Getting out front a few years later

More revelations about our imperial presidency. See what happens when you elect a man for non-essential reasons—like slogans, skin color, and flowing rhetoric—things we used to say didn’t matter?

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, 3 in Yemen and 1 in Pakistan; one was only 16 years old. And why exactly should we believe it was 4 and not 40 or 400? Are they telling us now so we'll feel better about their overseas counterterrorism and less outraged by the terror Americans now feel about Obamacare with the IRS in charge? Washington Post, May 23

A review of recent history: "The Internal Revenue Service official in charge of the tax-exempt organizations at the time when the unit targeted tea party groups now runs the IRS office responsible for the health care legislation.

Sarah Hall Ingram served as commissioner of the office responsible for tax-exempt organizations between 2009 and 2012. But Ingram has since left that part of the IRS and is now the director of the IRS’ Affordable Care Act office, the IRS confirmed to ABC News today." ABC News, May 16 .

And then yesterday

“Former IRS chief Doug Shulman told a congressional hearing this morning that he “absolutely” did not inform the White House of the IRS’s targeting operation and investigation.

Citing evidence that Shulman visited the White House 118 times between 2010 and 2011 and received information about IRS political targeting from 132 members of Congress, Representative Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) asked whether Shulman had ever mentioned this information to White House officials.

“Absolutely not,” replied Shulman. “It would not have been appropriate.””

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/349056/former-irs-chief-%E2%80%98absolutely%E2%80%99-never-mentioned-political-targeting-wh-ian-tuttle

I would have fired an employee (hard to do with Civil Service) if mischief, mayhem and malfeasance had been kept from me, because I knew I had to answer to my boss.  Obama doesn’t think he has a boss; certainly not us, not God.

Change—it’s time for a

Gutfeld has a way with words

Little guard dog

On May 20, 2013, the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s office posted this picture of a dog on their Twitter account "scared, but this little pup survived".  Then they found out the story behind the picture. The dog was standing guard over a deceased individual, possibly its owner, in Moore, OK,  following the tornado there. The dog was taken to a shelter and the deputy who found the pup, if possible, plans on adopting the dog. Man's best friend to the end.

Even liberals catch on. . .

Musing on the scandals—some of which I’m forgetting

Just a guess, of course, but I think Sharyl Attkisson, the Emmy-award winning CBS News investigative reporter who has covered Benghazi and now thinks her computer may have been compromised, will probably not get the backing from CBS she is hoping for. After all, what's in it for CBS except the wrath of Obama?

http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2013/05/sharyl-attkissons-computers-compromised-164456.html

What a surprise. Lois the the Leaker, the director of the Internal Revenue Service’s Exempt Organizations division, Lois Lerner, is invoking the Fifth Amendment and will not appear before Congress to answer questions about the agency’s targeting of Tea Party and other conservative groups. She'll be subpoenaed. She knew a year ago (at least) what was going on.

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/348973/lerner-take-5th

What is so dangerous about a group of women who find people registered to vote who list empty parking lots as a residence? For starters, it's scary for Democrats to be held accountable. It's so scary, the founders need to be audited.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/20/group-fighting-voter-fraud-among-those-waiting-on-/

Steve Miller, the departing IRS acting head, has admitted his really bad idea to “leak” the story and bury it on a Friday afternoon. Last week he denied it—or maybe walked around it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/22/us/politics/senate-testimony-irs-scandal.html

Justice Department names a reporter (James Rosen) a criminal, read his private e-mails and tracked his whereabouts, right on the heels of the expose of the AP phones.  MSM reporters seem to be waking up to what he crook Obama is. But not Jay Carney.

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/justice-departments-scrutiny-of-fox-news-reporter-james-rosen-in-leak-case-draws-fire/2013/05/20/c6289eba-c162-11e2-8bd8-2788030e6b44_story.html

Since when was being stupid better than being sneaky?

Obviously, I'm not a politician, but I can't understand why the Obama administration would use the excuse of being incompetent, stupid boobs whose top officials lied to the president about everything he should know and provided bad "customer service" rather than they were targeting political enemies. The IRS story and who knew what when, now has almost as many versions as the Benghazi story.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday that Chief of Staff Dennis McDonough and other senior officials knew of the general nature of the report but decided to keep the president in the dark about the report’s finding that the IRS had targeted conservative groups for extra tax scrutiny.  http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/domestic-taxes/300753-carney-white-house-officials-knew-of-irs-targeting-but-didnt-tell-obama#ixzz2TxLFp7OH

Exasperated senators questioned the truthfulness of former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman, who led the agency from 2008 to 2012, and outgoing acting IRS chief Steven Miller. Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah accused Miller of a "lie by omission." http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/21/us-usa-irs-idUSBRE94F10Y20130521

Steven T. Miller, the departing Internal Revenue Service chief, took responsibility on Tuesday for planting a question May 10 at a closed-door meeting with tax lawyers that prompted a top I.R.S. official to disclose that the agency had targeted conservative groups, an awkward move that prompted the inquiries now moving ahead on Capitol Hill.  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/22/us/politics/senate-testimony-irs-scandal.html?_r=0

America has been at war with its doctors for a decade

“The fundamental paradox of the regulatory state in medicine is that physicians face constant impediments to the actual care of patients.”

“a cultural assault on [doctors’] their fundamental spirits of risk-taking, innovation, and professional autonomy.”

“a gross devaluation of the economic value of their work. Minimal pay from insurers – particularly Medicare and Medicaid – for life-or-death work is the new norm.”

“there is an army of non-physicians, now known as providers, waiting at the ashes of the battleground of America and its physicians.”

Mona Kotecha, MD

And from Bev, who is caring for her 90 something parents:

I have several stories to tell... Even if you have always been able to afford health insurance, the rules of the game have drastically changed in the last three years. If a specialist you have seen for 20 years does not take the new insurance the government forced you to buy you cannot pay out of pocket to stay with that provider. You must get a referral from your GP (if you have one that takes your insurance) and start all over with a new specialist.The GP must send a new referral every year to the specialist. I was told recently by a doctor that with all the insurance possibilities out there I was foolish for picking an HMO for my parents.  Apparently an HMO causes paperwork nightmares for that doctor's staff. When both parents are ninety and have ongoing health concerns you cannot shop around. Because of the government and insurance the doctor loses and the patient loses. It is a lose-lose situation.

Those of us who are considered seniors are a drain on the health system anyway according to the new health laws. I think I studied something about what ultimately happened to those who were found unfit and a drain to society in high school and college history classes. It has been a bad two weeks for me navigating our new improved insurance and medical system.

Another scandal

I’m losing track. They are like the Clinton era bimbo eruptions. Dennis Burke, former aide to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and former U.S. Attorney for Arizona, retaliated against  the whistleblower in the gunwalking fiasco called Fast and Furious. He leaked information, misleading his bosses and violating legal ethics during the “Fast and Furious” firearms-smuggling scandal according to a Justice Department IG report.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2013/05/report-faults-former-us-attorney-dennis-burke-for-164374.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/us/politics/dennis-k-burke-criticized-for-fast-and-furious-leak.html?_r=0

Is this still America?

True the Vote

“True the Vote” mission statement:  “True the Vote is an initiative developed by citizens for citizens, meant to inspire and equip volunteers for involvement at every stage of our electoral process. We promote ideas that actively protect the rights of legitimate voters, regardless of their political party affiliation.”

“Legitimate voters.” “Regardless of political party affiliation.” Sounds reasonable enough. Founder Catherine Engelbrecht applied for nonprofit status for “True the Vote” and “King Street Patriots” in 2010.

To date, this is what Engelbrecht has endured says Paula Priesse: 1) An FBI visit & phone calls 2) A 3 day on-site IRS audit of both the family machine shop & personal returns 3) 5 IRS info requests over 2 years, including every Facebook post and tweet 4) 2 unscheduled ATF audits of the shop & 5) A visit from OSHA who levied 25K in fines Wow! The FBI, IRS, ATF & OSHA all at one time. What are the odds? And 3 years later, Engelbrecht still hasn’t received IRS approval.

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2013/05/20/dojs-witch-hunt-against-true-the-vote-n1601527

Such terrible news coming from Oklahoma

Many children killed in Oklahoma tornado

Two elementary schools hit in Moore, Oklahoma.

Time for ghoulish political humor. “Daily Show” co-creator Lizz Winstead says it was aimed at conservatives in a tweet. Sicko.

Shocked and awful

"The president, as usual, acts as if all of this is totally unconnected to him. He's shocked, it's unacceptable, he'll get to the bottom of it. He read about it in the papers, just like you. But he is not unconnected, he is not a bystander. ... It is not even remotely possible that all this was an accident, a mistake. Again, only conservative groups were targeted, not liberal. It is not even remotely possible that only one IRS office was involved. ... What happened at the IRS is the government's essential business. ... Everyone involved in this abuse of power should pay a price, because if they don't, the politicization of the IRS will continue -- forever. If it is not stopped now, it will never stop. And if it isn't stopped, no one will ever respect or have even minimal faith in the revenue-gathering arm of the U.S. government again. ... This is not about the usual partisan slugfest. This is about the integrity of our system of government and our ability to trust, which is to say our ability to function." --columnist Peggy Noonan

Monday memories—no college debt

An article in today’s WSJ reports the average student graduates with $30,000 indebtedness.  I'm surprised the  debt is "only" $30,000. I got married before I finished college, so I had to "borrow" my senior year's tuition from my dad and pay it back, which I did. He was sort of old fashioned and figured once married I was a responsible adult, possibly my husband’s responsibility. Costs at a state university were about $1000/year, so let's say it was $4000 for 4 years in 1961. That's $31,250 in 2013 for inflation.

So why were so many people graduating then without debt? No student loans or grants, and very few scholarships would be my guess. The more money available, the higher the tuition and fees charged by academe.

 http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2013/05/18/number-of-the-week-class-of-2013-most-indebted-ever/?mod=e2tw

             

1958 Father’s Day, University of Illinois at McKinley Hall (I still have that dress in my “archives.”)

Now we know why Obama wanted electronic medical records, unproven to save money or lives

The President admits he has no skills?

The President's race/blame card at a college graduation. Our "Ivy League-educated former community organizer made sure the new grads [at Morehouse] were aware that — in his apparent opinion — “the bitter legacies of slavery and segregation” are not over and that not “for the grace of God” he might be in prison, unemployed or unable to take care of Michelle, Malia and Sasha."

Is he admitting he had no talent or leadership skills and only luck and white folks put him in the White House? He didn't say that to Ohio State graduates; why did he say it to black graduates who have accomplished so much?

http://www.conservativeblog.org/amyridenour/2013/5/20/black-conservatives-call-obamas-morehouse-commencement-speec.html?SSScrollPosition=0

Why do we need the 501c exemptions in the tax code?

IRS targeted 9/12 groups because of Glenn Beck, whom they audited, and Billy Graham and James Dobson's organizations plus other Christian groups and Jewish groups that support Israel. Christians groups were denied for not presenting other view points!  Do they ask Muslim groups to support scanty clothing for women?

In order to get the government out of our business, we need to drop the 501c classes in the revenue code--there are 28 of them. It's just a way to keep track of political enemies and to make them do the government's bidding. All administrations probably do it, but most have been Democrats, and now with Chicago mobsters in office, it's getting worse. Most of these groups in the recent "customer service problem" [Steve Miller’s term] said nothing as the process dragged out 2 years because of fear. That way they couldn't organize and help each other.

Even during the Bush years I was checking on 501c3 groups and it is ridiculous what passes for "educational, art, literary and sports" organizations. Just pay the taxes and get the government out of your organization. And that includes churches.

In May 2012 Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan wrote to the I.R.S. asking for information about all “social welfare” groups that had applied for tax-exempt status in 2010 and 2011, to determine whether the I.R.S. was targeting conservative groups. Big shocker—the approvals started rolling.

Bumper stickers

              

I was driving behind a car the other day with 4 stickers--Obama 2008, War is not the answer, something justice, and something child abuse. I wondered if she bought it that way (rather old), or if she knew how many wars Obama has dabbled in since 2009 and he hasn't closed Gitmo. Wondered if she knew aborted alive babies don't have rights according to Illinois state senator Obama.

Bernadine of Siena—May 20

Whether you're Protestant or Catholic, a "saint of the day" book is an inspirational daily read. Most of these people lived and worshipped before the splits in the church. May 20 is Bernadine of Siena. I think what impressed me about him was he could draw crowds of 30,000 when preaching about sin and vice. No loud speakers, no apps on cell phones, no cameras held up to catch his photo. (no port-a-potties) When he told people to throw their gambling tools into a community bonfire, the manufacturers of playing cards complained he was ruining their livelihood. But in many of our churches we see his work on vestments and paraments. He's the one who promoted the IHS symbol, the first 3 letters of Jesus' name in Greek.

"Worship" is one of those pesky exceptions about not doubling the p. I have to look it up when I use it. The rule is, most verbs ending in ‘p’, like develop or gallop, after an unstressed vowel, have no doubling of that final consonant in standard received British English or American English. But there are exceptions: worship, handicap, kidnap.  I have no idea why.  Just one of the joys of our spelling system.

According to Wikipedia “A Parament or Parement; (from Late Latin paramentum, adornment, parare, to prepare, equip), a term applied by ancient writers to the hangings or ornaments of a room of state. Later it has referred to the liturgical hangings on and around the altar, as well as the cloths hanging from the pulpit and lectern, as well as the ecclesiastical vestments and mitres. In many usages, it is synonymous with altar cloth.”

You may recall (or not) there was a mini-scandal about the IHS being covered up and replaced by the Presidential symbols when Obama spoke at Georgetown (a Catholic university) in April 2009. Just the beginning of many such incidents involving religion. Factcheck confirms this.

Georgetown honored the White House staff’s request to cover all of the Georgetown University signage and symbols behind Gaston Hall stage. The White House wanted a simple backdrop of flags and pipe and drape for the speech, consistent with what they’ve done for other policy speeches.

Very much the monarch.

Gosnell was found guilty; but there are more out there

“Houston doctor Douglas Karpen is accused by four former employees of delivering live fetuses during third-trimester abortions and killing them by either snipping their spinal cord, stabbing a surgical instrument into their heads or 'twisting their heads off their necks with his own bare hands'.”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2325786/Douglas-Karpen-Second-house-horrors-abortion-clinic-investigated-Texas.html

http://www.operationrescue.org/archives/sordid-history-of-abortionist-karpen-should-be-considered-by-tx-medical-board/

IRS hearings more scary than Benghazi

“U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) told the tale of one of his constituents who applied for tax-exempt status for her Tea Party group in July 2010. Twenty months later she got her first response from the IRS, a letter with dozens of questions. She answered them all, but she’s still waiting for approval. However, during the intervening three years she was visited by the FBI’s domestic terrorism unit, had four additional FBI inquiries, had both her personal and business taxes audited and been the subject of an OSHA inspection.”

I’m assuming he was talking about Catherine Engelbrecht of True the Vote who appeared on Huckabee last night and told how she was audited by IRS after applying for tax exempt status in 2010 for the organization and was asked hundreds of intrusive questions plus was investigated by FBI, OSHA, EPA and ATF for a total of 17 encounters with the federal government.

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/opinion/editorials/2013/05/irs_breaks_the_rules

You Democrats need to be very worried—you could be hit the next time if this type of terrorism against American citizens is allowed to continue. Usually it has been used by Democrats (FDR, JFK, LBJ) but occasionally a Republican gets caught (Nixon).

Seventeen encounters of the Soviet kind

Catherine Engelbrecht of True the Vote was interviewed by Mike Huckabee tonight.  She was audited by the IRS after applying for tax exempt status in 2010 for the organization and was asked hundreds of intrusive questions about her personal life plus got investigated by FBI, OSHA, EPA and ATF for a total of 17 encounters with the federal government. She'd had no visits or inquiries (in her business) the previous 20 years.

Liberals complain that big corporations, special interests and lobbyists control election funding, but when the little guy tries to get involved, the government smacks them down with its power to destroy.

Sometimes I feel like we're living in the now defunct Soviet Union which used these tactics. Now that this abuse is in the open, more will be coming forward I'm sure to follow Engelbrecht’s brave example in going public with what has happened to her.

http://blog.chron.com/texassparkle/2013/05/the-abuse-of-power-by-our-government-on-true-the-vote/

“Know Nothing” Obama

Senior officials in the Treasury Dept. were told in June 2012, in the middle of the campaign, about the targeting and blocking of status of groups with names like Tea Party, 9/12, constitution, patriot, etc. in their name.   According to Obama, he wasn't told.  Benghazi happened on 9/11/2012, late in the campaign, and Obama said he went to bed and knew nothing, and even 2 weeks later was spreading the lie he seemed to accept without question about the video at the United Nations. Why is he surrounding himself with people who tell him about a gay basketball player coming out of the closet, but not important things?  I’m betting he knows nothing about the emerging EPA scandal about granting waivers for public records fees to liberal “green” groups while denying requests for conservative organizations. The full force of the federal government is conspiring against conservatives. And it comes from the top.

“[Steve] Miller only stoked the criticism of many Republicans, who are assailing the administration on a sudden spate of other controversies, as well, even as some Democrats tried to contain the political damage.

The Head of the Treasury Dept. was told in June 2012, in the middle of the campaign, about the targeting and blocking of status of groups with names like Tea Party, 9/12, constitution, patriot, etc. in their name. “

http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_23273115/official-treasury-department-knew-irs-probe-june-2012

Why are Finns falling?

Why are older Finns falling? TBIs among older Finns have increased dramatically since 1970--an increase of 289% among women and 315% in men. Since Finns have always been heavy drinkers and have had a socialist medical system for years, I'm going to guess it's polypharmacy--too many prescription drugs. There are trade-offs for living longer and the pills that help us do that.

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1685851

Book Club selections for 2013-2014

2013-2014 Book Club Schedule--meeting time is 2 PM.  See your member list for details of address and e-mails

               

Sept. 9--The Greater Journey by David McCullough  led by Carolyn A.  at Barb’s home

Oct. 7--Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary Schmidt led by Letha  at Beechwold Panera

Nov. 4--Shanghai Girls  by Lisa See led by Margie  at Beechwold Panera

Dec. 2--The Play of Isaac   by Margaret Frazer  led by Jean  at Carolyn A's

Jan. 6--There Is No Alternative: Why Margaret Thatcher Matters  by Claire Berlinski led by Peggy at Beechwold Panera

Feb. 3--The Hobbit    by J. R. R. Tolkien led by Justine  at Beechwold Panera

Mar. 3--The Last Runaway   by Tracy Chevalier  led by Carolyn C.   at Beechwold Panera

Apr. 7--Left Neglected   by Lisa Genova  led by Adrienne   at Beechwold Panera

May 5--Maisie Dobbs   by Jacqueline Winspear  led by Rachel  at Carolyn C's

Armed Forces Day, May 18

Benghazi—eye of the beholder

Bubba visits Karen in hospice

       

Karen Krahn of Cudahy, Wisconsin joined the Madison Police Department in 1995 after earning her bachelor's degree in Biology at UW-Whitewater, and in 2002 was promoted to Sgt. In Dec. 2011 she was diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer that attacked her lungs and bones, but fought back and returned to work in July. On May 9 she retired, and is now in hospice. I am sure this visit from Bubba was thoroughly enjoyed. (info from the Madison Police Blotter concerning an award she was given)

Bubba is an 18.1 hand high 2,000 lb Percheron/Clydesdale who works in the Madison Police Mounted Horse Patrol.  These horses have a small, but mighty volunteer group that posts about their activities on Facebook which is where I got the photo.

http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/blog/?Id=1018

Waiting for the fat lady to sing the last note of Benghazi

The Benghazi scandal still hasn't brought it all to daylight--like the reason Christopher Stevens and the CIA were there (to bring down Muammar Gaddafi) and what about the gun running for Syrian rebels, and how the U.S. has completely lost control to Libyan rebels worse than the dictator they replaced. Obama and Clinton are probably thrilled to have the IRS scandal take our eye off the fact they have miserably failed to protect the world from Muslim fundamentalist terrorists we're militarily supporting.

 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/55191

Speaking of eyes, I see the Washington Post has a section called "Federal Eye; keeping tabs on the federal government." Someone poked their eyes out, because since 2009 they've hardly been able to find a thing amiss in the most corrupt administration in our brief history.  I don’t know the classification of the woman who cam up with the Bolo system to block conservatives at the IRS who is now doing Obamacare, but she got over $100,000 in bonuses for being such a loyal, outstanding government employee.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2013/05/17/watchdog-says-awards-for-gsa-executives-were-excessive-system-lacked-transparency/

For three years President Obama publicly suggested that conservative political groups were engaged in nefarious deeds; publicly called out by name political opponents whom he'd like to see harassed; and publicly had his party pressure the IRS to take action.[Kimberly Strassel, WSJ, May 17]. In my memory (don't remember FDR), I don't recall a President who so demeaned the office by ugly remarks about his opponents, not even Nixon, and then had the lapdog media follow behind licking up the garbage he left behind. The AP snooping and the IRS harassment are no surprise--but don't let them cover over the Benghazi cover up just because they are closer to home. It's seamless.

But Steve Miller wouldn’t call it targeting the IRS customers

“In May 2010, the Determinations Unit [of the IRS] began developing a spreadsheet that would become known as the “Be On the Look Out” listing (hereafter referred to as the BOLO listing), which included the emerging issue of Tea Party applications. In June 2010, the Determinations Unit began training its specialists on issues to be aware of, including Tea Party cases. By July 2010, Determinations Unit management stated that it had requested its specialists to be on the lookout for Tea Party applications.” (Treasury Inspector General report)

In 27 months, not a single Tea Party group got status.  During that time, many progressive/liberal/socialist type groups, including the “Barack H. Obama Foundation” were cleared with no problem.  Ironically, the hearings were held on the 40th anniversary of the Watergate hearings.  Another case of an over reaching president going after his enemies.

http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/14/irs-official-lerner-approved-exemption-for-obama-brothers-charity/

http://60plus.org/irs-target-60-plus-association-steve-miller-testimony-shameful/

 

All the scandals are linked to the First Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

All the scandals—the HHS Mandate, Benghazi, IRS targeting conservatives, Department of Justice snooping on the press--swirling around the President right now involve the First Amendment. Even Benghazi--he tried to lie about it for weeks and blame it on one person's 1st amendment right to make a derogatory film--which wasn't even true, but he cast aspersions on that right, never the less. He has no respect for us or our founding documents.

It’s against the rules

When I saw this yesterday something looked very wrong—like toy soldiers holding umbrellas.  I’d never seen it before.  Apparently, it’s another mistake our President made with the military.  It’s just not done.  He has plenty of aides.  Couldn’t they have just step back a bit and been in shelter? Bush held his own umbrella.

Erdogan comes with a set of his own problems.

http://world.time.com/2013/05/16/turkeys-erdogan-visits-the-u-s-four-problems-that-wont-be-solved/

Roe v. Wade

IRS: 'Please Detail the Content of Your Members' Prayers.'

Yikes.  The Internal Revenue Service, the folks who will have charge of your medical care under Obama’s new invasive health care law, asked an Iowa group this who were applying for 501c3 status.  Pro-life groups were asked what they were doing to present the other side!  What? 

I watched the hearings today.  The acting IRS commissioner, Steven Miller, said that he believes the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups was “absolutely not illegal,” but he did acknowledge that it was inappropriate.  Inappropriate is the 5 syllable word for sin, wrong and bad.  It sounds like they are all talking to pre-schoolers who have just taken away a toy.  If there were ever a reason for conservative patriot groups to feel they are being targeted for vindictive treatment by the Obama administration, this Miller guy would be it. Arrogant, snotty, blind to what his agency has done, and oblivious to the laws that have been broken.  (He objected to the word “target.”)  And he’s resigning early, will get a golden parachute, and probably go to work for a Democrat think tank or law firm at a higher salary.

http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-miller-irs-testimony-scandal-conservatives-tea-party-2013-5

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/17/irs-scandal-steven-miller_n_3292408.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/irs-hearing-steven-miller-91552.html

http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/17/irs-official-on-targeting-tea-party-it-is-absolutely-not-illegal/

Friday family photo

Guess which one has a convertible?

Mother’s Day brunch, May 12, 2013

What is the thread connecting all the scandals?

Down memory lane

You can’t make these things up

ABC broke this story.

“The Internal Revenue Service official in charge of the tax-exempt organizations at the time when the unit targeted tea party groups now runs the IRS office responsible for the health care legislation.

Sarah Hall Ingram served as commissioner of the office responsible for tax-exempt organizations between 2009 and 2012 (the current scandal). But Ingram has since left that part of the IRS and is now the director of the IRS’ Affordable Care Act office, the IRS confirmed to ABC News today.

Her successor, Joseph Grant, is taking the fall for misdeeds at the scandal-plagued unit between 2010 and 2012. During at least part of that time, Grant served as deputy commissioner of the tax-exempt unit.”

Michele Bachmann asks

Who ordered the political witch hunt by the IRS against Tea Party groups, Pro-Israel, Conservative, and Christian organizations? Who ordered no military response in Benghazi? Who ordered journalist phone lines to be tapped? Who ordered the EPA to provide more waivers to green-leaning groups over conservative ones?

Comparing Nixon and Obama

No need to clone humans

There have been no medical break through using stem cells from human embryos, only from using adult stem cells. And those are considerable and expanding every day. So why are they cloning human embryos? Because they can and we've lost our moral compass.

Scientists at the Oregon Health and Science University accomplished in humans what has been done over the past 15 years in sheep, mice, cattle and several other species. The achievement is likely to, at least temporarily, reawaken worries about “reproductive cloning” — the production of one-parent duplicate humans.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/oregon-scientists-get-stem-cells-from-cloned-human-embryos/2013/05/15/dc011cbc-bdac-11e2-9b09-1638acc3942e_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260584.php

Lloyd Marcus challenges Julian Bond

Julian Bond says it was unfair for IRS to target civil rights groups, but OK for IRS to harass tea party and patriot groups because they are "admittedly racist." Can he cite a source? Are the blacks who are members of the Tea Party groups then racists also? Lloyd Marcus, a black Tea Party member, challenges Bond for details.

http://www.lloydmarcus.com/?p=3516

“As a black tea party activist who has participated in over 400 tea party rallies, I am confident that your claim is bogus. Therefore Mr Bond, you sir are a despicable liar, severely compromising your image as a statesman. You and your ilk purposely inspire hate in low-info black voters against tea party patriots who simply said no to Obama’s socialist agenda and trashing of the Constitution. Shame on you Mr Bond.”

In 2005 when the IRS under Bush was investigating political activity of the NAACP and its tax status,  Julian Bond said “I thought the right to condemn a president of the United States came to every American, whether he or she heads a tax-exempt organization or not” now says “I don’t think there’s a double standard at all” when asked if he can understand what Tea Party leaders are going through.

Wisconsin schools save millions

Wisconsin schools are saving millions on health insurance after their governor stood up to the unions. Act 10 took health insurance off the collective bargaining table and allowed school boards to select insurance companies. Formerly they had to deal with an insurance company owned by the union.

http://eagnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/First-Years-of-Freedom-report.pdf

http://walker.wi.gov/Documents/Act_10_Success_Recap.pdf

http://watchdog.org/78127/wis-act-10-leads-to-lower-school-premiums-new-report-finds/

What exactly is a 501c4?

The Planned Parenthood Action Fund is a 501c4--and it plans to crash a GOP event this weekend in Virginia to fight its gubernatorial nominee Ken Cuccinelli II.  It is a branch of Planned Parenthood Federation of America which kills babies and is a 501c3--it's called a charity. Both are affilicated with the Democratic party, and neither are hasseled by the IRS.

“Just as 501(c)(3) organizations are often referred to as “charities,” those exempt under 501(c)(4) are called “social welfare organizations,” sometimes described as a step down from charity, or “charity-lite.” What’s the difference? Unlike charities, (c)(4)’s cannot offer their donors charitable contributions deductions on their income taxes, a serious disadvantage in fundraising; the trade-off is that (c)(4)’s can engage in unlimited lobbying in furtherance of social welfare (charities can do some), and in some candidate electoral activity (how much is debated; charities cannot do any). In addition to being more empowered politically, (c)(4)’s are permitted to confer somewhat more benefit on their members, their neighborhood or some other group that cannot qualify as a charitable class.” (Rosemary Fei)

Five viewpoints

How nasty was the IRS to conservative groups?

IRS asked pro-life group to pledge not to protest Planned Parenthood in exchange for tax exemption.

Planned Barrenhood, of course, is a big Obama supporter, and it gets a lot of federal money. He's the only president to appear at their gala, and 35% of abortions are for black women (57% in New York City). PP puts its clinics in minority neighborhoods.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/16/claim-the-irs-targeted-pro-life-groups-too/#ixzz2TTMNl2NT

Two weeks ago in Columbus, Ohio, our President assured the new graduates. . .

The IRS is in charge of enforcing Obamacare

“This March the IRS Inspector General reiterated that ObamaCare's 47 major changes to the revenue code "represent the largest set of tax law changes the IRS has had to implement in more than 20 years." Thus the IRS is playing Thelma to the Health and Human Service Department's Louise. The tax agency has requested funding for 1,954 full-time equivalent employees for its Affordable Care Act office in 2014.

Instead of going after tax cheats, these bureaucrats will write and enforce tax regulations for parts of the economy in which they have no core competence. For example, do ski instructors or public school teachers count as seasonal workers? How long is a "full time" work week? Is it 40 hours, or 30?”

Read more here.

Who goes to jail?

So the acting head of the IRS (for the last 6 months, with one month to go) has been fired, even though the snooping and blocking of conservative patriot groups had been going on for several years? Nice cover.

But let’s say, just for laughs, that some low level IRS employees at the Cincinnati office thought up these 30 page forms and 2 year delays on their own.  That on their own they requested screen shots of Facebook pages, and details about the families of board members, where they worked and who they were friends with.  Did no one go to his superior and say, “In the training I received to become a loyal government civil servant, I was taught this was illegal.  What should I do?”

What did you do when asked by your employer to do something illegal or you saw crazy behavior on the job?  I’m pretty sure destroying state property is illegal and going berserk on the job is dangerous for the other employees, so when my boss began acting erratically back in 1978, I called her boss.  She never did see that she had the problem (she threw a telephone through a window, breaking the glass, then pulled it back in and threw it through a second window) only that the people around her were acting stupidly.

http://www.ibtimes.com/former-cincinnati-irs-employee-says-supervisors-likely-knew-about-targeting-conservative-groups#

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-denounces-reported-irs-targeting-of-conservative-groups/2013/05/13/a0185644-bbdf-11e2-97d4-a479289a31f9_story.html

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/16/irs-scandal-is-no-low-level-job/

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/local/a-timeline-of-the-irs-s-scrutiny-of-the-right-1.143466

Where to start?

"Jay Carney, whose unenviable job is not to explain but to explain away what his employers say, calls the IRS' behavior 'inappropriate.' No, using the salad fork for the entree is inappropriate. Using the IRS for political purposes is a criminal offense. ... Liberals, whose unvarying agenda is enlargement of government, suggest, with no sense of cognitive dissonance, that this IRS scandal is nothing more sinister than typical government incompetence. Five days before the IRS story broke, Obama ... warned Ohio State graduates about 'creeping cynicism' and 'voices' that 'warn that tyranny is ... around the corner.' Well." --columnist George Will

"Can we not at least agree that the Obama administration has established a culture conducive to the type of stereotypical thinking that could lead to this? Didn't the Department of Homeland Security under this administration list right-wing groups as extremists and potential terrorists? Hasn't President Obama himself referred to tea partyers as 'tea baggers'? Haven't other Democrats deliberately depicted tea party groups as violent extremists who are a hair trigger away from armed revolution? Liberals have been trying to vilify conservative talk radio for years now, suggesting that its strong political opinions lead to violence. That is preposterous, but if we were to apply the same type of standard to Obama, we could say that he has personally fomented a climate of hate against conservative groups, such that the IRS targeting was completely foreseeable. Surely, it's fair to hold the president to his own standard." --columnist David Limbaugh

"With lies, as with potato chips, it is hard to stop with just one. ... The problem with telling a lie, or even a succession of lies, is that a very small dose of the truth can sometimes make the whole thing collapse like a house of cards. The State Department's own foreign service officer Gregory Hicks was in Libya during the [Benghazi] attack, so he knew the truth. When threats were not enough to silence him, it was then necessary to try to discredit him. After years of getting glowing job evaluations, and awards of honors from the State Department for his work in various parts of the world, Mr. Hicks suddenly began to get bad job evaluations and was demoted to a desk job in Washington after he spoke with a Congressman about what he knew. The truth is dangerous to liars." --economist Thomas Sowell

"We may be disgusted and horrified by Kermit Gosnell, but we should not be shocked by his crimes. Thanks to the misguided social entrepreneurship of the Supreme Court, abortion is protected as a constitutional absolute, and late-term abortions, grisly as they are, enjoy substantial protection as well. What that looks like in practice is Gosnell's slaughterhouse. We should not pretend that this evil does not extend past the Philadelphia city limits. If you would have an unlimited abortion franchise, then you will have all that goes with it, including the pitiless knife of Kermit Gosnell." --National Review

From Patriot Post,  May 15, (probably investigated by the IRS since “patriot” is in its name)

Liberal bias in the local library

    

Very appropriate. An information donkey. I don't know about school librarians, but public librarians are 223:1 liberal to conservative (based on a 2004 survey by party). In case you don't think that affects what is purchased for your local library, I have a story to tell you about the IRS. Library purchases can make or break a publisher. So that in turn affects which authors get contracts to publish.

God bless you, Planned Barrenhood

There are four scandals haunting the White House right now--Benghazi, IRS, Department of Justice, and EPA (charging conservatives fees that "greens" don't pay). But a 5th one should take precedence--the Kermit Gosnell trial and verdict. All this other news has swept it under the rug.

Although this is Pennsylvania's responsibility, when Barack Obama was an Illinois state senator, he voted against legislation that would have protected children born alive after botched abortions on a number of occasions. He hasn't even commented on this butcher--and when speaking at Planned Barrenhood, said, "God bless you!"

From the Kitchen Cabinet—News and Opinion by women for women

“Tea Party groups, led in many US communities by WOMEN who scraped grocery money together to file as non-profit organizations, had their paperwork SHELVED while liberal political groups were rapidly approved by IRS Cincinnati and Washington offices.

Do you really believe IRS agents and lifetime bureaucrats would think to do this on their own? Put their jobs on the line to harass tea party folks? In 2011? Not even an election year? This was not the brainchild of the IRS or even IRS senior officials. This was the ground strategy of the Barack Obama 2012 Re-election campaign.

And now, in an age when the front page is dominated by debates over Gay Rights and the Obama administration's liberal mandate to DELIVER them on his watch, suddenly America is talking about a new kind of CIVIL RIGHTS violation: of THE MIDDLE CLASS.”

https://www.facebook.com/changewashington

Gosnell in whiteface—George Tiller

“ObamaCare is being constructed by Kathleen Sebelius, former governor of Kansas and friend and collaborator with the late George Tiller, who was assassinated by a distraught anti-abortion activist in a case well-covered and widely publicized across the country. Tiller, another specialist in late-term abortion, was no different in essence from Gosnell. It is claimed that he destroyed the lives of his victims while their heads were still in the vaginal canal, making the process legal (according to Justice Ruth Ginsburg, among others). His premises were cleaner, and he had superior methods of disposing of the remains, not finding it necessary to mince them and flush them down the toilet. But he was a Gosnell in whiteface all the same.”
Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/05/if_obama_had_an_uncle.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook#ixzz2TM65S8jb

But hard to swallow

I don’t really believe he’ll be impeached—FDR, JFK, LBJ all used the IRS to go after their enemies, but only the Republican Nixon resigned. He actually cared about the reputation of the office.

What goes around. . .

The media  ignored the Tea Party complaints that the IRS was targeting them--3 years.  The media wouldn't dig into the Benghazi story.  Now that DoJ is targeting journalists, whoa Nellie!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress/acting-irs-commissioner-repeatedly-failed-to-tell-congress-that-tea-party-groups-were-targeted/2013/05/13/4009e25c-bc2c-11e2-b537-ab47f0325f7c_story.html

EPA and FOIA

Another scandal for Obama administration? The EPA waives fees for leftist environmental groups under Freedom of Information Act, but not for conservative groups who sometimes have to go to court to get information. IRS, DoJ, WH, State, now EPA. Who's next? http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/washingtonbureau/2013/05/14/conservative-group-accuses-epa-of.html

Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) found that the EPA waived fees on 75 out of 82 FOIA requests made by environmental groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council and Greenpeace. But it denied fee waivers on 14 of CEI’s 15 FOIA requests. Other conservative groups also were often denied fee waivers, according to CEI.

Change one letter

PREP for sex

Obamacare funnels $75 million annually into Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP), “which must be used exclusively for Planned Parenthood-style “comprehensive” sex education programs where no type of sex is wrong and the only sexual behavior PP considers “unsafe” is becoming pregnant.”

“Hidden within Obamacare, Section 2953, Title II, Subtitle L : “Personal responsibility education” states that $75 million a year will be divvied to public schools across the nation under the covert name PREP which stands for Personal Responsibility and Education Programs.

PREP is the cover for Planned Parenthood’s involvement in sex education in public schools. Planned Parenthood has become a “partner agency” with certain middle schools to assist in developing curriculum that explains how to maintain a good sexual health and working with national marketing firms to create adverts that appeal to teenagers.”

http://www.occupycorporatism.com/how-the-dark-side-of-the-abortion-industry-influences-policy-education/

You’re not paranoid if they really are out to destroy you!

Just low level IRS workers in Cincinnati, Ohio

Since 2009 they’ve been working on this.  But it was a bit above those Cincy workers pay grade.

“So where did "lower level IRS employees in Cincinnati" get the idea to impede Tea Party Constitution groups?

Let's review the possibilities: President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi; Former DNC Head Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Senator John McCain, Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA), Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO); New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg; USA Today's DeWayne Wickham; MSNBC's Rachel Maddow and Chris Matthews; ABC's Brian Ross and George Stephanopoulos; The New York Times' Frank Rich, Maureen Dowd, Nicholas Kristof and Thomas Friedman; The Washington Post's Richard Cohen, Dana Millbank, and Eugene Robinson; and the Editors of the Wall Street Journal.

And these are just the tip of the iceberg, the fountainhead of the fabricated cascade of false information meant to destroy the Tea Party movement, Patriot, Constitution and Small Government groups.”

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2013/05/those_crazy_lone-wolf_low_level_irs_employees.html#ixzz2TIAVyhSE

Morphing

White House Briefing—going badly for Carney

Poor Jay Carney. Benghazi is far worse than Watergate, and yet he tells US to check our history (Tuesday, May 14, press conference). Has to stand in front of the nation which doesn't believe a word and then gripe that the Benghazi tragedy is just a political side show by the Republicans, that the IRS story is an "if" and that Obama doesn't support the leaks snooping by Department of Justice and Eric Holder, his best bud.  He lamely whines about the "worst recession since the Great Depression." (That's code for this is all Bush's fault.)

Obama made clear yesterday he has been lying through his teeth about who did what when by "rewriting" the history of the last 8 months. On Sept. 25 he was still blaming a video for Sept. 11 attack. Hillary blamed a video in “comforting” the families and swore to get the film maker; Rice blamed a video on 5 talk shows. They all knew it wasn't true. Then he repeated that lie when he knew it was a planned terrorist attack and not a video when he told it on Sept. 25 at the United Nations, which he circuitously denied yesterday:

"That is what we saw play out in the last two weeks, as a crude and disgusting video sparked outrage throughout the Muslim world. Now, I have made it clear that the United States government had nothing to do with this video, and I believe its message must be rejected by all who respect our common humanity. It is an insult not only to Muslims, but to America as well -- for as the city outside these walls makes clear, we are a country that has welcomed people of every race and every faith."

Why doesn’t Obama speak out about the biggest news story? Because

When Barack Obama was an Illinois state senator, he voted against legislation that would have protected children born alive after botched abortions on a number of occasions. That's why there is not a peep from him about Kermit Gosnell (who was found guilty of 4 murders yesterday)  snipping the spine of born alive babies. He believes in the intention of the abortion, not the result. He was quick to speak out on an gay NBA player who'd hid in the closet for 20 years, quick to call Sandra Fluke about her demands for birth control at a Catholic university, and quick to malign the Boston police on behalf of his buddy Louis Gates, whose neighbors had called about a break-in.  But defend a helpless baby? No.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/13/kermit-gosnell-found-guilty-murder

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/jury-in-kermit-gosnell-trial-hung-on-two-charges/2013/05/13/b4444bdc-bbda-11e2-97d4-a479289a31f9_story.html

http://www.lifenews.com/2013/03/19/gosnell-abortion-clinic-worker-admits-snipping-spines-of-10-babies/

Worse than Nixon’s enemies list—and much bigger

Maybe the news about the IRS being used as a personal tool for the Obama campaign to put up road blocks for fund raising for patriot groups will cover up the news about 1) Benghazi cover up and gun running, 2) Department of Justice snooping and listening in on reporters, 3) the ghoulish Kermit Gosnell abortion murders, and 4) the news that 17 of the nation’s largest insurance companies indicate that with Obamacare, on average, premiums will grow 100% when the law is fully implemented.  Some will soar more than 400%.

Some conservative talking heads are speculating that with three huge scandals (not counting the insurance cost increase since we’ve known for years that would be a disaster), the Obama administration is in trouble. I don't see it. Democrats are incredibly loyal, much more so than Republicans. I used to be a Democrat and when I became a Republican in 2000 it was a big shock to see what wafflers Republicans are since Democrats will go to the grave wrong, but proud to be a Democrat.  Romney lost in 2012 not because of the youth vote or the Hispanic vote but because Republican and Libertarian Christians stayed home and pouted. It's very frustrating. There's a streak of perfectionism in evangelical and fundamentalist Christians that won't be moved.

It’s hard to keep track

IRS snooping on conservatives.  Justice snooping on reporters. Cover ups of Benghazi.  Whistleblowers intimidated.   But . . . he has enough time to call and congratulate a gay basketball player for finally coming out of the closet after a season in which he scored 4 points.

The President is in CYA mode

It's not often you can catch the President in 3 lies in just one paragraph of a news conference. Who believes him that the IRS is an independent agency? It's part of the Treasury Dept. which means (his) Executive branch. He said, "if it is true," but the IRS representative already admitted it late Friday afternoon hoping it would be buried the the week-end news dump. He said he read about the IRS scandal in the newspaper, but his chief counsel had known for 3 weeks that the sh*t was about the hit the fan. Where in the world is this guy when all hell's a popping and why do his staff hide things from him? He knew about the gay basketball player who made 4 points last year and called him.

The earliest reports of harassment by the IRS began in the fall of 2009 by patriot groups, 9/12 groups and others. Lengthy forms requested not only names of board members, but names of their family members; screen shots of their participation at social networking sites. Some of these groups are very small--maybe 20 people in a community. So they just didn't apply for the tax exempt status rather than hire a lawyer. It was pure intimidation and harassment and against the law.

Have a lovely day

Had a lovely brunch at our daughter’s home.  Photos are just so-so.

In 2000 the Dutch legalized prostitution

“Twelve years on, and we can now see the results of this experiment. Rather than afford better protection for the women, it has simply increased the market. Rather than confine the brothels to a discrete (and avoidable) part of the city, the sex industry has spilt out all over Amsterdam — including on-street. Rather than be given rights in the ‘workplace’, the prostitutes have found the pimps are as brutal as ever. The government-funded union set up to protect them has been shunned by the vast majority of prostitutes, who remain too scared to complain.

Pimps, under legalisation, have been reclassified as managers and businessmen. Abuse suffered by the women is now called an ‘occupational hazard’, like a stone dropped on a builder’s toe. Sex tourism has grown faster in Amsterdam than the regular type of tourism: as the city became the brothel of Europe, women have been imported by traffickers from Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia to meet the demand. In other words, the pimps remained but became legit — violence was still prevalent but part of the job, and trafficking increased. Support for the women to leave prostitution became almost nonexistent. The innate murkiness of the job has not been washed away by legal benediction.”

Sin has a way of doing that—makes the bad worse.

You can cross Holland off the cruise list.

When he was a Senator, he grasped the problem

Liturgical abuses in Latin America

“In Latin America, beside the beautifully and carefully celebrated Masses associated with the major popular devotions, liturgical abuses are still alive and constitute a massive problem in the region.

It is not a situation of omitting or changing the rubrics here and there. The liturgical problems are much more serious. They consist of events like priests “concelebrating” the Mass with the youth at the rhythm of tropical songs in Colombia; “consecrating” cakes with Guayaba marmalade in Venezuela; a “reggae” Mass in Panama; or a priest celebrating with vestments portraying Batman and Robin while squirting holy water with a green-and-red water pistol in Mexico.”

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/pope-francis-and-the-liturgy/#ixzz2SzPmeBDx

Welcome to happy clappy Protestantism.

Democrats aren’t blind—just devoted followers

"The Internal Revenue Service is apologizing for inappropriately flagging conservative political groups for additional reviews during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status. Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS unit that oversees tax-exempt groups, said organizations that included the words “tea party” or “patriot” in their applications for tax-exempt status were singled out for additional reviews." [Today's Washington Post] Now, do you recall the comments Obama made at OSU’s graduation  a week ago about those who fear tyranny in government? And the IRS goes after patriot groups because they aren't leftists?

I was a Democrat when Nixon fell from grace and resigned. Watergate was a burglary; no one died. He did the honorable thing—something unknown in government today—to protect the reputation not of himself, or his party, but the office of the presidency.  I didn't know a single Republican who stood by him--they were ashamed that such disgrace had fallen on their guy. Not so with Democrats and Benghazi. I don't know a single Democrat who has abandoned their slavish devotion to Obama. It reminds me of abused wives/girlfriends who keep going back for more after they get out of the hospital and he's released from jail.

Waiting for new glasses

My cataracts are gone, but I’ll need some sort of prescription so that I don’t have to carry around reading glasses (currently using 3 pair, and seem to always be looking for them).  The first few weeks my close up vision was fine, but has slipped some, and distance still has some astigmatism.  When we were at the lake 2 weeks ago, I found a pair from 1989. I’m still adjusting to color—particularly anything in the blue spectrum. According to what I’ve read, some people with cataract removal experience more purple.

Synonyms of hubris

Self-important, proud, vain, smug, arrogant, high and mighty, superior, stuck-up, snobbish, self-satisfied, bigheaded, narcissistic.

Friday Family Photo—Mother’s Days past

From my daughter, 1976, Texas Ware Melamine

From my son, 1977, same project, probably the same teacher.

My handmade card for my mother, probably 1947, second grade in Forreston, Illinois.  Folded with message inside. Not sure who would have cut out the silhouette.