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Thursday, June 20, 2013

Can Government Ever Do Anything On Time?

Federal Health Exchanges Are Behind Schedule, GAO Finds

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JUNE 20, 2013
By Bloomberg News Service

Computer systems to help Americans gain coverage on the Affordable Care Act’s insurance exchanges may not be ready on time, and training for the people who will assist consumers is behind schedule, a government report found.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is still developing and testing computer systems meant to determine consumers’ eligibility for government subsidies, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said today. Plans to train “navigators” to assist people in finding new insurance plans have been delayed by about two months past a June deadline, the GAO found. The exchanges are set to open Oct. 1.
“Factors such as the still-evolving scope of CMS’s required activities in each state and the many activities yet to be performed -- some close to the start of enrollment -- suggest a potential for challenges going forward,” the GAO said in its report. “Much progress has been made, but much remains to be accomplished within a relatively short amount of time.”
The exchanges are the centerpiece of the 2010 law’s efforts to expand coverage for the uninsured, with some 7 million Americans expected to buy subsidized private plans on the markets next year. The Obama administration’s workload for creating the federal marketplace has swelled beyond what the law’s authors predicted as many Republican-led states have refused to operate their own exchanges.
“This law has been unpopular and unwieldy every step of the way,” Representative Darrell Issa, a California Republican who heads the House Oversight and Government Reform committee, said in a statement. “We are seeing a rollout marred by missed deadlines and incomplete programs.”
Obama Response
The GAO is the nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress and its report today addresses the federally facilitated health exchanges that the Obama administration is setting up in 34 states that chose not to build the marketplaces on their own.
In a response included in the GAO report, the Obama administration cited the progress made toward building the exchanges, including accepting applications from insurers who want to sell on the markets and awarding grants and contracts for consumer assistance.
The administration is “extremely confident that on Oct. 1 the marketplace will open on schedule and millions of Americans will have access to affordable quality health insurance.”
In a second report also released today, the GAO found mixed results in creating exchanges meant to serve small employers. Seventeen states and Washington, D.C., are building such markets on their own and the agency said they had made “varying degrees of progress” by the end of March.
As of March 31, states still needed to complete 85 percent of key activities required for those exchanges, on average, the GAO said. States may have completed some of the steps since then, according to the report.
To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Nussbaum in New York at anussbaum1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reg Gale at rgale5@bloomberg.net

Mueller: Drones Are Being Used In US

Anyone who used to believe that the government would not use drones in the US, that assumption was blown away yesterday by the FBI director, Robert Mueller.  Can this get stranger? It will. Mark our words. 

There will be those who will argue that the drones are only used for surveillance and therefore, harmless.  We disagree.

The next time there is a "Boston Bomber" or a Tea Party Rally where a precision strike is necessary, it will be argued that an armed drone is the perfect weapon.  Will they use it then? Maybe so, maybe not, but how long will it be before it is used? Will it matter if the target is American? Will it matter if there is "collateral damage?" 

The most scary part of Mueller's testimony is that he admitted that there are NO rules governing the use of these aircraft. In other words, it is a seat of the pants decision made by whom else but some nameless and faceless bureaucrat in some dark and dingy office. Leadership can deny knowing anything about the actions taken, in other words, plausible deniability.  

Drones of any type must be controlled and monitored. Surveillance drones must have definite requirement and must be subjected to the same rules of wiretapping that other tools are.  We must NEVER allow armed drones to be used inside the US and we are very circumspect on their use outside the country.

This is a country that is totally out of control run by a "deef" (see our earlier post today for the meaning of that word) President and a bureaucracy that takes no responsibility for any of their actions.  How much longer can we continue down this path? We think not much longer.

Where are you on this subject?

Conservative Tom






FBI Director: Yes, We Use Drones Domestically… No, We Can’t Say How, When Or Why

June 19, 2013 by  
Wackobirds, you are officially vindicated in your worries over domestic drone use: FBI Director Robert Mueller told Senate lawmakers Wednesday that the agency has several drones and has yet to adopt strict policies and guidelines for use of the aircraft.
But according to Mueller’s testimony, the lack of policies to protect American citizens’ privacy has not deterred the FBI’s use of drones for domestic surveillance operations.
During a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) asked Mueller, “Does the FBI use drones for surveillance on U.S. soil?”
FBI Director Mueller testifies on extending his term in Washington
Mueller’s answer was a straightforward affirmative, though he added that the FBI only “very seldom” conducted surveillance of American citizens on American soil with the unmanned aircraft.
“It’s very seldom used and generally used in a particular incident where you need the capability,” Mueller responded when Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) prodded him on the matter. “It is very narrowly focused on particularized cases and particularized needs.’’
The director said that he wasn’t sure if the FBI had any “official” agreements with agencies like the National Security Agency, the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Defense to receive assistance and share information collected in the agency’s use of drones.
“To the extent that it relates to the air space there would be some communication back and forth [between agencies],” Mueller provided as a vague answer to a question about interagency drone activity over U.S. soil.
With regard to providing the public any further information regarding FBI justification for drone use and other domestic spy tactics, Mueller gave the impression that transparency is not high on the government’s list of priorities.
“There is a price to be paid for that transparency,” Mueller said. “I certainly think it would be educating our adversaries as to what our capabilities are.”

Obama Is Deef In Criticizing Irish Religious Education

If we were the  Irish, we would tell Obama to mind his own business and clean up his backyard before attempting to tell others how to live. In other words, if you live in a glass house, you should not throw stones!


Where does our "moralizer in chief" get off by criticizing others when he has so many problems at home? He is deef!  Yes, that word is spelled correctly. We mean "deluded elitist egocentric fraud."  

This President (NSA, are you getting this) is so out of touch, so deeply into himself and the self deluded that he does not even know who he is except to believe that he is the all knowing, all seeing manager of the world. In other words, he is the most dangerous man in the world.  Any leader who does not know his limits cannot be trusted with the mantle of leadership.  They will always exceed their delegated powers, run ram-shod over their opponents and in the end hurt the very people who elected him.

So it goes with Obama. The exploding scandals are only a surface view of the real damage being done to the country. What is being done on a daily basis that has not yet bubbled to the surface has to scare any red blooded American.  An example should suffice. When it became apparent that Susan Rice could not get through the approval process for Secretary of State, Obama blatantly appoints her to head the National Security Council which does not need approval. That was sort of a "stick it in your eye" to his and her opponents but it says more about him.

It says that no matter what Congress or the American people want, he will do what he wants. One can only wonder what secret agreements he has made with Russia, China  or any other country to further HIS goals. America be damned, it is Obama who is important.

Self delusion can lead one to great heights as in the case of Obama, however, some humility, some understanding of the greatness of the American experiment must accompany the elevation to the highest position  in the land. This President has none. He believes only in himself, he thinks of no one else and he feels he is better than everyone else, this makes him an awkward, inelegant, self-deluded fraud. In other words deef! 

For our President to moralize in Ireland and not in the Arab countries which are far more divided than the Irish is a great example of his deef-ness!  Try to be a Christian or Jew or Sikh or Hindu or any other religious minority in those countries. It is nearly impossible. Yet he feels impelled to speak against a country which has made great strides in bridging the gap between Catholics and Protestants.  Deef-ness personified.

Most thinking Americans have recognized his deef-ness, when are the rest going to wake from their sleep.

Conservative Tom


Obama Offends Catholics in UK: Says Religious Schools Divisive

Image: Obama Offends Catholics in UK: Says Religious Schools Divisive
Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 06:42 PM
By Paul Scicchitano
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President Barack Obama angered some proponents of Catholic education during his visit to Ireland this week when he told a Belfast audience that towns will remain divided “if Catholics have their schools and buildings, and Protestants have theirs.”

An article, which subsequently appeared in the Scottish Catholic Observer carried the headline, “U.S. President Undermines Catholic Schools after Vatican Prefect Praised Them.”

The article said that Obama “made an alarming call for an end to Catholic education in Northern Ireland,” and quoted from recent remarks of the Vatican’s Archbishop Gerhard Müller, who had said that Catholic education was “a critical component of the Church.”



Dr. Matthew Bunson, senior correspondent for Our Sunday Visitor and author of the new book, “Pope Francis,” tells Newsmax that the president should have chosen his words more carefully and he pointed to the contribution that Catholic education has made to bringing about the 15-year-old peace in the once troubled region.

“While I understand the background — the backdrop of his remarks in terms of the painful history of the religious strife in northern Ireland — it is unfortunate that his remarks could be construed by some as an attack on religious education,” Bunson explained.

“It’s an opportunity I think though to make note of the very significant role that religious education — especially Catholic education has played — in ending the strife in Northern Ireland, in particular the role of Catholic educators in helping to raise new generations in Ireland, who recognize the importance of cooperation, of peace and that is something that’s worth celebrating.”

Conservative website Breitbart.com was quick to label Obama’s remarks as a “gaffe” based on the “fact that Obama did not consider the sensitivities of his audience — or that he inadvertently revealed his own anti-religious prejudice.

“To travel to a city troubled by conflict, and to then insult the members of at least one of the two communities, is not only a gaffe, but a serious diplomatic error,” according to the website.

Obama arrived in Northern Ireland Monday morning after an overnight flight from Washington.

Following his speech to about 1,800 students and adults, he flew to a lakeside golf resort near Enniskillen, where he met with other leaders of the Group of 8 industrial nations on Syria, trade and counterterrorism.

The president also told the Belfast audience that peace in Northern Ireland is a "blueprint" for those living amid conflict around the world, while acknowledging that the calm between Catholics and Protestants will face further tests.

With respect to Catholic education, Obama said “If towns remain divided — if Catholics have their schools and buildings, and Protestants have theirs — if we can’t see ourselves in one another, if fear or resentment are allowed to harden, that encourages division. It discourages cooperation.”

Ashley McGuire, a senior fellow with The Catholic Association, also viewed Obama’s remarks as an attack on Catholic education.



“Catholic education is a longstanding tradition and a gift to society at large,” she said. “Why the president chose to attack that tradition is beyond comprehension and represents his continuing effort to relegate religion to the private sphere.”

© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


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Trust Me, I'm From The Government--Would You?

The following post is succinct, pointed and right on target.  We cannot trust government and Wayne does a great job pointing out why. 

Our only question is, what do we do now?

Conservative Tom 



Trust My Government? Are You Kidding?

June 20, 2013 by  

 
I’m Wayne Allyn Root for Personal Liberty. Let me say it out loud: I don’t trust my government as far as I can spit. And you shouldn’t either.
There, I’ve said it. I love my country, but I don’t love our politicians or government bureaucrats. Why would I? History proves that people in government the world over are liars, cheats, frauds, incompetents, common criminals, tyrants and even murderers. Yet you think I should trust them with my phone records, emails, tax records and healthcare? If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn.
Let’s not worry about the true despots of world history, like Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro or Pol Pot, who enslaved and murdered their own people. Let’s ignore King George and the British generals who ordered American colonists burned alive in a locked church. Let’s ignore the fact that the U.S. government injected blacks with syphilis in medical experiments — without their knowledge or consent. Let’s ignore the fact that Franklin D. Roosevelt sent a boat of Jews escaping Hitler back to Germany, where all of them perished. Let’s ignore all those truly terrible and deadly deeds by government.
Let’s just look at recent history since electing Barack Obama.
Obama’s Internal Revenue Service persecuted honest people for the crime of being conservative critics of Obama, yet Obama nominated proven tax cheats like Tom Daschle, Nancy Killefer, Hilda Solis and Ron Kirk to major positions in his Administration.
Obama also criticized Mitt Romney for keeping his money in the Cayman Islands, but then named Jack Lew to become Treasury Secretary, even though Lew keeps his money in the Cayman Islands. Do you trust these cheats and hypocrites to monitor your taxes, oversee your healthcare or listen to your phone calls?
Obama and Hillary Clinton lied about Benghazi, Libya, and ordered Susan Rice to lie to the media for two weeks. Then, Obama even lied about the terrorist attack multiple times in front of the United Nations.
It now appears Clinton ordered a cover-up of a prostitution scandal in her own State Department.
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lied in front of Congress about the National Security Agency surveillance program.
The head of the IRS lied in front of Congress about the scandal involving the targeting of conservatives. I know; I’m one of the victims who was targeted.
But Obama lied even worse. He stated on numerous occasions as a U.S. Senator that he stood against the Patriot Act and other invasions of privacy and violations of civil liberties. Then, he doubled down as President.
No surprise: Obama was a pothead as a young adult. As a politician, he swore he’d curb or completely end the government’s war on marijuana. He said he would never violate a State’s laws legalizing medical marijuana. Yet, as President, he has doubled spending on the marijuana war. And his Administration has literally invaded California to close down marijuana dispensaries that were operating 100 percent legally, based on California State law.
Obama claims he knew nothing about IRS persecution — even though the head of the IRS visited the White House 157 times in his first term and even though Obama met with the head of the IRS employees union the day before the targeting began.
Attorney General Eric Holder appears to have lied under oath about spying on journalists, including James Rosen of FOX News (and his parents). Holder said he knew nothing about it, while he was the one signing the request for surveillance.
Then there are the scandals themselves: the IRS scandal, the Benghazi scandal, the Justice Department media-spying scandal, the Kathleen Sebelius Obamacare extortion scandal. There are so many scandals, I’ve lost track. Don’t forget an oldie but goodie called “Fast and Furious.” Obama supports strict gun control, but he had no problem selling guns to Mexican drug lords. And no one bothered to keep track of where the guns were until 300 Mexicans and a U.S. Border Patrol agent were dead.
These scandals all tie together. They represent government gone wild. Our government is out of control. It is run by megalomaniacs and control freaks who lie with impunity. Everything is always top-secret and on a need-to-know basis. And only they need to know. They will take care of us and protect us — whether we like it or not, want it or not, ask for it or not, or need it or not.
Personally, I think the group we need protecting from is government.
I don’t want the same government employees who at the IRS decided to persecute conservatives like me to be in charge of surveillance over my phone calls and emails. Do you?
If I’m an outspoken critic of Obama, will they decide to listen in on my calls with the intent of finding a reason to persecute me? If I run for office as a Republican, will they be listening in to my calls to find dirt on me? Will they be reading my emails to find out my campaign strategy? Of course, they will.
We heard under oath that NSA could not listen in on calls. It only compiles the list of who is calling whom. Then we found out only days later that NSA personnel can listen in on any call, anytime they choose. My guess is they listen in only on Republicans. After all, to listen in on Muslims would be religious persecution. But persecute Republicans? No problem there.
I don’t want the same government employees who at the IRS decided to persecute critics of Obama (like me), to be in charge of Obamacare. When I need approval for expensive cancer treatments, will they withhold approval or delay reimbursements until I die? Will they simply make my life miserable, while I’m dealing with a life-threatening illness? Will they run targeted “death panels” by denying treatment to critics of Obama?
I don’t want the government educators who recently held a toy gun buyback program at a California school teaching my children. Yes, I said a toy gun buyback program. They asked young children to turn in their toy guns in return for books. Any educator who thought up that program shouldn’t be in charge of teaching children anything.
When I publicly criticize the obscene pensions of government employees that are bankrupting our country, should I trust that angry government employees won’t target, persecute and spy on me? Will they try to put me in prison on trumped up charges or put my business out of business? It all starts with listening on my calls and reading my emails.
Should I assume that the same Obama Administration that labeled Ron Paul supporters as “terrorists” and suggested law enforcement pay them special attention, won’t target Rand Paul supporters for destruction by listening to calls, reading their emails or auditing their tax returns?
Should we assume the government won’t listen in on the privileged conversations of lawyers and American Civil Liberties Union executives to gain an edge in high-profile trials?
Do you honestly believe that if government wants to silence your criticism and dissent, it will wait for a warrant to listen to your calls? Based on what we’ve seen with the IRS scandal and on what the NSA just admitted (that it can listen in anytime it wants), I’d expect our government to target conservatives’ conversations and emails and then, only after finding something they label as “questionable,” ask a judge for a warrant.
What next? Looking through our garbage, tearing open our envelopes at the post office, planting video surveillance or recording devices inside planters placed at our homes and offices — something the IRS was publicly putting out bids for only days ago, until public pressure shut it down.
Based on the IRS scandal, the Justice Department scandal, the Benghazi cover-up, the Sebilius extortion scandal and the nonstop lies (often under oath) of government employees and even our President, why would anyone trust government to do the right thing? If you’re smart, you should assume it will almost always do the wrong thing.
Trust government? Trust the IRS? Trust the NSA? Trust Obama?
You’re kidding, right?
I’m Wayne Allyn Root for Personal Liberty. See you next week. Same time, same place. God bless America… because we’re losing it minute by minute.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Audit The IRS Rally

If you have not heard about the Audit The IRS Rally in Washington today, don't feel left out. We only heard about it recently and it was not through the "lame stream media."  We doubt that even if a million people show up today, it will be reported. There might be a mention of a small "Tea Party" event but there will be few pix and no interviews. Who would want to talk to this rabble anyway?


The promoters say this will be the largest event in three years. We hope it dwarfs their ambitious estimates!

Should you be in the Washington D. C area today around 2 P. M., get us pictures and we will post them here or give us a first person report. We would love to get the real story.

Conservative Tom


Audit The IRS Rally Expected To Be Biggest Tea Party Protest Since 2010

June 18, 2013 by  

Mainstream media is, thus far, characteristically mum on coverage of the event— but what is expected to be the largest gathering of Tea Party activists since 2010 will converge on Washington D.C. Tuesday in protest of the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of conservatives.
The event, dubbed the Audit the IRS Rally, will occur from noon until 2 p.m. on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.

Tea Party Patriots, the event organizers, have lined up an inclusive group of conservative speakers to address attendees, among those who will be present: Glenn Beck, Senator Mike Lee, Representative Michele Bachmann, Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Rand Paul, Jenny Beth Martin, Representative Steve King, Representative Dave Camp, Representative Louie Gohmert, Representative Jim Jordan, Representative Tim Huelskamp, Representative Jim Bridenstine, Representative John Fleming, Representative Tom Graves, Representative Tom Price, Representative Mike Kelly, Representative Matt Salmon, Tea Party Leaders, Dana Loesch, Steve Bannon, Sonnie Johnson, Jim Hoft, Niger Innis and Andrew Marcus.
The organization cites a speech given by Becky Gerritson of Wetumpka Tea Party in testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee as an example of the spirit behind the rally.
She told lawmakers earlier this month:
We are patriotic Americans. We peacefully assemble. We petition our government. We exercise our right to free speech and we don’t understand why our government tried to stop us. We aren’t here as serfs or vassals. We’re not begging our lords for mercy. We are born free American citizens and we’re telling our government that you’ve forgotten your place. It’s not your responsibility to look out for our well being and monitor our speech. It’s not your right to assert an agenda. The post that you occupy exists to preserve American liberty. You’ve sworn to perform that duty and you have faltered.

Shoot First And Ask Questions Later

Are DUI checkpoints being overused? Do they work? Or is it a way to check motorists without a warrant? Should cops be punished when violence breaks out at one of these stoops?  All are good questions, however, when actions occur such as in the following post, one has to wonder about the advisability of having this tool in the policeman's arsenal.


Conservative Tom


Eyewitness: ‘Super Trigger Happy’ Cops Endanger Motorists Waiting At DUI Roadblock

June 18, 2013 by  
A young North Carolina couple returning from a Father’s Day outing with their infant daughter slowed down for a DUI checkpoint in Brunswick County, N.C., Sunday evening.
That’s when the driver of an SUV nearer the front of the line made an alleged attempt to escape, and seven cops allegedly started shooting.
The couple, Jared and Rose Cleerdin, along with their daughter Chloe were too close for safety (to say nothing of comfort); but at least they came away with an incredible account of how little regard the police evidently showed for the safety of all the motorists and passengers they’d been flagging down.
“Every cop turned around and started unloading like super trigger happy as if their training was coming into full effect and they were being able to utilize it,” said Cleerdin. “Everybody was just blasting this car to pieces. It was absolutely terrifying.”
Cleerdin said he estimated about 40 rounds were fired, with the bullets “ricocheting off the road” in the direction of oncoming traffic, with the officers allegedly demonstrating no regard for public safety — despite the DUI checkpoint’s stated purpose of accomplishing just that.
The SUV’s occupants, Jerry Melvin and Antoine Graham, both survived but were hospitalized. Brunswick County Sheriff John Ingram stood behind the officers’ actions at a press conference the following day, saying the SUV looked as though it were going to run over deputies manning the checkpoint.
“Realizing their lives were in danger of being run over by this vehicle, [officers] proceeded to shoot at the vehicle in attempts to stop the vehicle from traveling any further,” he said.
“Another question that always arises is, were officers acting recklessly and without regard for the public safety and I can assure you they were acting with extreme care for the safety of the public and the safety of everyone involved in that checkpoint.”
Not according to the Cleerdin family.
“It was way beyond reckless,” said Jared. “I couldn’t believe it. These are professional people; professional officers, and they’re training, they’re highly trained and they’re not supposed to do stuff like that. I could understand why they wouldn’t come out with an explanation as to what happened after seeing what we saw. It looked like every officer there did not follow protocol in any way, shape, or form.”
Seven deputies from both Brunswick and New Hanover Counties in North Carolina were involved in the shooting, and they’ve been moved to administrative duty while the State Bureau of Investigation reviews their conduct during the shooting.shoot Fi

Ayers: Try Obama For War Crimes

Want to read a strange interview, look the following post by Greg Richter. In it Bill Ayers of Chicago and Weather Underground fame says that he admires Obama but believes that he should be tried at the Hague for war crimes.


Has Ayers lost it or is just a crackpot?

Conservative Tom


Bill Ayers: Try Obama for War Crimes

Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 09:20 PM
By Greg Richter
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Former Weather Underground leader Bill Ayers, who was involved in bombing the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol building in the early 1970s, says President Barack Obama should be tried for war crimes.

Appearing on Real Clear Politics' "Morning Commute,"Ayers said every president enters "an office dripping with blood and then adds to it."

Ayers had been asked by co-host Charlie Stone if Obama, as the sole authority for Drone use, was engaged in terrorist activity.

"Absolutely," Ayers answered.

"Do you think Barack Obama should be put on trial for war crimes?" Stone asked.

"Absolutely," Ayers responded. "Every president in this century should be put on trial" for war crimes in The Hague.

"Yes, I think these are war crimes," Ayers said. "I think they're acts of terror."

Ayers, who also is a retired professor of education, gave Obama a failing grade.

"I don't at all feel like Obama's let anybody down," Ayers said, explaining that throughout the 2008 campaign Obama consistently said "I am a middle-of-the-road, pragmatic politician."

Still, Ayers likes his former Chicago neighbor personally.

"He's a curious person," Ayers said. "One of the things I like about him is he's curious. He wants to know things. He asks questions. He's not just charming, he's also interested. He reads. … And I liked him personally. I mean, he's a really good guy."

During his race for the White House in 2008, Obama's associations with Ayers were questioned. GOP vice presidental nominee Sarah Palin accused Obama of "palling around with terrorists," for his connections to Ayers.

Obama denied any close ties with Ayers, calling him "just a guy who lived in my neighborhood."

Ayers admitted in an interview with The Daily Beast  that some of the things said about him and Obama, such as serving on boards together and Ayers holding a fundraiser for Obama in his living room, are true.

"Today, I wish I knew him better and he was listening to me," Ayers told The Daily Beast.
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


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