical_records_without_a_warrant.html#.UZZJTE_iyC4.twitter

Excerpt: The Internal Revenue Service is now facing a class action lawsuit over allegations that it improperly accessed and stole the health records of some 10 million Americans, including medical records of all California state judges.

Five questions about the AP surveillance. By Jennifer Rubin

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2013/05/17/five-questions-about-the-ap-surveillance/

Excerpt: There is another way of getting at this: Sue the Justice Department. That’s right. In the Bivens case from 1971, the Supreme Court found there was an implied right of action for individuals to sue authorities who violated their Fourth Amendment rights. 

FAA gave bonuses before sequester

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public//index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=761eef62-efe5-4d0c-86af-f7c6970a50dc

Letter from Sen. Tom Coburn.

Detroit's pension boards pay $22K to send 4 trustees to Hawaii

http://www.freep.com/article/20130517/NEWS01/305170014/pension-funds-travel-General-Retirement-System-and-the-Police-and-Fire-Retirement-System-Hilton-Hawaiian-Village-Waikiki-Beach-Resort-Honolulu

Thought Detroit was broke? ~Bob. Excerpt: Four trustees of Detroit’s two public pension funds are heading to a Hawaiian beach resort this weekend with their $22,000 tab paid for by the funds, which are mired in claims of mismanagement and said to be at least $600 million underfunded.

Congressman gets standing O for nailing IRS chief (video)
http://www.wnd.com/2013/05/congressman-gets-standing-o-for-nailing-irs-chief/#0cyl0wHfrYY4L0MB.99 

Excerpt: A scathing rant aimed at Internal Revenue Service abuses brought a standing ovation at Friday’s House Ways and Means Committee hearing from observers who apparently thought Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., hit the nail on the head.