Free Republic

It is obviously BUSH’s FAULT!

Like the Clinton’s before them, this Administration sees the departments of the Executive Branch as tools for their selective use. For the Clintons, it was the FBI files with all of the unredacted gossip and inuendo. It gave them the same power as Hoover’s legendary use and abuse. A nudge, a wink and suddenly the person targeted sees the light of day.

Here comes ‘low level’ IRS employees seeking improper and even illegal information. As the 800 pound gorrila in the government, one never knows if the threats are real or just thuggish coercion.

Of course, unlike Nixon, the compliant MSM has to have a sledge hammer to even notice this. Maybe this is it, but I have my doubts.

Touré (Neblett), a man[?] now desiring to become a single syllable like George or Prince, is obviously a man[?] of import, at least to his mirrored audience. Frankly, he[?] strikes me as a nobody on a non-news cable vacancy that spouts babble to fill a vacuosity of pretend intellect. Perhaps Touré has a new form of Tourette's disorder?

Just read the decision, delicious but, given that this is in the 9th Circus, who knows the ending here. Klingons to the left, Romulans to the right and Obama dead ahead.

I wonder if these are Democrat lawyers? /sarc

I have always thought of this as a demonstration of our conservative preference for merit, we demonstrate our refusal to be shackled to a politically correct viewpoint.

Besides, the choice between Apple, Google, and Microsoft in terms of liberal group-think is basically meaningless. Yes Apple has the Goracle on its board but Gates-Balmer are just as bad.

Remember Groucho Marx’s comment about declining to join any club willing to admit him?

In the same fashion, this reinforces my desire not to associate with any pollster that would lump me with such lame-brains. My country has existed for centuries without needing pollsters, my religion for millennia and this earth for eons.

As far as I am concerned, majority opinion just gives you company on the road to ruin!

Some previous awardees;
2012 - Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed,
2011 - Congressman John Lewis,
2010 - Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.,
...

Now 2013 - UN Ambassador Susan Rice...

Notice a couple of shared characteristics?

As a fellow bicyclist, I have been where you were myself. Hope the road rash and skin left behind aren’t too serious.

As for MSNBC, start carrying a MP3 so that you can listen to podcasts and music instead of that mind-destroying babble. I do know that many of the places I frequent are starting to carry Fox News but then again I live in a conservative area.

So if Hillary gets called back for more testimony, what is to keep her from saying, “Frankly, I don’t recall” AGAIN? It worked before and with our “deep in the tank” media, it will work again!

Hmmmm ... above the legal age of consent, the exploitation statute prohibits people in authority positions from having sexual relations with people under their guidance. It's a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

If this was a federal law in the 1990s ... Are interns 'under guidance'?

I think I have actually heard this #6 being media tested by Libertards;

Stage 6 - Equivalence: Terroristic behavior in Islam is exactly like what the Southern Poverty Law Center sees happening in racist white conservative groups. Therefore this attack is the equivalent of an attack by right wingnuts, it is just that they did not choose to do it that day.

Hard to tell when you only hear a single side of the story, however ‘senior fraud’ is all too common. It would be interesting to learn what benefit she received from transferring her rights for no money (if true). Given her sole book’s firm place in the literary field, the old-time latin maxim of ‘qui bono’ (who benefits) seems to become important.

The Escherian Stairwell at RIT near Rochester, NY. There is an open house on that campus TODAY, Saturday, 05/04/13 according to the full video clip and the school's web site; "RIT.EDU/imagine".

Yes, there is a significant difference between eggs and embryos but in concept, I am smiling at the 50 year lead time shown by my favorite author, Robert A Heinlein.

Especially when you consider its design age of the late 1950s with first flight in 1962 (A-12 predecessor). Mystery is, with its retirement, what is replacing it? My current guess is that ever so mysterious USAF unmanned shuttle-like Boeing X37B, which spends months in orbit, is part of it. No where near as glamorous but probably quite effective!

I just love unbiased reporting unless this is an opinion piece (no indication but possible).

Sounds like this is the Scottish equivalent of Greenham Common and their protestors. Left unwritten and unmentioned is how much of the 1950 through 80's 'Peace Movement' was funded by the Soviets and with their fall, lack of publicity and glory quieted the movements to their current levels.

As far as I can see, this strikes me as a continuation of 'Hippydom' and the postponement of adulthood for a 'cause'. Given the evidence from much history, the ability to produce 10s of protestors out of a population of millions for any cause is absolutely nothing remarkable.

From the article;

He is being held without bail on three counts of vehicular manslaughter – due to prosecutors’ allegations, based on witness accounts, that he accelerated to nearly 70 mph, twice the speed limit, and was swerving through traffic in the moments before the accident occurred in the Williamsburg section of the borough. He faces life in prison.

And, 'of course', hit and run means he fled the scene. Circumstantial but indicative, no?

Has Obama replaced Clinton on the $3 bill yet?

Personally, I am stressed by the number of daily polls I am asked to participate in.

Only God can help them if they are also known Tea Party sympathizers!

However, I will also add as a tax expert (Tax season ends tomorrow - YEAH!!), one of the most onerous and complex areas of the tax code deals with depreciation. Add to that that each of these businesses deal with scads of subcontractors and small jobs which make tracking these things paperwork intensive. Finally, are these figures coming from the post 2008 housing bubble burst which hit the West and South the hardest?

Lots of Construction and Real Estate firms went bust in this time and it has never been unusual for such conditions to lead to pushing the tax code to the limit and beyond.

However AP is not a source of nuance and considered news these days, is it?

What is mine is mine, what is yours is subject to negotiation and/or seizure!

It is for the children after all ... /sarc

I’m glad to see that #8, Metal Storm, was designed with safety in mind. It has a sticker with an arrow that, I presume and being unable to read it from the photo, probably says something like; “Aim toward enemy”!

I first read of this concept in John Ringo’s ‘Posleen’ novels. I remember training for “One shot, One kill” but given a choice of what to have in a fire-fight ... this sucker is a fire-FRIGHT, bar none!

In that era, I was a user of OS/2, originally the successor to WinDos by both IBM and Microsoft (MS). As a stable platform, it had it in spades and was virus resistant as well. Problem was that IBM lost interest and MS saw the opportunity to ‘rule’ the operating system niche and went for Win95 and its successors.

While IBM was still selling OS/2, the rumor was that MS would send out people trained to crash the system so that the displays would always show malfunctions. Easy to do for almost any OS of the time, the difference was that this niche was essential for MS while a sideline for IBM. (MS was committed like a pig furnishing bacon for breakfast, IBM was dedicated like a hen laying the eggs!).

History has spoken but the irony is that MS is now the 800 pound behemoth that can find little success and no credit for their work. Windows 8 appears to be less than stellar in its uptake rate and so the flash belongs to that MS Office and Xbox cash cows. Even Apple now finds itself fighting Samsung and Google as the current beleaguered “King of the Hill”. Times do change but cycles will reappear!

FYI: As an IT guy for many years, I worked almost exclusively in the WinDos world from the 80s onward. In 2005, I received a Mac Powerbook from my Mac ‘evangelist’ brother and have never looked back. I do use Parallels to run certain Windows specific software very successfully on my iMac, but I am almost entirely Mac and iOS in my life now.

I believe this post, with your snip, leaves the last paragraph dangling. In addition to highlighting Charles Martel, it also highlights the 11th Century Crusades to which the last paragraph is specifically pointing.

And it was explained well by Thomas Madden, Chair of the History Department at Saint Louis University. In "The Real History of the Crusades" he wrote:

... [The Crusades] were not the brainchild of an ambitious pope or rapacious knights but a response to more than four centuries of conquests in which Muslims had already captured two-thirds of the old Christian world. At some point, Christianity as a faith and a culture had to defend itself or be subsumed by Islam. The Crusades were that defense.

And while we are at this discussion, add to the already mentioned historical battles of Vienna [1529 AND 1683], the equally crucial naval engagement of Lepanto in 1571 that turned the Mediterranean Sea from a Muslim lake to a fully disputed arena.

The 1500s, were the second high-water mark of the Islamic conquests, coming after the Mongol conquest of the Middle East that destroyed the Caliphate. With the center of Muslim authority moving then to Istanbul, the Ottoman Empire was intent upon conquering the infidels living next door in Europe. Like many things in history, it was a narrow victory for the West, at least for now.

The NY Times editorially and journalistically reflects the Punch and Pinch Sulzberger class warfare viewpoint, yet their flagship continues to sink amidst their stink and without high-expense subsidies from #1 Billionaire Carlos Slim, they would be sunk.

Weeping bitter crocodile tears!

George Orwell also had something to say about our service heroes;

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

The military KNOWS that studying the failures is often more productive than studying the successes. Hollywierd has been enamored with the leftists long before the infamous "Mission to Moscow" made Stalin look like everybody's favorite uncle with a pipe. There is not a leftist alive or dead they cannot glorify, witness "The Motorcycle Diaries" of the mass murderer 'Che' Guevara.

I don't think I will hold my breath for any movie that features Carter's 'Desert One' fiasco which was so reminiscent of LBJ's micromanaging of the Vietnam War. Every study I have ever seen of that effort showed it to be full of 'critical failure points' although I have to say that that RATO equipped C-130 was a magnificent though ultimately unsuccessful effort!

Am I correct that the initials for this organization was ORIGINALLY “Obama for America” when he was getting organized in 2006?

From the story;

Police said the man at Brumage’s door was drunk and had the wrong house, believing he was at his sister’s house.

The man may face trespassing charges but investigators do not believe he meant any harm to Brumage and her family.

I am sure that there are any number of 'wise' liberals/latinas who would say that the homeowner over-reacted, she should have blown a whistle or posted a no-gun zone sign or a no-drunks permitted sign.

I hope that no dogged rising DA looks at this in anti-gun Washington State and decides to prosecute for illegal discharge in a neighborhood. Probably not if the drunk was not of a protected color or religion and since no blood was actually shed.

Missing piece of the story though, was the gun confiscated for tests and how large was its magazine?

When attempting to consider which state is the ‘bluest’, several come to mind in the top listings; Massachusetts, California, Hawaii, ... However each of these has had a successful non-donkey statewide office holder EXCEPT (ta dah) Maryland [IIRC].

As the the state that surrounds WashingtonDC on the land side, it is dominated by pro-government, big government voters and companies except for that far-off western region past the bottleneck at Hancock and those hapless fisher-folk on the bay and eastern shore.

Face it, O’Malley considers himself presidential material and as such will let nothing get between him and his big-government base. Maryland may not be a lost cause but I am sure Lord Baltimore’s shade is saying many Novenas for its salvation. Looking for intelligence in O’Malley’s party is possible, looking for good governance is a horse of a decidedly dark color!

Anyone know if this Joe is related to the outgoing Interior Secretary and former Colorado Senator Ken Salazar? Lots of nepotism in politics but Salazar is hardly a unique name.

I too am a bicyclist and am all too aware that a minor blemish on a 2 ton vehicle is a broken body to me. Newton’s laws are even more stringent than Obama’s whims and “F=m*a” means I am toast if I get hit at any kind of speed. That being said, I share the road with motor vehicles like a coward and duck off of it where it is logical and safe.

Still there are motorists who do feel that it is their right to force me and harass me and they know that they can do it with impunity. I have had shaken beer splooshed in my face, cars weave deliberately into my path and other things. Like all things, these are the minority barbarians and they are the mirror kin of the barbarian cyclists who behave equally bad.

No simple answers except to remind everyone that there is a final justice if it is not rendered here on earth and that behaving as if your mother were watching you right then is a good rule.

We are very pleased that Moody's gave us an A-minus in the area of bank financial strength – without a reference to the government in any way.

In hindsight, always 20/20, it is less than amusing that the Obama Administration and New York State are both looking at Moodys (and S&P) for fraudulent collusion with Wall Street in their ratings of investment and debt issues leading up to 2007/8 debacle!

Query to the perplexed, after 4+ years of the Obama Administration and Obama's never ceasing 'War on the Rich' and anti-Wall Street attacks, how many of the Wall Street movers and shakers from this time period have been even accused, let alone prosecuted?

... crickets ...

Actually as long as they do not have a tax refund coming, they do not even have to pay the penalty.

I do not think that this is correct. As a seasonal paid tax preparer, we are seeing guidance that taxpayers, lacking proof of coverage, will have the penalty added to their 'tax burden' like early withdrawls from a TIRA and the 'SE' tax. So the computation of penalty will be done in the tax season of 2015 for failure to carry insurance in all of 2014 regardless of refund or balance due status.

I believe that this is similar to the current Massachusetts "RomneyCare" setup but obviously the bells and whistles of the IRS still are being built as we speak. I will note that I am seeing many employers and payroll companies (like ADP) already putting the "DD" line indicator for health insurance coverage on this year's W2s. Precursor to the nightmare to come!

To add knowledge to the story;

Mr Munford (b: 1940) is a retired Las Vegas school teacher and former pro basketball player with the LA Lakers.

Remember the mantra of the left about getting Republicans out of their bedrooms? I want Democrats out of my LIFE, period!

From the article; "Purdy’s job with General Dynamics Information Technology required a top secret security clearance, something Purdy could not maintain as the theft of his identity ripped his credit to shreds.

His security clearance was suspended, and he lost his job with General Dynamics. He also is blocked from active duty with the Air National Guard while his security clearance is suspended.

“In my 18 years in the service, I never (previously) had an issue with my security clearance,” Purdy said.

OK, quick note here, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), aka ObamaCare, both increases the use of health databases and tracking info of all Americans AND does little, if anything, for increasing security for the same.

This is one of the areas where that infamous phrase in the unread 2000+ page bill says "The Secretary (HHS) shall ..., thus divorcing the Congress from responsibility and concern. REMEMBER, Congress is NOT covered under PPACA because their health plan is paid for by their grateful constituents, the taxpayers!

Word to the wise based on my decade of tax preparer experience. If you do not use or have a middle name or initial (MI), do what you have to do to create one. The MI is used far more frequently than you can imagine to differentiate between persons with same names. A relative easy thing can save headaches down the road!

Really strange that I cannot think of a single Republican President that has had such fawning media coverage and access. You don’t suppose that these media whores are biased, do you?

/No sarcasm was wasted in this study, really, it wasn’t!

From reading the article, it appears that each spouse has put their children from prior marriages first in priority. I feel this to be an appropriate response.

Like the very venerable 'BUFF' B-52, the B1B needs this due to its age; "The final B-1B was delivered May 2, 1988."

No one can say that we taxpayers are not getting our money's worth out of these programs ... but considering that the B-52A went into service in 1954, we could have not just grandkids but g-grandkids of the original pilots flying them soon, WOW!

I, at least, remember the sickening thump in my stomach as I was told at work about the disaster. I remember the stories of the waiting families as the seconds dragged beyond the time for contact. I remember reading the words of the Houston and Kennedy control centers as the workers were told to lock the doors and archive the data. I remember the search parties from New Mexico to the Gulf States retrieving the small and large debris of that once proud spaceship.

Finally, I remember an America that looked to the future with optimism and confidence even in the face of disaster. Obama and his peers have taken council of their fears and sold our birthright for a mess of phantasm and idiocy! I weep for the future that we are giving up.

Goal of Teachers Unions:

I think, based upon Wisconsin and Michigan, just to name two, you missed several more goals;

6. Keep the union-protecting 'closed shop' which requires all workers to pay to the union.

7. Expand the franchise by including more peripheral jobs to be union members, thus more money in union dues.

8. Set up captive Insurance and health organizations that the public has to pay for in the union contracts that funnel even more money to the union.

Gee, amazing how it all ends up with more money to the unions! FYI: there was a time when the USofA had the best education system in the world but that was before the unions like AFT and NEA! What a surprise!

The obvious place for Obama to start is in the education system, home to his most loyal minions. Expanding Title-9 to not only equal finances but equal roles would allow women and LGBTs into the high school and college football ranks. Female tackles would be ideal for minimizing violent contact, especially when PC speech referees are added and open mikes are required. A sexist remark will get you a 10 yard penalty and on it will go. After college, will come the pros and the LA Rams will be ressurected as the LA Lambs, what joy!

Looks like he, Michael Snyder, is as much a economic doomster as a (perhaps) liberal. The blog, TEC, is "The Economic Collapse Are You Prepared For The Coming Economic Collapse And The Next Great Depression?" I am no fan at all of the big 5 banks but neither am I a fan of the "All bankers are gangsters" either. No bank should be allowed to get so large as to be a danger to the economy by being either too strong or too weak. Anti-trust is the tool to break them down to size and it should, judiciously, be applied!

A for this entry, should anybody be gored for making a good investment? This presupposes that Goldman Sachs did not have the power to cause or ameliorate the conditions upon which they made their profit (which I think is unlikely!) Would this gent have been equally incensed if they had made their bet the other way and lost a bushel of money?

Dear "El Cid?" - Your post caused me to go back to read that most famous campaign speech of William Jennings Bryan, his "Cross of Gold" given at the Democrat Convention in 1896. While this appeal to the then burning issue of 'bimetallism' (silver AND gold as reserve metals), this bit earlier in this speech reminds us that the appeal to class warfare and 'fairness' has a very long history in the Democrat Party;

Upon the side of the idle holders of idle capital, or upon the side of the struggling masses? That is the question that the party must answer first; and then it must be answered by each individual hereafter. The sympathies of the Democratic Party, as described by the platform, are on the side of the struggling masses, who have ever been the foundation of the Democratic Party.

Errr, I think not, a “Public School Teacher” would have immediate union legal aid and, quickly there after, the apologies from all concerned. Now a “PRIVATE SCHOOL” instructor, that I would believe!

However, I ask you to imagine this, a “Home School Parent” being caught with these instruments of mathematical computation. Why, just think of the consequences, the child might actually learn that “1+1” does not equal Obama and that the laws of mathematics and physics do not care about being “FAIR!” What a horror!

Tax preparer organizations will be stacking up returns on their servers ...

I work seasonally at one of the big nationals and have heard (unconfirmed) that one of our rivals has blamed us for processing so many early returns that they can't complete their clients return so they tell their clients that it is all our fault?!

Frankly, we are all shorn sheep by our civil masters in DC and good luck in getting any sympathy out of them! Their mantra is; "I know there is money out there and we want it, NOW!"

No where in this article was this time period defined and in one reference was commingled with the “Dark Age(s)”. So basically this writer is describing myths in a period ranging from 450 to 1550 or so in Europe. Try defining something like that for the past 1100 years in our country. History miss-mash at best.

( Matthew 7:3 ) Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye but don't notice the log in your own eye?

Every group has its "darker vein", when have you noticed yours? Do I lump you with Louis Farrakhan and other extremists of a similar hue? Must you take umbrage on language but fail to criticize your proponent's actions? Methinks you are a hypocrite when you do so!

Why 6 counts of murder??

MAYBE they killed each of them 3 times ... /sarc

More logically, the murder charge is leveled against the perp, so between the 4 accused, each has 1 count and two of them have a second count. My 'guess' (for what it is worth) would be the girls only have a single charge while the guys are accused of killing both victims.

When a fiduciary company gets ‘merged’ with another company as apparently happened here, it behooves a client to take stock and be sure that the new operators are aware of their responsibilities. In her case it sounds like a combination of 2008 hang-over and a degree of bill fatigue as well as malpractice.

A 40k+ monthly retainer ($480k+ per year) on top of operating fees is a whopper of an account! Given the fact that most of these kinds of fees are based upon a percentage of expected income and that 15% seems to be a logical agent fee, Ms Cornwall was, at one time, hauling in about $5 million / year. If, as stated in the article, her portfolio is around a year’s income after 7 years of operation with this company, I’d say this representation was the equivalent of opening the window and throwing out moolah by the handful for days at a time!

Maybe time for a CONSERVATIVE shift?