This and That...

[Ross]

Busted: Emails Recovered on IRS Official Who Plead 5th & 'Lost' Hard Drive Prove She's Hiding Info

3 hours ago

Lois Lerner just got smoked on the floor of Congress by Congressman Jim Jordan in front of the smug IRS head John Koskinen.

Emails recovered on the IRS official who plead the Fifth (before giving up her right to remain silent) and then "lost" her hard drive show that she was wanting to make sure that the IRS' internal messaging system was set-up to make sure her info was not traceable, trackable or storeable. The phrasing could not be more "perfect."

Lois Lerner sent the following to Maria Hooke, the Director of Business Systems Planning for Tax Exempt & Government Entities, and copied Nanette Downing, the Director of Exempt Organizations Examinations:

And Lois Lerner's insidious one-word response?

"Perfect."

Now, considering that Lois Lerner "plead the 5th" (before proclaiming her innocence) and has somehow "lost her emails" in a government agency where it's illegal to do so, the question becomes: Do innocent people working in government care if their emails are saved or not?

Do people who are following the law say that it's "perfect" that their communications aren't recoverable, traceable, or trackable?

Beyond Lois Lerner, the entire IRS enterprise appears to be set up like a criminal operation, and that should have every single American worried about their government.

http://www.ijreview.com/2014/07/155434-busted-emails-recovered-irs-official-plead-5th-lost-hard-drive-prove-shes-hiding-info/

[Warph]

Farewell, old friend.  I am going to miss you.

I speak of the incandescent bulb... the light of my life for all of my years.  As of Jan. 1, you have been shut off.  That was the mission of a 2007 law that raised energy-efficiency and wattage standards far beyond what you are capable of reaching.

You had a fine run, my friend.  Perfected by Thomas Edison some 135 years ago, you stand as one of the greatest inventions of all time.

Your brilliance was in your simplicity.  By sending an electrical current through a thin filament, which is sealed in a gas inside a bulb, you produce light.

Several inventors worked on the concept until Edison produced a carbonized-bamboo filament that could last up to 1,200 hours.  Thanks to him, the cheap, long-lasting bulb was born.

Oh, how we took you for granted over the years.  Because incandescent bulbs are so cheap and plentiful, virtually every home in America has had dozens of them.  You walk into a room, flip a switch and, presto, there is light!

To be sure, you have been so successful, it took the government... not better lighting products.... to kill you off.  That's because, some argue, you are causing the Earth to warm.

As electricity passes through your filament, you see, the filament gets white-hot.  That is how light is created but, in the process, you also create a lot of heat, and heat is wasted energy.

You require more electricity than other lighting alternatives, such as fluorescent bulbs, halogens or LEDs.  Since electricity comes from the electric company, which may be burning coal to produce it, you are causing more greenhouse gases to be emitted into the atmosphere than other lighting sources would.

Already I miss you.

I am no big fan of the alternative lighting sources I must now use.  The compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs take forever to get bright.  They lack the warm glow unique to incandescent lighting.

The fluorescents are a wee bit dangerous, too.  They are filled with mercury vapor.  I'm told when electricity passes through the vapor, ultraviolet light is produced.  But these bulbs sometimes explode for no reason.

I was sitting in a coffee shop when one went off.  Luckily, nobody was sitting at the table beneath it.  It fell from the lamp and crashed onto the table.... the manager was unaware that it was unhealthy to touch the shattered glass without rubber gloves or that the shattered bulb required special disposal.

But these are the kinds of bulbs we must use now.

I am something of an agnostic where the global-warming debate is concerned.  It is somewhat possible that human activity is contributing to a greenhouse effect. We are pumping vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, Obuma being one of the worst, flying all over creation.

Then again, the science is not conclusive...  it is not a closed case, as some journalists and politicians would like us to believe.  The models that predict complex future weather patterns are fallible.  The news reports are incredibly confusing and frequently contradictory.

Nonetheless, the global-warming issue has become a giant political football and power-hungry politicians hope to use it to pass lots of new laws and controls that further limit what we can and cannot do... and what light bulbs we can use.

Sure, I'm all for new technologies replacing older ones.  I'm all for energy efficiency and cost savings and minimizing electricity usage.  My science friends tell me LED lighting offers great promise.

But I am not ready to see my old incandescent pal go.  You had a fine run, my friend.

I leave you with some gallows humor:

Question: How many people does it take to shut off an incandescent light bulb?

Answer: 264 members of the House, 65 senators and one Republican president.

[redcliffsw]

The Republicans and Democrats are competing to see which one cares more about the planet - that's what they want us to think.  However Republicans and Democrats are both practicing crony capitalism - using the force and power of government to market and sell product for corporations.  How's that for a marketing plan to move product? 

The Republican party has been socialist since inception and the Democrats have followed the Republicans and have overtaken them.

[Warph]

The Republicans and Democrats are competing to see which one cares more about the planet - that's what they want us to think.  However Republicans and Democrats are both practicing crony capitalism - using the force and power of government to market and sell product for corporations.  How's that for a marketing plan to move product? 

The Republican party has been socialist since inception and the Democrats have followed the Republicans and have overtaken them.

Basic Differences between Socialism and Capitalism

For the non-politically minded, all of these "isms" can seem a bit confusing.  Keeping in mind that forms of socialism and capitalism may vary across societies, here's a breakdown of their basic differences:

Capitalism: Means of production and distribution of goods are owned by individuals and corporations

Socialism: Means of production are owned by the government or state

Capitalism: Features a class-based society

Socialism: Rejects the necessity of a class-based society in favor of a society of equals

Capitalism: Fosters a competitive atmosphere in which workers and companies are encouraged to work hard to achieve personal success

Socialism: Encourages an atmosphere of cooperation in which no matter how hard a person works, he or she reaps the same benefits as everyone else.

Capitalism: Ownership of private property is encouraged

Socialism: Ownership of private property is largely forbidden

Capitalism: Produces goods based on the law of supply and demand

Socialism: Government mandates production and prices.

Red... some socialist-inspired programs exist today in the U.S.  In fact, any program that calls for the redistribution of wealth can be considered socialist.  For example, the tax that the United States imposes on citizens to support the welfare system, which provides aid to financially unstable citizens, can be considered a socialist program.  Healthcare systems like Medicare and Medicaid fall in the same category, just to name a few.

At any rate, the que­st for a purely socialist... and for that matter, a purely capitalist.... society has eluded economists thus far.  After all, the United States, considered one of the most successful capitalist economies in the world, utilizes a number of socialist-inspired programs to help its financially encumbered citizens.   

For the time being, at least... it seems that mixed economies, featuring both socialist and capitalist elements, are much more realistic.

Take human nature.. its a product of evolution... and evolution is the competition for resources in order to survive and procreate.  That competition for resources is called economics in the human world.

[Warph]

Illegal Unaccompanied "Minors" Waiting Placement In U.S.
Admit To Committing Torture And Murder

(But it's for the children!)

Via Townhall:
Despite Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson vowing to "stem the tide" of unaccompanied illegal minors across the southern border with Mexico, thousands more are expected to enter the United States by the end of the year. With the system being overwhelmed, Border Patrol agents are concerned about minors who have admitted to being MS-13 members, a brutal street gang from El Salvador that has been successful in infiltrating American communities. Agents are also concerned about minors who have committed acts like torture and murder in their home countries before heading north to the United States.

"We have six minors in Nogales who have admitted to killing and doing grievous bodily injuries. One admitted to killing as young as eight years old," an agent tells Townhall anonymously for fear of losing his job for speaking out. "They are being held for placement in the U.S."

By U.S. legal standards many gang members operating in Central American countries and traveling north are classified as minors due to being under the age of 18. However, many young males are actively engaged in violent cartel and criminal activity, yet are treated as children when processed through the Department of Human Services or Department of Homeland Security systems.

"But remember, this is a 'humanitarian crisis.' They are just kids," he said in a frustrated and sarcastic tone. "They are MS-13 gang members. They've done everything from torture to murder. They act as teenage 'enforcers.'"

[Warph]

The Case For Obama's Impeachment:
The Constitution's remedy for a lawless, imperial president

By Sarah Palin • Published July 11, 2014 • FoxNews.com

The next time you hear politicians denounce Barack Obama as a lawless, imperial president with a scandal-riddled administration, ask them what they're going to do about it. Their gnashing of teeth over Obama's self-granted omnipotence is repetitive.

Let's agree with our ninth president, William Henry Harrison, who said there is nothing more corrupting, nothing more destructive than the exercise of unlimited power. We understand the problem. The only way for politicians to fix it is with a little less talk and a lot more action.

The Constitution provides the remedy for a president who commits "high crimes and misdemeanors." It's impeachment.

The only thing necessary to transform America into something unrecognizable is for good men to do nothing!

To be clear, "high crimes and misdemeanors" are not necessarily ordinary criminal offenses. Our Framers used the term to signify a dereliction of duty, and the first duty of the president is to enforce our laws and preserve, protect, and defend our Constitution.

Alexander Hamilton described impeachable offenses as those "which proceed from the misconduct of public men, or, in other words, from the abuse or violation of some public trust." He explained that they are "political" offenses "as they relate chiefly to injuries done immediately to the society itself."

No serious person who is paying attention can deny that Obama and his administration have abused and violated the public trust and disregarded the Constitution. Let me count the ways.

Without notifying Congress as required by law, he set free terrorist prisoners at a time of war when they can return to the battlefield to kill our troops.

In violation of our Constitution, he regularly ignores court orders, changes laws by executive fiat, and refuses to enforce laws he doesn't like, including our immigration laws.

When Congress declined to pass amnesty for illegal immigrants' offspring, he unilaterally enacted his own version of it, which created the current crisis on our border as illegal youth pour into our country to receive what he illegally promised them.

He committed fraud on the American people when he promised that if we liked our health care plan we could keep it.

He got us into a war in Libya without Congressional approval. When our ambassador begged for security at the consulate in Benghazi, he was ignored and then murdered when the consulate was attacked as predicted. Americans were left behind to die, as the president did nothing to rescue our people there. Afterwards, he helped spread the lie that a spontaneous protest over a YouTube video was to blame for this highly organized, premeditated terrorist attack.

Obama's IRS targeted his political opponents for harassment. Then the agency lied to and stonewalled Congress and likely destroyed subpoenaed evidence, while Obama falsely declared there's no corruption there, not even a smidgen.

From the VA scandal to his unconstitutional recess appointments, to his DOJ wiretapping reporters and giving guns to Mexican drug cartels, to violating religious freedom exercised by businesses and ignoring in-house illegal fundraising, the list of abuse goes on and on.

Barack Obama's administration is proving itself a festering boil of scandal. The Constitution is rock solid in holding the president responsible for the executive branch. He can't just vote "present" while shrugging and feigning ignorance about all these abuses of the public trust, any more than a mob boss can claim innocence because he didn't personally do the hit. The buck stops with the guy at the top.

Impeachment is the ultimate check on an out-of-control executive branch. It is serious, not to be used for petty partisan purposes; and it is imperative that it becomes a matter of legitimate discussion before the American people lose all trust in our federal government.

Impeachment requires moral courage to advance what is right, and it requires political will. A complacent or disheartened electorate may silently endure these abuses from the administration, the permanent political class is only too happy to maintain the status quo, and the mainstream media is not a fair watchdog. So, the nation's last line of defense is for We the People to rise up and say, "enough is enough."

Obama's lawless encouragement of illegal immigration should be the tipping point for that political will because it impacts all Americans – native-born and legal immigrants of all backgrounds who followed the rules and now watch rewards go to rule breakers while they're forced to compete for limited jobs and resources. It's the tipping point because the forgotten working class is hurt most by this lawlessness; and these good Americans deserve the strongest, most effective tool to defend the livelihoods they've so honorably built!

Some are arguing for cautious inaction and dismiss even a discussion of impeachment. With Obama's poll numbers in the tank and his liberal policies exposed as failures, why rock the boat? But that argument misses the point.

The president is radically changing the way the executive branch does business. He is setting a dangerous precedent that will fundamentally change us. With his "pen and phone," he's abrogating Congressional authority in violation of the Constitution's separation of powers. He's making himself a ruler, not a president. We had a revolution back in 1776 because we don't like kings.

Some argue we should wait for midterm elections and hope a big victory by Republicans in both Houses of Congress will rein in Obama.

Been there, done that in 2010. If Congress refuses to use the power the Constitution gives it, Barack Obama will continue to rule however he wants.

Some argue that at best the House might vote for articles of impeachment, but the Senate is unlikely to convict. But that is no argument against holding a president accountable and sending the people's message to all successors.

Obama can keep laughing and say, "so sue me" to the House's tepid lawsuit threat. Let's hear him laugh off impeachment. At the very least, despite his mocking the Constitution, this Constitutional process will put him on notice.

The only thing necessary to transform America into something unrecognizable is for good men to do nothing! If not these violations and the president's promise to continue to "go it alone" in ignoring the separation of powers and rule of law, what will it take for you to take a stand? How bad does it have to get?

We live in an America where the NSA spies on our communications, the IRS targets us because of our political beliefs, the border is overrun by foreign nationals, terrorist leaders are released to the battlefield, our health care is taken from us and we're forced to buy a plan we don't want and can't afford, Catholic nuns are targeted by the government simply because they adhere to their Catholic faith, the Justice Department arms Mexican drug lords, and the president keeps a "kill list" of people he's authorized to be executed on sight.

If you're comfortable with all that, then by all means sit back and hope for the best. Those concerned about America want change. That comes with healing the injuries done to society by an unchecked president; that starts with impeachment. 

[Warph]

'If I also had a son': Celebrities Weigh In

The media controversy sparked by Barack Obuma's statement 'If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon' has prompted many prominent citizens to come to his defense by declaring, in the I-am-Spartacus fashion, "If I also had a son...":

Nancy Pelosi: "... he'd owe China $256,000,000 before he reaches puberty."

George Soros: "... he'd own a chauffeured tricycle."

Bill Clinton: "... he'd know what 'is' is."

Hillary Clinton: "I already have a son and his name is Bill."

Michael Bloomberg: "... he wouldn't be eating trans fats - or he'd be out of the will."

Harry Reid: "... he wouldn't smell like the unwashed masses visiting the Capitol."

Sheriff Joe Arpaio: "... his birth certificate wouldn't have PDF layers."

Donald Trump: "What Sheriff Joe said."

Al Sharpton: "... he wouldn't be a honky or one of them Jews."

Michael Moore: "... I wouldn't eat him as long as he doesn't get between me and the fridge."

Joe Biden: "I have a son? Have we met?"

Rosie O'Donnell: "... I'd keep him in a cage and train him to attack toupees, and then I'd invite Donald Trump over and open the cage."

Oprah: "... I'd keep him away from Rosie O'Donnell."

Anita Dunn: "... I'd name him Mao Tse-Dunn."

Eric Holder: "... I'd tell him he was conceived during fast and furious sex, then I'd smuggle him into Mexico."

Occupy Theoretician Elizabeth Warren: "... I'd wait for him to crap all over himself, then throw him at the police."

Debbie Wasserman Schultz: "... I'd hire Bill Maher to teach him manners and Anthony Weiner to teach him photography."

Safe Schools Czar Kevin Jennings: "I'd teach him to have safe sex - with me."

Ex-HHS Director Katherine Sebelius: "I'd give him an exemption from ObamaCare."

Mitt Romney: "I'd give him an exemption from RomneyCare."

John Edwards: "... I'd bequeath to him my secret to silky, sensuous, and coquettish man-hair."

Al Gore: "... I'd cut his feet off so I wouldn't have to worry about his carbon footprint."

Science Czar John Holdren: "I can't have a son; I cut my testicles off so I can sleep at night not worrying about overpopulation."

An anonymous Georgetown Law Student: "Having blown my entire trust fund on contraceptives, I damn well better not get pregnant with a son!"

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Ginsberg: "... I'd send him off to South Africa, they have a better constitution."

CNN host Soledad O'Brien: "... I'd read him fairy tales, starting with Critical Race Theory."

MSNBC host Chris Mathews: "... I'd tell him bedtime stories of the adventures of the heroic knight, Sir Barry Obama, unless instructed otherwise."

Robert F. Kennedy XXXLXVII: "... I'd name him 'Robert F. Kennedy XXXLXVIII.'"

Charlie Sheen: "... I'd pay him to go away."

[Warph]

Israel Air Force Aborts Gaza Airstrike After Spotting Children Near Target
While Hamas shoots rockets into Israel haphazardly.

Via Algemeiner
The Israel Air Force called off an airstrike on a "terror activity site" on Thursday after spotting children in the vicinity of the target, a recently released video shows.

"There are people close to our target," the pilot carrying out the mission is heard saying in the clip. "It looks like there are people, possibly children in our targeted area."

An operator responds: "We are not going to strike this target now, let's move on."

The aborted strike was part of Israel's ongoing Operation Protective Edge aimed at halting Gaza rocket attacks on Israel that have increased over the past weeks.

Israel prides itself on being careful to avoid civilian casualties during its conflicts and takes numerous steps to do so, including warning building occupants in advance of strikes. Earlier the week another mission was aborted when people ran onto the roof of a building to serve as human shields.

A United Nations document published on Wednesday said that in most cases where Palestinians have been killed or injured during Israel's Gaza campaign, the Israeli army alerted civilians ahead of time who were occupying buildings, that they planned to bomb in Gaza, to leave the premises.

[Warph]

IDF Begins Evacuating Gazans Before Stepped Up Air Strikes

(Removing the human shields)

Via JPost
The IDF has begun evacuating residents of northern Gaza, and other areas in the coastal enclave from which heavy and long-range rockets are being fired at Israel, ahead of a stepped-up campaign of air raids that will target Hamas leaders hiding under large residential buildings, a senior army source warned Saturday night.

"We are moving to a more significant phase. Since the leaders are hiding under homes and using human shields, we are initiating the evacuation of civilians in Gaza before stepping up attacks. Until now, we've tried to use minimal force to lower civilian casualties. That explains how, even though we have hit 1300 targets, the civilian casualty rate is so low," the source said.

"But in order to improve effectiveness in our operations in northern Gaza and other areas, we will in the coming hours evacuate civilians for their own safety, from places where rocket fire has occurred," he added.

Residents of Gaza in areas that the IDF will soon strike will receive information, either via telephone or other means, informing them that terrorist elements are operating in their area, and that they must leave for their own safety.

"I am confident most will leave," the source said. "Then, there will be much more significant attacks." Some Hamas leaders are hiding under Gaza hospitals, the source stated.

The source described heavy rocket barrages on Tel Aviv on Saturday night as a form of "psychological warfare," adding that Hamas has been pushed into a corner, and is now seeking to step up threats.

He added that the IDF is fully ready to launch a ground offensive if ordered to do so. "A ground maneuver is one way to obtain achievements. The option is on the table, and can be activated within a short time. It's a matter of making a decision," the source said.

[Warph]

Even Newborns Get Sent Contraception ID Cards Under Obamacare Mandate

(You never know what those newborns could be up to... )

Via Fox News:
I got an email the other day from one of our listeners in Lubbock, Texas. He's pretty fired up because his health care provider sent his daughter a contraceptive ID card. According to the insurance company, the card happens to be an Obamacare mandate.

Now it's bad enough they would send something like this to a child without parental consent — but what really makes this story salacious — is that my reader's daughter is only three months old.

Apparently, the insurance company wants to make sure the three month old has options after a sordid affair at daycare.

"Attached is your Contraceptive Coverage Plan ID Card," the insurance company's letter read. "The new federal preventive health services law requires that group health plans provide women contraceptive services to female members of all ages without imposing any cost-sharing and at no cost to you."

At first my reader just laughed it off – thinking it was a mistake – but then he found out it was the law.

Sure enough – a letter from the insurance company stipulates that every female – no matter her age receives a contraceptive cover card and that means even three month old babies.

"It's frustrating and sickening," my reader told me. "It bothers me that this company takes it upon themselves to send this out to people's young children without even contacting us."

That's right – moms and dads are not allowed to opt out of the contraceptive ID card. My reader said he is disgusted.

"I don't even want to think about my little girl having a boyfriend and especially not having sex," he told me. "I'd like to enjoy her innocence. But now, it's forced upon her mother and I thanks to Obamacare."

Welcome to President Obama's fundamentally transformed America, folks.