This and That...

[Warph]

Obama's Peace Partners Behead Two Children 10 And 16 in Kandahar

The Daily Mail is reporting that Obama's peace partners in Afghanistan, the Taliban, have beheaded a 10 year old boy and a 16 year old boy for the crime of scavenging for food

.

The Taliban was accused of beheading two boys for spying in southern Afghanistan yesterday.  Afghan officials said the boys, aged 10 and 16, were kidnapped by Taliban fighters while scavenging for food in rubbish bins near the police headquarters in Kandahar, Afghanistan's second largest city and a key base for Western forces.

The boys are suspected to have accepted food from the police in exchange for information and to have been killed for colluding with police, Kandahar provincial government office said last night.

The 10-year-old boy was very poor and was known to take food going spare from the police to take home to his family, officials said.
Kandahar governor Dr Toryalay Wessa instructed Afghan security forces and police to hunt down and catch the militants responsible for the killing 'with whatever casualties it takes and at whatever price.' In 2012 the Taliban were accused of beheading a 12-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl in south and east Afghanistan - the group denied responsibility in both those cases.
Taliban fighters in Afghanistan have been known to behead targets in the past, but have always denied attacking children in this way.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2338979/Taliban-behead-boy-10-friend-16-spying-catching-scavenging-food-families.html#ixzz2VqY3VvXd

[Ross]

Ya just can't trust any of then nasty, lying elite types, can ya?
That's why I'm happy and proud to be a redneck hick.

Read on about those high paid, maybe over paid elite government people.

State Department memo reveals possible cover-ups, halted investigations
Updated at 2:59 p.m. with comment from the State Department.

(CBS News) CBS News has uncovered documents that show the State Department may have covered up allegations of illegal and inappropriate behavior within their ranks.

The Diplomatic Security Service, or the DSS, is the State Department's security force, charged with protecting the secretary of state and U.S. ambassadors overseas and with investigating any cases of misconduct on the part of the 70,000 State Department employees worldwide.

CBS News' John Miller reports that according to an internal State Department Inspector General's memo, several recent investigations were influenced, manipulated, or simply called off. The memo obtained by CBS News cited eight specific examples. Among them: allegations that a State Department security official in Beirut "engaged in sexual assaults" on foreign nationals hired as embassy guards and the charge and that members of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's security detail "engaged prostitutes while on official trips in foreign countries" -- a problem the report says was "endemic."

The memo also reveals details about an "underground drug ring" was operating near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and supplied State Department security contractors with drugs.

Aurelia Fedenisn, a former investigator with the State Department's internal watchdog agency, the Inspector General, told Miller, "We also uncovered several allegations of criminal wrongdoing in cases, some of which never became cases."

In such cases, DSS agents told the Inspector General's investigators that senior State Department officials told them to back off, a charge that Fedenisn says is "very" upsetting.

"We were very upset. We expect to see influence, but the degree to which that influence existed and how high up it went, was very disturbing," she said.

In one specific and striking cover-up, State Department agents told the Inspector General they were told to stop investigating the case of a U.S. Ambassador who held a sensitive diplomatic post and was suspected of patronizing prostitutes in a public park.

The State Department Inspector General's memo refers to the 2011 investigation into an ambassador who "routinely ditched ... his protective security detai" and inspectors suspect this was in order to "solicit sexual favors from prostitutes."

Sources told CBS News that after the allegations surfaced, the ambassador was called to Washington, D.C. to meet with Undersecretary of State for Management Patrick Kennedy, but was permitted to return to his post.



Fedenisn says "hostile intelligence services" allow such behavior to continue. "I would be very surprised if some of those entities were not aware of the activities," she said. "So yes, it presents a serious risk to the United States government."

A draft of the Inspector General's report on the performance of the DSS, obtained by CBS News, states, "Hindering such cases calls into question the integrity of the investigative process, can result in counterintelligence vulnerabilities and can allow criminal behavior to continue."

John Miller spoke with Mike Pohelitz, a retired Senior Agent at the DSS who was involved in one of the cases listed in the Inspector General's memo. Pohelitz said he was told to stop investigating one of the cases and that the order likely came from the upper ranks of the DSS.

"I got the information through my DS channel," he told Miller. "But it had to come from somebody higher than DS, I'm sure."

According to Fedenisn, when a high-ranking State Department security officials was shown a draft of their findings that investigations were being interfered with by State Department higher-ups, he said, "This is going to kill us." In the final report however, all references to specific cases had been removed.

"I mean my heart really went out to the agents in that office, because they really want to do the right thing, they want to investigate the cases fully, correctly, accurately ... and they can't," Fedenisn said.

Fedenisn, a DSS agent for 26 years, was a part of the team that prepared the draft report and is now a whistleblower who has taken her concerns to Congress.

Two hours after CBS News made inquiries to the State Department about these charges, investigators from the State Department's Inspector General showed up at her door.

Speaking at a press briefing Monday, State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said: "We hold all employees to the highest standards. We take allegations of misconduct seriously and we investigate thoroughly. All cases mentioned in the CBS report were thoroughly investigated or under investigation, and the -- the department continues to take action. Finally, the department has responded to the recommendations in the OIG report regarding the Bureau of Diplomatic Security's of Investigations and counter-intelligence. Diplomatic Security has taken the further step of requesting additional review by outside experience law enforcement officers on top of the OIG inspection so that officers with law enforcement experience can make expert assessments about our current procedures."


Psaki went on to say the "notion that we would not vigorously pursue criminal misconduct in a case, any case, is preposterous ... ambassadors would be no exception." Without speaking about specific cases, Psaki described any misconduct as "hardly endemic."


A statement provided to CBS News by the Inspector General's office said:



OIG does not comment on drafts of reports.

On its own initiative, OIG Office of Investigations has been conducting its own independent review of the allegations made. This is our standard procedure.

We staffed it independently and appropriately and they were people hired specific for this review at the end of 2012. They are on staff. We staffed it with the best people we can find at hand to do the job.

DS does not speak for us.

http://www.newser.com/story/169255/whistleblowers-employer-has-cozy-ties-to-uncle-sam.html?utm_source=part&utm_medium=united&utm_campaign=rss_top

[Warph]

A hilarious compilation of late-night talk show political funnies this morning. Potshots were actually taken at Barack Obama and his mounting number of scandals... goodness, are pigs flying?

Here are a few samples — Jay Leno rocks it:

JAY LENO: Well, let's see what's going on. Hey, Snoop is back in the news. Not Snoop Dogg, Snoop Obama. Yeah, Snoop Obama. A big change at the White House today. They closed the gift shop and opened a Verizon store. Yeah.

Well, this has become a huge controversy after it was revealed that the National Security Agency seized millions of Verizon phone records, and of course this has caused a panic among civil libertarians, constitutional scholars and cheating husbands everywhere. Oh my God.

How ironic is that? We wanted a president that listens to all Americans – now we have one. Yeah.
Actually, President Obama clarified the situation today. He said no one is listening to your phone calls. The president said it's not what the program is all about. You know, like the IRS isn't about targeting certain political groups. That's not what it's about!

I mean what's going on? The White House has looked into our phone records, checking our computers, monitoring our e-mails. When did the government suddenly become our psycho ex-girlfriend? When did that happen? When did that happen? When did that happen?

As you know by now, the IRS has taken some heat for reportedly spending $4 million on a conference in Anaheim last year where employees took dancing lessons. One of the dances they learned? Tap dancing around the issues. Yes, that was very good, be able to tap dance

Well, the latest one that came out today. You see this one? They're saying the IRS paid an artist $17,000 to paint portraits of Abraham Lincoln to help inspire the IRS agents. You know, if they want to see a picture of Lincoln for inspiration, take out a $5 bill and save the taxpayers $16,995. Exactly. That's what they said. They said.

Oh, the hearings have been unbelievable this week. Congressional investigators say the IRS basically threw a $4 million party for themselves. But in fairness, who else is going to throw a party for the IRS? Really? Now, a going away party, I think we'd all chip in. I would chip in! I would chip in! There you are, no problem. I would pay for that.

President Obama says he is renewing his efforts to close Guantanamo Bay. How about closing the IRS? Why don't we do that? How about shipping the IRS to Guantanamo Bay?

When I was growing up, we were afraid of Big Brother watching us. Now with Obama, we actually HAVE a brother watching us.

The mystery is over. After a month of waiting, it turns out that an 84-year-old woman in Florida has won the $590 million Powerball lottery. As for how much tax she's going to have to pay, the IRS said it's too early to tell because they don't know whether she's a Republican or Democrat.

President Obama has called on Congress to pass a media shield law that would allow reporters to do their job without fear of government prosecution. Don't we already have that? It's called the First Amendment.

This latest California wildfire is getting pretty scary. But Governor Jerry Brown has it under control. He said he is going to tax and regulate the fire until it gets fed up and moves to another state.

In Pakistan, the Taliban's No. 2 man has been killed by an American drone. In a related story, today the Taliban's No. 3 man said he's stepping down to spend more time with his family.

The IRS spent $4 million on a conference in Anaheim that included luxury hotel suites, passes to theme parks, and tickets to sporting events. They say they're not sure of the exact amount they spent because they didn't keep any receipts. I think Wesley Snipes is saying, "Hey, what about me? I didn't have my receipts."

IRS executive Lois Lerner has refused to quit and will collect her full pay and benefits while on administrative leave. They asked her to resign. She refused to go. Where in the real world does that ever happen? You get fired and you tell your boss, "I'm going to stay, and I want my money." And you wonder why we're $16 trillion in debt.



This from Craig Ferguson:

The government has been secretly gathering data from your mobile phone. It's a huge scandal and it comes on the heels of President Obama's IRS scandal and Benghazi scandal. Even the crackhead mayor of Toronto is saying, "Rough week, huh?"

The Supreme Court ruled that police have the right to take DNA samples. Every time there's new technology in law enforcement, people get uneasy. I'm sure people were against fingerprinting when it started in the late 1800s. I'll have to ask Larry King. He was probably around then.

A few from Jimmy Fallon:

During his trip to Brazil on Friday, Joe Biden said he was having such a good time that he didn't want to go home. And that was just while he was riding on the baggage carousel at the airport.

Another scandal hit the White House today. A report found that the government has been secretly collecting the phone records of Verizon customers. I knew something was up when I said, "You hang up first." Then my wife said, "No, YOU hang up first!" Then Obama said, "Uh, how about you just hang up at the same time?"

Many Republicans want President Obama to fire Attorney General Eric Holder after he seemed to contradict himself under oath. When asked if he's worried, Holder said, "Yes. I mean, no."

From Conan O'Brien:

This week President Obama is going to be engaged in high-level talks with the president of China. Yes, President Obama's message to China is going to be, "I swear we'll have the money for you by Tuesday."

A new study just came out. It found that KFC sells 25 pieces of fried chicken a second. Yes. It was 50 pieces a second, but then Chris Christie had his stomach stapled.

It's come out that the government has been secretly collecting telephone records of millions of Verizon customers. Yeah, or as Verizon is calling it, "The friends and family and Obama plan."

[Ross]

If a man stalked his ex-wife in this fashion he would go to jail.

But, I guess it's okay for the Government to stalk each and every citizen in the United States.

[Warph]

University Of Chicago Removes Pews From
88-Year Old Chapel To Accommodate Islamic Prayers

(In other words, they turned the chapel into a mosque.  What is wrong here?)

Via Campus Reform:

University of Chicago (UC) administrators permanently removed pews from an 88-year old chapel on campus in order to accommodate Islamic prayers, according to a local news report.

Chicago NPR affiliate, WBEZ news, reported on May 23, the pews, which are now part of display at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago, were "removed in order to provide Muslim students a place to pray."

Literature describing the artwork that was created by UC Director of Arts and Public Life Theaster Gates, also describes the removal of the pews as symbol of religious tolerance.

"The pews were recently removed from the chapel in order to offer Muslim students a place to pray, a symbolic gesture of religious tolerance," according to an official description of the exhibit which includes a "set of repurposed pews from the University of Chicago's campus church."

[Warph]

The whistleblower of one of the biggest United States federal government scandals and leaking of national secrets in recent history, that of the Obama administration's National Security Agency's gathering Internet communications, audio and video files, and search habits from millions of law-abiding American citizens, has stepped forward.

Edward Snowden explains why he felt so compelled to expose NSA and its use of the surveillance program PRISM.

Hero or traitor, angel or demon? You decide.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/09/edward-snowden-nsa-whistleblower-surveillance

[Warph]

How to Detect Spyware on a Cell Phone

By Sharon Sweeny

Most people take action to guard against spyware on their computers, but they aren't aware that malicious spyware viruses exist solely to infect cell phones. Usually you aren't even aware that they've been installed. There are a few subtle signs that spyware has been installed on your cell phone. Have a question? Get an answer from Online Tech Support now!

Instructions:

1)
Notice whether you experience trouble when shutting off your phone or whether your phone continues to stay lit up for several seconds to a minute after you've shut it off.

2)
Notice if your phone lights up when you're not using it to make or receive a call or access any of the phone's apps. Spyware has to "call" your phone to get information.
3)
Note any strange background noises or clicks when you're on a call.

4)
Notice an increase in GPRS activity. This indicates spyware is tracking your location.

5)
Notice whether the icon that shows the Internet connection activates several times a day for no reason.

6)
Check your phone bill closely. Notice whether it lists more text messages than you remember sending or calls you did not make.

7)
Ask anyone who may have borrowed your phone whether they installed any software, wallpapers or ringtones.

Read more: How to Detect Spyware on a Cell Phone | eHow http://www.ehow.com/how_4826956_detect-spyware-cell-phone.html#ixzz2Vvhf25J8

[Warph]

Rush Limbaugh Claims Obama Takeover: 'We Are In The Midst Of A Coup'

6/7/13 - On his radio show Friday night, Rush Limbaugh warned that the United States was being transformed by President Obama's government, and claimed his controversial 2009 wish that he hoped Obama would fail was being vindicated. Discussing yesterday's New York Times editorial—which proclaimed (in two iterations) that the Obama administration had "lost all credibility"—Limbaugh noted that even a publication dedicated to government largesse was blanching at the Obama administration's reach.

"They are worried, the New York Times, about what is happening to [the government] under the guidance of President Obama," Limbaugh said. "What everybody knows and nobody wants to really come to grips with is we are in the midst of a coup taking place."

"The people on the other side of the glass are going, 'Will you dial that coup talk back?'" Limbaugh said. "'That's all the headlines are going to be.'" (True.)

"I don't care. It's almost to the par of 'I hope he fails.' How does that sound now, by the way?"

Limbaugh's early-2009 wish that Obama would fail was a gold mine for Democrats, who used the comment to tar the Republican Party as extreme and vindictive in the wake of their electoral loss.

"If the Constitution exists as it is," Limbaugh concluded, "and the country was founded as it was, and an administration comes along and doesn't like that, and is doing everything it can to overturn that Constitution without a convention, doing everything it can to change the direction of this country and—what's the word, transform it—what's wrong with calling it a coup?"

[Warph]

Al Sharpton: "You Can't Blame Obama"
For NSA Spying Scandal... It's Boooosh's Fault

...

(Does the dumbest Clown on cable news realize Obama vastly expanded surveillance powers in 2009?)

(CNSNews.com) – Rev. Al Sharpton said Monday that President Barack Obama is not to blame for the National Security Agency's secret surveillance program – former President George W. Bush is, because laws allowing it were enacted under his administration.

"These are laws put into effect under President Bush. There are plenty of Democrats who are upset about this too. I do not agree with the Patriot Act, but you can't blame President Obama for it," Sharpton said on MSNBC's "PoliticsNation."

In 2009, however, Obama extended three provisions of the Patriot Act – allowing roving wiretaps, which would allow monitoring of an individual instead of a specific number; seizure of financial, medical, library and other records of suspected terrorists; and monitoring someone suspected of engaging in terrorism who may not be linked to a specific terrorist group, the Washington Times reported on Sept. 16, 2009.

[Warph]

Very Bad Idea: Obama Regime To Consider Resettling Refugees From Syria's Civil War In America

(What could possibly go wrong?)

WASHINGTON — Two years into a civil war that shows no signs of ending, the Obama administration is considering resettling refugees who have fled Syria, part of an international effort that could bring thousands of Syrians to American cities and towns.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-fg-syria-refugees-20130610,0,6484601.story

A resettlement plan under discussion in Washington and other capitals is aimed at relieving pressure on Middle Eastern countries straining to support 1.6 million refugees, as well as assisting hard-hit Syrian families.

The State Department is "ready to consider the idea," an official from the department said, if the administration receives a formal request from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, which is the usual procedure.

The United States usually accepts about half the refugees that the U.N. agency proposes for resettlement. California has historically taken the largest share, but Illinois, Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia are also popular destinations.

U.N. refugee officials, diplomats and nongovernmental relief groups plan to discuss possible resettlement schemes at a high-level meeting this week in Geneva. Germany already has committed to taking 5,000 people.

"It was probably inevitable that in this crisis, with these overwhelming numbers, governments would start moving in this direction," said Lavinia Limon, chief executive officer of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, a Virginia-based advocacy and service group. "But there will be resistance."