News of the Week for October 13th, 2013
- Obama Scandals
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Obamacare
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
Obama Scandals
IRS Officials Sent Private Data Over Personal Email Accounts
Issa suggests actions were violation of IRS policy and possibly federal law
Police Arrest Vietnam Veterans at NYC Memorial
Veterans of the Vietnam War were arrested earlier tonight at the New York City memorial after staying on the premises past the curfew time of 10 p.m. Police gave multiple warnings as veterans continued to read from a list of names. Video from the event shows that not only veterans were loaded into the paddy wagon, but also younger participants in the vigil as well.
‘Gestapo’ tactics meet senior citizens at Yellowstone
Pat Vaillancourt went on a trip last week that was intended to showcase some of America’s greatest treasures.
We’re not gonna take it! Americans use 1st Amendment to storm shutdown barriers
Taking their lead from the veterans who first pushed through the barricades to visit the World War II Memorial, Americans nationwide are defying the federal government shutdown, tossing aside traffic cones and toppling wooden fences to get to national parks and other federal lands that the administration has deemed out of bounds.
White House, IRS exchanged confidential taxpayer info
Top Internal Revenue Service Obamacare official Sarah Hall Ingram discussed confidential taxpayer information with senior Obama White House officials, according to 2012 emails obtained by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and provided to The Daily Caller.
Sandcastles? Verboten! Obama boots kids’ sandcastle contest off beach
If you thought the Shutdown Follies couldn’t get any more absurd and spiteful, you were quite mistaken.
Liberation of WWII Memorial
A crowd of people has converged on the World War II Memorial on the National Mall, pushing through barriers to protest the memorial’s closing under the government shutdown.
Gun Rights
Third Colorado state senator may face recall
Energized by historic recalls of two Colorado state senators last month, activists have begun collecting signatures to oust state Democratic Sen. Evie Hudak from office.
Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder Criticizes Those “Hiding” Behind 2nd Amendment
In a recent interview with the Huffington Post, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder used his constitutionally-protected freedom of speech to lash out over the lack of new gun control laws and to criticize those who are pro-gun for “hiding” behind the constitutionally-protected right to keep and bear arms.
Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder Feels the Urge to Kill Gun Owners
First of all, I want to thank Progressive propaganda rags like HuffPo and liberal fascists like Eddie Vedder for pushing their agenda. When responsible Americans hear their message, gun ownership increases.
First batch of I-594 signatures turned in
Advocates seeking to expand the use of background checks on gun sales in Washington state turned in more than 250,000 signatures on Wednesday, saying it’s just the first batch of petitions they plan to continue to submit before a January deadline to qualify the initiative to the Legislature.
7 Kids Who Were Punished By Schools For Using Imaginary Guns
There was a time in America when the first priority of our schools was educating our children. That’s no longer the case. Today, schools are primarily job programs for the unions and indoctrination centers for the Left. The great teachers in our schools are now used as cover for the mediocrities, the overpaid administrators, and the blatant attempts to force feed liberalism to children before they become experienced enough to recognize all the problems associated with it.
Police Officers Three Times More Likely to Murder Than Concealed Carry Permit Holders
In 1994, when Arizona started its shall issue concealed carry weapon (CCW) program, there was considerable interest in how many and what types of homicides would be related to the new law.
Hide the Decline
Environment &
“Green Energy”
Harvard physicist, running for Congress, criticizes global warming ‘hysteria’
Dr. Mike Stopa is a Harvard physicist who says that there is a great deal of “hysteria” surrounding global warming. He’s also a conservative Republican running to take the seat Democratic Sen. Ed Markey has vacated in Massachusetts’ fifth congressional district.
Will Cooling Temperature And Economic Climates Finally Take The Wind Out Of Failed Energy Policies?
There can be no disputing the fact that despite rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, global climate temperatures have been flat for at least the past 16 years, and perhaps a good deal longer. And upon issuing its latest Summary for Policymakers Report (AR5), the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has finally been forced to admit that its climate models that predicted an impending global warming crisis have grossly overestimated climate sensitivity to carbon dioxide, a trace “greenhouse gas”.
Federal agencies stall oil and gas exploration in Nevada
One of the major reasons the state Legislature passed Assembly Bill 227 this year — setting up the Nevada Land Management Task Force to study the possible transfer of certain federal public lands to the state of Nevada — was the need for economic development.
Obamacare
Government in Healthcare
Here’s How Well Obamacare’s Customer-Service Live Chat Works
John Dickerson of Slate recently reported on a woman from Pennsylvania who has (unsuccessfully) attempted to sign up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
Sticker Shock: Californians suddenly discover why all the Republican shouting over #Obamacare.
Meet Tom Waschura, Californian, father of two – oh, and right: Obama supporter. Just got a letter from his healthcare provider telling him that his private health insurance just went up by ten grand a year
Obamacare Marketplace: Personal Data Can Be Used For ‘Law Enforcement and Audit Activities’
Maryland’s Health Connection, the state’s Obamacare marketplace, has been plagued by delays in the first days of open enrollment. If users are able to endure long page-loading delays, they are presented with the website’s privacy policy, a ubiquitous fine-print feature on websites that often go unread. Nevertheless, users are asked to check off a box that they agree to the terms.
Insurers Getting Faulty Data From U.S. Health Exchanges
Insurers are getting faulty and incomplete data from the new U.S.-run health exchange, which may mean some Americans won’t be covered even after they sign up for an insurance plan.
Hawaii Relaunching Obamacare Exchange After Not Selling Any Health Insurance Due To Software Problems
Hawaii’s health insurance marketplace is hoping to turn around a stalled start by providing plans and pricing to consumers by Oct. 15 — but there are no guarantees, its executive director said Wednesday.
US No Longer World’s Top Oil Importer
Here’s a case where we don’t mind seeing the US lose: China is now the world’s top oil importer. The US held the title for awhile, but increased energy efficiencies and (more importantly) the recent shale revolution have cut down America’s energy deficit. Meanwhile, demand for energy in China continues to grow (oil demand is up 40 percent from five years ago), and with its own attempts to extract shale oil and gas floundering Beijing is having to look abroad to meet its needs.
We paid $634 million for the Obamacare sites and all we got was this lousy 404
It’s been one full week since the flagship technology portion of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) went live. And since that time, the befuddled beast that is Healthcare.gov has shutdown, crapped out, stalled, and mis-loaded so consistently that its track record for failure is challenged only by Congress.
Calif. Law Grants Gay Couples Fertility Coverage
A bill signed into law by California governor Jerry Brown on Tuesday ensures that insurance coverage for fertility treatments granted to heterosexual couples will now be extended to unmarried and homosexual couples.
Obamacare’s Next Big Problem: High Deductibles, High Co-Pays
Another Campaign Spot reader describes his odyssey in attempting to buy insurance through the exchange sites
HealthCare.Gov: Much, Much, Much Worse Than You Thought
I know you’re probably growing tired of “the Obamacare health insurance exchange web sites don’t work” stories but this one leaves you gasping, “What?”
Mother Forced by Obamacare to Choose Between ‘New Health Plan or Putting Food on the Table’
An Allentown, Pennsylvania TV station reports that, because of Obamacare, one mother is forced to choose between a “new health plan or putting food on the table”
Thousands of doctors fired by United HealthCare
In the midst of major changes in health care, UnitedHealthCare has sent thousands of pink slips to Connecticut doctors.
‘Consider Reducing Your Income by Working Less’ to Get Obamacare Subsidy, says SF Chronicle
The San Francisco Chronicle published an article yesterday about how to take advantage of federal Obamacare subsidies, with the ominous headline “Lower 2014 income can net huge health care subsidy.”
Yes, Obamacare’s Approval Rating Surged Seven Points, But Don’t Panic!
It’s not that Americans forget; it’s that they need to be often reminded of whatever gave them comfort or displeasure. It’s the typical cycle of societal waves that have run through this country’s history.
War & Terror
Secrets of the Secret War: Why Did Weekend Somalia Raid Fail?
Al-Shabaab claims it inflicted casualties, U.S. claims pullback after hour of fighting was to avoid civilian casualties, Somali minister says U.S. was outgunned.
China warns U.S., Japan, Australia not to gang up in sea disputes
China said on Monday the United States, Australia and Japan should not use their alliance as an excuse to intervene in territorial disputes in the East China Sea and South China Sea, and urged them to refrain from inflaming regional tensions.
Soon, Drones May Be Able to Make Lethal Decisions on Their Own
Scientists, engineers and policymakers are all figuring out ways drones can be used better and more smartly, more precise and less damaging to civilians, with longer range and better staying power. One method under development is by increasing autonomy on the drone itself.
National
Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe has emergency heart surgery
Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma is recovering in a Tulsa hospital after undergoing emergency heart surgery last week, the lawmaker said in a statement Tuesday.
How Many Native Americans Think ‘Redskins’ Is A Slur?
The name of a certain pro football team in Washington, D.C., has inspired protests, hearings, editorials, lawsuits, letters from Congress, even a presidential nudge. Yet behind the headlines, it’s unclear how many Native Americans think “Redskins” is a racial slur.
Worksheet asks children to remove parts of the Bill of Rights Special
A student in Bryant School District in Arkansas brought home a worksheet that presented her with a scenario that referred to the Bill of Rights as “outdated” and that as part of a special committee she would need to throw out two of the Amendments.
Cory’s Booker of Lies
A few chapters back in the Cory Booker story, the dashing young mayor of Newark, New Jersey was actually dashing into a burning building to save a helpless woman.
Parents Upset After Trayvon Martin Day Planned During Local Homecoming Week
Parents were upset after Carrick High School approved a plan to have a Trayvon Martin theme day during the school’s homecoming.
‘Eco-friendly sex toys:’ Public university sponsors workshop
A public university has invited the owner of an “eco-friendly” sex toy shop to teach students about “fetish gear” and a pole dancer to teach students how to talk about what “turns [them] on.”
Meet the ‘One-Man Militia’ Cutting Gov’t Lawns While D.C. Remains in Shutdown (and Who One Officer Tried to Stop): ‘It’s Just the Right Thing to Do’
With Congress gridlocked and non-essential federal groundskeepers furloughed, one man has stepped forward to ensure the manicured hedges and lawns of the nation’s capital remain pristine in advance of this weekend’s Million Vet March, a protest of veterans demanding their memorials remain open.
Some parents upset about a school play in which students portray sexual acts with a goat
Some parents of students at Cactus Shadows High School are outraged over a play that has students acting out sexual encounters with a goat, and using vulgar sexual expressions.
Scott Carpenter, Mercury Astronaut Who Orbited Earth, Dies at 88
M. Scott Carpenter, whose flight into space in 1962 as the second American to orbit the Earth was marred by technical glitches and ended with the nation waiting anxiously to see if he had survived a landing far from the target site, died on Thursday in Denver. He was 88 and one of the last two surviving astronauts of America’s original space program, Project Mercury.
Dem Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Says “Martial Law” Is Needed To Reopen The Government…
Wait, she wants what?
No More Che Day
Pop quiz – who said the following – Che Guevara or Adolf Hitler?
“Youth must refrain from ungrateful questioning of governmental mandates. Instead, they must dedicate themselves to study, work and military service.”
Million Vet March on the Memorials
Latest From the Preposterous PC Crusade
An item from “The Week” in the latest print edition (so no link) of National Review deserves reprinting here in full
Mark Hutchison is the most important politician in America (you never heard of)
You’ve probably never heard of Mark Hutchison. Heck, maybe you even think he was the lead singer of INXS. (He wasn’t.) It doesn’t matter. For a variety of reasons, this Nevada state senator is arguably the most important political candidate in America.
How Brown University “Choices” program disseminates propaganda
My 9th grader asked for help today with a required reading about Mexico. Before helping with this assignment, I’d never heard of Brown University’s Choices Program.
The Kennedy meth
In 1962, at the Carlyle Hotel in New York, a man “peeled off his clothing and began prancing around his hotel suite.” His bodyguards were cautiously amused, until the man “left the suite and began roaming through the corridor of the Carlyle.”
Computer Upgrade Blamed For Nationwide EBT System Shutdown On Saturday
A possible glitch in a computer system upgrade was causing major problems nationwide with the Electronic Benefits Transfer System on Saturday, as a countless number of shoppers found themselves stranded at the register.
When he grows up he’d like to be a governor
Actually, Douglas Gansler, Maryland’s attorney general, would like to be a governor even though he hasn’t grown up.
Two tier voting systems in two states
Ever since the Supreme Court ruled on Arizona’s voter ID laws, people following this debate have wondered if or how the state would deal with the local and state level elections which were not covered by the ruling. The New York Times has a predictably biased piece on that subject this weekend, but it does cover some of the particulars in how that state, and Kansas, are choosing to proceed.
Economy
& Taxes
California’s New Feudalism Benefits a Few at the Expense of the Multitude
Once famous as a land of opportunity, the Golden State is now awash in inequality, growing poverty, and downward mobility that’s practically medieval, writes Joel Kotkin.
Swiss to vote on 2,500 franc basic income for every adult
Switzerland will hold a vote on whether to introduce a basic income for all adults, in a further sign of growing public activism over pay inequality since the financial crisis.
DOOM: A little dab’ll do ya
When you hear someone say “We all need to take care of each other”, what they’re really saying is “I want someone to take care of me”. Socialism is the creed of the deluded, the lazy, the timid, the dull, and the inept. People who desire it are either children or adults with the minds of children. Socialism in whatever guise is not just a silly ideology; it’s an impossible ideology. It violates the principle of ex nihilo nihil fit (nothing comes from nothing). You cannot draw more energy out of a system than you put into it. Socialism whispers sweet nothings into the ears of the dullards, but reality speaks more bluntly: “If you don’t work, you don’t eat.” And reality always wins. Always.
Families hoard cash 5 yrs after crisis
Five years after U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers collapsed, triggering a global financial crisis and shattering confidence worldwide, families in major countries around the world are still hunkered down, too spooked and distrustful to take chances with their money.
When Wealth Disappear
AS bad as things in Washington are — the federal government shutdown since Tuesday, the slim but real potential for a debt default, a political system that seems increasingly ungovernable — they are going to get much worse, for the United States and other advanced economies, in the years ahead.
Rejoice: the Yellen Fed will print money forever to create jobs
We now know where we stand. Janet Yellen is to take over the US Federal Reserve, the world’s monetary hegemon, the master of all our lives.
Obama’s Nomination Of Janet Yellen Is A Blow To Recovery-Starved Americans
When the Fed announced in September that it would postpone indefinitely the cessation of the economic vandalism that is Quantitative Easing (QE), investors and pundits expressed surprise. They shouldn’t have. Walter Bagehot brightly telegraphed Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke’s QE audible well over 100 years ago.
Up for Obama’s Consideration: Competing House and Senate GOP Shutdown Deals
Republicans confident they’re inching toward an end to the shutdown and a deal on the debt ceiling.
International
As socialist dream crumbles, Venezuelans find Nicolas Maduro ‘a bad copy’ of Chavez
Amid food shortages, rampant inflation and widespread electricity blackouts, many Venezuelans are wondering if Chavez chose the right heir to his revolution
EDL leader Tommy Robinson QUITS and brands violent anti-Muslim supporters ‘morons’
THE two leaders of the English Defence League are to end their involvement with the far right group after accepting it has been taken over by neo-Nazis.
Young Chinese: Take This Factory Job and Shove It
Young Chinese workers don’t want to work in factories anymore. Terry Gou, founder and Chief executive of Foxconn, China’s largest private employer and one of the manufacturers for the iPhone and iPad, claims that Chinese millennials aspire to more than the low-wage, mundane factory jobs which were held by so many in the previous generation and which spurred China’s decades-long economic boom. Gau is now worried that the company will soon be unable to fill the low-wage factory positions that have been the bread and butter of employment in China for years.
Regulation will be imposed on press as politicians reject self-regulation
The first rules on state regulation of the press for more than 300 years will be set out this week after politicians rejected the newspaper industry’s plans for self-regulation
Alzheimer’s treatment breakthrough: British scientists pave way for simple pill to cure disease
Historic ‘turning point’ hailed as UK researchers discover how to halt death of brain cells, opening new pathway for future drug treatments
“Far-right” Front National leads polls for the first time
A new poll in the left-wing magazine Le Nouvel Observateur shows the “far-right” Front National leading among the intentions to vote in the upcoming European elections. It puts the FN on 24%, 2 points ahead of the mainstream right-wing UMP on 22% andFederal agencies stall oil and gas exploration in Nevada
Federal agencies stall oil and gas exploration in Nevada5 points ahead of
Hollande’s Socialists on 19%.
New powers to restrict potential sex offenders
The police will have greater powers to restrict the freedom of any individual they suspect of being a potential sex offender, under government proposals.
Another Long Sip of the Haterade
This story is almost a week old, but I was busy writing bad fiction and was only able to give it a quick link yesterday. RS McCain linked last week’s story of Nancy Verhelst, a Belgian female-to-male transsexual who died of physician-assisted suicide (which is apparently legal and on the rise in Belgium) after the new surgical body she received didn’t help her lifelong depression.
A Married Mom and Dad Really Do Matter: New Evidence from Canada
A new academic study based on the Canadian census suggests that a married mom and dad matter for children. Children of same-sex coupled households do not fare as well.
Venezuelan president: I’m going to need some special decree powers so I can wage “economic war” against the forces of evil
Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro’s ‘presidency’ has not been going all that well so far, and the guy is becoming increasingly reliant on the scapegoatist and jingoistic ravings about imperialist aggressors and opposition conspiracies to which his predecessor was so heartily inclined.
Australian doctor could be struck off after refusing to carry out abortion on woman who didn’t want to have a girl
Mark Hobart approached by Indian woman who was 19 weeks pregnant
She asked for an abortion because she and her husband wanted a boy
Dr Hobart refused and did not refer them to another doctor
He is now under investigation over claims he failed his duty to patients
Venezuela’s Maduro seeks to rule by decree
Nobel peace prize awarded to global chemical weapons watchdog, weeks after sarin attack slaughtered 1,400 people in Syria
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has won prize
Watchdog tasked with destroying Syria’s chemical weapons
Malala Yousafzai, 16, was widely tipped to win
The schoolgirl was shot in the head by the Taliban
She has campaigned since age 11 for women’s right to education
Opinion
When The Bleeding Heart Becomes The Iron Fist
Whatever the perceived shortcomings of Ted Cruz and his hardy band of stalwarts, they’ve performed a remarkable public service by highlighting the fate that awaits all who rub wrongly the translucently thin skin of King Barack the Petulant. The Spartans may have had their shields, Native Americans their tomahawks and arrows, the Samurai may have wielded his sword with all the deadly grace of a tiger in mid-attack, but pound for pound, nothing comes close to the audacious stupidity of “Barrycades” and people in pointy little Smokey the Bear hats, poised to protect America’s monuments from law-abiding citizens.
Americans Aren’t Bound To Pay the Government’s Debts
If the “consent of the governed” is a sacred American principle, how does the government borrow money in our names and compel us to repay the debt?
The New Face of Prejudice
A focus group turns into a smear campaign.
Let’s Get Cynical
Why should we trust the government–especially now?
How Federal Workers Became Obama’s Private Army
The United States established the Civil Service 142 years ago, in response to the massive corruption that followed from the previous “spoils system” in Washington DC. Prior to that, all federal employees served at the pleasure of the President, and jobs got handed out to those who boosted the fortunes of the party in power.
Our Hobbesian Left
Anarchy and submission are not our only choices.
Obama’s Empircal Rationalist Patriots Settle on New Talking Point: People Who Disagree With Our Profligate Spending are “Economic Traitors”
I was thinking about this earlier today, or last night. Before the “Economic Traitor” bomb got dropped.
The Real Sexual Double Standard
Remember when Rush Limbaugh called Sandra Fluke a “slut” and the media had a giant panic attack, and President Obama called to apologize and to thank her for all her great work deceiving women into thinking they could not access contraception and promoting a regulation that has resulted in the biggest religious liberty lawsuit in American history? Of course – it was in the headlines for months.
Remember when SNL had Miley Cyrus portray Michele Bachmann as a degraded hooker from somewhere straight out of Dante because they didn’t like her role in the government shut down, and all the feminists got so upset and everyone rushed to defend her dignity? No. Of course not.
Why the Sisterhood is Breaking Down
Author Alison Wolf on the rise of professional, elite women and the consequences for society at large. Photo credit: Crown Publishing Group.
Deconstructing Progressives: Why We ‘Don’t Get It’
Good people, or even just straightforward souls lacking in guile, often mistakenly attribute to their adversaries their own virtues and values.
Tyranny of the majority
There was a time when the Left was very concerned about the “tyranny of the majority,” as everyone of all political persuasions should be. Once in a while, you see a few sparks popping and sizzling on that old ideological circuitry, mostly when the discussion turns to same-sex marriage.
Why Gay Marriage Is Winning And Poor Students Are Losing
While Democrats and liberals led the charge in the fight for marriage equality, it is conservatives (and some brave teachers) who are leading what should be the next, great civil rights struggle of our lifetimes: the fight for true educational equality, regardless of race or zip code.
Memo to Ed Miliband: My Marxist father was wrong, too
I soon realised that the humanitarian protestations of Marxists were a mask for an urge to domination
Comrade, Obama Finds You GUILTY of Economic Treason
This isn’t just some leftist bloke spouting off on Twitter. It’s a senior adviser to President Obama.
Pingback: Another Long Sip of the Haterade | Blackmailers Don't Shoot