Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for May 21, 2013

Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for May 21, 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.

CYA Tweet

I thanked one of my blog readers for Tweeting about my book CYA. He sent the following response: “My pleasure. My 13 year old is reading it currently... I told him that his generation desperately needs it.” -- Chris

C.Y.A. Protecting Yourself in the Modern Jungle

If you order directly from CreateSpace, the PFF receives a larger royalty:

https://www.createspace.com/4133396http://www.amazon.com/C-Y-Protecting-Yourself-Modern-Jungle/dp/1481989103/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358787454&sr=1-8&keywords=C.Y.A+.+Robert+A+Hall

First published in 2010, this book has been reissued through CreateSpace/Amazon at a lower price, with all royalties going to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. A humor/self-help book, this is advice with an attitude.

Worth Reading: It Can Happen Here. By Victor Davis Hanson

http://pjmedia.com/victordavishanson/it-can-happen-here/

Excerpt: I ended my prognostications with the warning, “And so a reckoning is on the near horizon. Let us pray it does not take us all down with his administration.”

Four months later, it almost has. In January, of course, we all knew that Obama had misled the country on the nature of the disaster that is called Obamacare—a bill forced through on an entirely partisan basis through extraordinary legislative pay-offs and exemptions. 

Worth Reading: The Loss of Trust. By George Will

http://patriotpost.us/opinion/18218

Excerpt: Liberalism's agenda has been constant since long before liberals, having given their name a bad name, stopped calling themselves liberals and resumed calling themselves progressives, which they will call themselves until they finish giving that name a bad name. The agenda always is: Concentrate more power in Washington, more Washington power in the executive branch and more executive power in agencies run by experts. Then trust the experts to be disinterested and prudent with their myriad intrusions into, and minute regulations of, Americans' lives. Obama's presidency may yet be, on balance, a net plus for the public good if it shatters American's trust in the regulatory state's motives.

Canada for Medical Care, 2012

http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=23187&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DPD

Excerpt: Among the consequences of poor access to health care in Canada is the reality that some Canadians will ultimately receive the care they require outside of the country. Some of these patients will have been sent out of the country by the public health care system due to a lack of available resources or the fact that some procedures or equipment are not provided in their home jurisdiction. Others will have chosen to leave Canada in response to concerns about quality; to avoid some of the adverse medical consequences of waiting for care such as worsening of their condition, poorer outcomes following treatment, disability or death; or simply to avoid delay, says Nadeem Esmail, director of health policy studies at the Fraser Institute. Understanding how many Canadians receive their health care in another country each year gives some insight into the state of health care in Canada, as well as the state of medical tourism among Canadian residents. Data on this topic are not readily available but an estimation is possible using annual wait times data from the Fraser Institute.

WH: ‘Irrelevant’ Who Edited Benghazi Talking Points

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/19/WH-Benghazi-talking-points-irrelevant

Excerpt: Appearing on CBS’ Face the Nation, White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer said that it was “largely irrelevant” who edited the talking points the Obama administration trotted out in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Benghazi on September 11, 2012. Host Bob Schieffer asked, “That was just a PR plan, to send out somebody who didn’t know anything about what had happened. Why did you do that? (just as it was irrelevant who broke into the Watergate, or who lied under oath in a sexual harassment trial. ~Bob.)

State and local spending: Do tax and expenditure limits work?

http://www.aei.org/papers/economics/fiscal-policy/taxes/state-and-local-spending-do-tax-and-expenditure-limits-work/

Excerpt: Since 1978, 30 states have enacted formal limitations on taxes, budgets, or outlays as tools with which to strengthen fiscal discipline. These tax and expenditure limits (TELs) vary substantially in terms of their details, definitions, and underlying structures, but the empirical finding reported here is simple and powerful: TELs are not effective.

Big Data And Microseismic Imaging Will Accelerate The Smart Drilling Oil And Gas Revolution. Bt mark P. Mills

http://www.forbes.com/sites/markpmills/2013/05/08/big-data-and-microseismic-imaging-will-accelerate-the-smart-drilling-oil-and-gas-revolution/

Excerpt: Looking for good news in American innovation? Over the past five years, technology has improved the productivity of the typical oil or gas rig on America’s shale fields between 200 and 300 percent according to industry experts at Bentek. This stunning gain in energy yielded per dollar of capital explains why U. S oil production has grown faster than anywhere in the world.

Widow of slain Fairfax County officer endorses Cuccinelli in new TV ad

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/va-politics/widow-of-slain-fairfax-county-officer-endorses-cuccinelli-in-new-tv-ad/2013/05/19/a0bb6b88-c0fb-11e2-ab60-67bba7be7813_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines

Excerpt: Ken Cuccinelli II is launching his first television ad since being named GOP nominee for Virginia governor on Monday, featuring the widow of a slain Fairfax County police officer, who endorses the attorney general.

The White House is taking a hard line on scandal talk. Can they make it stick? By Chris Cillizza and Sean Sullivan

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/05/20/the-white-house-is-taking-a-hard-line-on-scandal-talk-can-they-make-it-stick/?wpisrc=nl_politics

Excerpt: The question is whether Pfeiffer can make good on that pledge. The White House has clearly decided — with Pfeiffer’s tone and rhetoric being the prime examples — that simply taking all of the political blows to come on the IRS, Benghazi and the secret seizure of phone records of Associated Press journalists without throwing a few punches of their own won’t work. Their goal then? Paint further inquiries — beyond those already ongoing — as politically motivated rather than non (or at least bi) partisan attempts to get all of the facts out. (Nixon took a hard line on Watergate, but didn’t have the media on his side. Clinton did, so established a new standard that perjury wasn’t a big deal if it was a sexual harassment case. ~Bob.)

Law Suits from the Howe & Hutton Report

Donor-Recipient Tit For Tat — This could get interesting. An unhappy donor and law center alumnus sued Georgetown University Law Center in federal court in Dallas, Texas, demanding it return his gift of $7.5 million after the university declined to name its law center fitness and health center (gym) after the donor as promised. After his initial gift of $5 million in 2000, the law center continued to solicit him and used his name on the project as part of its project promotion. But then he ran afoul of Securities and Exchange Commission civil charges of insider trading, and was found guilty by a jury and fined $1 million. The law center held off on naming the gym after him, but he pledged another $11 million in 2003, and has since paid $2.5 million. The gym was never named after him, so now he wants all of his money back. Georgetown responded by countersuing the unhappy donor, saying not only would it keep his money, but demanding he make good on the remainder of his $11 million pledge. The factual allegations of this donor-recipient lawsuit distinguish it from other such disputes. Supposedly after the donor, a wealthy entrepreneur-businessman who describes him-self as having a big ego, was informed the law center gym would not be named after him, or at least not until things quieted down, he was induced to make a much larger pledge which he fulfilled in part, according to Georgetown. But the donor’s version differs from Georgetown’s version about what would happen after the initial notoriety died down. Well, disputed facts make for good lawsuits, but perhaps the lesson for donors and recipients is to be clear, specific and comprehensive on all terms in writing regarding contributions, especially when major dollars and big egos are involved.

Obama Rex of Thebes D.C.

http://floppingaces.net/2013/05/19/obama-rex-of-thebes-d-c/

Excerpt: “If you deny Obama Rex’s omnipotent benevolence, he can destroy your reputation by leaking facts concerning your mental health, abortions, and treatments for STD. Your health records, once considered private, will now be at the disposal of this same “Secret Police” known as the IRS and will be used against you to destroy your reputation and or family if you are foolish enough to resist the inevitable. Our Leftists and the chorus cries out, “But Obama isn’t like that, he is a wonderful and beautiful man with only your best interests at heart.”

WH: “Offensive’ To Question Obama’s Actions During Benghazi

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/19/Obama-WH-offensive-Benghazi

Excerpt: Going on the offensive about President Obama’s mysterious whereabouts during the Benghazi terrorist attacks of September 11, 2012 that resulted in the deaths of four Americans including Ambassador Chris Stevens, White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer said it was “offensive” for anyone to question whether the White House could have done more. The assertion “from Republicans” that Obama was not responsive enough during the attack, said Pfeiffer, is “offensive.” (This Pfeiffer was such a motor mouth, he sounded like a used car salesman doing a spiel. Razzle dazzle….smoke. –Barb. Nixon thought the same about Watergate, Clinton about his perjury. ~Bob.)

Politico: AG Holder Now Untouchable

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2013/05/19/Politico-AG-Holder-Now-Untouchable

Excerpt: What Politico doesn't mention is the overtly politicized manner in which Holder has run his office. From refusing to prosecute real examples of voter intimidation--because it was the Black Panthers that was doing the intimidating--to hiring extremist, left-wing activists to serve in his DOJ Voting Section, to his refusal to obey Congress during Fast & Furious, to his using intimidation to try and stop states from implementing voter ID laws, all the way to his overbroad use of powers to snoop on the phone calls of journalists, Holder has used his office to further Obama's political aims instead of to assure compliance with the nation's laws. That President Obama refuses to fire him and stubbornly stands by Holder despite all his actions is not evidence that Holder is innocent as Politico claims but merely evidence that Obama has no sense of shame. (Remember the PushMePullYou? Each one cover’s the other’s vulnerable backside….very pragmatic Machiavellian creature from a childhood movie…. –Barb. During the 2008 campaign, I met a teamster official at the local flea market. He said that one of his duties was to attend dinners of the Illinois Legislature black Caucus. All the4 boys were there, Jesse, Barack. He said one, I think Jesse, spoke about the “Big N” project. “When I get in office, I help him get in office, then he helps him” gesturing at the other black attendees. ‘They are all racists,” this union Democrat told me. ~Bob.)

Obama Administration Knew of IRS Probe During 2012 Campaign
http://www.newsmax.com/newswidget/irs-scandal-political-groups/2013/05/18/id/505159?promo_code=11550-1&utm_source=11550Breitbart&utm_medium=nmwidget&utm_campaign=widgetphase1#ixzz2TmwI1l5g 

Excerpt: "First and foremost, as acting commissioner, I want to apologize on behalf of the Internal Revenue Service for the mistakes that we made and the poor service we provided," he told the committee. "The affected organizations and the American public deserve better." But the hearing turned prickly when Miller insisted he did not deceive Congress, though he repeatedly failed to reveal the controversy last year when he was asked about it by lawmakers — even after he had been briefed. "I did not mislead Congress or the American people," Miller said. (Gee if we deserve better, can we redo the election? –Barb)

Benghazi 'Cover-Up To Protect Hillary': Attorney claims Clinton ordered Stevens to Libya facility

http://www.wnd.com/2013/05/benghazi-cover-up-to-protect-hillary/#YWjRSG8z0dVgy1ka.99 

Excerpt: “Stevens was in Benghazi because Clinton told him to go there,” Toensing explained. Hicks’ attorney also charged the Accountability Review Board, or ARB, headed by Ambassador Thomas Pickering and Admiral Michael Mullen, was a cover-up designed to contain blame for the Benghazi terror attack at a level below Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the State Department.

Obama Versus The Free Press

http://www.wnd.com/2013/05/obama-versus-the-free-press/#5Oo5Ei0m26rf3Kwh.99 

Excerpt: Last week, the Obama White House was finally exposed to Americans on both the left and right as the abusive and arrogant administration that it is. Throughout this presidency, we’ve seen examples of the constant abuse of power and living above the law – the executive orders on gun control, the assault on religious liberty through Obamacare and the refusal to enforce immigration laws to gain political favor – are just a few among many. And last week, three more egregious offenses came to light that concern all freedom-loving Americans.

Suspects Butt Dial 9-1-1 During Alleged Burglary

http://www.marklevinshow.com/common/more.php?section_id=1&m=58&ts=1368980611&article=0DC27BB1C0A211E286DEFEFDADE6840A&mode=2

Excerpt: Accidentally butt dialing someone is embarrassing or inconsequential to most, but for two Fresno, Calif., men, their cell phone mishap landed them in jail. 

Western leaders study 'gamechanging' report on global drugs trade: Review by Organisation of American States on illicit drugs 'could mark beginning of the end' of prohibition

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/18/western-leaders-game-changing-drugs-report

Excerpt: European governments and the Obama administration are this weekend studying a "gamechanging" report on global drugs policy that is being seen in some quarters as the beginning of the end for blanket prohibition….The report represents the first time any significant multilateral agency has outlined serious alternatives to prohibition, including legal market regulation or reform of the UN drug conventions. (Let the drugs in, take a percentage, sell them to addicts with money supplied by regime for disability; keep them hooked and stoned; and profit from their purchases. And all we heard from the press about SA conference was a bunch of Secret Servicemen not paying for hookers and causing a commotion and HC having beer and a “girl’s night out.” –Barb)

The Autocrat Accountants: Once government is ensnared in every aspect of life, a bureaucracy grows increasingly capricious. By Mark Steyn

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/348687/autocrat-accountants-mark-steyn

Excerpt: Speaking at Ohio State University earlier this month, Barack Obama urged students to pay no attention to those paranoid types who “incessantly warn of government as nothing more than some separate, sinister entity.” Oddly enough, in recent days the most compelling testimony for this view of government has come from the president himself, who insists with a straight face that he had no idea that the Internal Revenue Service had spent two years targeting his political enemies until he “learned about it from the same news reports that I think most people learned about this.” Like you, all he knows is what he reads in the papers. Which is odd, because his Justice Department is bugging those same papers, so you’d think he’d at least get a bit of a heads-up. 

Georgia Gov. Deal orders Bibles returned to state-owned park
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/19/georgia-gov-deal-orders-bibles-returned-to-state-owned-park/#ixzz2To1Npdyv

Excerpt: When Ed Buckner and his family went to a north Georgia state park to celebrate his son's birthday, he was surprised and concerned to find Bibles in the state-owned cabin he had rented. An atheist, Buckner believes that no religious literature should be provided in government-owned lodging, and he presented that concern to management at the Amicalola Falls State Park. Officials told Buckner they would remove the Bibles from all state park resorts while the state attorney general looked into the matter. (Heard about this on the news; knew it had to be about Gideon Bibles. Couldn’t bear to listen to the story. Per report, AG ruled okay because State did not pay for Bibles and “Wednesday, Gov. Nathan Deal ordered the Bibles returned.” Used to be Gideon Bibles and phone books in every motel room, too….no more. –Barb)

Islamic Jihad Urges Muslim Confrontation with Israeli Aggressions

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9202242130

Didn’t get the memo. ~Bob. Excerpt: "It is the time for the Islamic Ummah (community) to confront this cancerous tumor and wipe it out from the region." 

‘Rule of tyrant should fall’: Salafi protesters and police clash violently in Tunisia (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

http://rt.com/news/tunisia-tear-gas-islamists-496/

Didn’t get the memo. ~Bob. Excerpt: A young protester has died and at least 15 policemen injured, after Tunisian security forces clashed with Salafis. Police fired teargas and shots into the air to disperse the stone-throwing crowd, which gathered despite a ban.

PA continues crackdown on journalists in W. Bank

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/PA-continues-crackdown-on-Palestinian-journalists-in-WBank-313542

These are the ‘moderates” the media loves. ~Bob. Excerpt: Despite promises to honor freedom of the media, the Palestinian Authority is continuing its crackdown on Palestinian journalists in the West Bank.

Terror link of 7/7 widow and 'bomb factory'

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/400850/Terror-link-of-7-7-widow-and-bomb-factory

Didn’t get the memo. ~Bob Excerpt: THE British wife of one of the 7/7 suicide bombers may have been more closely involved in the planning of the London terror attacks than previously thought.

The 8-years-old bride who was brutally killed on first night of her wedding

https://www.facebook.com/Combatjournalistpage/posts/10151402448030583

Excerpt: Sourced from the Mullah’s animal behavior, he took out the sharp knife that he always carried with himself in his pocket and tore apart the girl’s vagina from the clitoris side upwards as well as tore it downwards towards her anus in order to make the vagina larger enough so he can enter his penis into her vagina. ("The Prophet wrote the (marriage contract) with 'Aisha while she was six years old and consummated his marriage with her while she was nine years old and she remained with him for nine years (i.e. till his death)." -- Bukhari 7.62.88. Muslims take this seriously and imitate Muhammad in this. –Robert Spencer, JihadWatch.Org. It’s their culture and we are not to judge other cultures, the progressives assure us. Tough on the little girls, though. ~Bob.)

Kenya police shoot dead "terror couple" who wounded 5 police officers in grenade attack
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/05/19/kenya-police-shoot-dead-terror-couple-who-wounded-5-police-officers-in-grenade/#ixzz2TqUcsvqF

Didn’t get the memo. ~Bob. Excerpt: Police shot dead a couple suspected to be terrorists after they threw four grenades, wounding five officers in an overnight stand-off, a police official said Sunday.

Kerry urges Nigerian army "restraint" against jihad terrorists

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/05/kerry-urges-nigerian-army-restraint-against-jihad-terrorists.html

Excerpt: Boko Haram has murdered 2,000 Nigerians, torched churches, terrorized untold numbers of Infidels, and John Kerry urges the Nigerian army to treat it gently. They will not, however, return the favor.

Inequality. By John Goodman

http://healthblog.ncpa.org/inequality-3/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=HA#more-30390

Excerpt: Why has the topic of “inequality” been getting so much attention in recent years? I have a theory, which I’ll advance in a future piece. But first things first. What do the writers who are obsessing about it mean by “inequality”? They basically mean inequality of income. That would make sense if we all agree that the most important way in which people are unequal is differences in income. But what if that isn’t the case? Almost all of the people who are doing the complaining have chosen professions that earn less income than they could have had. That is, all these professors and editorial writers could have gone to law school or gotten an MBA or done something else that would have earned them more money. Obviously, money isn’t the most important thing in their lives. (When Conservatives speak of equality, they mean equality of opportunity. Liberals mean equality of outcomes. If I don’t study at all, and another student cracks the books, should she get an A and I an F, or should we both get a C to be equal? If men work longer hours, have more experience and more education than women, should women still be paid the same? If an orthopaedic surgeon puts in 14 years of education in the specialty, should the pay be the same for someone who majors in Peace Studies? Liberals also talk of fair, as in “paying their fair share” without defining it. And when they say “Justice” they mean “Stand and Deliver! ~Bob)

Congressman: IRS asked pro-life group about 'the content of their prayers

http://washingtonexaminer.com/congressman-irs-asked-pro-life-group-about-the-content-of-their-prayers/article/2529924

Excerpt: During a House Ways and Means Committee hearing today, Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., grilled outgoing IRS commissioner Steven Miller about the IRS targeting a pro-life group in Iowa.

Obama's Legacy? Scandal. By L. Brent Bozell 

http://patriotpost.us/opinion/18183

Excerpt: In 2011 and 2012, a disturbing number of Obama's media coddlers tried to suggest he was miraculously free of any Obama scandals. Forget Fast and Furious. Who ever heard of Solyndra? One of Obama's top Democratic fundraisers ran MF Global into the ground. Who knew? Tingly Chris Matthews said Obama was "perfect" and "clean as a whistle" and has "never done anything wrong." Some journalists still care more for Obama's image than they do about the truth. 

Before AP: DOJ Targeted Fox News' James Rosen

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/19/Obama-Administration-Pursued-Cases-Like-AP-s-In-2009?utm_source=e_breitbart_com&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Breitbart+News+Roundup%2C+May+20%2C+2013&utm_campaign=20130520_m116101231_Breitbart+News+Roundup%2C+May+20%2C+2013&utm_term=More

Excerpt: Even though it has not been proven to this day that it’s illegal for a reporter to solicit information, because of the First Amendment’s protection of the press, the Obama Administration went to work. The Justice Department not only grabbed Rosen’s telephone records, they used security badge access records to track the Rosen’s visits to the State Department, traced the timing of his calls with Kim, and obtained a search warrant for Rosen’s e-mails.

Jail to the Chief

http://conservativevideos.com/2013/05/jail-to-the-chief/

Watch the video. (Wishful thinking. Wasting time and energy on the impractical. Can’t do anything without Democrat support, and they dare not anger their black constituents, regardless of the facts. ~Bob.)

Navigating the ObamaCare Maze: The government is the worst vendor possible for managing health insurance exchanges. By John C. Goodman

http://www.ncpa.org/pdfs/20130520_Navigating_the_ObamaCare_Maze-WSJ-op-ed.pdf

Excerpt: Already, the Department of Health and Human Services has thrown in the towel on small-business exchanges that were supposed to allow employees to choose among competing health plans. The opportunity to make those choices has been put off for at least a year, leaving small-business employees with only their employer's plans as options. Prospects for the individuals acquiring insurance on their own aren't much better.

The 10 P.M. Phone Call: Clinton and Obama discussed Benghazi. What did they say

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/348677/10-pm-phone-call-andrew-c-mccarthy

Excerpt: So if I were investigating Benghazi, I’d be homing in on that 10 p.m. phone call. That’s the one between President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — the one that’s gotten close to zero attention. (easy. Obama said “Don’t do anything that will inflame the Muslims. Riots will ruin the narrative that I defeated terrorism and hurt my reelection. That comes first.” ~Bob.)

Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste: Abolish the IRS

http://politicaloutcast.com/2013/05/never-let-a-good-crisis-go-to-waste-abolish-the-irs/
Excerpt: We have been presented with the opportunity of a lifetime and that’s not hyperbole.

What Hurts the Most about Benghazi. By Karin McQuillan

http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/05/m-what_hurts_the_most_about_benghazi.html#.UZo3BmEfQ3g.twitter

Excerpt: I can't look my old liberal friends in the eye after Benghazi. Most partisan disagreements are forgivable, and I try hard not to lose dear friends over politics. Benghazi is different. Benghazi isn't political for me. Benghazi is about Americans fighting jihadis for their lives and being abandoned to die by politicians. It is about Obama and Clinton calculating what the headlines would look like if they tried to save them or if they did nothing. They chose nothing, and they almost got away with it. (Almost? Obama was reelected and Clinton leads for 20216. ~Bob.)

Suppress the press: The Obama administration’s history of targeting the mediahttp://dailycaller.com/2013/05/20/suppress-the-press-the-obama-administrations-history-of-targeting-the-media/#ixzz2Tqq9CoD8

Excerpt: While this full-frontal assault on the media — and more importantly, news consumers — may suddenly have the press rubbing the sleep out of their eyes, it’s far from the first time Obama and his allies have used the power of the office to try to silence their critics.

Holy Cannibalism, Bat Man: Liberals Are Eating Liberals
http://clashdaily.com/2013/05/holy-cannibalism-bat-man-liberals-are-eating-liberals/

Excerpt: Grab some popcorn, folks. Pull up a chair. Get yourself a 6 pack. No … a 12pack and join with me and other liberty-minded folks as we watch the Left finally sink their comedic and inquisitive teeth into the rotted flesh of the Hope & Crap Machine that we’ve been caterwauling about for the last five, seems like twenty, years.

New York Times’ handpicked commenters love the IRS. By Patrick Howley
http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/19/new-york-times-handpicked-commenters-love-the-irs/#ixzz2TqqreyMo

Excerpt: Each of the six comments Times staff selected to feature below a Saturday piece attributing the scandal to “confusion” and “staff troubles” rationalizes the federal agency’s politically motivated witch hunt of conservative groups, which included a coordinated search for conservative activist training materials. (I hope I live long enough to see the well-deserved NYT’s coming bankruptcy and going out of business sale. ~Bob.)

Susan Rice, likely NSC head, had string of failures in Africa before Benghazi
http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/18/susan-rice-likely-nsc-head-had-string-of-failures-in-africa-before-benghazi/#ixzz2Tqrb3B4U

Excerpt: U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, reportedly the leading contender to be President Barack Obama’s next national security adviser, failed during the 1990s to prevent unnecessary deaths in Rwanda, provide adequate security prior to the bombings of the embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, or deal effectively with the Robert Mugabe’s dictatorship in Zimbabwe.

Amid scandals, White House announces star-studded concert in East Room
http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/17/amid-scandals-white-house-announces-star-studded-concert-at-white-house/#ixzz2Tqs1yKy4

Sequester for thee, but not for me. If it rains, will need some little people to hold the umbrellas so the guests don’t get wet coming in. ~Bob

5 Dead, 15 Wounded In Weekend Violence In Chicago

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/05/20/5-dead-15-wounded-in-weekend-violence/

Excerpt: Five people have been killed and at least 18 others wounded — including a 12-year-old boy left in critical condition — in shootings across the city since Friday night. (But I can’t carry a gun to protect myself from them. ~Bob.)

GPO group names over 45 firms planning to pass device tax on to providers. By Jaimy Lee
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20130228/NEWS/302289957

Excerpt: More than 45 medical supply and device manufacturers have informed hospitals that they plan to pass the cost of the medical-device excise tax on to providers, according to a list compiled by the Healthcare Supply Chain Association. The HSCA, which represents group purchasing organizations, published the names of 48 companies on a new website that launched Thursday. (Obamacare bending the cost curve…up!)

At least 40 Hezbollah fighters killed in Qusayr as troops fight rebels

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/05/19/Watchdog-Syria-military-pounds-rebel-town-killing-13.html

Excerpt: At least 40 Hezbollah fighters have been reportedly killed in the Syrian town of Qusayr late on Sunday, sources told Al Arabiya, following clashes between Syrian rebels and regime forces who attempted to enter the town earlier in the day.

Police arrest 12 after large group converges on Gold Coast

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-05-19/news/chi-police-arrest-5-after-large-group-converges-on-gold-coast-20130518_1_members-heavy-police-presence-michigan-avenue

Excerpt: Eleven juveniles and one adult were arrested last night after a large group converged near the Gold Coast and were blocking traffic, police said. (Wouldn’t be PC to call it a black flash mob. ~Bob.)

Chinese Hackers Resume Attacks on U.S. Targets

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/world/asia/chinese-hackers-resume-attacks-on-us-targets.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130520&_r=1&pagewanted=all&

Excerpt: The Obama administration had bet that “naming and shaming” the groups, first in industry reports and then in the Pentagon’s own detailed survey of Chinese military capabilities, might prompt China’s new leadership to crack down on the military’s highly organized team of hackers — or at least urge them to become more subtle. But Unit 61398, whose well-guarded 12-story white headquarters on the edges of Shanghai became the symbol of Chinese cyberpower, is back in business, according to American officials and security companies.

Karzai seeks Indian military aid amid Pakistan row

http://news.yahoo.com/karzai-seeks-indian-military-aid-amid-pakistan-row-103234707.html

Excerpt: Afghan President Hamid Karzai will seek increased military aid from India during a three-day visit starting Monday and will discuss recent cross-border clashes with Pakistan, India's archrival, an aide said. (Jizra from kuffer. ~Bob.)

About E.W. Jackson. (VA GOP candidate for Lt. Governor)

http://www.jacksonforlg.com/about/

Excerpt: E.W. Jackson served three years and was honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps. He then graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree(BA), Summa Cum Laude with a Phi Beta Kappa Key from the University of Massachusetts at Boston. Three years later he graduated from Harvard Law School with a Juris Doctor (JD). While in law school, he was accepted into the Baptist ministry and studied theology at Harvard Divinity School.

True Scandal: A tea-party group targeted by Democrats gets attention from the IRS—and the FBI, OSHA, and the ATF. By Jillian Kay Melchior

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/348756/true-scandal-jillian-kay-melchior

Excerpt: Cleta Mitchell, a lawyer who specializes in representing conservative organizations, says that the Engelbrecht family’s experience is “just the tip of the iceberg. . . . I think there’s definitely a Chicago-politics-style enemies list in this administration, and I think it permeates this branch of the federal government.”

Town raises Palestinian flag at City Hall. By Hannan Adely

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0513/palestinian_flag_raised.php3#.UZpa-6K-o0E

Excerpt: The raising of a flag Sunday at Paterson's City Hall was like any of the dozen or so similar events held in the city each year in a nod to its diversity. Except it wasn't. That's because the flag raised — for the first time in Paterson, and possibly at any city hall in the United States — was Palestinian. (What did they do to celebrate? Stone a teenage rape victim for “adultery”? Call for the slaughter of the town’s Jews? ~Bob.)

Keeping America Afloat. By (Marine & Congressman) Duncan D. Hunter

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/9/keeping-america-afloat/

Excerpt: The old saying "he who rules the seas rules the world" is still relevant today. National and global interests—for America, in particular—are inextricably linked to the seas. With oceans covering 70 percent of the Earth's surface, they are just as important now as they were centuries ago when exploration and discovery were possible only by setting sail.

U.S. Companies Engage In Financial Jiu-Jitsu To Get Around Obamacare. By Sally Pipes

http://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypipes/2013/05/13/u-s-companies-engage-in-financial-jiu-jitsu-to-get-around-obamacare/?utm_source=followingweekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20130520

Excerpt: Obamacare’s most notorious regulations — including the mandate that employers provide health insurance to their workers or pay a fine — are still several months off. But businesses are wasting no time finding ways to free themselves from the law’s strictures.

For Barack Obama, speech isn't free when it criticizes him. By Tim Carney

http://washingtonexaminer.com/tim-carney-for-barack-obama-speech-isnt-free-when-it-criticizes-him/article/2530024?utm_source=Washington%20Examiner:%20Opinion%20Digest%20-%2005/20/2013&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Washington%20Examiner:%20Opinion%20Digest

Excerpt: Benghazi. The IRS targeting the Tea Party. Feds snooping on the Associated Press. These dizzying controversies around the Obama administration all carry the same lesson: Watch what you say.

Fox News Says It Will Defend Reporter Against 'Co-Conspirator' Charge

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/20/justice-department-obtained-records-fox-news-journalist/

Excerpt: The Justice Department, already under fire for seizing AP phone records, also viewed e-mails of Fox News chief Washington correspondent James Rosen, calling him a criminal 'co-conspirator' for his reporting. Fox News responded: 'We will unequivocally defend his right to operate as a member of what until now has always been a free press.' 

Robert Gibbs: Maureen Dowd Has Written The Exact Same Column For The Past Eight Years
http://www.businessinsider.com/robert-gibbs-maureen-dowd-column-eight-years-same-2013-5#ixzz2Trft3NfM

Excerpt: Robert Gibbs, President Barack Obama's former press secretary, snarkily pushed back at the latest criticism from one of the administration's most prominent liberal critics — the New York Times' Maureen Dowd. On Sunday, Dowd wrote a column that unfavorably cast his last week in the same light as the scandals during the Clinton presidency. She has been a frequent critic of Obama in his second term, and Obama made special mention of her in his White House Correspondents' Dinner speech last month.

White House Chief of Staff knew about damaging IRS audit, kept Obama in the dark

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/white_house_chief_kept_staff_knew_NrteVRBP6JX3KBSX27Lw6O?utm_source=SFnewyorkpost&utm_medium=SFnewyorkpost

Excerpt: Internal Revenue Serviced scandal today spread further within the White House and closer to President Obama. White House spokesman Jay Carney today disclosed that Obama’s chief of staff, Dennis McDonough, and other top White House officials had advance warning that the IRS was targeting conservative groups. But he insisted McDonough and the other White House officials purposely kept Obama out of the loop. (You fire staff for keeping you out of the loop. Unless they did so at your orders. ~Bob.)

College Ed In This Country
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid949801312001?bckey=AQ%7E%7E%2cAAAACEco_Vk%7E%2c9bOat4XcfB_88ri1a3UMdKnLpH9aM8Fv&bclid=0&bctid=1271237687001

This is a very telling lecture. It hits at the root of what is happening in American Universities, and what is happening to our culture. This fight is as real and costly as any combat this nation has been through in the past. The battlefield is non-conventional, but so are the methods of our enemies. Please take the time to listen. (This is one of the best emails I've watched, I knew about the content, but Bridgette Gabriel's simple but passionate explanation, elaborates on how far the danger has progressed in America. I strongly urge you to take 14 minutes and watch the whole thing...it is information which is terribly important to realize and understand. One area she didn't mention is the number of Mosques being build in America when the Muslim population is so small in the same areas...funding again by the Saudi Arabians –ME)

DOJ Targeting Of Fox News Reporter James Rosen Risks Criminalizing Journalism

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/20/doj-fox-news-james-rosen_n_3307422.html?1369078100

Excerpt: The Obama administration’s Justice Department has moved beyond investigating and prosecuting leaks at an unprecedented level to claiming in court documents that committing a standard act of journalism may itself be criminal.

DOJ IG report rips former U.S. Attorney for leak designed to smear Fast and Furious whistleblower; Update: Two more Fox News reporters’ e-mails obtained by DOJ

http://hotair.com/archives/2013/05/20/doj-ig-report-rips-former-u-s-attorney-for-leak-designed-to-smear-fast-and-furious-whistleblower-update-two-more-fox-news-reporters-were-monitored-by-doj/

Excerpt: Today the DOJ’s Inspector General released his report and found, yep, it most certainly was Burke’s intent to retaliate against Dodson for whistleblowing.

Chief IRS Counsel Got Jeremiah Wright's Church Out of IRS Probe

http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2013/05/chief-irs-counsel-got-jeremiah-wrights-church-out-of-irs-probe.html

Excerpt: It was the former IRS chief Lois Lerner who dropped the IRS bombshell in a planted question during a lawyers’ conference earlier this month. The IRS broke the IRS story in the Friday (in a night news dump, of course). Reverend Jeremiah "God damn America" Wright, Obama's long time hate preacher, got special treatment from the demagogue-in-chief.

Great news: Sequester not impacting federal bonuses. By Ed Morrissey

http://hotair.com/archives/2013/05/20/great-news-sequester-not-impacting-federal-bonuses/

Excerpt: For months, we’ve heard practically nothing from the Obama administration except how awful the sequester will be for ordinary Americans. Fortunately, it won’t be so awful for our dear leaders in the federal government — especially in the General Services Administration. The reduction of 2.3% in federal spending, which is actually a reduction in planned increases in federal spending, won’t take a bite out of the bonuses paid out to our betters in Washington:

WaPo on IRS Scandal “Hearkens back to the WORST of Watergate” – VIDEO

http://newsninja2012.com/whats-this-wapo-on-irs-scandal-hearkens-back-to-the-worst-of-watergate-video-2013-05-15/#ixzz2TrnMScs1 

Excerpt: On “Morning Joe” today, here is The Washington Post’s David Ignatius saying the “IRS Scandal” really is the kind of thing “we fear most” from Government in our country. He then said it “hearkens back to the worst of Watergate.”

Big rig carrying fruit crashes on 210 Freeway, creates jam

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-big-rig-crash-20130520,0,2642136.story

Groan.

Never Mess With This Girl’s Purse

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrhSf8CEgC8

Here is a good video on why one should not mess with a Southern female--BW