Free Republic

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said Wednesday that he doesn’t trust members of his own party to negotiate a budget conference report. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) asked for a 10th time for unanimous consent to form a budget committee conference to work out the differences between the House and Senate budgets, but Republicans objected unless conferees are prohibited from raising the debt ceiling. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he thought it was “bizarre” that member of his own party didn’t trust that the House Republicans wouldn’t hold the party line in negotiations.

Hmmmm....I wonder why? Could it be the 2012 election? Nah.....couldn't be: E-mails between staff members of the House Oversight Committee and the office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) suggest that the findings of a report on IRS targeting of conservative groups were initially scheduled to be released in September 2012, before the election. It was not formally released until May 14, 2013. “You mentioned your report would be ready in September. Any update for us?” a committee staff member wrote a TITGA employee on September 24, 2012. The employee responded that same day, explaining that “field...

I spent some time shooting Sporting Clays with Ika Ika last weekend. I was kind of gratified to hear him say that when he first read my Google Purge posts, he thought, "That guy's off his rocker." I felt off my rocker when I posted them. But I just could not make sense of what was happening. The pattern of how things should happen was just little bit off. So I wrote those posts, cracked myself up in the process and hit the "publish" button. In the first Google Purge post I observed: Somebody somewhere got the goods on General...

Apple's Bite Apple and its CEO Tim Cook are making history, superseding very serious Administration scandals from the MSM’s consciousness and from the front pages, as they endure a very public assault by Congress for having obeyed corporate and tax laws of the countries in which they conduct business. For decades international corporations have used all tools available to them which might strengthen their business, their health, their market penetration, and their profitability.  For decades most corporations, even small companies, when licensing intellectual property, have followed the rules Congress established, just as Apple has done.  Now, Congress, led by Sen....

I would say 'typical' statist tantrum when denied a fresh power-grab, yet this one is really a bit over the top...  The NY Post (via JWF) is reporting an incident where Mayor Bloomberg confronted a cab fleet operator in a private club over his recent court defeat re. his utopian 'Cab of the Future' program. Hissoner seems to have made quite an ass of himself in fact, threatening at the top of his lungs -with red face- while utilizing the 'F' word twice to underscore his point. And what's he all worked-up about? Seems his cab-replacement program (that was to...

The full face of political evil and arrogance showed its ugly features when progressives went up against the folks. And what we saw were the cruel, prideful, insensitive machinations of an Obama administration whose mantra involves the ends justifying any of their means. Showing no interest in their oath to maintain the public trust, these progressives revealed in real time television their demonic minds at work. When the outgoing IRS chief smirked at one Congressman’s question, hid behind the bureaucrat’s trompe l’oeil of “I don’t know,” and then used the intellectual’s latest, snarky transitional word “So,” we saw how he...

The unfolding IRS scandal is a symptom, not the disease. For decades, campaign-finance reform zealots have sought to limit core political speech through spending limits and disclosure requirements. More recently, they have claimed that it is wrong and dangerous for tax-exempt entities to engage in political speech. The Obama administration shares these views, especially when conservative, small-government organizations are involved, and the IRS clearly got the message. While the agency must be investigated and reformed, the ultimate cure for these abuses is to unshackle political speech by all groups, including tax-exempt ones, from arbitrary and unconstitutional government regulation. Beginning in...

A recent search for new Chevy Volts on cars.com unearthed 9,254 vehicles currently at dealerships for sale. There were another 258 late-model, used Volts available. About half of those had less than 5,000 miles on them. Considering the abysmal sales rate for the self-proclaimed electric wonder-car (1,306 in April for those keeping track), the unofficial inventory numbers point to about a seven month supply of Volts available. Ideal inventory levels are considered to be in the two month range. It may be near time for General Motors to halt production, yet again, for the floundering Volt. The inventory numbers for...

Sales of previously owned U.S. homes rose in April to the highest level in more than three years as housing continued to gain momentum. Purchases of existing houses increased 0.6 percent to an annual rate of 4.97 million, the most since November 2009, according to the National Association of Realtors. The median forecast called for a pickup to a 4.99 million pace. Meanwhile, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) announced that mortgage applications fell 9.8% from the previous week. Mortgage purchase applications fell 3% from the previous week. But purchase applications remain at 2010 levels. Mortgage rates remain very low and...

Obammunist lackeys in-effect begging  for a Special Investigation... As widely expected, the IRS' Lois Lerner took the 5th at IRS targeting hearings on The Hill... but not before an arrogant, defiant diatribe about her years of great 'service' she's gifted us all with, not to mention standard Obammunist m.o.- deflect, divert, deny... then playing like she's pure as the driven snow. And this isn't the first time she's testified before Issa's committee... so that struck a couple of the more principled people in the room to ask 'hey, didn't she just forfeit her right to not testify by giving us that little propaganda spiel?...

I've rarely seen the "iron worker" so angry. He may have been playing for the cameras but he tends to be honest. I'll also point out that he's my representative and that I would have preferred that he get the US Senate nomination instead of Ed Markey and that he'd be a better senator than either Markey or the republican Gomez.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013 Partisan Nation Posted by Daniel Greenfield @ the Sultan Knish blog The use of the IRS to target conservative groups should be the least surprising development in years. Not only does that sort of thing date back to Clinton and JFK, both of whom unleashed the IRS on their enemies, not to mention Nixon who never managed to pull off the things that JFK grinned, did and got away with, but there was no reason for not to do it. The two reasons not to sic the IRS on your enemies are decency and the law....

The Wall Street Journal reports on what National Review Online’s Veronique de Rugy calls one more in the law of ”unintended consequences” to the implementation of our President’s “signature law” – ObamaCare (via Memeorandum -bolded emphasis added by me): "Employers are increasingly recognizing they may be able to avoid certain penalties under the federal health law by offering very limited plans that can lack key benefits such as hospital coverage. Benefits advisers and insurance brokers—bucking a commonly held expectation that the law would broadly enrich benefits—are pitching these low-benefit plans around the country. They cover minimal requirements such as preventive...

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney is sweating it out under the harsh lights of the White House briefing room these days, revising stories and spinning away suspicious facts in what is becoming an almost comical daily exercise in scandal avoidance.

More at Reaganite Republican...

The Tsarnaev brothers’ brutal attack in Boston sparked renewed interest in terrorism in Eurasia. The subsequent disclosure that two students from Kazakhstan allegedly tried to hide incriminating evidence against Djokhar Tsarnaev has only heightened that interest. The not-guilty plea of Fazliddin Kurbanov, the alleged Uzbek terrorist in Idaho, underscores the new threat. And that’s a good thing. Understanding what was and is happening in Eurasia can help us better fight terrorism and prevent future attacks rooted in that region. Chechens and Uzbeks fought in Afghanistan with the Taliban, and fighters from the North Caucasus are involved in Syria on the...

At the risk of being investigated by the by the Gestap---er,uh---, Infernal Revenue "Service" (no typo), I bid you greetings, fellow patriots. Just for fun and an undying thirst for the truth, let's talk about the infiltration of of radical Islamonazis of the State Of Confusion Department under Hitlery Clinton, friend of the PLO and Hamas. Now before we get started, a little housekeeping is in order. I am not a conspiracy theorist. I'm not an Alex Jones groupie. I'm not a Paultard who blames Mossad or the CIA for 9/11/01 between bong hits. I'm simply an observant person who...

Four Armed Colorado River Tea Party Members Exercise Their Rights About 50 people showed up at high noon in Yuma to exercise their First and Second Amendment rights. A common theme among the Tea Party members was that using the machinery of government to suppress dissent and political opposition is the very essence of tyranny. Signs varied from "Shut Down the IRS" to "We will not be Intimidated" to "Obama IRS Tyrant!" to "Congress disregards the Constitution it's up to us to do something" About 50 Protesters Showed up. I counted nearly 40, and several joined the group over...

One of my favorite shows is a program called “Person of Interest’ on CBS. The story revolves around a government computer that knows when someone somewhere is in danger and passes that information along to a team of ex government types who go on to save that particular Person of Interest. The show’s device is that the machine can tap into virtually every piece of electronic data on the planet and harness the video feed from every surveillance camera in the world. While the heroes saving the day makes for a feel good show, it’s never a cakewalk. Besides the...

by Roger L Simon PJM EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Diplomats Report New Benghazi Whistleblowers with Info Devastating to Clinton and Obama May 21st, 2013 - 12:05 am More whistleblowers will emerge shortly in the escalating Benghazi scandal, according to two former U.S. diplomats who spoke with PJ Media Monday afternoon. These whistleblowers, colleagues of the former diplomats, are currently securing legal counsel because they work in areas not fully protected by the Whistleblower law. According to the diplomats, what these whistleblowers will say will be at least as explosive as what we have already learned about the scandal, including details about what really...

Tuesday afternoon a bombshell was dropped into the already explosive IRS scandal when it was reported that Lois Lerner, a top IRS official in the non-profit division that paralyzed Tea Party groups with ongoing harassment, would invoke the Fifth Amendment and refuse to answer questions during Congressional testimony schedule before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. The LA Times reports that Lerner will refuse to answer any questions about what she knows about the targeting of conservative groups. She will also refuse to explain why she is refusing to answer questions. Lerner has retained defense attorney William W. Taylor 3rd,...

During Tuesday's Senate hearings into the widening IRS scandal, Senator Ron Wyden (OR-D) suggested that the conservative groups, targeted for paralyzing IRS harassment and leaks to the left-wing media, had it coming. (snip) (from John Harwood) Sen Wyden: If political groups don't want hassles from government, they shouldn't go to government asking for tax-exempt status.

Sen. Paul's questions today for tax attorney J. Richard Harvey, in regard to Apple and the current US tax code: "SEN PAUL: I don’t know of anybody on this panel who tries to maximize their tax burden. I mean my question for Mr. Harvey : Do you take any deductions on your taxes? MR. HARVEY: Obviously I do. SEN PAUL: Do you choose to maximize your tax burden or minimize your tax burden? MR. HARV...EY: Uh minimize it. SEN PAUL: Do you think you’re a bad person for doing that? MR. HARVEY: Absolutely not."

There is talk about Fox News reporter James Rosen being named as a co-conspirator for the crime of being a journalist. A Fox News correspondent was accused in a Justice Department affidavit of being a possible criminal "co-conspirator" for his alleged role in publishing sensitive security information -- in a leak case that takes the highly unusual step of claiming a journalist broke the law. According to court documents, the Justice Department obtained a portfolio of information about Fox News' James Rosen's conversations and visits to the State Department. This included a search warrant for his personal emails. The effort...

Just as they SHAMELESSLY exploit the deaths of children to a psychopath in Connecticut, the Democrats cannot wait a day to exploit the dead in Oklahoma due to tornadoes. There is no depth of scum to low in which they will immerse themselves. I posted this on May 20th and the swindlers have not failed to do what was expected. (video)

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the second-highest Republican member of the Senate, has drawn a 2014 primary challenger. Erick Wyatt of Rockport, Texas filed papers this week with the Federal Election Commission to run for Senate against Cornyn, the Senate Minority Whip, who is up for re-election in 2014. Cornyn is seen as vulnerable to a challenge from the right, and has said he’s been expecting and preparing for a primary battle. He was one of just three senators who voted against John Kerry’s confirmation as Secretary of State. He cast the vote with Texas’ junior senator, tea party favorite Ted...

The IRS has admitted to harassing conservative groups seeking tax exempt status, singling out for extra special scrutiny organizations which featured “patriot” or “tea party” designations in their name. We now know that a number of these groups were forced to withdraw their applications, being unable or unwilling to continue what in some cases had become a 3 year battle with the corrupt federal agency. But few in the media have bothered to ask who directed the IRS to engage in this criminal behavior. It has been reported that Senators Chuck Schumer and Al Franken addressed a letter to IRS...

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are focused on wooing two conservative Republican senators they consider crucial to expanding support for immigration reform beyond the Gang of Eight and maximizing pressure on the House. Some Democrats believe they have a shot of securing the support of Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), the Senate’s second-ranking Republican, who offered encouraging words early on in the Judiciary panel’s markup of the legislation. But Democrats say they’ll first need to win backing from Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), whom they consider key to getting Cornyn, as well as other Republicans outside the Gang of Eight, on...

Recently I asked if housing was in a bubble. Today, Zillow released their house price data by metro area to get a closer glimpse of a potential housing bubble … again. According to Zillow, Phoenix AZ, Sacramento CA, San Jose CA, San Francisco CA, Modesto CA, Vallejo CA, Las Vegas NV, Reno NV, Stockton CA and Santa Rosa CA all grew over 20% Year over year in terms of house prices. Even Detroit rose 13.97%. While California housing is on fire, not all US cities are rising. Rockford IL is the biggest loser in terms of house prices. And Chicago...

No political campaign ever justifies obstructing justice, or harassing individuals, or compromising those great agencies of Government that should and must he above politics. To the extent that these things were done in the 1972 campaign, they were serious abuses, and I deplore them. As we look at Watergate in a longer perspective, we can see that its abuses resulted from the assumption by those involved that their cause placed them beyond the reach of those rules that apply to other persons and that hold a free society. It became fashionable as individuals and groups increasingly asserted the tight to...

It’s safe to say not too many zeroes are handed out to students who have actually completed their assignment and have handed it in. Most flat-line marks are due to, as seen in the Dorval case, required work the student failed to do. If there is nothing to grade, it stands to reason no grade is given.

Truth is the mortal enemy of the lie. The “Truth” always comes out regardless of how hard individuals try to hide it. I believe with all my heart as do many that there are honorable men and women within government who will not sit idly by and let the crimes continue by those in this current administration. There is an eerie sound coming from the far winds of the earth where many protect our very freedoms. This isn’t going to be pretty for Obama, Hillary, and his administration. Whistleblowers are poised to strike in the escalating Benghazi scandal amongst other...

Gabriel E. Gomez picked up some celebrity Republican support as he hit the campaign trail with U.S. Sen. John McCain 
(R-Ariz.) yesterday. The 2008 GOP presidential nominee called Gomez “the next generation of leadership in this country” and said all is forgiven for Gomez’s 2008 donation to President Obama. McCain said Gomez is a 
bipartisan pol needed to bring balance in the Senate. .“I’m here because I believe in this young man,” he said. “The one thing we need in Washington more than anything else is bipartisanship.” The Arizona Republican was hosting a fundraiser for 
Gomez, who will face off...

MemeCenter.com   h/t twitter

Our friends at Breitbart have been doing an outstanding job focusing attention on some of the grievous abuses of power we see coming from this administration. Here’s yet another example: Dr. James Dobson was a guest on the Hannity show Friday night to talk about the treatment his Christian, pro-family, group, Family Talk Action got from the IRS when they applied for a 501(c)(4), a process he said “went on and on and on” for 19 months. When his lawyer called the IRS to find out what the problem was, an IRS rep named Medley told him, “we don’t think...

Scores were injured and numerous buildings were burnt to the ground in the city of Itsnotsobad in the Islamic Republic of Whereizitstan, after a riot was started by peaceful Muslims who expressed outrage over five straight days of no provocation or insults from the West. Mahmoud Iwannariotbad, a local businessman who sells detonators, wire, and dynamite to the local mosque construction industry, stated that the violence began when a group of men hanging around in his store began discussing the fact that no new anti-Islam films, subway advertisements, or Pamela Geller blog postings had appeared for a number of days....

The war in Afghanistan may be winding down. But the Pentagon’s chief of irregular warfare still sees a war against al-Qaida that will last decades, all over the world -- a prospect that prompted astonishment and constitutional debate in the Senate. ... - Wired.com, 5/16/2013 Two Islamist brothers terrorized Boston for days in April. Just a few days ago Fazliddin Kurbanov was charged in Boise, Idaho with "conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists," according to the Idaho Statesman. The FBI itself said that: ... The Idaho indictment...

The U.S. Supreme Court just announced it will hear in October 2013 the case Galloway v. Greece, concerning freedom of speech and legislative prayer. In 2008 two Greece residents, Susan Galloway and Linda Stephens, filed suit against the town alleging that the town’s habit of having explicitly Christian prayers delivered prior to board meetings flouted the First Amendment. In August 2012, U.S. District Court Judge Charles Siragusa disagreed, ruling that prayers in Jesus’ name were not a violation of the U.S. Constitution. But a three-judge panel of the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in May 2012 overturned Siragusa’s decision...

The Battle of Athens (sometimes called the McMinn County War) was a rebellion led by citizens in Athens and Etowah, Tennessee, United States, against the local government in August 1946. The citizens, including some World War II veterans, accused the local officials of political corruption and voter intimidation. Here is what happened: Following World War II in 1946, violence erupted when returning American soldiers discovered their Tennessee county had been taken over by political corruption. Their plan to take it back involved bullets—lots of bullets—and dynamite. Why Athens in McMinn County, Tennessee became a battleground was due to Paul Cantrell,...

It now seems clear that the Department of Homeland Security’s stockpiling of ammunition and other warfare supplies can no longer be dismissed as “conspiracy theory,” but is a very real development in the actions of an overreaching federal government. Many have suggested and assumed that the ammo and gun shortage experienced across the country is the result of private citizens’ unprecedented purchases, in recent years, in preparation for impending gun control measures. While this is true in part, it is only half of the logical explanation that can be assessed based upon available facts. This phenomenon has been described as...

There is far too much subversion for a small Government to handle. The Administration needs to be protected no matter how high the cost.Considering all the matters with which our grand and glorious Federal Government is forced to deal on a daily basis we need more, not less, of it. It cannot be expected adequately to respond to the many vicious attacks coming from the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy unless it expands sufficiently to deal with them. Here, for example, is a vile attack published by one member of that disgraced conspiracy, the Daily Pest Beast. Following the attack in...

A new set of rules imposed on educational institutions by the US Departments of Justice and Education threaten to make every student vulnerable to charges of sexual harassment. The new rules condemn “any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature.” Examples of offenses include Joe asks Sue for a date. Sue regards this request as unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature. Mike overhears two classmates privately denigrating homosexual behavior. Mike regards this as unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature. Persons engaged in this unwelcome conduct are liable to be penalized. US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan acknowledged that “such a broad...

Remember Enron? Remember Kenneth Lay? How about the tens of billions that were lost in that scandal? It was a series of events that will be talked about for decades to come, yet history seems to be repeating itself in 2013. Not in the private sector, but in the Federal government. For those who may not know or need a refresher in history, Enron was once one of the largest companies in the world. Its business was primarily in the energy sector. Unfortunately, accounting fraud and corruption led to its ultimate downfall, one of the largest bankruptcies in history, and...

Virginia Republicans voted on May 17 to hold a nominating convention next year — rather than a primary — to select a challenger to Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, the Virginian-Pilot reported. The move, which came at the state party’s annual convention in Richmond, could affect the GOP field that vies for the nomination. Conventions, where only party activists vote, often nominate more conservative candidates than the broader GOP primary electorate. Meanwhile, with the focus on the gubernatorial race, there has been little chatter about any candidates laying the groundwork to take on Warner. The former governor remains the most popular...

U.S. Rep. Gary Peters announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate by praising Michigan's economy recovery and calling Washington D.C. "a mess." In doing so, he may have stumbled upon the truth. Rep. Peters is running to replace U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Detroit, who announced he won't seek re-election in 2014. "Washington is a mess, but Michigan is on the verge of re-inventing itself with a new economy and a middle class that's stronger than ever — and I want to be on the front lines of that fight," Rep. Peters said May 1. That prompted Michigan Republican Party Chair...

When it comes to the IRS’s ongoing, repressive behavior against conservative groups, you’re likely to hear different verdicts: The hard Left says, of course, that this is a molehill that the Republicans are scandalously trying to turn into a scandal. (The New York Times perfectly exemplifies this line of thinking.) Others on the Left admit incompetence, but refuse to assign moral blame. Conservatives are willing to assign moral blame but think that no one really cares. I believe that everyone should care because what we’re seeing now is a new type of scandal in American history, and the biggest crime...

According to RealtyTrac, Akron Ohio is the leader in housing units per foreclosure filings. And Columbus Ohio is 6th on the list. The FC in Ohio? Rounding out the top 20 foreclosure metro areas are Toledo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Canton. You know, pretty much the entire state. Huh. I would have thought that Richard Cordray, the current Robo-cop at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and former attorney general of Ohio, would have cleaned up the foreclosure mess before heading up the CFPB. Here is a chart of underwater mortgages in Ohio. Ohio is at 32.48% underwater. The striking thing...

Rush Limbaugh is taking a “whistling past the graveyard” approach to Barack Obama’s scandals. He is being very cautious about allowing himself to feel that some damage will be done to Obama when the dust from these scandals clears. Rush even quotes James Carville’s liberal wishful thinking about this lasting “only 30 days” to help convince himself he’s right; nevertheless, Rush is wrong. While there is no doubt that Obama won’t be impeached, as Rush allows that isn’t important. Saying there won’t be any damage to Obama, his Party and their dangerous agenda is simply wrong. These scandals will do...

During an interview with Geraldo River this morning, Dennis Kucinich said that president Obama has "constructed a framework" that shields him from taking responsibility.

Sharon at the Phoenix Gun Turn In Sharon came to the gun turn in at the Sunnyslope Mennonite Church in Phoenix, looking for a pistol for self defense. She shoots at Shooters World, and intends to take the pistol there to have it checked out. She has children in the Army, and she expects that they will go to the desert for some family fun with their firearms. Sharon said "We should have weapons to protect our families and homes." Sharon's Makarov The pistol that she obtained, a Russian made Makarov in .380 ACP, was in excellent condition with...