2013 Q2 FReepathon. Target: $85,000 Receipts & Pledges to-date: $75,083
88%  
Woo hoo!! And now less than $10k to go!! We can do this!! Thank you all very much!! FReepers ROCK!!

Miscellaneous (News/Activism)

Brevity: Headers | « Text »
  • Beverly Cancels Memorial Day Parade Due To Lack Of Veterans

    05/25/2013 6:55:52 AM PDT · by raccoonradio · 14 replies
    WBZ ^ | 5/25/13 | Jim Armstrong
    BEVERLY (CBS) – This Sunday, the streets of Beverly will look just like they always do. And that’s the problem, some veterans say. The city has cancelled its annual Memorial Day parade for what’s believed to be the first time since the end of the Civil War. Many veterans who were gathered at the Herman A. Spear American Legion Post on Friday night are upset by the decision. “It’s not right to me,” says Ron Innocenti. He is a Vietnam veteran who has not only marched in the city’s Memorial Day parade in the past, he says he has also...
  • A Message From the Boy Scouts of America [Just Got Their Pathetic Fundraising Email]

    05/24/2013 5:55:28 PM PDT · by SoFloFreeper · 121 replies
    Boy Scouts office of Development and Corporate Alliances | 5/24/13 | Craig H Shelley
    The reasons you have supported the Boy Scouts of America for more than 103 years have not changed. We will continue to be a leader in youth development and our Scouts will continue to be committed to their communities. With more than 2.6 million youth members, last year Scouts collected over seven million pounds of food for the hungry and contributed more than 13 million hours of service to their communities, and more than 57,000 Scouts earned the rank of Eagle – our largest class ever. After embarking on months of comprehensive discussion and receiving an outpouring of support and...
  • Black Spanish teacher claims she was fired for using the word ‘negro’ in class

    05/24/2013 9:14:06 PM PDT · by grundle · 37 replies
    yahoo.com | May 24, 2013
    In the annals of political correctness run amok in American schools, this story — if true — is easily an all-timer. A junior-high school Spanish teacher has filed a lawsuit alleging that she was fired from P.S. 211 in the Bronx in March 2012 because of a misunderstanding over the word “negro.” The non-tenured teacher, 65-year-old Petrona Smith, maintains that she was instructing her class about how to say the various basic colors in Spanish, reports the New York Post. The word “negro” naturally came up because “negro” is the Spanish word for “black.”A seventh-grade student in the class took...
  • Viewpoint: Mars - what we've learnt in five years

    05/24/2013 6:38:40 PM PDT · by OddLane · 28 replies
    BBC News ^ | May 24, 2013 | Tom Pike
    On 25 May, it will be five years since Nasa's robotic spacecraft Phoenix touched down in the Martian "arctic". Here, Dr Tom Pike, one of the mission scientists on Phoenix, explains what we've learnt about the Red Planet in that time. I'm tightly sandwiched between missions to Mars. I'm still analysing data from Phoenix, while building hardware for the seismometers launching on InSight. In my spare time, I like to keep an eye on the data coming down from Curiosity. Although workdays and weekends are rather blurred, there are some dates I take great care to remember. Five years ago...
  • FR Needs More Monthly Donors! Please Sign-up with Jim right now! [2nd Quarter Freepathon]

    05/24/2013 3:49:07 PM PDT · by onyx · 114 replies
    FREE REPUBLIC | May 24, 2013 | onyx
    Free Republic News Our New Monthly Donor Campaign is underway! Fifty-One FReeper-Patriots are already New Monthly Donors. Generous FReepers have Sponsored $10 each for each New Monthly Donor! Donating Monthly is an Ideal way to Reliably support FR! Please sign-up here today! During our 1st Quarter FReepathon SEVENTY FReepers and former Readers signed-up to Donate Monthly, which meant that FR received $700.00 extra from generous sponsoring FReepers!!! We currently have generous FReeper sponsors who have prepaid $700.00 for sponsorship's of SEVENTY New Monthly Donors! We're very optimistic that many of y'all will sign-up to Donate Monthly. Please ask yourselves...
  • Obama Hosts Illegal Aliens in Oval Office – After Refusing Meeting with Immigration Agents

    05/24/2013 12:47:36 PM PDT · by montag813 · 16 replies
    Stand With Arizona ^ | 05-24-2013 | John Hill
    Obama's White House door is always open to illegal aliens.American schoolchildren and ICE agents? Not so much.- Barack Obama continues to show his utter contempt for the rule of law, law enforcement officials, and American citizens. Obama and his V.P. Joe Biden on Tuesday met with three illegal aliens in the Oval Office who have been granted his controversial "deferred action legal status" - which is being challenged in court by ICE agents. Remember that back in March, using the phony "sequestration" excuse, Obama canceled all White House tours for American schoolchildren and others, generating widespread outrage. Apparently the only...
  • A Call For Prayer

    05/24/2013 12:35:56 PM PDT · by Lloyd Marcus · 11 replies
    LloydMarcus.com ^ | May 24, 2013 | Lloyd Marcus
    My fellow Americans, I wish to speak to you not as a political activist, but as a Christian. In all candor, my heart is heavy. Numerous headlines suggest that we are losing the culture war. As of January first, The Boy Scouts of America will accept gay scouts, but not gay scout masters. As expected, a move is already underway to force the Boy Scouts to accept gay scout masters as well. Let me be clear, there has always been gay boy scouts. But when you officially accept openly gay scouts, you are in essence approving the activity. Conservative Virginia...
  • Chuck Norris: Tim Tebow should be Jacksonville Jaguar

    05/24/2013 8:56:04 AM PDT · by SoFloFreeper · 49 replies
    NFL ^ | 5/23/13 | Dan Hanzus
    Chuck Norris has shared his feelings about Tim Tebow. Finally. The martial arts legend, Hollywood action star, random fact-generator inspiration and occasional bearer of very bad news recently wrote an opinion column -- a manifesto really -- on his remarkably deep well of feelings for Tim Tebow. Seriously. Chuck Norris really likes Tim Tebow. He needed 1,463 words to express his admiration for the free-agent quarterback. It reads like he could have went on for a few thousand words more.
  • Racist Dogs? Advice for When Friends' Pets Don't Like You

    05/24/2013 6:16:32 AM PDT · by NotYourAverageDhimmi · 68 replies
    The Root ^ | May 22, 2013 | Jenée Desmond-Harris
    You've done your research, so you're aware that doggie racism is a real thing. Cue the "Stop playing the race card" chorus asking, "Has it really come to this?" Yep, it has. OK, the term "racism" is a bit loaded with all sorts of human baggage. But it will do. After all, it is well-known that individual dogs can develop aversions to people with certain characteristics -- from men with beards to children to people who carry keys or smoke cigarettes to, yes, those with a particular complexion. How does an entire group get stereotyped and scorned by man's best...
  • THE QUESTIONS ON PRAYER ASKED OF LT. COL. OLIVER NORTH WHEN LOIS LERNER WAS AT THE FEC

    05/23/2013 3:29:11 PM PDT · by TBP · 5 replies
    The Blaze ^ | May. 23, 2013 | Jonathon M. Seidl
    Story highlights: Lois Lerner, the embattled director of Exempt Organizations at the IRS, served as head of the Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) enforcement division from 1986 until 2001. While there, the FEC sued the Christian Coalition for allegedly conspiring with political candidates. During the case, representatives for the FEC asked intrusive questions on religion of several people involved, including Lt. Col. Oliver North. At one point, a representative demanded to know details regarding Pat Roberstson praying for North after reading a letter from North to Robertson indicating as much. The group’s attorney also noted that during the investigation third parties...
  • 911 Dispatcher Tells Woman About To Be Sexually Assaulted There Are No Cops To Help Her

    05/23/2013 2:13:03 PM PDT · by grundle · 10 replies
    CBS News Seattle ^ | May 23, 2013
    Full title: 911 Dispatcher Tells Woman About To Be Sexually Assaulted There Are No Cops To Help Her Due To Budget Cuts JOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore. (CBS Seattle) — An Oregon woman was told by a 911 dispatcher that authorities wouldn’t be able be able to help her as her ex-boyfriend broke into her place because of budget cuts. Oregon Public Radio reports that an unidentified woman called 911 during a weekend in August 2012 while Michael Bellah was breaking into her place. Her call was forwarded to Oregon State Police because of lay-offs at the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office only...
  • Euro Tour CEO apologizes for saying 'colored'

    05/23/2013 10:22:01 AM PDT · by oxcart · 20 replies
    Associated Press ^ | 05/23/13 | AP
    <p>VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) -- The head of the European golf tour apologized for using the term "colored" during a live television interview Thursday in which he was reacting to the spat between Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia.</p> <p>European Tour CEO George O'Grady said that "most of Sergio's friends are colored athletes in the United States."</p>
  • Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted: voter fraud exists, not an epidemic

    05/23/2013 9:07:34 AM PDT · by Deadeye Division · 6 replies
    The Columbus Dispatch ^ | Thursday May 23, 2013 | Darrel Rowland
    Husted: voter fraud exists, not an epidemic By Darrel Rowland The Columbus Dispatch Thursday May 23, 2013 10:54 AM Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted said this morning that voter fraud does exist in Ohio but it is not an epidemic. During a press briefing, Husted outlined 135 possible voter fraud cases during the 2012 presidential election that were referred to law enforcement for more investigation. Twenty of those cases included people who apparently voted in Ohio and another state — including 8 in Florida — and have been sent on to Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. A total of...
  • Study: Women 40 Percent More Likely To Develop Mental Illness Than Men

    05/23/2013 9:01:56 AM PDT · by Errant · 84 replies
    CBS Atlanta ^ | May 23, 2013 | NA
    There is a gender gap for mental illness, with females being up to 40 percent more likely to develop some type of mental health condition than their male counterparts.
  • Obama prom pictures surface

    05/23/2013 8:17:25 AM PDT · by rightwingintelligentsia · 156 replies
    CBS News ^ | May 23, 2013 | Kelli Alman
    More than 30 years after he graduated high school, President Obama's senior prom pictures have emerged in public, featuring the president when he was 17 years old, clad in a white sport coat and a lei, posing for pictures with his friends. The photos, obtained by TIME, show Mr. Obama, then a student at Punahou School in Hawaii, hanging out with his date Megan Hughes, his friend Greg Orme, and Orme's date Kelli Allman (then McCormack), according to Allman, who provided the photos to TIME. "It was a really fun, happy time. We were all cracking up, and everyone was...
  • Former T supervisor had no license for 5 years

    05/23/2013 6:04:03 AM PDT · by massmike · 11 replies
    http://bostonherald.com/ ^ | 05/23/2013 | Richard Weir
    A former T bus supervisor drove T vehicles for five years with a suspended driver’s license — a clear violation of the authority’s rules — the Herald has learned. Kevin Graney, 60, was allowed to retire in March from his $86,000-a-year job, one month after the MBTA suspended the 20-year veteran because he lacked a valid driver’s license, the T said. Former co-workers told the
Herald that among Graney’s job 
responsibilities was disciplining and term­inating bus drivers when they lost their licenses for more than 100 days.
  • Vanity - Darrel Issa is FAIL. We need to replace him with a Tea Party guy ASAP.

    05/22/2013 7:07:49 PM PDT · by NoLibZone · 74 replies
    May 22 2013 | NLZ
    Iss is not in any position to take lead in the investigation of the many Obama crimes. He had a GREAT opportunity and he blew it . He should have kep her and had every one ask her questions as she rattled off ," I plead the fifth."
  • Where's Hillary hiding?

    05/22/2013 7:15:36 PM PDT · by Kevin in California · 84 replies
    05-22-2013 | Me
    Seems she's pulled a Houdini since her infamous "what difference does it make?" Seriously, any ideas on her whereabouts and/or why we've not heard/seen her in some time?
  • Disney to offer Star Wars fans limited time chance to 3D print themselves as stormtroopers

    Opportunity incorporates high-end facial scanning and 3D printing technologies Disney, which recently took over the Star Wars franchise, is offering fans of the movie series the chance to 3D-print their faces on to Stormtrooper figurines as part of the company’s upcoming Star Wars Weekends.  Disney is offering Star Wars fans the chance to 3D-print their faces onto the bodies of stormtroopers. 3D printing has seen an incredible rate of adoption in recent months, and this promotional event marks one of the technology’s first major introductions to the general public. The commitment on part of the Star Wars fan is about...
  • Armed DHS agents at IRS Protest in St. Louis County, May 21, 2013 [video of police state in action]

    05/22/2013 8:21:38 PM PDT · by grundle · 23 replies
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrcZs-ABN-cResidents of St. Louis County met in front of the IRS offices on May 21, 2013 to protest the IRS' practice of targeting and harassing conservatives, patriots and Tea Party supporters. There were no city or county police there, ONLY DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY POLICE. According to the IG report, the IRS began targeting conservative organizations, especially Tea Party groups, in Feb. 2010, (although there is much evidence that they have been targeting conservative groups and Christian groups since the 1980's.) The IRS agents were directed to target organizations with the words "patriot" or "tea party" in the names. The...
  • U.S. acknowledges killing of four U.S. citizens [without due process] in counterterrorism operations

    05/22/2013 7:22:08 PM PDT · by grundle · 18 replies
    Washington Post ^ | May 22, 2013 | Karen DeYoung and Peter Finn
    The Obama administration acknowledged Wednesday that it has killed four Americans in overseas counterterrorism operations since 2009, the first time it has publicly taken responsibility for the deaths. Although the acknowledgment, contained in a letter from from Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to Congress, does not say how the four were killed, three are known to have died in CIA drone strikes in Yemen in 2011: Anwar al-Awlaki, his 16-year-old son and Samir Khan. The fourth — Jude Kennan Mohammad, a Florida native indicted in North Carolina in 2009 — was killed in Pakistan, where the CIA has operated...
  • Obama, in a Shift, to Limit Targets of Drone Strikes [killed 4 US citizens without due process]

    05/22/2013 7:17:38 PM PDT · by grundle · 21 replies
    New York Times ^ | May 22, 2013 | CHARLIE SAVAGE and PETER BAKER
    As part of the shift in approach, the administration on Wednesday formally acknowledged for the first time that it had killed four American citizens in drone strikes outside the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq, arguing that its actions were justified by the danger to the United States.
  • West Point Adviser Charged with Videotaping Female Cadets in Shower

    05/22/2013 6:37:12 PM PDT · by Perdogg · 16 replies
    A West Point Academy staff member faces charges after being accused of videotaping female cadets in their showers and locker rooms, Pentagon officials said. Sgt. 1st Class Michael McClendon allegedly planted cameras in the facilities and recorded the women without their knowledge, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
  • India Becomes Fourth Country to Ban Captive Dolphin Shows (now classified as "non-human persons")

    05/22/2013 1:44:36 PM PDT · by presidio9 · 51 replies
    Ecorazzi ^ | May 22, 2013 | China DeSpain
    In a wonderful move for wildlife, India has become the fourth country (along with Costa Rica, Hungary and Chile) to ban captive dolphin and orca shows, a la those featured at “parks” such as Sea World. India has declared that cetaceans’ high level of intelligence grants them the status of “non-human persons,” which elevates the animals’ rights. The new law partly stems from the fact that cetaceans do not historically fare well in captivity. India’s Ministry of the Environment and Forests stated in the ban, “Confinement in captivity can seriously compromise the welfare and survival of all types of cetaceans...
  • Piers Morgan: Why, How Dare a Foreigner Like Dana Loesch Take an Aggressive Political Position

    05/22/2013 12:43:31 PM PDT · by Perdogg · 29 replies
    Piers Morgan: Why, How Dare a Foreigner Like Dana Loesch Take an Aggressive Political Position on a Horrific Attack in My Home Country! He can't believe the affrontery of a foreigner offering pungent commentary on a horrific crime shortly after it has occurred, nor the gall of this interloper to dare to tell a country of which she is not a citizen what gun-control laws they ought to have to prevent such crimes. So she's now banned from his show.
  • Zimbabwe’s president signs new constitution

    05/22/2013 11:34:52 AM PDT · by Olog-hai · 6 replies
    Associated Press ^ | May 22, 2013 11:29 AM EDT | Gillian Gotora
    Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday signed into law a new constitution and vowed to hold peaceful and clean elections later this year. Mugabe said the new constitution, including democratic reforms and was unanimously accepted in a March referendum, has shown that Zimbabweans are united regardless of political affiliation and was achieved without outside interference. … The new constitution limits the presidency to two five-year terms but is not retroactive, allowing Mugabe, 89, to run against Tsvangirai, 60, for two more five-year terms, enabling him to rule to age 99 if he wins. …
  • Man Being Queried on Tsarnaev Ties Is Killed by Officer

    05/22/2013 11:03:31 AM PDT · by South40 · 34 replies
    NYTimes ^ | May 22, 2013 | MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT
    BOSTON — A man in Orlando, Fla., who was being interviewed early Wednesday morning by law enforcement officers about his ties to the deceased Boston Marathon bombing suspect was fatally shot after he tried to attack the officers with a knife, according to a federal law enforcement official. The officers — who included an F.B.I. agent from the Boston field office and two Massachusetts state troopers — were questioning the man, Ibragim Todashev, about whether he had played a role in a triple murder on Sept. 11, 2011, in Waltham, Mass., which had been one of the biggest mysteries in...
  • Christian Americans Unite To Help Oklahoma Victims

    05/22/2013 10:03:59 AM PDT · by EXCH54FE · 4 replies
    Freedom Outpost ^ | May 22, 2013 | Lorri Anderson
    In the wake of mass destruction and unthinkable tragedy Christians from all over the nation are uniting to help in anyway they can. Journey Church of Norman Oklahoma is working tirelessly to help everyone they can. From victims of this tragedy, to the volunteers that are working in a united effort to help in the massive search and rescue operation, to the clean up of debris. They are offering temporary shelter and food for both victims and volunteers. According to Trisha Tramel of Journey Church, these are the following things we can do to help. Supplies needed: Water, Gatorade, Lunch...
  • California Kids Forced To Celebrate Harvey Milk Gay Day

    05/22/2013 6:29:36 AM PDT · by Texas Eagle · 33 replies
    savecalifornia.com ^ | May 21, 2013 | Randy Thomasson
    Protect your children from 'Harvey Milk Gay Day' Why is a predator of teens being honored in schools? Every year, Harvey Milk "celebrations" are held at participating government schools in K-12 classrooms and assemblies -- around May 22. Get informed and protect your child. How "Harvey Milk Gay Day" is indoctrinating children in classrooms and assemblies WATCH: The facts about Harvey Milk (3-min)
  • Breaking News: MA Lt. Gov Tim Murray to Resign

    05/22/2013 6:13:33 AM PDT · by raccoonradio · 35 replies
    WBZ ^ | 5/22/13 | WBZ
    headline only for now
  • Biden: 'Barack’s Learning to Speak Without a Teleprompter'

    05/22/2013 5:16:06 AM PDT · by Perdogg · 14 replies
    TWS ^ | 05.22.13
    Speaking at a Jewish American Heritage Month reception last night in Washington, D.C., Vice President Joe Biden requested the "teleprompter in the room to be taken down," according to the pool report.
  • R.C. Sproul’s Crucial Questions eBooks Now Free Forever [Kindle & Itunes]

    05/21/2013 6:06:10 PM PDT · by SoFloFreeper · 21 replies
    ligonier.org ^ | 5/21/13 | Nathan Bingham
    To further help Christians know what they believe, why they believe it, how to live it, and how to share it, from today the eBook editions of R.C. Sproul’s Crucial Questions series will be free forever. Can I Be Sure I’m Saved? (Kindle) (iTunes)Can I Have Joy in My Life? (Kindle)Can I Know God’s Will? (Kindle) (iTunes)Can I Trust the Bible? (Kindle) (iTunes)Does God Control Everything? (Kindle)Does Prayer Change Things? (Kindle) (iTunes)How Should I Live in this World? (Kindle) (iTunes)What Can I Do with My Guilt? (Kindle) (iTunes)What Does It Mean to be Born Again? (Kindle) (iTunes)What Is Baptism? (Kindle) (iTunes)What Is Faith? (Kindle) (iTunes)What Is the Trinity? (Kindle) (iTunes)Who Is Jesus? (Kindle)...
  • What is "Obama" saying when he claims he SPOKE to No One about Benghazi, IRS Tea Party, Fox news

    05/21/2013 6:36:53 PM PDT · by Understand the stimulus · 35 replies
    Intelligence | 4 21 2013 | self
    For weeks Obama has made the "claim" that no one 'Told' him or spoke with him about the three major scandals surrounding Obama's Team the past few weeks in 2013, Electronic communication including blackberry, IMs, Emails etc have accounted for 90% of when someone might be TOLD the MSM editors allow OBAMA to fade the word spoke or told without explaining what these words mean...its similar to Clintons "what is is " ? Obama is using words to skirt awareness and he needs to held to questions about IMs and Blackberry...how does valarie jarret communicate with him, how does white...
  • Sergio Garcia makes 'fried chicken' remark about Tiger Woods

    05/22/2013 1:53:08 AM PDT · by SoFloFreeper · 34 replies
    CBS ^ | 5/21/13 | Larry Hartstein
    Sergio Garcia's spat with Tiger Woods went to another level Tuesday. Asked in jest at the European Tour awards dinner in London whether he'd invite Woods over for dinner during next month's U.S. Open, Garcia replied, according to The Guardian: "We will have him round every night. We will serve fried chicken." Garcia later apologized, issuing this statement: “I apologize for any offense that may have been caused by my comment on stage during the European Tour Players' Awards dinner. I answered a question that was clearly made towards me as a joke with a silly remark, but in no...
  • FBI ID's Benghazi suspects - but no arrests yet [Obama opposes using military to arrest them]

    05/22/2013 12:50:20 AM PDT · by grundle · 10 replies
    Associated Press ^ | May 21, 2013 | KIMBERLY DOZIER
    WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has identified five men who might be responsible for the attack on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year, and has enough evidence to justify seizing them by military force as suspected terrorists, officials say. But there isn't enough proof to try them in a U.S. civilian court as the Obama administration prefers.
  • Class Calls IRS Rude, Crude and Abusive [Obamacare violates medical privacy of 10 million people]

    05/22/2013 12:07:44 AM PDT · by grundle · 6 replies
    courthousenews.com ^ | March 14, 2013 | REBEKAH KEARN
    SAN DIEGO (CN) - A lurid but vague class action accuses corrupt and abusive IRS agents of stealing 10 million people's medical records without a warrant - including "intimate medical records of every state judge in California."
  • Two Obamacare Mandates That Dramatically Expand The Internal Revenue Service's Power

    05/21/2013 11:53:52 PM PDT · by grundle · 1 replies
    Forbes ^ | May 17, 2013 | Avik Roy
    Much of the talk in the news this week regards the appalling scandal involving IRS targeting of conservative non-profit groups. So it’s worth noting that Obamacare dramatically expands the authority and the scope of the Internal Revenue Service. Two provisions in particular will require thousands of new IRS agents, and billions in funding, to enforce: the law’s individual mandate, forcing most Americans to buy government-approved health insurance; and its employer mandate, forcing most employers to take money out of workers’ paychecks to purchase costly health insurance on their behalf. Here’s why these two provisions are so intrusive, and why the...
  • The Walking Dead: Bad Lip Reading version

    05/21/2013 9:30:23 PM PDT · by Vince Ferrer · 2 replies
    Bad Lip Reading ^ | May 2, 2013 | Bad Lip Reading
    Ladies and gentlemen, a bad lip reading of the Walking Dead. "The Walking (And Talking) Dead" — A Bad Lip Reading of The Walking Dead
  • "I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors." - Barack Obama

    05/21/2013 7:23:21 PM PDT · by grundle · 39 replies
    Forbes ^ | Barack Obama
    "I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors." - Barack Obama Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisconover/2012/10/12/presidential-debates-highlight-what-the-health-care-debate-already-revealed/
  • Conservative group sues IRS, IRS employees for tax status, damages [IRS OSHA ATF & FBI harassment]

    05/21/2013 5:40:01 PM PDT · by grundle · 16 replies
    Daily Caller ^ | May 21, 2013 | Caroline May
    The conservative Houston-based True the Vote filed suit against the Internal Revenue Service in federal Washington, D.C. court Tuesday, requesting the court grant the organization tax-exempt status and damages from IRS harassment. “We’ve been waiting for three years to receive a decision from the IRS about our tax exempt status,” True the Vote President Catherine Engelbrecht said in a statement. “After answering hundreds of questions and producing thousands of documents, we’re done waiting. The IRS does not have the power to pocket veto our application. Federal law empowers groups like True the Vote to force a decision in court –...
  • David Bowie bassist Trevor Bolder dies aged 62

    05/21/2013 4:40:25 PM PDT · by the scotsman · 17 replies
    BBC News ^ | 22nd May 2013 | BBC News
    'Trevor Bolder, the bassist in David Bowie's legendary 1970s backing band Spiders From Mars, has died from cancer at the age of 62. Rock band Uriah Heep, whom Bolder joined in 1976, announced the death of "a world-class bass player" and "world-class friend" on their website. He stopped playing with the band a few months ago because of poor health. Bolder appeared on classic Bowie albums including The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. "Trevor was an all-time great, one of the outstanding musicians of his generation and one of the finest and most influential...
  • True the Vote Files Suit Against the IRS [harassed by IRS, OSHA, ATF, and FBI]

    05/21/2013 3:48:48 PM PDT · by grundle · 18 replies
    National Review ^ | May 21, 2013 | Ian Tuttle
    True the Vote, a Houston-based nonprofit dedicated to fighting voter fraud, has filed suit in federal court against the IRS, asking the court to grant its tax-exempt status (three years after applying) and seeking damages for unlawful actions taken by the IRS against the organization. Catherine Engelbrecht, a member of the Harris County, Texas, tea-party organization King Street Patriots, founded True the Vote after serving as a poll worker during the 2008 elections. Observing how understaffed polling places seemed to encourage voter fraud, she established True the Vote to train poll workers to “true” the vote: “to research the voter...
  • Who is Ed Mezvinsky? [Can Anyone Verify This?]

    05/21/2013 2:10:15 PM PDT · by SoFloFreeper · 41 replies
    Email | 5/21/13
    Edward "Ed" Mezvinsky born January 17, 1937, is a former Democrat congressman. As a Democrat, he represented Iowa 's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives for two terms, from 1973 to 1977. He sat on the House Judiciary Committee that decided the fate of Richard Nixon. He and the Clinton's were very politically intertwined for years. In March 2001, Mezvinsky was indicted and later pleaded guilty to 31 of 69 charges of bank fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud. He was sentenced to 80 months in (Federal) prison. Ed Mezvinsky embezzled more than $10 million...
  • Am I the only one who finds this commercial offensive?

    05/21/2013 3:02:07 PM PDT · by Maceman · 86 replies
    Watching my beloved America sink into the mire of tyranny under the most cynical and corrupt leaders, with all of our traditional founding principals forgotten or trampled on, as our politicians and academics continue their War on our Constitution and core American values, I find this commercial to be particularly insulting. Am I the only one? Am I over reacting? Or is it OK to watch all of our nation's values and icons mocked to sell hot dogs? I'm just asking. 50 years ago, in the America I grew up in, perhaps this commercial would have been OK. Maybe cute,...
  • SURVEY: Zero conservatives selected to deliver 2013 commencement speeches at Ivy Leagues

    05/21/2013 3:15:45 PM PDT · by grundle · 22 replies
    Campus Reform ^ | May 21, 2013 | Oliver Darcy
    The list of keynote commencement speakers at Ivy League institutions for 2013 does not include a single conservative, a recent study authored by the conservative Young America’s Foundation (YAF) found. Instead seven of the elite schools opted to invite ideological liberal speakers such as media billionaire Oprah Winfrey, Vice President Joe Biden (D), Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D), Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I), among others. Only Brown University, which chooses a commencement keynote from among its students, did not have a 2013 speaker who is generally associated with the left. YAF spokesman Adam Tragone told Campus Reform on Tuesday the list...
  • IRS Worker Used Federal Plastic For Amazon Buys [she did this for four years without punishment]

    05/21/2013 3:10:36 PM PDT · by grundle · 64 replies
    The Smoking Gun ^ | May 21, 2013
    Entrusted with a government credit card, an Internal Revenue Service worker allegedly used the plastic for a years-long Amazon.com shopping spree that netted her hundreds of items, including a chocolate fondue fountain; Bollywood movies; Pampers; Harlequin romance novels; Omaha Steaks; Apple Bottoms skinny jeans; mango body wash; and a Ginsu knife set. According to a court filing, Oseni was given a Citibank MasterCard for the “purchase of office supplies for her business unit.” However, a probe by the Treasury Department’s inspector general determined that Oseni has made scores of unauthorized purchases since being provided the IRS credit card in mid-2009....
  • Sub-Text Into Darkness – Look! It Moves! by Adi Tantimedh

    05/21/2013 11:34:44 AM PDT · by Bratch · 17 replies
    Bleeding Cool ^ | May 20 2013 | Adi Tantimedh
    YES, THERE ARE SPOILERS.It’s generally a bad idea to go into darkness. You tend to bump into things and hurt yourself. You break things and people will get very cross.And yes, there are fans very cross at STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS. To them, this is STAR TREK dumbed down. It’s looking backwards and recycling old storylines in a banal way. It shits on Gene Roddenberry’s legacy. It’s hollow fanservice. The counterargument is this is STAR TREK for the kids, for people who have never seen Star Trek or liked it before.I don’t hate STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS. It’s a fast,...
  • Right-wing historian shoots himself in Notre Dame cathedral 'in protest at gay marriage'

    05/21/2013 10:32:00 AM PDT · by LonelyCon · 39 replies
    Daily Mail ^ | May 21, 2013 | Sam Webb
    A right-wing historian shot himself dead in front of hundreds of tourists at the altar of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris today, apparently in protest at France's legalisation of gay marriage. Dominique Venner, who had recently been campaigning against gay marriage in France, is said to have calmly walked past the crowds milling around the 850-year-old Cathedral, one of the most popular tourist sites in the world, before taking out a Herstal automatic pistol. The 78-year-old put the gun in his mouth and fired before collapsing on to the altar, according to French media reports.
  • Severe Weather Outbreak in Plains, Day 3 (OK, TX, AR)

    05/21/2013 9:56:04 AM PDT · by dirtboy · 34 replies
    Tornado Watch issued in North Central Texas:Severe Thunderstorm Watch in Southern Oklahoma:
  • Obama Imperial Presidency Under Siege

    05/21/2013 6:59:11 AM PDT · by Texas Eagle · 21 replies
    chrissstreetandcompany.com ^ | May 21, 2013 | Chriss W. Street
    President Obama directing the arm of a Marine to hold an umbrella to protect him while he spoke to the press seemed to ooze with the symbolism of an Imperial Presidency. The common thread of the Associated Press Scandal, IRS Scandal, Benghazi Scandal, and now a revival of the Fast and Furious Scandal all speak to an Administration exercising unlimited power in the pursuit of their agenda, while also exercising unlimited power in punishing anyone that gets in their way. The Obama Imperial Presidency reminds me of the attitude of British King George III about the American colonies: “A traitor...