Tuesday, May 14, 2013

PHOTOS: The Dirty Little Secrets of #BlogCon2013

I can't disclose sources or methods, but our enterprising cub reporter Biff Spackle apparently infiltrated the right-wing extremist conference known as BlogCon2013. Before being discovered and kicked out of the confab (and then audited by the IRS), Spackle was able to snap the following photos*. And he discovered some of the dirty little secrets of BlogCon.

A Panel on real-time reporting
The view from the panel
Nice Deb and Liberty Speaks

IRS-Gate: Executive Summary of the Inspector General's Report

Hours ago, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration released its report on the unconscionable inquisitions conducted by the Obama IRS for purposes of political retribution. Entitled "Inappropriate Criteria Were Used to Identify Tax-Exempt Applications for Review" [PDF], it investigated the claims that the IRS "1) targeted specific groups applying for tax-exempt status, 2) delayed processing of targeted groups’ applications for tax-exempt status, and 3) requested unnecessary information from targeted groups."

Some of the lowlights:

The Determinations Unit developed and used inappropriate criteria to identify applications from organizations with the words Tea Party in their names. These applications (hereafter referred to as potential political cases)13 were forwarded to a team of specialists14 for review. Subsequently, the Determinations Unit expanded the criteria to inappropriately include organizations with other specific names (Patriots and 9/12) or policy positions. While the criteria used by the Determinations Unit specified particular organization names, the team of specialists was also processing applications from groups with names other than those identified in the criteria. The inappropriate and changing criteria may have led to inconsistent treatment of organizations applying for tax-exempt status...


...in May 2010, the Determinations Unit began developing a spreadsheet that would become known as the “Be On the Look Out” listing (hereafter referred to as the BOLO listing),15 which included the emerging issue of Tea Party applications. In June 2010, the Determinations Unit began training its specialists on issues to be aware of, including Tea Party cases. By July 2010, Determinations Unit management stated that it had requested its specialists to be on the lookout for Tea Party applications...

Oh, and the I.G. claims that "only first-line management" made the decision to target Constitutional conservatives.

PIC: Blind Squirrel Media Finally Finds Nut

To quote John McClane, "Welcome to the party, pal!"



Can Libertarians and Conservatives Join Forces? A #BlogCon2013 Panel Discussion

One of the most interesting and contentious panel discussions at BlogCon Dallas had a simple caption: "Conservatives and Libertarians Building Coalitions That Win ."

Panelists Russ Walker, Teri Christoph, Jason Pye and Michelle Ray were bombarded with questions and, sometimes, assertions.

Wayne Dupree -- you may know him as News Ninja -- drew the loudest applause with a plea to win. "I'm sick of losing elections," he said, "We need to unite on core principles to win elections. Stop focusing on how we are divided."

"Liberty Speaks" -- a pseudonym for a female blogger who has faced a series of threats from the tolerant left -- echoed that cry. The core principle that should unite conservatives and libertarians is the terrible fate that awaits society under the collectivists. In fact, the two branches of individualism are united by free markets, private property and respect for free will and individual action. The left believes only in government; that mankind is too stupid to organize its own affairs in a manner suitable for the Statist. That dichotomy, she said, must be exploited.

Several college-age individuals also issued strong statements:

The "Republican brand" appears fatally damaged, especially for the 18-21 demographic. In general, they feared labeling themselves Republicans, which demonstrate just how disastrous the "leadership" of anti-conservatives, neo-Statists like Reince Priebus (Spelling off? Who cares?) and John Boehner has turned out for the GOP.

Many call themselves "Conservatarians" to indicate the hybrid appeal of libertarianism and Constitutional conservatism.

There was universal agreement that electing more statesmen like Ted Cruz is the only answer to the collectivist madness that threatens to engulf the nation.

At the end of the discussion, there were general agreements but no universal consensus. There were no fistfights, but a grudging acceptance that working within the two party system is the only pragmatic solution to controlling the Left.

As GOPrincess observed:




Photo: @GaltsGirl.

Larwyn's Linx: DOJ Seized Associated Press Telephone Records

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

DOJ Seized Associated Press Telephone Records: Dossier
On the AP-Justice Department Story: Ricochet
Lawmakers rip Justice Department over AP phone records grab: Fox

Ben Rhodes: Obama's Fixer behind the Benghazi Cover-Up: AT
Obama digs in on Benghazi: ‘There’s no there there’: Exam
Obama knee-deep in Nixon-esque scandal: Herald

Cruz: IRS Scandal ‘Harkens Back to the Days of Nixon': NRO
Suspect IRS Office Also Disclosed Confidential Docs From Conservatives: Riehl
IRS officials in DC involved in targeting of conservative groups: WaPo

Obama: Republicans are making Americans ‘cynical about government’: Exam
Lies About Libya: Sowell
How High Up Does This IRS Scandal Go?: Blaze

Economy

Health Insurers predict 100%-400% Obamacare rate explosion: Exam
The IRS and big government: Peth
Mood Darkens in Europe as Eurozone Economy in Freefall: Mish

Scandal Central

Another Lie: IRS Officials In DC Behind Targeting Conservative Groups…: WZ
Nixonian: Obama Regime Seizes AP Reporters’ Phone Records For Over 20 Lines, 100 Journalists Affected: WZ
Why did the Obama administration spy on the Associated Press?: The Week

Media

George Will: Obama Could Be Impeached Over IRS Attacks On Tea Party: RWN
How do you ask a journalist to be the last journalist to lose credibility defending Obama?: LI
Gosnell abortion trial moves to next phase: USA Today

Understatement of the Year: "There's No There There": Elephant
Clown Carney: White House shocked to hear about AP’s phone records being investigated: Twitchy
NARAL: Gosnell Snipping Babies Necks “Result Of Anti-Choice Attacks On Abortion Access”: WZ

Ezra Klein tries valiantly to defend the IRS: PW
Koch Lawyer to White House: How Did You Get Our Tax Information?: WS (2010)
Flashback: Obama Signature Move -- Unsealing Private Records: Coulter

World

Only the president can end the Benghazi “sideshow”: GayPatriot
UN Official Blasts Israeli Settlers As Violent “Whacked-Out” Terrorists: WZ
Ritual Cannibalism Caught on Film?: Shoebat

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

Fox and Twitter announce major social TV advertising partnership: LostRemote
2nd Volcano This Month Heating Up in Alaska: AP
Google reveals Gladstone, Missouri is the latest city to join the line for its Fiber Internet service: NextWeb

Cornucopia

HEY SOLEDAD O’BRIEN! I’M NOT A WHITE PERSON – I PREFER CRACKA-AMERICAN!: AWD
Our Lapdogs Go Savage on Us: MOTUS
How Facebook Ruined Comments (at Least for Me): TechLand

Image: Weasel Zippers
Sponsored by: Call John Boehner Now: We Demand a Select Committee on Benghazi

QOTD: "The problem with telling a lie, or even a succession of lies, is that a very small dose of the truth can sometimes make the whole thing collapse like a house of cards. The State Department's own foreign service officer Gregory Hicks was in Libya during the attack, so he knew the truth. When threats were not enough to silence him, it was then necessary to try to discredit him.

After years of getting glowing job evaluations, and awards of honors from the State Department for his work in various parts of the world, Mr. Hicks suddenly began to get bad job evaluations and was demoted to a desk job in Washington after he spoke with a Congressman about what he knew. The truth is dangerous to liars." --Thomas Sowell


Monday, May 13, 2013

CHAOS AND CORRUPTION ON THE SOUTHERN BORDER: A Texas Rancher Speaks

On the way to Blogcon, I struck up a conversation with a longtime Texas rancher who was headed home. We ended up talking about the real situation on the border. "Rancher X" owns a large ranch near MacAllen, Texas. The following is not word for word, but captured from my notes during a two hour discussion.


The entire border area is dominated by corruption. There are corrupt judges, corrupt ICE agents, corrupt sheriffs, and it's not just me saying that: you can read about indictments and convictions every week. It seems like there's a new federal indictment of a district judge, a border patrol agent, a local sheriff, etc. coming down that often.

We're one of the poorest areas in the country, so lots of federal dollars are headed here. So it's not fair to say that all of the corruption is just fueled by the drugs, humans and other stuff smuggled over the border. Also, I shouldn't say "smuggled", because it's just flowing over the border. All of the money corrupts every layer of government. Remember that officials get elected with money, and they are put into office by money.

Mexico: a Preview of the Chaos to Come Here in the U.S.

Here's something important to consider : As people lose confidence in law enforcement and judges, the civil society decays.

That's what's happened in Mexico. And we're just a couple of decades behind them.

In Mexico, I think we're seeing a preview of the United States in maybe 20 or 30 years.

Here's another important concept: don't spend more money on border security!

The money you spend on border security, getting more and more layers of law enforcement involved, is financing drug cartels. You know why? Because these layers of "human security" are corruptible by large amounts of money.

On a Physical Barrier or a Security Fence

A fence is a no-brainer. There are fences on the border in the cities. And they work. They're not perfect, but they drive smuggling traffic into the unprotected rural areas.

Do you have a fence at home? Most people do. Since when is anyone against a fence?

Only on the Mexican border do people oppose a fence.

In fact, there was an 18-foot levy built near us a while back and even that, while not for security reasons, drove smuggling traffic away.

The Hidden Secret: Oil and the Cartels

So here's the deal no one talks about with the border. The oil business and the cartels are intimately linked together. How "official" that linkage is up for debate. How high up the cartels and the oil companies are linked is up for debate.

So here's the backdrop. The whole south Texas border area is an oil field. The oil companies dominate the state. The landowner, ranchers like us, are subservient to the oil companies.

There are all kinds of right-of-ways and roads and oil infrastructure on the ranches. Which means oil tankers, maintenance trucks, all kinds of vehicles are entering and leaving our ranch every day. We might have 300 or 400 trucks coming in and out of our ranch.

Here's the deal with that: no one knows what those trucks are. Are they smuggling stuff? Or are they legitimate? No one knows, no one knows who is coming or going. Including the oil companies!

Why don't the oil companies know who's coming or going? Because they sub out the work. And the subs sub out the work. And on down the line. Who's authorized to be using the oil companies' infrastructure? No one knows who's authorized.

A Dirty Little Secret: The Border Patrol and Oil Infrastructure

Here's something crazy: the border patrol is not authorized to operate on oil company infrastructure, ostensibly for reasons of safety. So you've got heavy trucks, loaders, cranes moving heaven knows what.

A typical load might be 6,000 pounds of pot. This kind of volume demands 18-wheelers. And 18-wheelers demand oil field infrastructure.

And the oil companies do not involve themselves with the detail of these logistics. The details aren't visible to the oil companies, intentionally or unintentionally.

It's like a UPS driver on your street. How do you know whether that's a real UPS driver? Unless you had some way of authenticating and verifying that driver, you don't know if it's a legitimate UPS truck.

The oil companies have lost control of the border area. Because of the subcontracting, the oil companies appear to have some level of "plausible deniability". They can claim they don't know or don't have control of their infrastructure.

In the early 20th century, the oil companies locked up huge swaths of lands. And the infrastructure is extremely difficult to track ownership of. There are thousands of companies and joint ventures involved, and these J.V.s are "classified" as trade secrets, so you can't find out who is really responsible for the roads or whatever. There is no way for the landowners or the federal government to control oil field traffic. Under Texas law, the mineral estate (the oil company) is the dominant estate. It is actually called "Dominant Estate Law".

Why spending more on border security is nonsensical

Here's how high volume human smuggling operates. Our ranch has miles of highway frontage. These huge criminal operations run massive, sophisticated convoy operations.

They'll put a scout vehicle out on the highway to see if the border patrol is around. There are scouts and enforcers and what not. Sometimes these people are being held hostage or as sex slaves and are coming across the border against their will. The enforcers are there to prevent escapes.

But back to the scouts: if it's all clear, some Suburbans will pull up. Each Suburban can hold 30 people, seriously. So once nightfall comes, the vehicles pop open and everyone starts moving.

And a single Border Patrol unit is trying to catch 100 people? Seriously? For those 100 folks, Border Patrol might catch 7, 40 might perish, and the rest make it to the U.S.

Most of the border area is sand. And the Border Patrol can't do pursuits because the catalytic converters can cause huge brush-fires. And it's not just sand, there are huge bee colonies. Aggressive bee colonies that are crazy dangerous.

And the Border Patrol isn't like it's incorruptible. There are corrupt BP folks.

The Private Prison Scam

We have major private prisons in our area. Here's how the private prison scam works.

While Mexico has a "return treaty", meaning if we catch a Mexican national, we can return them through official channels. But OTMs [Other Than Mexicans] often don't have return treaties.

In our district, when you catch an OTM, there's a hearing with mandatory detention. Mandatory detention, which ties right into private prisons and the money used to fund those detentions.

These folks can spend 17 years in prison. And you're paying for it all.

A few years back, there were thousands of Eritreans captured trying to cross the border. I don't even know what an Eritrean is. But if there's no return treaty, they're languishing in private prisons. And you're paying for it.

Upset about illegal kids in schools?

That's a spit in the bucket compared to the private prison business. The costs are unbelievable. And the medical care is probably far better than what these folks could get in their home countries.

The federal government pays for those private prisons with your tax dollars and I guarantee private prisons are expensive. They are publicly traded companies and their stock prices have generally skyrocketed thanks to all this "homeland security" hoopla.

More Security Spending Isn't the Answer

The money you and your community sends to the border is incentivizing the wrong behavior.

All this money is being spent and it's having the consequence of just robbing legitimate citizens of their freedoms -- like no search and seizure. All of this homeland security stuff just means I am stripping down to get on an airplane - the immigrants and drug smugglers don't go through the checkpoint - they just walk around it or drive around it because it's an oilfield with roads.

More money spent down here has just made things worse. It adds more layers of government and more nooks and crannies that get corrupted. Things keep getting worse, and it's government corruption behind much of it.

Example: a while back, a bunch of sheriffs got arrested. They were literally part of the cartels. They weren't paid enough to take risks and they certainly don't have the resources to pursue the smugglers.

So the money you send to the border isn't really spent on security. How much do you hear about illegal immigration in Alabama. Well, I've got news for you: it's happening. You think the cartels can't buy some boats?

So think before you advocate for more "border security". The border security bulls*** is counter-productive.

When you send more money, think about more border patrol agents sitting on the highway and the scouts avoiding them.

That money adds layers of government, susceptible to corruption, and it takes away money to police your community.

You want to secure the border - prosecute corrupt public officials. It's much better use of our prison space.

I think the key points of the corruption issue and the actual inconvenience to law abiding citizens are the most logical and motivating things to consider. People are so quick to demand border security but they don't make the connection that putting police on the border means taking that money out of the budget of the cities around the country for police on their city streets.

Plus, 99 percent of the drugs and immigrants are just passing through to get to the cities around the country where the pay is higher and there are huge markets for drugs. We are in sparsely populated rural areas. We aren't smoking all those tons of weed--they are going to cities around the U.S.

And a border wall won't work everywhere, but it's one hell of a good start.

MEMO TO SELF: Save This Graphic for 2016

Spotted at Twitchy:


That reminds me of Hillary Clinton's fateful two hours, which very well could have ended her political aspirations. If we're lucky, that is.


Larwyn's Linx: The lies pile up and the president goes silent

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

The lies pile up and the president goes silent: Baehr
Obama’s IRS: WFB
Even the Left admits: Obama fatally hurt bipartisanship efforts.: Moe Lane

Obama Is Every Bit as Bad as We Warned You: Breitbart
Mom of Benghazi victim wishes Hillary happy Mother’s Day: Rare
Blood On Their Hands: Greenfield

Post-Benghazi Irony: Instapundit
Romney donor vilified by Obama, subjected to 2 audits: DC
ABC: Petraeus called final Benghazi talking points “useless”: Hot Air

Economy

What happens when the government intrudes on commerce: SOTR
Paul Krugman "Was" Right: Mish
Teamsters Acting Like ‘Parasite’ Stealing Other Unions’ Members: RS

Scandal Central

This is a Scandal We Must Not Let Slide: RS
It Was Never About Guns: Urban Conservative View
Obama Agenda Undermines Medical Innovation: RWN

HHS: We Need Money To Implement Obamacare: RWN
HHS Secretary Sebelius blasted over contribution solicitation: UPI
NJ State Senate Democrats on guns: “We need a bill that is going to confiscate, confiscate, confiscate.”: Lott

Media

Animated GIFs depict the evolution of the media's Benghazi coverage: AllAm
The Corruption of Jay Carney: Commentary
White House: Happy Mother’s Day! Here is a campaign picture of President Mom Jeans: Twitchy

Last Year, Media Ridiculed Claims IRS Targeted Conservatives: Publius
George Will: If Bush Had IRS Going After Progressives 'We Would Have All Hell Breaking Loose': NB
Unintended Consequences: Owens

Sandcrawler PSA: A Subliminal Message From Dear Leader: Jawa
Jen Rubin’s Hatred of Jim DeMint Brings Out the Full Stupid: RS
McRINO: We Should Give Obama “The Benefit Of The Doubt” On Benghazi: WZ

World

SICKENING: New York City Will Allow Non-Citizens to Vote: Sentinel
Four Americans — and the truth — died in Benghazi: Exam
Life Among the Barbarians: Instapundit

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

Visualizing How A Bitcoin Transaction Works: ZH
Social Startup: Tellagence: SocMedToday
This Sony Xperia Is Waterproof to 5 Feet: Gizmodo

Cornucopia

World War II’s Strangest Battle: When Americans and Germans Fought Together: Beast
A Very Special Mother's Day Message from Commissarka Pinkie: Cube
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Roe v. Wade Went Too Far: OTB

Image: A Very Special Mother's Day Message from Commissarka Pinkie
Sponsored by: Call John Boehner Now: We Demand a Select Committee on Benghazi

QOTD: "The Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade has been the target of criticism virtually from the time the ink started to dry on the paper it was printed on. From the right, the decision is seen as the primary example of what is often referred to as “legislating from the bench,”a situation in which judges stray away from their proper role as interpreters of the law and the Constitution and begin using their decisions to set social policy.

In the case of Roe,... the Supreme Court created a right to abortion nationwide out of whole cloth with little regard for what the Constitution actually did or didn’t say on the topic. In the end, Roe is looked at with derision by judicial conservatives both because of this and because of the outcome of the case itself. There have also been criticisms of Roe from the left, most of them similar to what Ginsburg said regarding the matter. Some advocates of abortion rights have argued that Roe has actually hurt their movement more than it has helped because, for more than 40 years now, it has served as a rallying cry for the Pro-Life movement, a fact that can be seen every year on the anniversary of the decision itself when tens of thousands of people rally in Washington for the March for Life.

Indeed, many political analysts have pointed to Roe as the catalyst for the politicization of Evangelicals and the development of groups such as Moral Majority (which has since disbanded but not before leading to the formation of countless other Evangelical political organizations , which have played an important role in American politics since the 1980s. Arguably, a more limited legal ruling from the Court in 1972 would have had a far less sweeping political impact." --Doug Mataconis

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Now that these Democrats were caught on an open mic, I don't ever want to hear their garbage about guns again

For those familiar with the history of the Democrat Party, this particular revelation should come as no surprise.

Democrats at both the state and federal level keep pushing for taxes on gun purchases and registration. Democrats claim that they really aren't interested in reducing gun ownership or confiscating guns, but then you have statements such as this. From the New Jersey Star-Ledger:

As a committee hearing on new gun-control legislation began winding down Thursday, three state senators started chatting amongst themselves... What they didn't realize was the microphone was still on.

A recording of the exchange — which appears to be between Democrats Loretta Weinberg, Sandra Cunningham and Linda Greenstein — ended up on YouTube, and gun supporters said today they were upset by the remarks.

The recording opens with what sounds like a senator or staff member saying, "We needed a bill that was going to confiscate, confiscate, confiscate"...


Some of the new laws that will be voted on Monday in New Jersey will substantially raise the cost of obtaining a gun.

• Reinstating a seven-day "cooling-off" period. When someone qualifies for a permit, they would have to wait seven days before buying the gun — an effort to prevent domestic violence and suicide. The original package of bills would have removed the seven-day waiting period. "Someone who is heated and angry can’t just go out to the store and buy a gun right away," said Nicola Bocour, the project director of anti-gun violence group Ceasefire New Jersey.
• Currently, New Jersey residents have 90 days to buy a gun after getting a permit. Under the bill, they would have four years, but changes were made to make it easier for law enforcement to yank the permit.
• Residents who apply for permits would have to undergo training.
• All sales of ammunition online would be electronically sent to the State Police...


Waiting periods are associated with increased crime rates against women. The costs of mandated training will make it so that poor people who live in high crime urban areas will be disarmed.

These Democrats are the lowest of the low. If you trust a Democrat on anything -- anything -- you're gonna end up in the metaphorical rice paddies like a North Korean.

Update: Joe Huffman says the voice is that of State Senator Sandra Cunningham.


Hat tip: BadBlue Guns.

PHOTO: The Incestuous Love-Child of the Democrat-Media Complex

So this is why they play from the same sheet music.

"There's so much inbreeding between the White Hut and the Media, that every time we watch network news, we hear banjo music!" --Old Sarge.


THE IRS SCANDAL AND OBAMACARE: Yes, Your Private Health Information Will Be Used Against You

When even The Washington Post takes notice of the Nixonian machinations, you know there's real trouble in D.C.

The IRS admits to targeting conservative groups for additional review and laughably claims the witch hunt wasn’t “motivated by political bias.” What will its math-challenged spokeswoman Lois Lerner say about allegations that the IRS gave “extra-special attention to the tax-exempt status of some Jewish groups for political reason"?

In fact, the IRS is (or was) targeting "groups [focused on] ‘educating on the Constitution and Bill of Rights,’" according to Prof. William A. Jacobson.

So what could possibly go wrong with the IRS administering all of your health care data?

When Obamacare’s individual mandate takes effect in 2014, all Americans who file income tax returns must complete an additional IRS tax form... The new form will require disclosure of a taxpayer’s personal identifying health information in order to determine compliance with the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate.

As confirmed by IRS testimony to the tax-writing House Committee on Ways and Means, “taxpayers will file their tax returns reporting their health insurance coverage, and/or making a payment”.

...Simply put, there is no way for the IRS to enforce Obamacare’s individual mandate without such an invasive reporting scheme... As a service to the public, Americans for Tax Reform has released a projected version of this tax form to help families and tax specialists prepare for this additional filing requirement. Taxpayers may view the projected IRS form at www.ObamacareTaxForm.com. On the form, lines 3-4 show where taxpayers will disclose their personal health ID information.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Obamacare isn't about health care. It's about control over you and I.

Your health care data will be used to punish you. It will be used against you. It will be leaked into the public record if you oppose the government. Government-run health care is tyrannical.


Larwyn's Linx: The Benghazi Lie

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

The Benghazi Lie: Steyn
10 crazy things the IRS asked Tea Party groups: Hot Air
Top IRS officials knew of Tea Party targeting two years ago: Hill

Where was Obama while 4 Americans died in Benghazi?: IBD
UNREAL: White House Tweet Says Obama Is Our North Star: Glob
Mark Levin Reveals His Complaint Led To IRS Investigation: Mediaite

IRS Officials Knew Conservative Groups Were Targeted: Ace
Congresswoman: Obama issued 'stand down' order: FreePost
Anthony, TX (La Tuna) Prison Holds Two Problematic Filmmakers: IBA

Benghazi whistle-blower a Democrat, voted for Obama twice: DC
Biometric Database of All Adults Hidden in Amnesty Bill: Wired
Watergate was ten months old when scandal broke wide open: Marathon

Economy

"With free money, why would anyone work in America?": WZ
Common Core GED textbook: "9/11 hijackers were poor Afghanis": Cube
1/3 of Puerto Rico Gets U.S. Food Stamps from -- $2 Billion in 2012: CNS

Scandal Central

Sen. Alexander: Obamacare Fundraising 'May Be Illegal': NewsMax
‘The IRS: First they Came for the Tea Partiers, Then They Came for the Jews’: Driscoll
Playing politics with tax records: WaPo

Climate & Energy

Obama’s DOE Green Programs Spent $26 Billion On Less Than 3,000 Jobs: RWN

Media

Top Obama official’s brother is president of CBS News, may drop reporter over Benghazi coverage: DC
NYT: Uh Oh, Benghazi Might Actually Be A Scandal: Mead
ABC’s Terry Moran On IRS Scandal: ‘Truly Nixonian Abuse Of Power By... Obama Administration’: Mediaite

Bloomberg, Obama and liberal media muzzled about gun crime decline: Times
Sleeping With The Enemy: Media, Politicos, Once Adversaries, Now One Big Incestuous Circle: Mediaite
Kirsten Powers: There is Something “Fundamentally Really, Really Wrong With Our Media”: GWP

MSM Conventional Wisdom Circa May 5th 2013 vs This Morning: DTG
Kirsten Powers on Benghazi: 'Bill Clinton Would Not Have Gotten Away With This': NB
Covering for Obama: Post

World

'Mounting evidence' Boston bombers were behind gruesome 2011 murders: Times of Israel
"The relationship between China and North Korea has reached its lowest point since 1953.": Ace
The Obama “Jokes” that Aren’t: MoneyRunner

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

Bioteeth From Stem-Cells Will Regrow Complete Teeth, Superior to Implants: SWR
U.S. Government Becomes Biggest Malware Buyer, Stoking Fears Over Security: iTechPost
CamCard, A Card-Scanning App That’s Dominating Asian Markets, Reaches 50M Users: TechCrunch

Cornucopia

VIDEO: London, in colour, in 1927: Commentator
The 21 greatest conservative rap songs of all time (part 1): AEI
Ted Cruz’n on “Raw Brain Power”: MOTUS

Image: Despite arrests, Turkey bombing degrades relationship with Syria
Sponsored by: Call John Boehner Now: We Demand a Select Committee on Benghazi

QOTD: "Congresswoman and former United States Ambassador to Luxembourg Ann Wagner (R-MO) appeared on The Dana Loesch show and placed the blame, of the stand down order to those that could have offered assistance to Americans under attack, on none other than Barack Obama.

Loesch asked Wagner, “Because you have been an ambassador, you have been overseas with similar responsibilities and similar missions – who gives such an order to stand down? Where does that come from?”

“The President of the United States,” the Missouri congresswoman affirmed." --Freedom Outpost

Saturday, May 11, 2013

IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE NOW: ABC, CBS and CNN top executives all have siblings or spouses working directly for Obama

The Democrat Party and the media are indistinguishable from one another and it doesn't take much digging to prove it.

You knew the mainstream media was biased, but this is incredible. It was revealed today that CBS News President David Rhodes' brother is Obama Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, who was instrumental in rewriting the Benghazi talking points. But it gets worse. It is now learned that ABC President Ben Sherwood's sister, Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, is a Special Assistant to Barack Obama on national security affairs. But even this isn't it! CNN's deputy bureau chief, Virginia Moseley, is the wife of Tom Nides, who until February was Hillary Clinton's deputy.

Ben Rhodes is a top NSC advisor with absolutely no foreign policy or military experience. None! This idiot has advocated intervention both in Libya and now Syria. How has that worked out for us? He is responsible for helping to massage the Benghazi talking points to watered down drivel. His greatest accomplishment appears to be a Master's Degree in fiction writing received from New York University. So perhaps we should call him Obama's fiction writer!

In what may be a belated effort to salvage its reputation, or perhaps an effort to get the best scoop now that keeping quiet is out of the question, ABC published a story revealing that there were twelve revisions of the Benghazi memo. The final version eradicated all references to terrorists and al Qaeda. Nice work, Mr. Fiction Writer!

...The only mainstream media reporter really doing her job is CBS's Sharyl Attkison. Attkison has also done a heroic job on the Fast N' Furious Eric Holder gun running scandal. Now it appears CBS is pressuring her to leave. Gee, wonder why?

Whatever shred of credibility existed among the network news organizations has now been utterly obliterated.

The Pet Goat versus going to sleep during a terrorist attack. Cindy Sheehan versus Pat Smith. And Valerie Plame versus the Benghazi Four.

Gee, no bias there.

We have a fascist media on our hands, bound as tightly to the government as NPR. And it's high time that we treat them as the pariahs they truly are.

Larwyn's Linx: The Benghazi Scandal Grows

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

The Benghazi Scandal Grows: Hayes
Most transparent administration ever holds off-the-record briefing: Tatler
Benghazi Talking Points V12.0: Hayward

Benghazi leaks finally breaking the damn media dam: LI
Benghazi Talking Points Revised 12 Times, Terror Reference Axed: ABC
Jay Carney Is Lying, I Mean Briefing. Actually They Are The Same: Ace

Internal Benghazi Review Ignored Clinton, Obama: Dossier
White House holds OFF-THE-RECORD press briefing on Benghazi: Scoop
GOP Sen. Inhofe: Obama could be impeached over Benghazi 'cover-up': Hill

So, who changed the Benghazi talking points?: Hot Air
The Empire Strikes Back: Sexton
Senator Joe Manchin Steps up his Campaign of Lies: GOA

Carney accuses GOP of ‘politicizing’ Benghazi in disastrous presser: RedAlert
Senator Ted Cruz Tweets Funny Image That Hammers Obama: RWN
Hmm: True the Vote to review ballots from Allen West cliffhanger: Riehl

Economy

ObamaCare’s 30-Hour Work Week: Fulfilling a Longtime Leftist Dream?: Blumer
Your Tax Dollars at Work: Bevy of Domestic Terrorists Teaching at College: RSM
GOP Effort Against Labor Nominee Gains Steam: Roll Call

HHS budgets $150m to teach people how to enroll in Obamacare: Exam
Elizabeth Warren’s student loan proposal does more harm than good: RedAlert
Obamacare Scares Head Start Staffers More than Budget Cuts: FreeEnt

Scandal Central

IRS Vs. Conservatives: Corruption Or Incompetence: IBD
Holy Crap: HHS Secretary Sebilus Is Extorting Money From Health Care Industry To Promote ObamaCare: Ace
The Rogue Helping Obama Steal America: CFP

Climate & Energy

White House seething over blocked EPA vote: Exam
Infhofe: To Defeat Iran, Drill For Energy At Home: IBD
Ed Markey (D-ranged): GOP “Trying To Destroy The Whole Wide World”: RWN

Media

Must-see TV: Sharyl Attkisson to talk Benghazi on C-SPAN and ‘Face the Nation’ on Sunday: Twitchy
CNN now saying talking points were edited down to something ‘totally untrue’: Scoop
Flashback: Obama Reacts to Blogger on Benghazi: Kira Davis

Big Government Conservatives Strike Back: Ace
MSM Reports IRS Targeting Conservative Americans As Scoop: RS
MSNBC Guests: Benghazi Makes White House ‘Look Terrible,’ Possibly An ‘Impeachment Issue’: Mediaite

“Why Weren’t Embassy Attacks Under Bush & Clinton Investigated?”: Anchoress
Krugman's Still Wrong: RCP
BBC Issues Apology: Benghazi Scandal Matters: Breitbart

World

The Humiliation of John Kerry: Ledeen
Associated Press: Teen immigrant angst, not radical militant Islam, to blame for Boston bombings: AIM
Brazilian Group Joins Growing IAPCAR Coalition Against Gun Control: GunMag

DC Judge Awards Hizballah Victims $8.4 Billion: IPT
Petraeus was frustrated with Benghazi talking points that removed all mention of jihadist involvement: JihadWatch
The Obama Administration’s Tower of Fabrications Begins to Crack: And More to Come: Commentary

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

Gang steals $45m worldwide through ATMs: Fin24
Scientific American’s Unscientific, Poorly Researched Anti-Gun Article: TAG
University of Georgia stops plant photosynthesis to generate solar power: Engadget

Cornucopia

A Speeding Bullet: Faster Than 911: MOTUS
Wasserman-Schlitz: Republicans the Party of Adultery and Hypocrisy: Shark Tank
Cartoon o' the Day: Dossier

Image: Obamacare Scares Head Start Staffers More than Budget Cuts
Sponsored by: Call John Boehner Now: We Demand a Select Committee on Benghazi

QOTD: "Good morning to you, Josh. As you know, when this attack happened, the White House initially said it arose out of a spontaneous protest over an anti-Muslim video. That turned out not to be true and the White House said they relied entirely on CIA talking points. But I have obtained 12 different versions of those talking points that shows that they were dramatically edited by the administration. Take a look at two of them. On the left, a draft initially written by the CIA. On the right, one that was used by the White House, the final version. What was taken out? All references to al Qaeda and all references to CIA warnings before the attack about the terror threat in Benghazi." --ABC News' Jonathan Karl

Friday, May 10, 2013

Benghazi, Version 12.0

Guest post by Investors Business Daily


Libya: At least a dozen rewrites of the Benghazi talking points were made, with all references to al-Qaida and prior attacks removed at the direction of the secretary of state's office.

The astonishing thing about the administration's Benghazi cover-up is that it actually thought it could get away with it. But each lie has been successfully peeled away, from the protest that never happened, to the irrelevant filmmaker who was blamed, to the intelligence community whose talking points were used as a cover for incompetence and malfeasance.

Now White House and State Department emails obtained by ABC News, some first published by the Weekly Standard, show that the intelligence community, led by the CIA, told the truth about terrorist involvement in the Benghazi attacks and prior warnings in its original talking points draft. It was the White House and the State Department that lied and had them altered.

"Those talking points originated from the intelligence community. They reflect the IC's best assessments of what they thought had happened," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters last Nov. 28. "The White House and the State Department have made clear that the single adjustment that was made to those talking points by either of those two institutions were changing the word 'consulate' to 'diplomatic facility' because 'consulate' was inaccurate."

What the talking points reflected, after a dozen heavy edits dictated by the State Department, was a sanitized version designed to protect President Obama's re-election chances and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's prospective candidacy in 2016. They were deliberately altered to eliminate references to terrorism so the whole thing could be blamed on an inflammatory video and no one in the administration could be held responsible.

As ABC's Jonathan Karl reported, edits included requests from the State Department that references to the al Qaida-affiliated group Ansar al-Sharia be deleted as well as references to CIA warnings about terrorist threats in Benghazi in the months preceding the attack.

The original CIA talking points contained this paragraph: "The Agency has produced numerous pieces on the threat of extremists linked to al-Qaida in Benghazi and eastern Libya. These noted that, since April, there have been at least five other attacks against foreign interests in Benghazi by unidentified assailants, including a June attack against the British ambassador's convoy. We cannot rule out the individuals had previously surveilled the U.S. facilities, also contributing to the efficacy of the attacks."

In an email to White House officials and the intelligence agencies, State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland took issue with including that information, saying it "could be abused by members (of Congress) to beat up the State Department for not paying attention to warnings, so why would we want to feed that either?" The paragraph was entirely deleted.

Why would a State Department interested in protecting its secretary and its president want to tell the truth?
The original CIA draft said "we do know that Islamic extremists with ties to al-Qaida participated in the attack." It specifically named the al-Qaida-linked Ansar al-Sharia. Nuland objected, and it was taken out.

In an email dated Sept. 14, 2012, at 9:34 p.m. — three days after the attack and two days before Ambassador Rice appeared on the Sunday shows — Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes wrote an email saying the State Department's concerns needed to be addressed.

At a meeting Saturday morning, Sept. 15, at the White House, they were. The CIA drafted a final version of the talking points by deleting all references to al-Qaida and to the security warnings in Benghazi before the attack. In that email, Rhodes used the excuse that "we don't want to undermine the FBI investigation." Ironically, it was Rice's recitation of the censored talking points that impeded the FBI investigation and reduced cooperation by insulting the Libyan president. As Deputy Chief of Mission Gregory Hicks said during his recent testimony to Congress, Rice contradicted the Libyan president's Sept. 16 claims that the attack was premeditated.

"President Magariaf was insulted in front of his own people, in front of the world. His credibility was reduced," Hicks said. "It was planned, definitely, it was planned by foreigners, by people who entered the country a few months ago, and they were planning this criminal act since their arrival," Libyan President Mohamed Yousef El-Magariaf told CBS News' "Face The Nation" on Sept. 16 after Rice appeared saying exactly the opposite.

So as we've noted, we have Hillary Clinton's chief of staff, Cheryl Mills, trying to intimidate Gregory Hicks from telling the truth that they knew it was a terrorist attack from the "get-go," that there was no "protest" or mention of one from anyone on the ground and that the infamous YouTube video was "a non-event" in Libya.

And we have Clinton spokesman Victoria Nuland censoring CIA talking points that note terrorist involvement in the attacks and mention prior attacks in an environment full of terrorist training camps.

Ambassador Christopher Stevens was aware of the threat and had warned Benghazi could not be defended after what security they had was withdrawn.

In Stevens' name, and the names of Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty, the American people deserve to know the truth. Those responsible for this fiasco and its cover-up must be held accountable.


I'm sure there were no illegal aliens involved in this little dust-up

PoliceMag relays some startling footage from a Miami drug dealer's house.

Suspects involved in a drug trafficking operation opened fire on investigating Miami-Dade Police detectives in a deadly gunfight captured by the video surveillance cameras of a marijuana grow house.

The dramatic footage, which was played Thursday at a court hearing, shows the rapidly unfolding gunfight at the west Miami home. Plainclothes detectives had visited the home on July 31 for a "knock and talk" during their investigation.


After arriving, they began to question Luis Estevanell, 60. Estevanell's cohort, Gerardo Delgado, emerges from a parked BMW and opened fire at the officers while attempting to take cover behind a tree.

The officers returned fire striking Delgado several times as the suspect continued firing. Three rounds from Delgado struck John Saavedra, who can be seen falling outside the screen.

Thank heavens no LE folks were injured or worse.

Oh, and hey, Gang o' Eight: these folks are just doing the jobs Americans won't do, right?


Hat tip: BadBlue Guns.

OH, MAMA: Even MSNBC Reporting Anxiety and Panic in Democrat Ranks Over Benghazi Cover-up Revelations

I suppose being the lowest-rated cable "news" network in history is extra motivation for covering the real news.

It's safe to say that behind the scenes Democrats are in full-blown panic mode.


NBC's Lisa Myers, in a panel discussion on MSNBC, revealed: "There is something called Benghazi going on, and I think the Democrats now are starting to worry about it. It's started. I got calls from a number of Democrats yesterday trying to undermine Greg Hicks’s testimony, saying he wasn’t demoted. So I think they feel that some damage was done by those three witnesses on Wednesday."

Myers was interviewed before the blockbuster revelation by ABC News that the State Department and/or the White House lied about the Benghazi assassinations.

I surmise the reason that the White House was behind the release of the email revision history: Obama wants no taint to his legacy (such as it is) and if Hillary Clinton needs to suck it up, so be it.


Ted Cruz has 12 Questions for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton #Benghazi

The masterful Ted Cruz has some questions for the Obama administration:

• Why was the State Department unwilling to provide the requested level of security to Benghazi?

• Were there really no military assets available to provide relief during the seven hours of the attacks? If so, why not? During the attacks, were any military assets ordered to stand down?

• If the Secretary of Defense thought there was “no question” this was a coordinated terrorist attack, why did Ambassador Susan Rice, Secretary Clinton, and President Obama all tell the American people that the cause was a “spontaneous demonstration” about an Internet video?

• Why did the State Department and/or the White House edit the intelligence talking points to delete the references to “Islamic extremists” and “al Qa’ida”?

• Why did the FBI release pictures of militants taken the day of the attack only eight months after the fact? Why not immediately, as proved so effective in the Boston bombing?

• Why have none of the survivors testified to Congress?

• Why is the administration apparently unaware of the whistle-blowers who have been attempting to tell their stories? Is it true that these career civil servants have been threatened with retaliation?

• Did President Obama sleep the night of September 11, 2012? Did Secretary Clinton?

• When was President Obama told about the murder of our ambassador? About the murder of all four Americans? What did he do in response?

• What role, if any, did the State Department’s own counterterrorism office play during the attacks and in their immediate aftermath?

• Why was Secretary Clinton not interviewed for the ARB report?

• And why, if all relevant questions were answered in the ARB report, has the State Department’s own inspector-general office opened a probe into the methods of that very report?

Oh, and let's add another one: what games were on ESPN the night of 9/11/2012? Just wondering.


ACTION: Call John Boehner Now: We Demand a Select Committee on Benghazi.

Larwyn's Linx: Benghazi hearings in the Mirror Universe

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

Benghazi hearings in the Mirror Universe: RS
Cruz: What We Still Don't Know About Benghazi: NRO
How the Democrats Killed Ambassador Chris Stevens: Riehl

ICE Union president exposes W.H. LIES on immigration enforcement: Scoop
Gang’s Immigration Bill Funnels $100M to Leftwing Community Organizers: CFIF
Kansas to Holder: Back Off on Gun Control, Loser: RWN

ICE Warns: Gang of Eight's Bill Gives ‘Virtually Unlimited Discretion’ to DHS: Tatler
Destroying our country, our military and our very existence: CFP
New York City Considers Giving Non-Citizens The Right To Vote: WZ

Thanks for the Bailout, Suckers! GM Builds a New Plant in China: RWN
What Happens When You Ban Handguns? You Get Chicago: Extrano's Alley
What Gun Problem?: SCC

Economy

The crucifixion of Jason Richwine: Malkin
Obama to Texas: Stop Making All the Other States Look Bad: WyBlog
Memo Shows Obama Wanted To Gut Welfare Work Requirements Since 2009 : WZ

Scandal Central

What the Families of SEAL Team 6, Slain in Chopper Crash, Allege: Blaze
JW Sues Obama Treasury Department for Records Detailing Authorization of Chinese Corporate Takeover: JW
Hillary Clinton: I certainly did not know of any reports that contradicted Susan Rice talking points: Scoop

Climate & Energy

Green Energy Triump: $11 Million Per Job Created: Hayward
Second Obama Green Venture in Weeks Folds after Getting Millions: JW
Crime vs. Temperatur: Static Eric

Media

Benghazi Hearing Postscript: Where Do We Go From Here?: LeatherPenguin
AP taunts GOP: You can’t make us turn on Hillary, suckers: CFP
Rush: 'Get it Behind Us and Make Hillary Clinton The First Female President of This Country': HapBlog

L.A. Times Reporter Ken Dilanian and His Partisan Hackwork on Today’s Benghazi Hearings: Patterico
DISGRACE: Mark Levin says Hillary Clinton was NOT sworn in at House testimony in January: Scoop
What Difference Does It Make?: Big Lizards

MSNBC Viewers Discover Benghazi...for the First Time: DTG
Why is Daily Kos so afraid of some speech competition from the Koch Brothers?: LI
Tom Coburn: State Dept. has real trouble coming on Benghazi but I can’t talk about it yet…: Scoop

The RNC’s Lost Benghazi Ad: HayRide
Washington Post Breaks Benghazi Scandal Wide Open: Ace
Democrat Strategist Kirsten Powers Blasts Liberals Who Defend Those Responsible For Benghazi Cover-Up: HySci

World

Lieberman Back on Hill to Warn of ‘Rapidly Spreading’ Islamist Threat: PJM
Pentagon Report on China Reveals Comprehensive Military Buildup, Extensive Espionage: Foundry
How about this Red Line? Israel strikes Syria, kill 42 soldiers: AIM

Military leaders allowed Muslim cleric to pray at Seal Team 6 funeral, but he cursed them instead: Scoop
Canada jihadists considered poisoning air and water to murder up to 100,000 people: JihadWatch
Who is Saeed Abedini?: Foundry

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

U.S. Government Bans Plans for 3D Printed Gun: SHTFplan
Second Arizona Patient Confuses Brain Leak With Allergies: ABC
How Photographers Retouched Pictures Before Photoshop: Gizmodo

Cornucopia

Ariel Castro, Cleveland Kidnapper, Is a Registered Democrat: AT
Obama finally calls for support: @SaintRPh
30 days to go until Illinois gets unregulated carry!: GSL

Image: U.S. Government Bans Plans for 3D Printed Gun
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: RED ALERT: We Demand a Select Committee on Benghazi–Now

QOTD: "I defended the administration during the election from some attacks I saw as unfair. Well, today's testimony deeply disturbed me. It is impossible at this point to argue that only the Republicans are 'playing politics' with Benghazi. 1) Claims the witnesses' cooperation in investigation was impeded. 2) Claims the Rice talking points hurt relations with Libya. 3) Explanation of why the Rice talking point[s] were obviously implausible to those on the scene." --Daveed Gartenstein Ross of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Thursday, May 09, 2013

SCANDAL VS. SCANDAL: A Media Retrospective #Benghazi

Compare and contrast:

The Pet Goat vs. Going to Sleep During an Attack

Remember The Pet Goat? That was the book that President George W. Bush read for seven (7) minutes to an elementary school class after he received word of the attacks on the World Trade Center.

Bush was pilloried mercilessly for his "inaction", even though the Secret Service is reported to have requested the delay to enhance the president's security for the trip to the airport.

How does that compare to Benghazi? Eight months after the slaughter of Americans, we still don't know what the president did after a 5pm ET meeting with SECDEF Panetta. No one knows, but many have surmised he watched sports and then went to sleep to prepare for a fundraiser the next day.

Cindy Sheehan vs. Pat Smith
The mother of a fallen soldier during the Iraq War, Cindy Sheehan became a poster child for the Democrat-media complex. No less a vintage media star than Maureen Dowd stated unequivocally that "the moral authority of parents who bury children killed in Iraq is absolute".

As for the mother of murdered diplomatic official Sean Smith, Dowd is less vocal. Silent, even. Pat Smith has struggled to make her voice heard because, though apolitical, her message is one of pain, grief and anger. "They want to shut me up," she's stated, referring to the Obama administration that has treated her with utter disdain.

Valerie Plame vs. Benghazi
Remember what all of the hullabaloo about Valerie Plame was about?

Neither do I.

The former intelligence officer didn't get shipped to one of the most dangerous locations on earth, she didn't have all of her security stripped from her over her vociferous pleas, she wasn't the victim of an all-out terrorist attack on her office, she wasn't killed during a firefight, her body wasn't dragged through the streets of Benghazi, and her death wasn't the subject of administration lies and a massive cover-up.

No, that was Ambassador Chris Stevens along with the heroes who tried to save his life.

* * * * * * * * *

And a cadre of propagandists in the mold of Julius Streicher claim that Benghazi isn't a scandal. Michael Hersh is one such pathetic hack. Writing in the left wing National Journal, Hersh claims that there was no cover-up at all.

Hersh intentionally omitted referencing yesterday's most damning testimony. After the attack, Clinton consigliere Cheryl Mills demanded that Gregory Hicks, the former deputy chief of mission/chargé d’affairs in Libya, avoid answering any questions from the visiting Congressional delegation.

Hicks was asked whether he’d ever been told before not to meet with a congressional delegation; his response: “Never.”

And just who is Cheryl Mills?

Cheryl Mills is no run-of-the-mill State Department apparatchik, even among the top tier. She’s been one of the Clintons’ right-hand men for decades. She worked in Bill’s White House legal office, then as counsel to Hillary’s presidential campaign, then became chief of staff at State when Hillary was appointed secretary. If she’s the right-hand man, what other conclusion is there than that Hillary’s the one who wanted Hicks to keep his mouth shut when meeting with Chaffetz?

And precisely what did President Obama do after he received word of the attacks? No one knows and an incurious media has never bothered to ask that question.

When a local reporter unexpectedly broached the subject with the president, Obama stumbled through an ill-conceived and incoherent answer.

We know, in fact, that the president did nothing. Except watch sports on TV and then go to sleep.

And we also know, despite his sputtering exhortations to the contrary, that "there was never any intention to rescue our people in Libya."

Consider what met the threshold for a scandal then versus now: can there be any doubt that the media, as this country once knew it, is dead?