This and That...

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Jihad Flags Fly Over Muslim Day Parade In NYC

(Now... ain't that nice.  It seems it's all about Morsi.  New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly shaking hands [unwittingly] with a Muslim Brotherhood supporter wearing a yellow shirt as a demonstration of unity.)

Via Urban Infidel who has more pictures.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46896052@N00/sets/72157635780353486/

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Obuma: "World Is More Stable Than It Was Five Years Ago"

Because of Me

(The size of this POS's ego never ceases to amaze me)

Via NRO's Andrew Johnson:
Speaking before the United Nations General Assembly, President Obama justified the NSA's spying programs, arguing they have helped to stabilize the world in the five years since he took office.

"As a result of this work, and the cooperation of its allies and partners, the world is more stable than it was five years ago," the president said on Tuesday morning.

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Obuma Says He Directed Lurch To Negotiate With Iran
Over Its Nuclear Weapons Program

(You know this ain't gonna end well.  He's also instructed Lurch to shave his legs and wear a burqa so he might be taken seriously)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — President Barack Obama says he has directed Secretary of State John Kerry to pursue a nuclear weapons agreement with Iran and that he firmly believes "the diplomatic path must be tested."

Obama told the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday he's encouraged that Iranian President Hasan Rouhani is pursuing a more moderate course. But he said Rouhani's "conciliatory words will have to be matched by actions that are transparent and verifiable."

The West has long suspected that Iran is seeking a nuclear weapon. Tehran has consistently denied the charge.

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Commie Pant Suits Hoping For Government Shutdown
Because It Will Help Dems

(Reality: Unlike 1995, polls are showing voters would blame both parties equally.  Sorry there Thunder Thighs, but come 2016, there's plenty we're not gonna let you conveniently forget.  Think I might be one of the folks in your campaign audience tossing empty tuna cans on stage.)

Via The Hill:
Hillary Clinton warned Tuesday against the budget debate amounting to a government shutdown, but said it could be a good thing for her party.

"It wouldn't be the worst thing for Democrats," the former secretary of State said at the Clinton Global Initiative, according to multiple reports.

Clinton was asked about her opinion of a possible government shutdown on Oct. 1 during a panel event in New York, which began Monday.

Republicans should go back and read history because it didn't work out for them before, she said.

"We've seen that movie before," Clinton said.

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***IMPORTANT: READ THIS, IT EFFECTS YOU ***

Obumacare Navigators Won't Have to Pass Background Checks

It is called the Federal Data Hub.  Massive amounts of information gathered on every American are shared between government agencies; agencies ranging from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to the Department of Defense (DoD), Homeland Security (DHS) and Health and Human Services (HHS).  The best part there is no opting out.

So who all has access to this information and the bigger question does private information even exist anymore?

The step toward truth is to inform.

There is as we speak an army of new federal government employees being hired by the department of Health and Human Services.  Why does HHS need all these new employees? The answer is simple, the massive new healthcare law, The Affordable Care Act is behind schedule and the Feds need to start signing Americans up for the health care exchanges as quickly as possible.

So what kind of information is going to be collected?

When individuals sign up for federal insurance exchanges, they are required to enter their personal information into a new Federal Data Hub. We are talking about information like medical records, Social Security numbers, tax information, and bank account information.  This is done by allowing seven government agencies, including the IRS, Department of Justice, Social Security Administration and others, to share and verify information in order to determine eligibility for an insurance subsidy.


In short, basically everything about you will be shared among multiple agencies.  Remember, no actual agency can see or access any information. People working in those agencies do.  So who, specifically, will be able to access this information?

They are called Navigators.  Men and women who are being hired to work for between $20 and $48 dollars an hour.  Sounds like specialized work that will require highly trained individuals, but not so much.  The requirements to become one of these navigators do not even include a high school diploma.  Though these navigators will have access to just about every piece of personal information on Americans enrolled in this exchange, they are not even required to pass a background check.


That is what the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has been told by HHS.

Navigators will only have to take a 20 to 30 hour online course about how the 1,200 page Affordable Care Act (ACA) works.

Interestingly, there is another role of these navigators that deserves a mention. 
There is more to the role of the Navigators than just signing Americans up for the healthcare exchange.

These Navigators will also be responsible for registering Americans to vote.According to People's World Magazine in Californication:
http://peoplesworld.org/california-launches-innovative-plan-to-expand-voter-registration/

"California's Secretary of State Debra Bowen is designating the state's new Health Benefit Exchange, Covered California, as a voter registration agency under the National Voter Registration Act. That means Covered California will be incorporating voter registration into every transaction – online, in-person and by phone – it has with consumers."

So, to be clear these Navigators will have access to every bit of your personal and financial information, federal employees who haven't even been given so much as a background check.

Of course, HHS says you have nothing to worry about.  Marilyn Tavenner the head of HHS's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services testified before Congress saying,

"I want to assure you, and all Americans, that when they fill out their [health insurance] marketplace applications, they can trust the information they're providing is protected."
But how would any American know that?  Even with background checks, how can Americans trust that a Federal Data Hub, that involves the gathering and consolidation of so much information, will not be attacked by hackers or compromised by those inside the departments?

We don't know what will happen, but we do have evidence of how some other expansive government agencies, with even less intrusion into your life, are functioning.  An audit by the Government Accountability Office of the Transportation Security Administration points out major problems in that agency. That includes TSA agents accused of taking bribes from drug traffickers in Los Angeles, or 56 cases alleging theft since 2010, including a 2011 incident involving a screener at Orlando International Airport who pleaded guilty to stealing more than 80 laptops and other electronic devices valued at $80,000.

In all, there were 426 cases of neglect of duty and 384 cases of ethical violations like bribery or credit-card abuse.  Then, there are the agents who are caught sleeping on the job, but the biggest problem here isn't even the behavior of the agents.  According to the GAO, Half of workers accused of sleeping on the job received less than the lowest penalty called for by agency policies. In all, the GAO found over 9,600 cases of misconduct in an agency that only has the power to allow you to get on an airplane.

What you need to know is that when it comes to the National Data Hub, there is a bigger question here than just one of whether or not HHS navigators might be overstepping their role by registering voters with this personal information; a bigger question than whether or not the information compiled in this data hub is susceptible to fraud, or corrupt workers.

The most important question is, "Does personal or private information exist anymore?"  Chances are the feds would say no.  After all, we know the NSA believes they have the right to read your emails and listen to your phone calls.  So, why wouldn't they have the right to any and all of your private information, even your banking information?  The federal apparatus that is nearly complete is telling you that you don't have the right to withhold anything about yourself and your life from government.

But that is simply not true.

The rights to privacy are all but gone in America today.  Consider this, you do not belong to the state.  Your money, your business, your private correspondence and conversations, your identity belongs to you and you alone.  Those in power know it, but the population has forgotten it.  It is time that we remember.



Read more at http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/09/obamacare-navigators-wont-pass-background-checks/#BxwPctecFmqxOmLY.99
Read more: http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/09/obamacare-navigators-wont-pass-background-checks/#ixzz2frvF3vJQ

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Poll: Just 1 In 10 Want
NFL's Redskins To Change Their Name

(But... but... butt... R-Word!)

Via Washington Secrets:
In a blow to native American groups and many in the media, especially at the Washington Post, campaigning to change the name of the Washington Redskins, most Americans believe the 0-3 football team should keep its name, with only one in 10 demanding an immediate change.

According to a new national YouGov.com poll of 1,000, just 11 percent believe the 'Skins should find a new name. A firm 61 percent oppose that change, 17 percent said they support a change only if the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Braves changed their names, and 11 percent didn't have an opinion.

The reason: Most people don't find the name offensive. YouGov.com found that 16 percent believe the name is offensive and 78 percent don't.

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Cruz Missile Still Going Strong

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A Cruz Missile Launch, Like a Light, Shows the Cockroaches Scurrying

By: Erick Erickson  |  September 24th, 2013
http://www.redstate.com/2013/09/24/a-cruz-missile-launch-like-a-light-shows-the-cockroaches-scurrying/

A curious moment happened on Fox News Sunday. Chris Wallace told Karl Rove that a number of Republicans in Congress had sent him opposition research on Ted Cruz once Fox announced Cruz would be on.

Rove responded. He said this was all happening because Cruz and Mike Lee had not worked out strategy in the regular Senate Republican Conference lunches on Thursdays. Rove said that was what was supposed to happen. Except that for a year now, Senate Republicans have routinely leaked the proceedings of those meetings to the New York Times and Washington Post in ways designed to harm Cruz, Lee, and others who side with them.

In fact, as one Senator noted in last week's meeting, this would not be happening but for John Cornyn and Mitch McConnell choosing not to lead. Had Lee and Cruz approached their Senate colleagues, they would have been dismissed. I can say this confidently because it has happened repeatedly and since their election to the Senate their Republican colleagues have routinely taken to "on background" leaks assailing them.

I doubt Rove is that tuned out. He simply disagrees with their strategy and has been very vocal about how terrible he thinks it is. But the strategy is actually quite marvelous and Rove has to be smart enough to what is actually going on. Now it is time for everyone else to see the bigger picture.

Let's be clear here — absent the American people lending a loud, clear voice for Cruz and Lee, the Republicans will cave. They will not stand with Cruz and Lee unless dragged kicking and screaming against their will. I hope they will. I hope a collection of House conservatives will stand strong and force the issue. But the majority of them will betray Cruz and Lee. In fact, Senate Republican Leaders have built up so much irrational hatred of Cruz, they want him to fail just so they can say they beat him — damn the Obamacare implications. Their pride comes before the nation.

Cruz only needs a few dozen Republicans in the House to stand firm to be successful. He might get that. But the bulk of the GOP in the House will try to cut a deal with the Democrats and move on.

That, in and of itself, is the brilliance of this strategy.

For several years now the Republican rhetoric against Obamacare has been vicious and savage. As more stories come in about the harmful effects the legislation will have on our economy, we learn that the Affordable Care Act is anything but and more Americans are losing full time jobs to it. Each news story causes Republican rhetoric to amp up and Republican fundraising petitions to start up. The GOP has made a mint off opposition to Obamacare and, ironically, now attack conservatives as being in this fight for the money. Takes one to know one, except these groups are not stopping. It is dawning on Republican leaders these groups actually, really believe in this fight.

Like a light switch flipping on, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee are casting light on the scurrying of Republican roaches in and out of the Capitol. Republican congressmen and Senators are now openly attacking Cruz and Lee. Outside groups like Americans for Tax Reform and outside media interests like the Wall Street Journal are amplifying attacks made by the establishment GOP against conservatives. Lobbyists are up in arms.

Mike Lee and Ted Cruz are showing the leadership skills others have claimed for themselves and conservatives now see just how badly they've been played by their so called leaders and many outside groups that have hung for too long on the conservative label while really being affiliates of the Republican Party itself. Because of Lee and Cruz, polling against Obamacare is up and the GOP's favorability is up.

Even more importantly, the Republican base's willingness to get back in the game has gone up too in the aftermath of a bitterly depressing 2012 election that saw a good bit of disengagement by the base. Conservatives may see their leaders now as the pathetic lot they are, but they have also seen real leadership in Cruz and Lee. They've also found real voices on the outside like Heritage Action for America and the Senate Conservatives Fund with which they can engage for education and motivation.

John Cornyn sent out an email that he would be voting against any amendment to fund Obamacare. But his voters in Texas now understand Cornyn is playing them — voting to ensure Obamacare gets funded while voting against it. The base has learned the game and the base is sick of the game.

All the shots at Cruz from inside and outside Congress only strengthen his relationship with the grassroots.

But more importantly, and this is the bit the GOP and its media allies simply have not understood — the Cruz strategy would never work in and of itself. It required stronger, braver souls than the GOP currently has to offer. It does, however, throw such a light on these Republicans that it will make it both easier to challenge them in primaries and, more importantly, make it much, much harder for them to cooperate with the Democrats on Obamacare fixes. Win or lose, Cruz and Lee have boxed in both the Democrats and the Republicans into positions that will make it more difficult for them to nuance their way out of.

In short, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee have, whether they can muster the support or not in this round, ensured the GOP cannot begin collaborating with the Democrats to fix what the voters want repealed. And you can be sure that they would be working to fix it, despite all their rhetoric otherwise. You can be sure of that because Ted Cruz's fight has proven just how empty their rhetoric really is.

Republican base voters have, for quite a while, distrusted their leaders. Now, thanks to Ted Cruz and Mike Lee, they know why and they know who, on the inside, they should be listening too.

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Peeing During Filibusters, Explained

1. When without a bathroom, bring the bathroom to you! In 2001, then St. Louis Alderwoman Irene Smith staged a filibuster during a City Hall debate to protest a ward redistricting plan that she believed would have hurt the city's black communities.

Nature called, but rather than yielding the floor and ending her filibuster, Smith's aides came down and surrounded her with a sheet, quilt, and tablecloth while she relieved herself in a trash can. Here's video of the incident:

Later, she was charged with violating the city's public urination prohibition, but was never convicted: Given the sheets, there wasn't any hard proof of the act.

2. Astronaut bags and a light diet: In 1977, then-Texas Sen. Bill Meier staged a 43-hour filibuster over a bill he believed to be an attack on the state's open records laws. He wore an "astronaut bag" on the Senate floor, and when it filled up, then Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby would arrange to take a message from the House, while Meier ran to the women's restroom (closest to his desk) to empty the bag. On each trip, two sergeants-at-arms came with him to ensure he never sat down. Meier also said he ate lightly in the days preceding his filibuster. Today, Meier is a judge on the Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth.

3. Catheters: After his filibuster protesting the confirmation of John Brennan as CIA director, Rand Paul told Glenn Beck that he'd considered fitting himself with a catheter for the speech, but decided against it, even though he'd tried them before.

4. Adult diapers: Lots of jokes and rumors have flown around about various filibustering politicians pulling a Lisa Nowak and using these, though we haven't been able to find any confirmed instances.

5. Steam baths and a surreptitious urine bucket: Thurmond, who completed the longest federal filibuster in US history (24 hours, 18 minutes) in 1957, took the minimalist route with a bucket. His aides set it up in the cloakroom so that Thurmond could pee while keeping one foot on the Senate floor.

But even before that, Thurmond took daily steam baths to prepare for the epic speech, to make it easier for his body to absorb, rather than expel, fluid.

Thurmond also got lucky: After speaking for about three hours, Arizona Republican Barry Goldwater asked him to temporarily yield the floor for an insertion in the Congressional Record. This gave Thurmond a few precious minutes to make his one and only trip to the restroom.