This and That...

[Warph]

Game Changer?  Why ISIS Shouldn't Have Messed With King Abdullah and Jordan

(What's really been missing in the fight against ISIS is competent cohesive strength on the ground.  If Jordan is applying for that role, it could be a game changer.  King Abdullah basically captivated media yesterday by quoting Clint Eastwood and vowing to not stop 'until we run out of fuel and bullets" to destroy ISIS.  This is what a leader with resolve looks like.  Can we trade for him?  HUH...)

Via Fox News:

Jordan's King Abdullah is a former general and special forces commander who experts say has the resolve to follow through on his vow to crush ISIS.

Following the release of a ghastly video showing a captured Jordanian air force pilot being burned to death, the 53-year-old monarch warned that retribution will be swift. And with an army of more than 100,000 well-trained soldiers, tens of thousands more in reserves and a capable air force, Abdullah's kingdom is more than up to the task, Middle East experts told FoxNews.com.

"Their ability to do difficult things with small numbers of highly trained people is up there with some of the best militaries in the world," Jon Alterman, director of the Center for Strategic & International Studies' Middle East Program, said of Jordan's military.

Keep reading at: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/02/04/jordan-king-abdullah-formidable-military-force-against-isis-experts-say/?intcmp=trending

(Meanwhile, President Obuttma will be "redoubling efforts" against ISIS...)

[Warph]

Poll: 53% Of Iowa Republicans And 81% Of Dems Think Islam Is "Inherently Peaceful"

(Wait, peaceful??  Maybe they read 'Tacitus' too often: "...and they made a desert and called it peace."  "I.O.W.A.= Idiots Out Wandering Around."  Yes, people.  Iowa is populated by some of the DUMBEST people on the planet.  Why do you think the presidential primaries start there???...)

Via Bloomberg News:

Two out of five Republicans likely to participate in Iowa's presidential caucuses say they are inclined to view Islam as an inherently violent religion that inspires brutality by its followers, according to a new Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register Iowa Poll.

Twice as many Democrats—along with a majority of Republicans—say they view the world's second largest religion as inherently peaceful, the poll found.

The divisions, coming after the Charlie Hebdo killings in France and and the Islamic State's beheadings of several Western prisoners, may shape the way White House hopefuls from both parties address Islamic militancy, both in terms of fighting threats abroad and balancing freedom of religion and expression with security concerns.

In the poll, conducted Jan. 26-29, 402 likely Republican caucus-goers and 401 likely Democratic caucus-goers were asked: "When it comes to the Islamic faith, which of the following is closer to your view?" They were given two choices: "Islam is an inherently violent religion, which leads its followers to violent acts" and "Islam is an inherently peaceful religion, but there are some who twist its teachings to justify violence."

Fifty-three percent of likely Republican caucus participants and 81 percent of likely Democratic caucus participants said they believe Islam is inherently peaceful. Only 13 percent of likely Democratic caucus participants said they view Islam as inherently violent, compared with 39 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.

[Warph]

NBC's Brian Williams Lied About 2003 Iraq RPG Attack on Helicopter He Was In

Brian Williams forced to admit his repeatedfabrications and astonishing lies

VIDEO on Letterman:

(It has taken Williams 12 years to come clean.  "Misremembered?"  What the hell is that?  So, basically he B.S. to get some cred... kinda like Hillary dodging sniper fire in Bosnia...):

Hillary VIDEO:

Via Stars and Stripes
http://www.stripes.com/news/us/nbc-s-brian-williams-recants-iraq-story-after-soldiers-protest-1.327792

NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams admitted Wednesday he was not aboard a helicopter hit and forced down by RPG fire during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, a false claim that has been repeated by the network for years.

Williams repeated the claim Friday during NBC's coverage of a public tribute at a New York Rangers hockey game for a retired soldier that had provided ground security for the grounded helicopters, a game to which Williams accompanied him. In an interview with Stars and Stripes, he said he had misremembered the events and was sorry.

The admission came after crew members on the 159th Aviation Regiment's Chinook that was hit by two rockets and small arms fire told Stars and Stripes that the NBC anchor was nowhere near that aircraft or two other Chinooks flying in the formation that took fire. Williams arrived in the area about an hour later on another helicopter after the other three had made an emergency landing, the crew members said.

"I would not have chosen to make this mistake," Williams said. "I don't know what screwed up in my mind that caused me to conflate one aircraft with another."

Williams made the claim while presenting NBC coverage of the tribute to the retired command sergeant major at the Rangers game, and the fans giving the soldier a standing ovation.[...]

Miller, Reynolds and Mike O'Keeffe, who was a door gunner on the damaged Chinook, said they all recall NBC reporting that Williams was aboard the aircraft that was attacked, despite it being false. The NBC online archive shows the network broadcast a news story on March 26, 2003, with the headline "Target Iraq: Helicopter NBC's Brian Williams Was Riding In Comes Under Fire."

[Warph]

Tom Brady May Have To Pay $60,500 To The IRS After Super Bowl Win

(If he already didn't hate the IRS, he's about to.  Hey, Tom, you didn't win that! The govt did. You see, the govt built the stadium where you played.  Allowed you to travel by plane, which is controlled by the govt.   The roads you drove on to get to the stadium were paved by govt workers.  If it wasn't for the govt nothing would get done, so you have to pay.  So If you complain about it, Brady, the IRS will surely move to deflate your balls...) 

Via Washington Examiner:
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tom-brady-faces-60500-irs-bill-for-winning-super-bowl/article/2559818

Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady is facing a $60,500 bill from the IRS just for winning the game, according to a new report.

Americans for Tax Reform said he will have to pay $42,000 on his share of the $97,000 for playing in the championship, and another $18,500 for giving away the red Chevy Colorado pickup truck he won for being MVP to fellow player Malcolm Butler, who caught the game-winning interception.

They said Brady will have to pay about $13,000 in income tax on the prize, and then another $5,000 "gift tax" for doing a nice thing in giving Butler the keys.

"That's a $5,000 gift tax on top of a $13,500 income tax on the truck, for a combined federal tax hit of $18,500," said ATR, headed by Washington tax foe Grover Norquist.

Then there's the game check of $97,000 for winning. "Brady will face income tax at the top rate of 39.6 percent. In addition, since this is a wage, he will also owe the top Medicare tax of 3.8 percent, half of which will be picked up by the NFL. Put those together, and Brady will pay $42,000 in federal taxes on the game," said ATR.

[Warph]

***Pic Of The Day***

(Guess who?   
Searchlight, Nev. version of, Darryl, and his brother Darryl)

From earlier today: Harry Reid's Brother Arrested For Drunk Driving, Assaulting Police Officer, Possession Of Gun While Under Influence Of Alcohol

http://freebeacon.com/politics/report-harry-reids-brother-larry-reid-arrested-for-dui-and-assaulting-officer-had-gun-on-him/

[Warph]

Obuma: Islamic State "Betraying" The Religion Of Peace,
Christians Were The Ones Who Did "Terrible Deeds In The
Name of Christ" During The Crusades

(A liberal favorite, attacking Christianity for being violent while
excusing the hundreds of stacks of bodies Islam piles up on a daily basis...)

Via Grabien:
https://grabien.com/file.php?id=35369&searchorder=date

We see faith driving us to do right, but we also see faith being twisted and distorted. Used as a wedge or worse sometimes used as a weapon. From a school in Pakistan to the streets of Paris, we have seen violence and terror perpetrated by those to profess to stand up for faith, their faith. Professed to stand up for Islam but, in fact, are betraying it. We see ISIS, a brutal, vicious death cult that in the name of religion carries out unspeakable acts of barbarism. [...]

Humanity has been grappling with these questions throughout human history, and unless we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the crusades and the inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ.

[Warph]

Obama Uses National Prayer Breakfast To Slam America:
In Our Country Jim Crow And Slavery Were "Justified In The Name Of Christ"

(America-bashing, or as Dems call it, playing to the base... Obuma's Kenyan ancestors were slave owners and slave traders.  He forgot to mention that!  The Raisin Head President has gone full Muslim.  "Raisin Head" is Mohammad's term for Negroes.  Scratch an American Raisin Head, find a Muslim waiting to Allah Snackbar....)

OBAMA: In our home country, slavery and Jim crow, all too often was justified in the name of Christ. Michelle and I returned from India, an incredible, beautiful country. Full of this magnificent diversity, but a place where in past years religious faiths of all types have on occasion been targeted by other peoples of faith, simply due to their heritage and believes. Acts of intolerance that would have shocked Gandhi, the person who helped to liberate that nation. So this is not unique to one group or one religion. There is a tendency in us, sinful tendency that can pervert and distort our faith.

[Warph]

Obuma: "I've Sought God's Guidance Throughout My Presidency"

(Allah?...)

OBUMA:
https://grabien.com/file.php?id=35367&searchorder=date
She said, keep us tasks too hard for us that we might be driven to thee for strength. Keep us at tasks too hard for us that we may be driven to thee for strength. I've wondered at times if maybe god was answering that prayer a little too literally. But no matter the challenge, he has been there. For all of us. And he certainly strengthened me with the power through this spirt as I've sought his guidance throughout my presidency.

[Warph]

CIA Airstrike Kills Al-Qaeda In The Arabian Peninsula Top Cleric Harith al-Nadhari

(Vaporized.... Poof... Gone...)

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Al-Qaida's branch in Yemen announced on Thursday that one of its top clerics was killed in a U.S. drone strike last month in the country's south.

The announcement came amid lingering uncertainty about the impact of Yemen's current political deadlock on the U.S. counterterrorism campaign.

The slain cleric was identified as Sheikh Harith al-Nadhari, said to be in his 30s. Often seen in a white turban, he was among the group's few public faces frequently featured in online religious lectures. He also recently appeared in an al-Qaida video praising last month's deadly attack at the offices of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, as the Yemeni affiliate is known, claimed responsibility for the Paris attack in which two gunmen killed 12 people.

Al-Nadhari was killed along with three others on Jan. 31, when a drone-fired missile blew up a vehicle in which the four were travelling in the southern province of Shabwa, according to the AQAP statement, posted on one of its official Twitter accounts.

[Warph]

People Jailed for Owing Less Taxes Than Al Sharpton

By  Elizabeth MacDonald/ Published February 05, 2015/ FOXBusiness

Serial tax avoidance appears to be a hallmark of Al Sharpton's operations. But there's a warning here: Others have gone to prison for lesser amounts. The list includes rock legend Chuck Berry, Grammy winner Lauryn Hill, Ron Isley of the Isley Brothers, Survivor reality star Richard Hatch, hotel queen Leona Helmsely, and baseball's Pete Rose (see below).

According to a New York Times' review of government records last fall, the MSNBC host and civil rights activist personally faces federal tax liens for more than $3 million in back taxes owed, and state tax liens of $777,657. So in total, Sharpton reportedly owes more than $3.7 million in back taxes. His other two for-profit businesses, Raw Talent and Revals Communications, (both now defunct) owe anywhere from $717,000 to more than $800,000, based on state and federal tax liens, reports from the Times and National Review indicate. Revals Communications also either didn't file its tax returns, or underpaid its tax bills from 1999 to 2002.

(Bobble-head Al Crapton getting pass on taxes due to Obama connections...)

Sharpton's National Action Network also owed more than $813,000 in federal back taxes as of December of 2012, according to the nonprofit's recent filings. At one point, the National Action Network's tax liability more than doubled last decade, jumping from $900,000 in 2003 to almost $1.9 milion in 2006. In 1993, Sharpton also had entered a guilty plea for the misdemeanor of failing to file his New York State income-tax return. Sharpton has also said the National Action Network had once given him a loan to pay for his daughters' tuition, which is a violation of the law.

Sharpton B.S.: has heatedly denied the tax evasion claims. "The (New York Times') story is at best misleading and totally out of context," Sharpton has said, adding, "Every time there's a Sean Bell or a Ferguson or a Trayvon Martin, we go through my taxes."

Sharpton also said of the Times article: "I think it's political...a lot of people don't like the fact that President Obama is president. A lot of people don't like the fact that Bill de Blasio won for mayor. And they certainly don't like the fact that I'm still here." A Times spokesperson has said:  "We stand by our story."

Sharpton indicated he has accrued these tax bills, but he has said he is either disputing the amounts owed or has been paying off his personal federal income taxes in installments. He has said his nonprofit, the National Action Network, also has been paying off its tax liability. Individual IRS tax returns and records are not publicly available, they are subject to privacy laws, as are documentation of fights between taxpayers and the agency. However, state and federal tax liens against Mr. Sharpton and his businesses appear to remain active, which indicates the bills have not been completely paid off.

It's an open secret in Washington, DC and among IRS revenue agents and auditors that the IRS's decentralized operation often results in disparate treatment of taxpayers. Even though there exists a large body of administrative law that says federal agencies must exercise their discretion in a consistent manner, tax lawyers have argued that does not necessarily apply to the IRS. Reason: In many cases, the IRS argues it is actually not exercising any discretion, but instead is hewing to the law and its directives.

However, reality is often different. For instance, in one 2010 IRS case, a manufacturer alleged the agency unfairly slapped his company with a federal excise tax that his competitors did not have to pay. But the company lost in the First Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Juan R. Torruella wrote for the court. "The goal of treating similarly situated taxpayers consistently is general, not strict."


That certainly has been the experience of others who have gone to prison for tax avoidance--a red flag for Sharpton and his operation:


Chuck Berry ($200,000)

In 1979, the rock legend served a five-month sentence at California's Lompoc Prison Camp after he was found guilty of evading $200,000 in taxes. Berry was also ordered to do 1,000 hours of community service upon his release.


Pete Rose ($354,968)

In 1990, the former Cincinnati Red star and manager pleaded guilty to two felony charges of filing false federal tax returns. Rose spent five months in a Marion, Ill., federal prison; he was also fined $50,000. Rose had failed to report on his tax returns $354,968 in income from selling memorabilia and autographs, as well as personal appearances (his gambling resulted in a lifetime ban from baseball).


Richard Hatch ($1 million+)

In 2006, this "Survivor" reality star was convicted of tax evasion and tax fraud for failing to pay taxes on his $1 million-plus in "Survivor" winnings. Hatch was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison. He served just over three years before his release in 2009. Hatch was then ordered to refile his 2000 and 2001 tax returns, but did not do so. He was eventually ordered back to jail in 2011 to serve nine months, and left jail on supervised release. By that time, together with penalty and interest, Hatch owed close to $2 million in back taxes.


Leona Helmsley ($1.7 million)

In 1992 a federal judge sentenced Leona Helmsley to four years in prison (an initial 16-year sentence was reduced on appeal) after her tax evasion conviction. The billionaire real estate heiress was charged with avoiding $1.2 million in taxes after claiming $2.6 million in ineligible business expenses, including personal items. Helmsley also was ordered to do 750 hours of community service and was slapped with a $7.1 million fine. Helmsley served 21 months and was released in January 1994. She was quoted by her maid at trial as saying: "We don't pay taxes, only little people pay taxes."


Lauryn Hill ($1.8 million)

In 2012, Hill pleaded guilty to three counts of failure to file tax returns on $1.8 million in earnings between 2005 to 2007. Even though the founding member of the Fugees had argued she nearly paid off her taxes before sentencing, Hill was sentenced to three months in prison. Her sentencing also took into account unpaid state and federal taxes in 2008 and 2009, which brought the total owed to roughly $2.3 million. Hill served her three-month sentence in a federal prison in Danbury, Conn. in 2013. Upon release, she also spent three months in home confinement as part of her parole.


Ron Isley ($3.1 million)

In 2006, the lead singer of The Isley Brothers ("Who's That Lady") was found guilty of five counts of tax evasion and one count of willful failure to file tax returns for tax years 1997–2002, amounting to $3.1 million not reported. Isley was sentenced to three years and one month, served three years behind bars, and was released in April 2010. Isley's attorney had pleaded for leniency because Isley had been attempting to pay down his IRS debt. Defense attorney Anthony Alexander also had argued that the 65-year-old singer should receive probation instead of prison time because of complications from a stroke and a bout with kidney cancer. But the judge on his case, U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson, declined to sentence the R&B singer to less time than called for under federal guidelines. "The term serial tax avoider has been used. I think that's appropriate," Pregerson said.