Free Republic

President Obama is already trying to sweep another one of his scandals under the rug, the IRS debacle, in which that agency "used inappropriate criteria that identified for review tea party and other organizations applying for tax-exempt status based upon their names or policy positions." This is a huge scandal, with many major ramifications for free speech and other aspects of our constitutional rights. The President stood before the American people for "a mere four minutes" yesterday and fired the acting director of the IRS, a guy who already had decided to step down before the scandal broke, and who...

CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) - FOX19 has exclusively learned that as many as four people may be the first Cincinnati Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees to face disciplinary action, and possibly even criminal charges, for allegedly targeting Tea Party and Liberty groups applying for non-profit status. On Wednesday, the IRS announced that it has pin-pointed two employees at the agency's Cincinnati office for being 'primarily' responsible. In addition, acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller resigned his position, revealed by President Obama on Wednesday. "Secretary Lew took the first step by requesting and accepting the resignation of the acting commissioner of the IRS,...

<p>President Obama says Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew has requested and received the resignation of acting IRS commissioner Steven Miller, after critical report on targeting of conservative groups.</p>

Stephen Hayes of the Weekly Standard has a must read column regarding the Benghazi cover-up by White House officials CIA career officials clearly and repeatedly identified Al Qaeda and Al Qaeda-linked Islamic terrorists as the culprits behind the murder of four Americans. Of course, this would cause embarrassment for the Obama team, especially in the few weeks before the election. They had been boasting for years that Al Qaeda had been decimated, the "tide of war" was receding; they had been on a mission to whitewash the prospect of Islamic terrorism as a threat to America (see Lauri Regan's superb...

The Associated Press has learned that the Homeland Security Department official in charge of the agency's immigration enforcement and removal operations has resigned after hundreds of illegal immigrants were released from jails because of government spending cuts.

"Any1 who would run out to buy an assault rifle after the Newtown massacre has very little left in their body or soul worth protecting. ;^\" Hey, gun owners: There’s “very little” about your life and even your very soul “worth protecting” if you bought an assault rifle after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, according to funnyman Jim Carrey. Because, you know, he values life and stuff. The emoticon at the end of his tweet just shows how much he cares. “Dumb and Dumber” doesn’t begin to cover this one. And Much like Musket Morgan, we’re guessing Carrey couldn’t...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The California man behind an anti-Muslim film that led to violence in many parts of the Middle East was sentenced Wednesday to a year in federal prison for probation violations in an unrelated matter, then issued a provocative statement through his attorney. The sentence was the result of a plea bargain between lawyers for Mark Bassely Youssef and federal prosecutors. Youssef admitted in open court that he had used several false names in violation of his probation order and obtained a driver's license under a false name. He was on probation for a bank fraud case....

He's not a Jew. At least, that's the latest on the man behind the anti-Islam film, "Innocence of Muslims," that has fueled attacks on U.S. diplomatic installations in Libya, Egypt and Yemen, leaving the U.S. ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, dead. The filmmaker appears to be an Egyptian Christian rather than an Israeli Jew, as he had claimed in interviews. The Associated Press tracked down an Egyptian Coptic Christian living in Southern California who admitted to involvement with the film's logistics, and whose middle name and a known alias closely resemble the apparently fake name - Sam Bacile -...

No word yet on what the violation was, but I assume it must be far more serious than using an alias or a computer. Given the insanity of the past two weeks, replete with the White House nudging Google to pull the video off of YouTube and the State Department running ads on Pakistani TV to apologize for a movie they had nothing to do with, I can’t quite believe the DOJ would risk the perception that they’re punishing this guy for a thoughtcrime unless something serious was involved. There has to be a real crime underlying this. Right? The...

After enduring three days of outlandish claims and grievances about American life at the Charlotte convention, I wrote that “something shocking is happening to the Democratic Party.” Five weeks later, I must amend the observation. The soul-sapping transformation is no longer “happening.” It is complete. The Democratic Party has lost its mind and its way. Its political philosophy of inclusion and progress has been consumed by virulent strains of anger, dishonesty and intolerance. Its leaders don’t just want to win an election; they want to silence any American who disagrees with them. Consider the latest evidence. The White House, on...

Anti-Islam Filmmaker Nakoula B. Nakoula Arrested, U.S. Attorney Says By EVAN PEREZ Federal authorities in Los Angeles on Thursday arrested a man they believe was behind a video clip insulting to Muslims, alleging he violated terms of his probation on an earlier federal charge. The alleged filmmaker, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, was to be arraigned Thursday afternoon in a Los Angeles federal courtroom. The United States Probation Office filed a request to revoke Mr. Nakoula's supervised release, alleging he violated terms he agreed to following his bank fraud conviction in 2010, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles...

The Justice Department's inspector general cleared Attorney General Eric Holder Wednesday of knowing about the gun-walking operation known as Fast and Furious that allowed thousands of weapons to cross into Mexico. But Inspector General Michael Horowitz concluded that there were "serious failures" at both the Justice Department and its Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives going back more than six years, CBS Radio News reporter Stephanie Lambidakis reports. Horowitz found that no one running the operations—not agents, nor prosecutors, nor managers—questioned the wisdom of letting guns vanish across the border with Mexico, where they ended up in the hands...

Just after midnight, authorities descended on the Cerritos home of the man believed to be the filmmaker behind the anti-Muslim movie that has sparked protests and rioting in the Arab world. Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies escorted a man believed to be Nakoula Basseley Nakoula to an awaiting car. The man declined to answer questions on his way out and wore a hat and a towel over his face. He kept his hands in the pocket of a winter coat. Sheriff's officials could not be reached by The Times, but department spokesman Steve Whitmore told NBC4 that deputies assisting...

Cindy Lee Garcia tells the website that she was hired last summer for a small part in a movie she was told would be called "Desert Warriors," about life in Egypt 2,000 years ago (Islam is about 1,400 years old). She told Gawker "It wasn't based on anything to do with religion, it was just on how things were run in Egypt. There wasn't anything about Muhammed or Muslims or anything and that, according to Gawker, "In the script and during the shooting, nothing indicated the controversial nature of the final product. Muhammed wasn't even called Muhammed; he was "Master...

A Libyan official said Thursday that the deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was a planned, two-part operation that included a raid on a supposedly secret safe house -- an account that comports with what a top U.S. lawmaker told Fox News a day earlier. On Wednesday, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers told Fox News that the strike was a "coordinated, military-style" operation. Wanis al-Sharef, eastern Libya's deputy interior minister, then said on Thursday the attacks were suspected to have been timed to mark the 9/11 anniversary and that the militants used civilians protesting an anti-Islam film...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal authorities have identified a Coptic Christian in southern California who is on probation after his conviction for financial crimes as the key figure behind the anti-Muslim film that ignited mob violence against U.S. embassies across the Mideast, a U.S. law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Thursday.

General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with Pastor Terry Jones by phone on Wednesday and asked him to withdraw his support for a film whose portrayal of the Prophet Mohammad has sparked violent protests - including one that ended with the death of America's envoy to Libya

In the wake of yesterday’s deadly outburst in Libya, some Twitter users are demanding justice. Mind you, they don’t want any action to be taken against the vicious murderers who ruthlessly killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and other Americans. No, these Twitter users are calling for action against Terry Jones, a private U.S. citizen who — horror of horrors! — praised a crappy anti-Muslim movie. The nerve! Like Mike Barnicle and UPenn professor Anthea Butler, these Twitter users don’t seem particularly enamored of that little thing called the First Amendment. It’s just a technicality, you see. They are certain Jones must...

The latest Gallup poll shows people still want to blame Bush for the current state of the economy...seriously?

Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey told Sean Hannity tonight that the Obama Administration drafted a memo to protect the president from blame if the mission to kill or capture Osama Bin Laden would have failed. That way Obama could blame the general instead of taking the blame himself. Mukasey wrote about it this week in The Wall Street Journal. “That was a highly lawyered memo (designed to protect the president politically)… I think there’s going to be more that’s going to be tumbling out about that escapade but so far that memo is enough.“

This war against Ann Romney started Friday at the White House as President Obama himself laid the groundwork for Hilary Rosen's CNN attack Wednesday night. As a consequence to the blowback, the White House immediately threw their surrogate under the bus and now she's gone even deeper into hiding. Rosen, a capable public relations and crisis management expert, is obviously the White House's scapegoat in this sorry episode after a cynical and divisive plan of attack against Ann Romney, who will obviously be a major asset to the 2012 ticket, completely blew up in their face. My guess is that...

In a newly-uncovered interview from the Hyde Park Citizen newspaper circa December 28, 1995, Barack Obama explains his philosophy on income inequality in the United States, especially in light of economic difficulties: In an environment of scarcity, where the cost of living is rising, folks begin to get angry and bitter and look for scapegoats. Historically, instead of looking at the top 5% of this country that controls all the wealth, we turn towards each other, and the Republicans have added to the fire. In that interview, Obama explains that his perspective on the “top 5%” was shaped by his...

SHANGHAI -- Chinese state media have accused U.S. President Barack Obama of “scapegoating” Beijing for his country's economic woes after he hit out at China's currency policy. Obama on Sunday betrayed increasing frustration over Beijing's control of the yuan, saying it has not done enough to allow the unit to reach a fair market level and calling on a now “grown up” China to act more responsibly. The official Xinhua news agency accused Obama of using the issue to attract votes, and said forcing the yuan to appreciate more quickly would bankrupt Chinese companies without resolving the U.S. trade deficit...

The man who led the controversial Fast and Furious anti-gun-trafficking operation will step down as the interim head of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Justice Department announced Tuesday as it named a new acting director for the agency. Kenneth Melson, the bureau’s acting director, on Wednesday will move to the Office of Legal Policy, where he will be a senior adviser on forensic science, the department said without making reference to the failed gun-tracking operation that is alleged to have ultimately put guns into the hands of criminals. Dennis Burke, the U.S. Attorney in Arizona who oversaw...

WASHINGTON (CNNMoney) -- Little is known about key details that led Standard & Poor's to downgrade U.S. debt late Friday, despite its outsized repurcussions. While the move knocking U.S. debt down a notch from the lofty AAA rating has exacerbated an already skittish stock market and drawn criticism from the White House, key details are a mystery. S&P doesn't say who, exactly, made the decision at the company; what kind of weight they gave U.S. politics versus ability to pay; or to what extent they felt pressured to downgrade the United States in response to criticism of its downgrades of...

Sen. John Kerry on Sunday laid the blame for the recent downgrade of the nation’s credit rating at the feet of conservative House Republicans. “I believe this is, without question, the tea party downgrade,” Mr. Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Standard & Poor’s rating agency on Friday dropped the U.S. credit rating from AAA to “AA+, questioning the ability of leaders in Washington to deal seriously with the nation’s debt crisis.

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) on NBC's "Meet the Press" and Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod on CBS' "Face the Nation" lead a new propaganda push against the Tea Party movement. First they were "astro-turf", then racist, then stupid, then violent, then dangerous, then terrorists, and now they're responsible for the S & P downgrade even though the Tea Party was pushing for the exact entitlement reforms that would have avoided the downgrade. It's obvious that the White House is fearful that the president will be blamed for the unprecedented downgrade of America's bond rating.

(CBS News) Former White House adviser David Axelrod on Sunday pinned responsibility for the recent U.S. economic downgrade on the Tea Party movement, arguing that the group's political "brinksmanship" during debt ceiling negotiations "brought us to the brink of a default" -- and that, subsequently, "this is essentially a Tea Party downgrade." In an appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation," Axelrod, currently a campaign strategist for President Obama, said the U.S. economic downgrade was "largely a political analysis" and that "there's a broad consensus that [the U.S.] is still the safest place to invest your money." Nevertheless, he argued, the...

WASHINGTON (AP) — A top White House adviser is blaming the downgrade of the U.S. credit rating on tea party Republicans, whom he says were unwilling to compromise on how to reduce the federal debt. The adviser to President Barack Obama, David Axelrod, tells CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday .. ... .. also criticized GOP presidential candidates for not speaking up in favor of compromise.

MoveOn.org drives new liberal catch phrase: ‘Tea party downgrade’ Matthew Boyle - The Daily Caller 43 mins ago The left-wing activist group MoveOn.org picked up the new liberal slogan bashing conservatives for Standard & Poor’s U.S. credit rating downgrade: “Tea Party downgrade.” President Obama’s chief campaign strategist David Axelrod and Massachusetts Democratic Sen. John Kerry both used the phrase on Sunday talk shows. In a Sunday afternoon email to supporters, MoveOn.org accused tea partiers of being responsible for the first-ever credit downgrade in U.S. history. “This ‘tea party downgrade’ is a shameful blow to our nation’s honor and risks throwing...

A top Obama adviser blames tea party for downgrade WASHINGTON — Who's to blame for the U.S. debt-ceiling mess? Politicians and political advisers took to the airwaves Sunday to point fingers, mostly at each other. David Axelrod, a top political adviser to President Barack Obama, blames the downgrade of the U.S. credit rating on tea party Republicans for being unwilling to compromise on how to reduce the federal debt. The Obama campaign strategist tells CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday that the decision by the Standard & Poor's credit agency to downgrade the U.S. from AAA to AA+ for the...

Kerry Blames The Tea Party For Credit Downgrade By Ben Wolfgang-The Washington Times1 Sen. John Kerry on Sunday laid the blame for the recent downgrade of the nation’s credit rating at the feet of conservative House Republicans. “I believe this is, without question, the tea party downgrade,” Mr. Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Standard & Poor’s rating agency on Friday dropped the U.S. credit rating from AAA to “AA+, questioning the ability of leaders in Washington to deal seriously with the nation’s debt crisis. The Obama administration’s debt-ceiling proposal, which included more spending cuts than the...

During a discussion on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Tuesday, the panel conceded that conservatives and Tea Party activists were unfairly scapegoated in the wake of Jared Lee Loughner’s shooting spree in Tucson, Ariz., which killed six and left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords fighting for her life after a gunshot wound to the head. Mark Halperin of Time just thinks conservatives shouldn’t bother defending themselves, so as to avoid further political escalation. “Obviously, the initial reaction was so offensive to conservatives it has united everybody from Rush Limbaugh to David Brooks this morning, who wrote a very, very compelling piece that the scapegoating...

In the early 1990s, the biggest names in the mortgage industry hatched a plan for a new electronic clearinghouse that would transform the home loan business - and unlock billions of dollars of new investments and profits. At the time, mortgage documents were moved almost exclusively by hand and mail, a throwback to an era in which people kept stock certificates, too. That made it hard for banks to buy and sell packages of home loans to investors. By contrast, a central electronic clearinghouse would allow the companies to transfer thousands of mortgages instantaneously, greasing the wheels of a system...

WASHINGTON — Facing a tough election, the congressman's advertisements attack his rival's support of free trade. The camera turns to a Chinese street scene and a voice intones, "As they say in China, xie xie ('Thank you')." Not to be outdone, commercials for challenger Bob Gibbs flash a Chinese flag, accusing Democratic incumbent Zach Space of allowing US stimulus money to support green technology in the emerging Asian economy. The contest in economically struggling Ohio is one of many in the November 2 congressional elections in which China has become the premier bugbear, accused of killing US jobs. A key...

China has again warned the US not to use the dispute over the value of the Chinese currency, the yuan, as a “scapegoat” for its high unemployment and flagging growth prospects. The artificially weak Chinese currency has become a political issue in the US where it is blamed for giving Chinese exporters an unfair advantage at the cost of US jobs. Photo: Getty The remarks from China’s ministry of commerce came hours before the US was due to release a report on whether it considers China a “currency manipulator” as fears grow that tensions over the currency could lead to...

Radio host Michael Savage was my first conservative friend -- although I've never met the man. When I woke up from liberalism two and a half years ago, I had nowhere to turn. My friends thought I had lost my marbles. Having vaguely heard something about talk radio, I scanned my AM dial. I happened upon a cantankerous man with a Bronx accent bellowing that liberalism is a mental disorder. To my relief, I had found my first living, breathing conservative. Everything that came out of Savage's mouth offended me. He blared on about feminized men; borders, language and...

The 5000 barrel a day oil spill from TransOcean’s Deepwater rig in the Gulf of Mexico, has made landfall on Louisiana shores. The Obama Administration’s refusal to act until seven days after the explosion, was a calculated political gamble that seems to have gone horribly wrong. For the second time in a year The Obama Administration has used Louisiana for the furtherance of political agenda. The first time, taxpayer money was used to bribe Senator Landrieu (D) LA into voting for ObamaCare. This second instance is much more more tangible.

Conservative talk radio host Howie Carr of WRKO 680 AM has been suspended for a week, effective Friday, for publicly and repeatedly using his program to bad-mouth the station, a company executive said. Julie Kahn, vice president and marketing manager for Entercom Boston, which owns the station, said Carr’s behavior toward his employer has become increasingly caustic and intolerable. ‘‘His behavior and his anger at the company is unacceptable because he denigrates the company, the medium, the station, the signal, and he’s a highly, highly, highly paid employee,’’ she said.

Greek Prime Minister Georgios Papandreou said the issue of German reparations for World War II was still “open,” potentially putting Athens on a collision course with Berlin as it contends with a crippling debt crisis. “That’s an open issue,” Papandreou said on Thursday in Brussels while attempting to shore up EU support for Greece’s efforts to stay solvent. “But it’s not advisable to put it on the table right now.” He admitted dredging up the past would send the wrong signal at a time Greece needed backing from fellow eurozone members to contend with its crushing mountain of debt, which...

email LtCol Chessani’s Board of Inquiry Begins ─ Battle-Hardened Marine Veterans View Proceedings With Dismay December 04, 2009 ANN ARBOR, MI – On Wednesday, December 2nd, in a military courtroom at Camp Pendleton, California, the government began its case against an American warrior. They know this is their last chance to disgrace and destroy the 22 - year career of Marine LtCol Jeffrey Chessani, and it’s evident they are pulling out all the stops. Many of the spectators in the small courtroom were battle-hardened Marine veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Some were veterans of the Korean Chosin...

It seems like there was a bit of a kerfuffle in Paris that has him fuming mad. An internet marketing company decided to stage a promotional stunt: they were going to drive a bus through the city throwing money at passers-by. The event was advertised heavily (Duh - it's a marketing company) and attracted large crowds. So large, in fact, that police became nervous at the size of the crowd, estimated at 7,000 strong, and its composition — young, low-income males from bad parts of Paris' suburbs. Given the risk of violence and traffic chaos caused by the crowd, the...

Perhaps you’ve heard about this story. If so, please read on for information important to this case you have not read anywhere. If you have read about this incident, definitely read on as it will most likely change your mind about the “guilt” of a soldier convicted of murdering an al Qaeda terrorist in Iraq. Yes, you’ve read that correctly - a US soldier has been convicted of murder for killing an al Qaeda terrorist in Iraq. Since the wholesale murder of nearly 3,000 people on American soil on 9/11, it’s been my understanding that killing terrorists is something that...

The parents of imprisoned Army Lt. Michael Behenna of Edmond have responded to the action of the congressional delegation in seeking clemency for their son, convicted of killing an al Qaida operative in Iraq. The trial ended with the revelation that military prosecutors withheld evidence favorable to Behenna in violation of civil and military law and the appeals process is ongoing. Members of the delegation seek an immediate reduction in Behenna's 20-year sentence, and, ultimately, a new trial. Vicki and Scott Behenna said, "Michael and our family are deeply grateful for this show of force by the entire Oklahoma congressional...

Remember President Obama's first full day in office: "The record is clear: Rather than keep us safer, the prison at Guantanamo has weakened American national security," Obama said during an address on national security at the National Archives in Washington. "It is a rallying cry for our enemies. It sets back the willingness of our allies to work with us in fighting an enemy that operates in scores of countries. By any measure, the costs of keeping it open far exceed the complications involved in closing it." At the time the President was roundly criticized for announcing the closing without...

In the open desert outside Baiji, Iraq, a naked man with a thick black beard crouched in the dust of a railroad culvert at twilight. Hours before, he had been mumbling and praying in Arabic. Now he spoke few words. Army 1st Lt. Michael Behenna stood over him in the grainy darkness, his Glock pistol racked and pointed down at him. "If you don't talk, I will kill you," Behenna said. The night was warm and ragged from the dust storm that had turned the afternoon an eerie ocher. Only one light could be seen, far off, along the road....

Beneath the attention of major media coverage, the boycott of Israeli products has arrived in America. Its first (reported target) over this past weekend was the couscous at Trader Joe's. The Atlantic's (Jeffrey Goldberg comments:) "My recommendation: Head to Trader Joe's and buy anything made or grown in Israel. I hear the Israeli couscous goes well with grilled scapegoat, by the way." Rabbi Isaac Jeret of Congregation Ner Tamid in Los Angeles elaborates in an email to friends: As many of you know, one of the most difficult challenges for the State of Israel during its recent war in Gaza...

April 07, 2009 08:15:00 PM By JON MILTIMORE / News Herald Writer CALLAWAY — The teen-age girl babysitting 2-year-old Valencia Newton on the day the toddler was mauled by a pit bull was charged Tuesday with felony child neglect. Seventeen-year-old Kayla Diane Nowlin was arrested on a charge of child neglect causing great bodily harm, Bay County Sheriff's Office officials said. Nowlin received no prior warning to her arrest, Sheriff's Office officials said. "This just came down to us today," Bay County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Marc Tochterman said. "We received word and picked her up at her home between 3:30...