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ProPublica — IRS Scandal — Targeted Enemies List Includes Tea Party, Patriots, Religious and Conservative Groups — Obama’s Tyranny –Videos

Posted on May 14, 2013. Filed under: American History, Blogroll, Business, Communications, Constitution, Crime, Economics, Education, Employment, government spending, history, Inflation, IRS, Language, Law, liberty, Life, Links, media, People, Philosophy, Politics, Radio, Rants, Raves, Regulations, Taxes, Video, Wealth, Wisdom | Tags: Barack Obama, Bias, Conservative Groups Targeted, conservatives, Crime, Department of Treasury -- Internal Revenue Service, George Soros, Incompetent, Internal Revenue Service, IRS Scandal, Mark Levin, Paul Steiger, Photos, President Obama, Pro Publica, Progressives, Scandal, Targeting Conservative Groups, Tea Party, Tea Party Targeted, Videos |

Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration

http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/TIGTA-201310053fr-revised-redacted-1.pdf

Glenn Beck Ties Together Benghazi, IRS, & AP Scandals ‘Fundamental Transformation’

Glenn Beck – IRS targeted conservatives

IRS Admits Targeting Conservatives – TheBlazeTV – The Glenn Beck Radio Program – 2013.05.10

Lou Dobbs Rips ‘Nixonian’ Obama For Lying ‘Through His Teeth’ About IRS ‘President Who Has Lost His

Paul Steiger: The ProPublica Story

ProPublica founder and CEO, Paul Steiger, on the creation of this foundation-funded investigative newsroom, the challenges they faced and their plans for the future. ProPublica is the first online-only organization to win a Pulitzer Prize.

Paul Steiger: The ProPublica Story part 2

Paul Steiger: The ProPublica Story part 3

Paul Steiger: The ProPublica Story part 4 Q&A

Paul Steiger: The ProPublica Story part 5 Q&A

Jon Stewart Totally DESTROYS Obama Administration Over IRS Scandal | A MUST WATCH

IRS scandal widens

Ex-commissioner on tea party scandal: IRS did “the wrong thing”

Tea Party IRS Investigations Not Politically Motivated? ‘How Stupid Do They Think We Are’

IRS in the spotlight: What’s a 501(c)(4)? By Martina Stewart, CNN

Deceptive Dollars Tied To 501(c)(4) Groups

Mark Levin Dissects Obama, The IRS & The Republican Party in Scandal – Sean Hannity – 5-13-13

Mark Levin Attacks Obama & ‘Impotent’ House GOP Over IRS Scandal ‘Absolutely Unacceptable’

Glenn Beck: Failure to Impeach Over IRS Scandal Means America ‘Already Operating Under Tyranny’

CU President David Bossie on Fox News (02/19/2013)

President Obama Calls IRS Targeting of Conservative, Tea Party Groups ‘Outrageous’

Obama Administration – The I.R.S. Targets Teaparty and Patriot Groups for Review

IRS Gave Higher Scruity to Tea Party, Conservatives According to Document Draft

Political Firestorm Erupts in IRS ‘Tea Party’ Scandal

Tea Party Patriots Jenny Beth Martin Talks ‘IRS Scandal’ with Lou Dobbs – 5-13-13

IRS Caught in the Act – Jenny Beth Martin CBS This Morning 051113

Senator Rand Paul Discusses IRS Scandal & Enemies List with Sean Hannity – 5-13-13

IRS Issues Apology For Targeting Tea Party & PATRIOT Groups! “Definitely 1st Amendment Concerns Here

IRS Targets Tea Party Groups During 2012 Election

Rep. Issa Rips Obama Over IRS Scandal: ‘How Dare The Admin Imply’ They’ll ‘Get To The Bottom Of It’

Progressive Group: IRS Gave Us Conservative Groups’ Confidential Docs

by Wynton Hall

The progressive-leaning investigative journalism group ProPublica says the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) office that targeted and harassed conservative tax-exempt groups during the 2012 election cycle gave the progressive group nine confidential applications of conservative groups whose tax-exempt status was pending.

The commendable admission lends further evidence to the lengths the IRS went during an election cycle to silence tea party and limited government voices.

ProPublica says the documents the IRS gave them were “not supposed to be made public”:

The same IRS office that deliberately targeted conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status in the run-up to the 2012 election released nine pending confidential applications of conservative groups to ProPublica late last year… In response to a request for the applications for 67 different nonprofits last November, the Cincinnati office of the IRS sent ProPublica applications or documentation for 31 groups. Nine of those applications had not yet been approved—meaning they were not supposed to be made public. (We made six of those public, after redacting their financial information, deeming that they were newsworthy.)

The group says that “no unapproved applications from liberal groups were sent to ProPublica.”

According to Media Research Center Vice President for Business and Culture Dan Gainor, ProPublica’s financial backers include top progressive donors:

ProPublica, which recently won its second Pulitzer Prize, initially was given millions of dollars from the Sandler Foundation to “strengthen the progressive infrastructure”–“progressive” being the code word for very liberal. In 2010, it also received a two-year contribution of $125,000 each year from the Open Society Foundations. In case you wonder where that money comes from, the OSF website is http://www.soros.org. It is a network of more than 30 international foundations, mostly funded by Soros, who has contributed more than $8 billion to those efforts.

On Friday, the House Ways and Means Committee is scheduled to hold a formal hearing on the IRS conservative targeting scandal. IRS Commissioner Steve Miller and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George are slated to testify.

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/14/Progressive-Group-Says-IRS-Gave-Them-Confidential-Docs-On-Conservative-Groups

IRS Also Leaked Info About Conservative Groups

Targeting scandal widens

By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff

More trouble for the IRS: The same office that singled out conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status also leaked confidential information about conservative groups last year, ProPublica reports. How does ProPublica know? Well, because the nine pending applications were leaked to ProPublica in the first place. The investigative site had asked to see the applications for 67 nonprofits and the IRS’ Cincinnati office sent over 31, nine of which had not been approved yet, meaning they were supposed to be confidential.

ProPublica was interested in the applications because it was revealing how social-welfare nonprofits, which don’t have to identify their donors and can spend money on elections as long as social welfare is their primary goal, misled the IRS when applying for tax-exempt status. Among the applications released to ProPublica: Karl Rove’s Crossroads group, which had promised to spend only “limited” money on 2012 elections and ended up spending more than $70 million. Also included were five other groups that all claimed they would not spend any money to sway the elections and spent more than $5 million. ProPublica reported on all six (here and here). Interestingly, the New York Times reported today that Crossroads and other larger groups were not subjected to the same intense scrutiny the IRS applied to small Tea Party groups; click for more on that.

http://www.newser.com/story/167882/irs-also-leaked-info-about-conservative-groups.html

ProPublica

ProPublica is a non-profit corporation based in New York City. It describes itself as an independent non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.^[2] In 2010 it became the first online news source to win a Pulitzer Prize, for a piece^[3] written by one of its journalists^[4]^[5] and published in The New York Times Magazine^[6] as well as on ProPublica.org.^[7] ProPublica’s investigations are conducted by its staff of full-time investigative reporters and the resulting stories are given away to news ‘partners’ for publication or broadcast. In some cases, reporters from both ProPublica and the news partners work together on a story. ProPublica has partnered with more than 90 different news organizations, including 60 Minutes, ABC World News, Business Week, CNN, Frontline, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Newsweek, USA Today, The Washington Post, Huffington Post, MSN Money, MSNBC.com, Politico, Reader’s Digest, Salon.com, Slate, This American Life, and NPR, among many others.

History

ProPublica is the brainchild of Herbert and Marion Sandler, the former chief executives of the Golden West Financial Corporation, who have committed $10 million a year to the project.^[8] The Sandlers hired Paul Steiger, former managing editor of the Wall Street Journal, to create and run the organization as editor in chief. At the time ProPublica was set up, Steiger responded to concerns about the role of the Sandlers’ political views, saying on The Newshour with Jim Lehrer:

Coming into this, when I talked to Herb and Marion Sandler, one of my concerns was precisely this question of independence and nonpartisanship… My history has been doing ‘down the middle’ reporting. And so when I talked to Herb and Marion I said ‘are you comfortable with that?’ They said ‘absolutely’. I said ‘well suppose we did an expose of some of the left leaning organizations that you have supported or that are friendly to what you’ve supported in the past’. They said ‘no problem’. And when we set up our organizational structure, the board of directors, on which I sit and which Herb is the chairman, does not know in advance what we’re going to report on.^[9]

ProPublica had an initial news staff of 28 reporters and editors, including Pulitzer Prize winners, Charles Ornstein, Tracy Weber, Jeff Gerth, and Marcus Stern, but has since grown to 34 full-time working journalists. Steiger claimed that he received as many as 850 applications upon ProPublica’s start. The organization also appointed a 12-member journalism advisory board consisting of professional journalists.

The newsgroup shares its work under the Creative Commons no-derivative, non-commercial license.

Funding

While the Sandler Foundation provided ProPublica with significant financial support, it has also received funding from the Knight Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation and others. ProPublica and the Knight Foundation have various connections. For example, Paul Steiger, President of ProPublica, is a trustee of the Knight Foundation.^[10] In like manner, Alberto Ibarguen, the President and CEO of the Knight Foundation is on the board of ProPublica.^[11] In 2010, it received a two-year contribution of $125,000 each year from George Soros‘ Open Society Foundations.

ProPublica has attracted attention for the salaries it pays its top executives.^[12]^[13] The head of ProPublica, Paul Steiger, was paid $571,687 in 2008, according to the company’s tax filings.^[14] The managing editor, Stephen Engelberg, was paid $343,463.^[15]^[16] The large salaries have been widely criticized by other journalists and even some in the non-profit world as excessive.^[17]^[17]^[18] Steiger is the former managing editor at the Wall Street Journal. Engelberg is a former New York Times editor who co-wrote the non-fiction book Germs: Biological Weapons and America’s Secret War, with Times reporter Judith Miller. He was recently elected to the Pulitzer Prize Board.

Awards

In 2010, ProPublica jointly won the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting (it was also awarded to another new organization for a different story), for “a story that chronicles the urgent life-and-death decisions made by one hospital’s exhausted doctors when they were cut off by the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina.”^[19] It was written by ProPublica’s Sheri Fink and published in the New York Times Magazine^[6] as well as on ProPublica.org.^[7] This was the first Pulitzer awarded to an online news source.^[4]^[5] That investigation also won a National Magazine Award for reporting.

In 2011, ProPublica won its second Pulitzer Prize.^[20] Reporters Jesse Eisinger and Jake Bernstein won the Pulitzer for National Reporting for their series, The Wall Street Money Machine. This was the first time a Pulitzer was awarded to a group of stories not published in print.

ProPublica’s reporters have also received the Selden Ring, George Polk, National Magazine, Society of Professional Journalists, James Aronson, ABA Silver Gavel, Overseas Press Club, Online Journalism, Investigative Editors and Reporters, Society of News Design, Society of American Business Editors and Writers, and Dart Center awards (among others) for their work.

Reception

Praise

ProPublica is also renowned for conducting a large-scale, circumscribed investigation on Psychiatric Solutions, a company based in Tennessee that buys failing hospitals, cuts staff, and accumulates profit.^[21] The report covered patient deaths at numerous Psychiatric Solutions facilities, the failing physical plant at many of their facilities, and covered the State of Florida‘s first closure of Manatee Palms Youth Services, which has since been shut down^[22] by Florida officials once again.^[23] Their report was published in conjunction with The Los Angeles Times.

Criticism

Dave Kopel, a policy analyst for the libertarian Cato Institute and a former columnist for the now-defunct Rocky Mountain News, criticized a ProPublica report on hydraulic fracturing as a “one-sided series of facts arrayed to support a point of view”. He argued that a common theme in ProPublica’s work is that “the government is not doing a good enough job in controlling things, particularly things involving big business”.^[24] ProPublica later responded to his article, countering those claims and saying quote, “using carefully culled quotations and selected statistics, Kopel asserts ‘indisputably false facts’ in ProPublica’s reporting.” ^[25]

After fallout from the IRS publicly admitting to targeting conservative tax exempt groups for added scrutiny, ProPublica broke the news that it had requested and received confidential pending applications for groups requesting tax exempt status.

Board members

Investigations

Lost in Translation: Alhurra—America’s Troubled Effort to Win Middle East Hearts and Minds by Dafna Linzer with reporting by Robert Lewis of ProPublica. Partnered with 60 Minutes (video).
New York’s Gas Rush Poses Environmental Threat by Abrahm Lustgarten with reporting by Jonathan Sidhu and Allison Battey of ProPublica. Partnered with WNYC (transcript | audio) and Albany Times-Union.
Fractured Relations — New York City Sees Drilling as Threat to Its Water Supply by Abrahm Lustgarten with WNYC, Albany Times-Union, and New York Sun.
In the Eye of the Storm by Sheri Fink with Salon.com.
U.S. Targets Overseas Bribery; KBR Exec’s Plea Widens Probe by T. Christian Miller with reporting by Marlena Telvick, Oriana Zill de Granados, Lowell Bergman, and Jake Bernstein. Partnered with MSN Money and Frontline.
Acting Tough: When Cameras Leave, OSHA Penalties Wither by Robert Lewis with Salon.com.
Palin Administration Oversaw $26 million ROAD to ‘Nowhere’ by Paul Kiel with research by Lisa Schwartz. Partnered with Newsweek.
Palin Defended ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ to ‘Spinmeisters’ by Marcus Stern with reporting by Paul Kiel and Lisa Schwartz. Partnered with Politico.
Anatomy of a Bank Failure by Jake Bernstein with MSN Money.
Criminal Past Is No Bar to Nursing in California by Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber with Los Angeles Times
California Takes Steps to Probe Nurses’ Criminal Backgrounds by Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber with Los Angeles Times
Why CDC Responded with ‘Lack of Urgency’ to Formaldehyde Warnings by Joaquin Sapien with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Government Study on Children Living in Katrina Trailers Muddled By Delays, Confusion by Joaquin Sapien with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
GOP offers scant proof of voter fraud by Chisun Lee with reporting by Kristin Jones. Partnered with Politico.
As Rape Victims Wait, Money for DNA Testing Goes Unused by Ben Protess with Joel Rubin of the Los Angeles Times
Goldman Sachs urged bets against California bonds it helped sell by Sharona Coutts with Marc Lifsher and Michael A. Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times.
Crimes by Air Marshals Raise Questions About Hiring by Michael Grabell with Jamie Wilson. Published in USA Today.

References

This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (December 2011)

^ “ProPublicaSite Info”. Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
^ “About Us”. Retrieved 2009-01-11. ProPublica is a Dog Latin term literally meaning “for the public woman”; cf. publica.
^ “a story that chronicles the urgent life-and-death decisions made by one hospital’s exhausted doctors when they were cut off by the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina.” – Pulitzer.org The 2010 Pulitzer Prize Winners: Investigative Reporting, accessed 13 April 2010
^ ^a ^b The Guardian, 13 April 2010, Pulitzer progress for non-profit news
^ ^a ^b ProPublica, Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting: Deadly Choices at Memorial
^ ^a ^b Sheri Fink, New York Times Magazine, 25 August 2009, THE DEADLY CHOICES AT MEMORIAL
^ ^a ^b ProPublica, 27 August 2009, The Deadly Choices at Memorial
^ Pérez-Peña, Richard (2007-10-15). “Group Plans to Provide Investigative Journalism”. New York Times. Retrieved 2007-10-15.
^ PBS Newshour, 24 June 2008, “Financing Independent Journalism”
^ Board of Trustees, Knight Foundation
^ Alberto Ibargüen, President and CEO, Knight Foundation
^ Turner, Zeke. “Shelling Out the Big Bucks at ProPublica | The New York Observer”. Observer.com. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
^ Taylor, Mike (2010-08-10). “ProPublica’s Top-Paid Employees All Made Six Figures in 2009 – FishbowlNY”. Mediabistro.com. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
^ Salmon, Felix Philanthrocrat of the day, ProPublica edition, Reuters Blogs, Sept. 30, 2009
^ Turner, Zeke. “Shelling Out the Big Bucks at ProPublica”. Observer. Retrieved 2013-01-04.
^ “ProPublica’s Top-Paid Employees All Made Six Figures in 2009 – FishbowlNY”. Mediabistro.com. 2010-08-10. Retrieved 2013-01-04.
^ ^a ^b “Philanthrocrat of the day, ProPublica edition”. Reuters. 30 September 2009.
^ “Diamonds in the Rough”. CJR. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
^ Pulitzer.org The 2010 Pulitzer Prize Winners: Investigative Reporting, accessed 13 April 2010
^ “A Note on ProPublica’s Second Pulitzer Prize”. ProPublica. 2011-04-18. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
^ LA Times – November 2008- Psychiatric care’s perils and profits
^ Bradenton Herald – May 2010 – Manatee Palms hospital Slammed
^ “MANATEE PALMS YOUTH SERVICES Facility Profile”. FloridaHealthFinder.gov. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
^ Kopel, Dave (2008-12-27). “Opinion pays its own way”. Rocky Mountain News. Unknown parameter |curly= ignored (help)
^ response

Claim: Obama Campaign Co-Chair Attacked Romney with Leaked IRS Docs

One of President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign co-chairmen used a leaked document from the IRS to attack GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney during the 2012 election, according to the National Organization for Marriage (NOM).

NOM, a pro-traditional marriage organization, claims the IRS leaked their 2008 confidential financial documents to the rival Human Rights Campaign. Those NOM documents were published on the Huffington Post on March 30, 2012. At that time, Joe Solmonese, a left-wing activist and Huffington Post contributor, was the president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). Solmonese was also a 2012 Obama campaign co-chairman.

Both the Huffington Post’s Sam Stein and HRC described the leak as coming from a “whistleblower.” The Huffington Post used the document to write a story questioning former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s support for traditional marriage. The document showed Romney donated $10,000 to NOM. HRC went a step further than the Huffington Post in its criticism of Romney and accused him of using “racially divisive tactics” in a press release.

Solmonese, then still the HRC’s president, said in the release he felt Romney’s “funding of a hate-filled campaign designed to drive a wedge between Americans is beyond despicable.”

“Not only has Romney signed NOM’s radical marriage pledge, now we know he’s one of the donors that NOM has been so desperate to keep secret all these years,” Solmonese added.

Solmonese resigned his position at HRC the next day and took up a position as an Obama campaign co-chair. He had announced the then-pending resignation from HRC the previous autumn.

NOM announced Tuesday that it will sue the IRS for this alleged leak. Under immense political pressure, Attorney General Eric Holder launched a criminal investigation into the IRS’s actions. Congress will conduct ts own investigation.

In early April 2012, NOM published documents which it said showed this leaked confidential information did not come from a “whistleblower” but “came directly from the Internal Revenue Service and was provided to NOM’s political opponents, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).”

NOM discovered that when HRC published its confidential financial documents, it failed to conceal the source of the documents. “After software removed the layers obscuring the document, it is shown that the document came from the Internal Revenue Service,” NOM asserted in its April 2012 release.

“The top of each page says, ‘THIS IS A COPY OF A LIVE RETURN FROM SMIPS. OFFICIAL USE ONLY,’” the statement continues. “On each page of the return is stamped a document ID of ‘100560209.’ Only the IRS would have the Form 990 with ‘Official Use’ information.”

NOM president Brian Brown argued in that April 2012 release that the leak was made to benefit President Obama’s re-election campaign against Romney, his GOP challenger. “The American people are entitled to know how a confidential tax return containing private donor information filed exclusively with the Internal Revenue Service has been given to our political opponents whose leader also happens to be co-chairing President Obama’s reelection committee,” Brown said.

“It is shocking that a political ally of President Obama’s would come to possess and then publicly release a confidential tax return that came directly from the Internal Revenue Service,” he declared. “We demand to know who is responsible for this criminal act and what the Administration is going to do to get to the bottom of it.”

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/14/Obama-campaign-co-chair-attacked-Romney-conservative-group-in-2012-with-leaked-IRS-scandal-documents

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James Grant Interviewed by James Turk–Federal Reserve, National Debt, Money, Gold — Videos

Posted on May 11, 2013. Filed under: Banking, Blogroll, Books, College, Communications, Demographics, Economics, Education, Employment, Federal Government, Federal Government Budget, Fiscal Policy, government spending, Inflation, Investments, Law, liberty, Life, Links, Macroeconomics, media, Monetary Policy, Money, People, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, Radio, Raves, Taxes, Technology, Unemployment, Video, Wealth, Wisdom | Tags: Bonds, deficit spending, gold, James Grant, Money, national debt, Stocks, The Fed, The Federal Reserve System, USA |

James Grant and James Turk discuss gold, the Fed and the fiscal situation of the USA

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Who Wrote The Benghazi Cover-up Story of The Anti-Islamic YouTube Video for Rice, Clinton, and Obama? Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communication–Propagandist Speech Writer? — Videos

Posted on May 8, 2013. Filed under: American History, Blogroll, Business, College, Comedy, Communications, Culture, Diasters, Economics, Education, European History, Federal Government, Foreign Policy, government, government spending, history, Islam, Islam, Language, Law, liberty, Life, Links, Literacy, media, People, Philosophy, Politics, Radio, Rants, Raves, Religion | Tags: Barack Obama, Ben Rhodes, Cover Story, Cover Up, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communication, Glenn Beck, Hillary Clinton, Photos, Propagandist, Speech Writer, The Blaze |

President Barack Obama jokes with Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communication, aboard Air Force One

Cover-up

A cover-up is an attempt, whether successful or not, to conceal evidence of wrongdoing, error, incompetence or other embarrassing information. In a passive cover-up information is simply not provided; in an active cover-up deception is used.

The expression is usually applied to people in positions of authority who abuse their power to avoid or silence criticism or to deflect guilt of wrongdoing. Those who initiate a cover up (or their allies) may be responsible for a misdeed, a breach of trust or duty or a crime.

While the terms are often used interchangeably, cover-up involves withholding incriminatory evidence, while whitewash involves releasing misleading evidence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover-up

Glenn Beck – Benghazi: Truth coming out

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Benghazi–Stand Down – TheBlazeTV – The Glenn Beck Program

Who wrote the video Benghazi coverup story or lie for Rice, Clinton and Obama? Ben Rhodes?

Benghazi – TheBlazeTV – The Glenn Beck Program – 2013.05.06

Glenn Beck – Benghazi: How did we get here?

Glenn Beck – The Benghazi Hearings

Lt Gen Mclnemey Is Ashamed Our Military Responded Benghazi Libya & Blames Obama Admin – Lou Dobbs

FOX News Confirms US Was Holding Prisoners at Benghazi Annex

From Rice to the White House: An Alumnus’ Journey

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Innocence of Muslims Full Movie HD 1080P Trailer

Press Briefing with Jay Carney and Ben Rhodes

Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communication

Twitter Interviews White House Ben Rhodes Deputy National Security Adviser Part 1

Twitter Interviews White House Ben Rhodes Deputy National Security Adviser Part 2

Twitter Interviews White House Ben Rhodes Deputy National Security Adviser Part 3

Twitter Interviews White House Ben Rhodes Deputy National Security Adviser Part 4

From the Rhodes — The President in Mexico

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Rice University, and New York University. He has been described as a realist by The Washington Post,^[2] and was mentioned by Time on the “40 Under 40″ list of powerful and prominent young professionals in 2011.^[3] His brother, David, is president of CBS News.

Rhodes wrote Pres. Barack Obama’s 2009 Cairo speech A New Beginning.^[4]

Rhodes was the one who advised Pres. Barack Obama to withdraw support from Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, becoming a key adviser during the Arab Spring.^[5]

Rhodes euphemistically described the United States’ military involvement in Libya as “kinetic military action.”^[6] In a March 16, 2013 feature story appearing in The New York Times, Rhodes declined to comment on his role in Obama administration policy decisions, saying, “My main job, which has always been my job, is to be the person who represents the president’s view on these issues.”^[5]

During the Benghazi Hearings in Washington, D.C. May 8, 2013, an article was published in an online magazine The Patriot Newswire suggesting that Ben Rhodes may be responsible for a Benghazi cover up. Is This Man The Mastermind Behind The Benghazi Cover Up? http://patriot-newswire.com/2013/05/is-this-man-the-mastermind-behind-the-benghazi-cover-up/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Rhodes_%28speechwriter%29

White House denies changing story on Benghazi

The White House continued to fend off suggestions it misled the public about the attack on the US mission in Libya in September, a day after ex-CIA chief David Petraeus told Congress that mentions of al-Qaeda were edited out of public talking points.

The White House insisted on Saturday that it did not make significant changes to its talking points about the September attack on a US diplomatic building in the Libyan city of Benghazi, as it continued to fend off accusations by Republicans that the Obama administration had misled the American public about the terrorist nature of the attack.

“The only edit that was made by the White House and also by the State Department was to change the word ‘consulate’ to the word ‘diplomatic facility,’ since the facility in Benghazi was not formally a consulate,” deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday.

“Other than that, we were guided by the points that were provided by the intelligence community. So I can’t speak to any other edits that may have been made,” Rhodes said about notes that were used by UN Ambassador Susan Rice to speak to the press about the attack that left Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans dead.

On Friday, former CIA chief David Petraeus revealed that the original taking points about the attack had mentioned groups linked to al-Qaeda, but those mentions were removed from the texts used by Rice, according to US lawmakers who heard Petraeus’ testimony to Congress.

Petraeus –who is caught up in a career-ending sex scandal– appeared before House and Senate intelligence panels that were closed off to reporters. The respected ex-spy chief also said the changes to talking points were not made for political reasons during President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign, as some Republicans have suggested.

After his testimony to Congress, Petraeus was escorted through a back exit to avoid contact with journalists. His testimony to Congress was later relayed by Republican and Democratic lawmakers who attended the closed-door hearings.

‘Changes made to protect classified information’

On Saturday, Rhodes deflected responsibility for removing the Al Qaeda references onto the CIA and other members of the US intelligence community. “If there were adjustments made to them [the talking points] within the intelligence community, that’s common, and that’s something they would have done themselves,” the deputy national security advisor told reporters.

Democratic lawmakers said that Petraeus was adamant that there had been no White House interference. The recently resigned four-star general explained that references to terrorist groups suspected of carrying out the violence were removed from the public statement by Rice and others so as not to tip off those groups that US intelligence was on their trail.

“There was an interagency process to draft it, not a political process,” Congressman Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California said. “They came up with the best assessment without compromising classified information or source or methods. So changes were made to protect classified information.”

Republicans remain skeptical

However, Republicans remained skeptical over the White House and Petraeus’ explanation, maintaining that the Obama administration may have watered down information to cover up for poor intelligence or inadequate security of US personnel in Libya.

Ambassador Rice has been floated as a possible successor to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is stepping down early next year, but some Republicans are threatening to block Rice’s nomination.

Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, said Petraeus’ testimony showed that security measures were inadequate “despite an overwhelming and growing amount of information that showed the area in Benghazi was dangerous, particularly on the night of September 11.”

Peter King, a Congressman from New York and the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters on Friday he saw a contradiction between the account Petraeus had given to an earlier House hearing and the one given during his most recent appearence.

“His testimony was he told us that from the start it was a terrorist attack. I told him that was not my direct recollection. The clear impression we were given was that the overwhelming amount of evidence was that it arose out of a spontaneous demonstration and [not] that it was a terrorist attack.”

On Saturday King told Fox News television that it remained unclear who had made the edits concerning al Qaeda involvement in Benghazi, and did not rule out the White House.

“That’s why it’s important to find out why it was done. It could be anywhere in the Defense Department, the State Department, the Justice Department, the White House,” King told the right-wing news channel. “[We need] to find out why it was done, what the purpose of it was.

http://www.france24.com/en/20121118-usa-white-house-obama-no-edited-talking-points-benghazi-mission-al-qaeda-rice-king-rubio

The Benghazi Talking Points

And how they were changed to obscure the truth

May 13, 2013, Vol. 18, No. 33 • By STEPHEN F. HAYES

Even as the White House strove last week to move beyond questions about the Benghazi attacks of Tuesday, September 11, 2012, fresh evidence emerged that senior Obama administration officials knowingly misled the country about what had happened in the days following the assaults. The Weekly Standard has obtained a timeline briefed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence detailing the heavy substantive revisions made to the CIA’s talking points, just six weeks before the 2012 presidential election, and additional information about why the changes were made and by whom.

As intelligence officials pieced together the puzzle of events unfolding in Libya, they concluded even before the assaults had ended that al Qaeda-linked terrorists were involved. Senior administration officials, however, sought to obscure the emerging picture and downplay the significance of attacks that killed a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. The frantic process that produced the changes to the talking points took place over a 24-hour period just one day before Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, made her now-famous appearances on the Sunday television talk shows. The discussions involved senior officials from the State Department, the National Security Council, the CIA, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the White House.

The exchange of emails is laid out in a 43-page report from the chairmen of five committees in the House of Representatives. Although the investigation was conducted by Republicans, leading some reporters and commentators to dismiss it, the report quotes directly from emails between top administration and intelligence officials, and it includes footnotes indicating the times the messages were sent. In some cases, the report did not provide the names of the senders, but The Weekly Standard has confirmed the identities of the authors of two critical emails—one indicating the main reason for the changes and the other announcing that the talking points would receive their final substantive rewrite at a meeting of top administration officials on Saturday, September 15.

The White House provided the emails to members of the House and Senate intelligence committees for a limited time and with the stipulation that the documents were available for review only and would not be turned over to the committees. The White House and committee leadership agreed to that arrangement as part of a deal that would keep Republican senators from blocking the confirmation of John Brennan, the president’s choice to run the CIA. If the House report provides an accurate and complete depiction of the emails, it is clear that senior administration officials engaged in a wholesale rewriting of intelligence assessments about Benghazi in order to mislead the public. The Weekly Standard sought comment from officials at the White House, the State Department, and the CIA, but received none by press time. Within hours of the initial attack on the U.S. facility, the State Department Operations Center sent out two alerts. The first, at 4:05 p.m. (all times are Eastern Daylight Time), indicated that the compound was under attack; the second, at 6:08 p.m., indicated that Ansar al Sharia, an al Qaeda-linked terrorist group operating in Libya, had claimed credit for the attack. According to the House report, these alerts were circulated widely inside the government, including at the highest levels. The fighting in Benghazi continued for another several hours, so top Obama administration officials were told even as the fighting was taking place that U.S. diplomats and intelligence operatives were likely being attacked by al Qaeda-affiliated terrorists. A cable sent the following day, September 12, by the CIA station chief in Libya, reported that eyewitnesses confirmed the participation of Islamic militants and made clear that U.S. facilities in Benghazi had come under terrorist attack. It was this fact, along with several others, that top Obama officials would work so hard to obscure.

After a briefing on Capitol Hill by CIA director David Petraeus, Democrat Dutch Ruppersburger, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, asked the intelligence community for unclassified guidance on what members of Congress could say in their public comments on the attacks. The CIA’s Office of Terrorism Analysis prepared the first draft of a response to the congressman, which was distributed internally for comment at 11:15 a.m. on Friday, September 14 (Version 1 at right). This initial CIA draft included the assertion that the U.S. government “know[s] that Islamic extremists with ties to al Qaeda participated in the attack.” That draft also noted that press reports “linked the attack to Ansar al Sharia. The group has since released a statement that its leadership did not order the attacks, but did not deny that some of its members were involved.” Ansar al Sharia, the CIA draft continued, aims to spread sharia law in Libya and “emphasizes the need for jihad.” The agency draft also raised the prospect that the facilities had been the subject of jihadist surveillance and offered a reminder that in the previous six months there had been “at least five other attacks against foreign interests in Benghazi by unidentified assailants, including the June attack against the British Ambassador’s convoy.”

After the internal distribution, CIA officials amended that draft to include more information about the jihadist threat in both Egypt and Libya. “On 10 September we warned of social media reports calling for a demonstration in front of the [Cairo] Embassy and that jihadists were threatening to break into the Embassy,” the agency had added by late afternoon. And: “The Agency has produced numerous pieces on the threat of extremists linked to al Qaeda in Benghazi and Libya.” But elsewhere, CIA officials pulled back. The reference to “Islamic extremists” no longer specified “Islamic extremists with ties to al Qaeda,” and the initial reference to “attacks” in Benghazi was changed to “demonstrations.”

The talking points were first distributed to officials in the interagency vetting process at 6:52 p.m. on Friday. Less than an hour later, at 7:39 p.m., an individual identified in the House report only as a “senior State Department official” responded to raise “serious concerns” about the draft. That official, whom The Weekly Standard has confirmed was State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland, worried that members of Congress would use the talking points to criticize the State Department for “not paying attention to Agency warnings.”

In an attempt to address those concerns, CIA officials cut all references to Ansar al Sharia and made minor tweaks. But in a follow-up email at 9:24 p.m., Nuland wrote that the problem remained and that her superiors—she did not say which ones—were unhappy. The changes, she wrote, did not “resolve all my issues or those of my building leadership,” and State Department leadership was contacting National Security Council officials directly. Moments later, according to the House report, “White House officials responded by stating that the State Department’s concerns would have to be taken into account.” One official—Ben Rhodes, The Weekly Standard is told, a top adviser to President Obama on national security and foreign policy—further advised the group that the issues would be resolved in a meeting of top administration officials the following morning at the White House.

There is little information about what happened at that meeting of the Deputies Committee. But according to two officials with knowledge of the process, Mike Morrell, deputy director of the CIA, made broad changes to the draft afterwards. Morrell cut all or parts of four paragraphs of the six-paragraph talking points—148 of its 248 words (see Version 2 above). Gone were the reference to “Islamic extremists,” the reminders of agency warnings about al Qaeda in Libya, the reference to “jihadists” in Cairo, the mention of possible surveillance of the facility in Benghazi, and the report of five previous attacks on foreign interests.

What remained—and would be included in the final version of the talking points—was mostly boilerplate about ongoing investigations and working with the Libyan government, together with bland language suggesting that the “violent demonstrations”—no longer “attacks”—were spontaneous responses to protests in Egypt and may have included generic “extremists” (see Version 3 above).

If the story of what happened in Benghazi was dramatically stripped down from the first draft of the CIA’s talking points to the version that emerged after the Deputies Committee meeting, the narrative would soon be built up again. In ensuing days, administration officials emphasized a “demonstration” in front of the U.S. facility in Benghazi and claimed that the demonstrators were provoked by a YouTube video. The CIA had softened “attack” to “demonstration.” But as soon became clear, there had been no demonstration in Benghazi.

More troubling was the YouTube video. Rice would spend much time on the Sunday talk shows pointing to this video as the trigger of the chaos in Benghazi. “What sparked the violence was a very hateful video on the Internet. It was a reaction to a video that had nothing to do with the United States.” There is no mention of any “video” in any of the many drafts of the talking points.

Still, top Obama officials would point to the video to explain Benghazi. President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton even denounced the video in a sort of diplomatic public service announcement in Pakistan. In a speech at the United Nations on September 25, the president mentioned the video several times in connection with Benghazi.

On September 17, the day after Rice appeared on the Sunday shows, Nuland defended Rice’s performance during the daily briefing at the State Department. “What I will say, though, is that Ambassador Rice, in her comments on every network over the weekend, was very clear, very precise, about what our initial assessment of what happened is. And this was not just her assessment, it was also an assessment you’ve heard in comments coming from the intelligence community, in comments coming from the White House.”

“Innocence of Muslims” FULL MOVIE HD Anti-Muslim Anti-Islam Prophet Muhammad

Is Ben Rhodes the Mastermind Behind the Benghazi Cover Up?

wrote yesterday about how the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) knew that the attack in Benghazi on September 11, 2012 was a terrorist attack by Al-Qaeda operatives. We know the Obama White House put out the story for nearly a week that it was just Muslims upset over a benign YouTube video. In spite of knowing what was going on and having the ability to intervene, the Obama administration did nothing to stop or assist Americans who they knew were being attacked by Al-Qaeda. Instead, they chose to cover it up and intimidate witnesses. Stephen F. Hayes has an excellent piece at the Weekly Standard titled The Benghazi Talking Points, in which he fingers the man he believes is the main person behind the Benghazi cover up, Ben Rhodes.

Of course, one would immediately have to wonder about those who would be around a man who has vowed to stand with the Muslims instead of America. If you recall, Barack Obama made a speech in Cairo, Egypt to an audience which included the Muslim Brotherhood, in which he distorted the Qur’an to put it in a good light and then attempted to make out like Islam had made great contributions to both America and the world. That speech was written by Ben Rhodes, Obama’s foreign policy speechwriter and now a part of a his National Security Council.

Hayes writes in his article about the talking points that were first put out to officials. He writes:

The talking points were first distributed to officials in the interagency vetting process at 6:52 p.m. on Friday. Less than an hour later, at 7:39 p.m., an individual identified in the House report only as a “senior State Department official” responded to raise “serious concerns” about the draft. That official, whom The Weekly Standard has confirmed was State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland, worried that members of Congress would use the talking points to criticize the State Department for “not paying attention to Agency warnings.”

In an attempt to address those concerns, CIA officials cut all references to Ansar al Sharia and made minor tweaks. But in a follow-up email at 9:24 p.m., Nuland wrote that the problem remained and that her superiors—she did not say which ones—were unhappy. The changes, she wrote, did not “resolve all my issues or those of my building leadership,” and State Department leadership was contacting National Security Council officials directly. Moments later, according to the House report, “White House officials responded by stating that the State Department’s concerns would have to be taken into account.” One official—Ben Rhodes, The Weekly Standard is told, a top adviser to President Obama on national security and foreign policy—further advised the group that the issues would be resolved in a meeting of top administration officials the following morning at the White House.

There is little information about what happened at that meeting of the Deputies Committee. But according to two officials with knowledge of the process, Mike Morrell, deputy director of the CIA, made broad changes to the draft afterwards. Morrell cut all or parts of four paragraphs of the six-paragraph talking points—148 of its 248 words (see Version 2 above). Gone were the reference to “Islamic extremists,” the reminders of agency warnings about al Qaeda in Libya, the reference to “jihadists” in Cairo, the mention of possible surveillance of the facility in Benghazi, and the report of five previous attacks on foreign interests.

Ed Lasky writes concerning Rhodes, “Ben Rhodes should be called to account for trying to divert blame away from Islamic terrorists and the Obama team members whose feckless negligence led to the Benghazi massacre.”

“I have previously written about Ben Rhodes and his role in the Obama White House,” writes Lasky. “It is shameful that this ‘kid’ (he is all of 35) has been given any responsibility at all in our government. In ‘Does it bother anyone that this person is the Deputy National Security Adviser?’ I noted his problematic background for someone given so much power by Obama. But then again he does specialize in fiction-writing. He earned a master’s degree in fiction-writing from New York University just a few years ago . He did not have a degree in government, diplomacy, national security; nor has he served in the CIA, or the military. He was toiling away not that long ago on a novel called ‘The Oasis of Love’ about a mega church in Houston, a dog track, and a failed romance. ”

Lasky concludes that Ben Rhodes is the man that attempted to whitewash Islamists and the Obama administration, not only in the Cairo speech, but in the talking points promoted by the Obama White House in the days following the attack on Benghazi that left four Americans dead.

I guess we’ll wait and see if he is even called as a witness this by the House in this week’s hearings.

Tim Brown is the Editor of Freedom Outpost and a regular contributor to The D.C. Clothesline.

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Source: http://dcclothesline.com/2013/05/08/is-ben-rhodes-the-mastermind-behind-the-benghazi-

Ben Rhodes

Rhodes grew up in New York City and moved to Washington in 2002, eventually taking a job writing speeches for Barack Obama, then a freshman Senator. Now, as Obama’s principal communications aide on national security, he reads the top-secret President’s Daily Brief, advises the President on key decisions and runs meetings with advisers much older than he is. “It was awkward for the first few weeks,” says Rhodes, 32, “but you get used to it.”

Who is your political hero/inspiration?
Robert F. Kennedy.

What’s your go-to political blog?
andrewsullivan.com

If you weren’t working in politics, what would you be doing?
I’d probably be living in New York trying to write novels but making a living off of non-fiction.

What’s the most overlooked issue facing America these days?
We need a broad and sustainable consensus about the politics of national security and America’s role in the world, which we have not had in the 21st century

Where do you see yourself professionally in five years?
Transitioning out of the second Obama Administration to live in California (per my wife), trying to write novels but making a living off of non-fiction.

Background Articles and Videos

Oversight Hearing Part 1 – “The Security Failures of Benghazi”

Breaking News-Benghazi Investigation’s Over. Judge Jeanine:Obama&Hillary Blame the Victim !!!???

Jeanine Pirro and Pat Caddell discuss Hillary Clinton’s roll in the Benghazi cover-up

Below is a letter from a group of about 700 retired U.S. military special operations veterans to the House of Representatives, urging Congress to establish a committee to investigate the Benghazi attack. Colonel Dick Brauer, founder of the group Special Operations Speaks explained the effort on Fox and Friends this morning.

To: Members of The U.S. House of Representatives

Subject: The Benghazi attacks on 9/11/ 2012

The undersigned are a representative group of some 700 retired Military Special Operations professionals who spent the majority of their careers

preparing for and executing myriad operations to rescue or recover detained or threatened fellow Americans. In fact, many of us participated in both the Vietnam era POW rescue effort, The Son Tay Raid, as well as Operation Eagle Claw, the failed rescue attempt in April of 1980 in Iran, so we have been at this for many years and have a deep passion for seeking the truth about what happened during the national tragedy in Benghazi.

The purpose of this letter is to encourage all members of the US House of Representatives to support H.Res. 36, which will create a House Select Committee on the Terrorist Attack in Benghazi. It is essential that a full accounting of the events of September 11, 2012, be provided and that the American public be fully informed regarding this egregious terrorist attack on US diplomatic personnel and facilities. We owe that truth to the American people and the families of the fallen.

It appears that many of the facts and details surrounding the terrorist attack which resulted in four American deaths and an undetermined number of American casualties have not yet been ascertained by previous hearings and inquiries. Additional information is now slowly surfacing in the media, which makes a comprehensive bipartisan inquiry an imperative. Many questions have not been answered thus far. The House Select Committee should address, at a minimum, the following questions:

1. Why was there no military response to the events in Benghazi?

a. Were military assets in the region available? If not, why not?

b. If so, were they alerted?

c. Were assets deployed to any location in preparation for a rescue or recovery attempt?

d. Was military assistance requested by the Department of State? If so, what type?

e. Were any US Army/Naval/USMC assets available to support the US diplomats in Benghazi during the attack?

f. What, if any, recommendations for military action were made by DOD and the US Africa Command?

2. What, if any, non-military assistance was provided during the attack?

3. How many US personnel were injured in Benghazi?

4. Why have the survivors of the attack not been questioned?

5. Where are the survivors?

6. Who was in the White House Situation Room (WHSR) during the entire 8-hour period of the attacks, and was a senior US military officer present?

7. Where were Leon Panetta and General Martin Dempsey during the crisis, and what inputs and recommendations did they make?

8. Where were Tom Donilon, the National Security Advisor, Denis McDonough, his deputy, Valerie Jarrett and John Brennan during the attacks, and what (if any) recommendations or decisions did any of them make?

9. Why were F-16 fighter aircraft based in Aviano, Italy (less than two hours away) never considered a viable option for disruption (if not dispersal) of the attackers until “boots on the ground” (troop support–General Dempsey’s words) arrived?

10. Were any strike aircraft (such as an AC-130 gunship) in the area or possibly overhead that would cause former SEAL Tyrone Woods to laser-designate his attacker’s position and call for gunship fire support, thereby revealing his own location that led to his death?

11. Who gave the order to “STAND DOWN” that was heard repeatedly during the attacks?

12. What threat warnings existed before the attack, and what were the DOD and DOS responses to those warnings? What data (which will reveal exact timelines and command decisions) is contained within the various SITREPS, records, logs, videos and recordings maintained by the myriad of DOD, Intelligence Community and State Department Command Centers that were monitoring the events in Benghazi as they unfolded?

13. Why did the Commander-in Chief and Secretary of State never once check in during the night to find out the status of the crisis situation in Benghazi?

14. What was the nature of Ambassador Stevens’ business in Benghazi at the time of the attack?

15. What guidance has been provided to survivors and family members since the time of the attack, and who issued that guidance?

16. Why are so many agencies now requiring their personnel that were involved in or have access to information regarding the events that took place in Benghazi sign Non-Disclosure Agreements?

This was the most severe attack on American diplomatic facilities and personnel since the attacks on the US Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998. Thus far, it appears that there has been no serious effort to determine critical details of this attack. This is inexcusable and demands immediate attention by the Congress. Congress must show some leadership and provide answers to the public as to what actually occurred in Benghazi. Americans have a right to demand a full accounting on this issue.

A longstanding American ethos was breached during the terrorist attack in Benghazi. America failed to provide adequate security to personnel deployed into harm’s way and then failed to respond when they were viciously attacked. Clearly, this is unacceptable and requires accountability. America has always held to the notion that no American will be left behind and that every effort will be made to respond when US personnel are threatened. Given our backgrounds, we are concerned that this sends a very negative message to future military and diplomatic personnel who may be deployed into dangerous environments. That message is that they will be left to their own devices when attacked. That is an unacceptable message.

The House Select Committee should focus on getting a detailed account of the events in Benghazi as soon as possible. H. Res. 36 will provide a structure for the conduct of a thorough inquiry of Benghazi and should be convened immediately.

We ask that you fulfill your responsibilities to the American people and take appropriate action regarding Benghazi. With over sixty members of the US House of Representatives calling for this Select Committee already, it seems that the time is right to take appropriate action on Benghazi.

CBS Devotes Two Straight Days of Coverage to ‘Possible Cover-Up’ on Benghazi; ABC, NBC Out to Lunch

By Matthew Balan

CBS used its Sunday evening and Monday morning newscasts to keep the spotlight on the question of a “possible cover-up” surrounding the terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. Jeff Glor led CBS Evening News with the scoop from earlier in the day on Face the Nation – that a “career U.S. diplomat is raising new questions” about the Obama administration’s claim that the attack spontaneously erupted in response to an early protest in Egypt.

Monday’s CBS This Morning also aired a report on this latest development on the September 11, 2012 attack. Meanwhile, ABC and NBC have yet to pick up on the veteran diplomat’s allegations, despite the fact that he is set to testify publicly to Congress on the issue on Wednesday.

Glor teased a report from correspondent David Martin by trumpeting that “a new witness emerges – a senior U.S. diplomat contradicts the White House and seems to support Republican claims of a cover-up over the attack in Benghazi.” Martin first outlined what Rep. Darrell Issa had revealed earlier in the day on Face the Nation:

DAVID MARTIN: Greg Hicks – at the time, the number-two diplomat at the U.S. embassy in Tripoli…directly contradicts administration claims that at first, the attack was thought to be nothing more than a demonstration growing out of a similar protest that day in Cairo. ‘I thought it was a terrorist attack from the get-go. I think everybody in the mission thought it was a terrorist attack from the beginning.’

The CBS journalist continued with a clip of U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice’s now-discredited assertion about the terror attack, which she made on several Sunday morning talk shows on September 16, 2012. He also noted that Rep. Issa “pointed out Rice’s statement directly contradicted the president of Libya, who had appeared just before her on ‘Face the Nation’.”

Near the end of the segment, Martin underlined a key assertion from Hicks – that the diplomat “told committee investigators Rice’s words were an insult to the president of Libya, and may have hobbled efforts to capture those responsible for the attack. ‘I firmly believe that the reason it took us so long to get the FBI to Benghazi is because of those Sunday talk shows.’”

Hours later, on Monday’s CBS This Morning, correspondent Margaret Brennan rehashed much of what her colleague had reported the previous evening. Brennan also highlighted another statement from Hicks on Rice’s apparent slight to the Libyan president:

MARGARET BRENNAN: Hicks said that the public contradiction was a personal insult to the Libyan president, because Ambassador Rice – quote, ‘basically said that the president of Libya is either a liar or doesn’t know what he’s talking about. My jaw hit the floor as I watched this.’ He believes that’s why the Libyan government refused to allow the FBI access to the crime scene for several weeks.

Brennan had also singled out the FBI’s pursuit of three persons of interest who could provide information on the attack in Benghazi during a report on Thursday’s CBS This Morning, and touted how “what happened that night is still the topic of debate in Washington“. ABC devoted a news brief to the FBI investigation on Wednesday’s World News, while NBC punted on covering it.
Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/matthew-balan/2013/05/06/cbs-devotes-two-straight-days-coverage-possible-cover-benghazi-abc-nb#ixzz2SeOcSj3V

The Benghazi talking points: What’s known and unknown

Posted by Glenn Kessler

“I wasn’t involved in the talking points process…. As I understand it, as I’ve been told, it was a typical interagency process where staff, including from the State Department, all participated, to try to come up with whatever was going to be made publicly available, and it was an intelligence product.”

— Then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Jan. 23, 2013

New information is raising questions about the development of the administration’s talking points on the deadly attack on the diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya, which left four Americans, including the ambassador, dead.

Readers may recall that The Fact Checker concluded that there was something rather odd about U.N. Ambassador Susan E. Rice’s comments on the Sunday news shows shortly after the attack. Rice said the attack “began spontaneously” because of a reaction to a protest in Cairo sparked by a “hateful video,” and there was no indication it was “premeditated or preplanned.”

We awarded her Two Pinocchios the morning after she appeared on the shows, concluding that “the publicly available evidence stands in stark contrast to Rice’s talking points.”

The White House at the time sharply disputed that conclusion, but over time that column has held up rather well. (In an interview with congressional investigators that was released over the weekend, deputy chief of mission Gregory Hicks said “my jaw hit the floor as I watched this.”) Some readers have suggested we should boost the Pinocchio rating for Rice’s comments. Still, it is clear Rice was simply mouthing the words given to her. The bigger mystery now is who was involved in writing — and rewriting — the talking points.

The talking points have become important because, in the midst of President Obama’s reelection campaign, for a number of days they helped focus the journalistic narrative on an anti-Islam video — and away from a preplanned attack. As we noted in our timeline of administration statements, it took two weeks for the White House to formally acknowledge that Obama believed the attack was terrorism.

We also have awarded Pinocchios to Republicans for claims about Benghazi. In this column, as a reader service, we outline below some of the new disclosures, contained in a report by House Republicans and an article in the Weekly Standard, and contrast the new information with previous statements made by administration officials.

The House report contains references to specific e-mails between administration officials; the Weekly Standard then identifies who wrote the e-mails as well as various drafts of the talking points. As far as we know, the administration has not publicly denied the information about the talking points contained in the GOP report or the article.

The key new disclosure is that senior levels of the White House and State Department were closely involved in the rewriting of the talking points. Previously, Obama administration officials had strongly suggested that the talking points were developed almost exclusively by intelligence officials.

Here is White House spokesman Jay Carney speaking to reporters on Nov. 28, 2012:

“Ambassador Rice was using unclassified talking points that were developed by the intelligence community and provided not just to her, not just to the executive branch, but to the legislative branch. And they represented the best assessment by our intelligence professionals about what had happened in Benghazi at that time.”

“The White House and the State Department have made clear that the single adjustment that was made to those talking points by either of those two — of these two institutions were changing the word ‘consulate’ to ‘diplomatic facility,’ because ‘consulate’ was inaccurate. Those talking points originated from the intelligence community. They reflect the IC’s best assessments of what they thought had happened.”

Note how Carney stressed that this was “developed by the intelligence community” and the “talking points originated from the intelligence community.”

In a narrow sense, this is correct. Both the House report and the Weekly Standard say the CIA created — or “originated” — the first draft of the talking points. The version as of Friday morning, Sept. 14, 2012, was rather detailed, saying that “Islamic extremists with ties to al-Qaeda participated in the attack” and mentioning the militant group Ansar al-Sharia. It also referred to previous attacks against foreign interests and the possibility there had been surveillance of the U.S. facility.

But a senior State Department official — identified by the Weekly Standard as State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland — objected to this draft after being asked to clear the talking points for release. The CIA made some changes, but apparently that was not enough. Nuland said in an e-mail disclosed by the House report that the edits did not “resolve all my issues or those of my building leadership” and that the State Department’s leadership “was consulting with [National Security Staff.]”

(Update: Reading between the lines, part of State’s concern appears to be inconsistency in messaging. Nuland, as State Department spokesman, had been constrained from saying much about the attack at the podium, and now the CIA was proposing to give lawmakers much more information than the administration had released. Moreover, from State’s perspective, the original draft contained references to CIA’s warnings about the security environment, which appeared designed to deflect attention from the agency’s substantial role in Benghazi.)

Minutes later, a White House official (said to be Ben Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser for strategic communications), who was part of the email group receiving Nuland’s message, e-mailed to say that the State Department’s concerns would need to be addressed and the issue would be resolved at a meeting the next day at the White House.

The result, after the meeting, was a wholesale rewriting of the talking points. The House report says “the actual edits, including deleting all references to al-Qaeda, were made by a current high-ranking CIA official,” which the Weekly Standard identifies as Deputy Director Mike Morell.

Oddly, in November, three GOP senators released a statement saying that Morell had told them that the references to al-Qaeda had been removed by the FBI — but then six hours later the CIA contacted them to say Morell “misspoke” and instead the CIA had actually made those deletions. His own apparent role appears not to have been mentioned.

Morell may have had his hand on the pen, but the available evidence suggests that White House and State Department had much more involvement than the “single adjustment” of changing the word “consulate” to “diplomatic facility,” as Carney asserted.

The biggest unknown is whether the “building leadership” in the State Department that objected to the initial talking points included anyone on Clinton’s immediate staff. (One presumes that nit-picking over wording would not have risen to Clinton’s level.) There is no indication that Nuland had any role in crafting or even discussing the talking points after her email on Friday evening, nor is it clear from the email portions that have been released whether she had actually consulted with other officials before objecting to the draft.

Nuland is expected to be nominated for assistant secretary for European affairs. Lawmakers are likely to question her closely on this point during her confirmation hearings.

Clinton, during her testimony before the Senate and the House in January, made the following comments about the development of the talking points. She also stressed it was an “intelligence product” and said she was not involved in the “talking points process” and she “personally” was not focused on them — odd locutions that leave open the possibility that she was aware of the internal debate at the time.

“I would say that I personally was not focused on talking points. I was focused on keeping our people safe.”

“I wasn’t involved in the talking points process…. As I understand it, as I’ve been told, it was a typical interagency process where staff, including from the State Department, all participated, to try to come up with whatever was going to be made publicly available, and it was an intelligence product.”

“I was not involved in the so-called talking points process. My understanding is it was a typical process, trying to get to the best information available. It was an intelligence product.”

“The evidence was being sifted and analyzed by the intelligence community, which is why the intelligence community was the principal decider about what went into talking points. And there was also the added problem of nobody wanting to say things that would undermine the investigation.”

As more information emerges, we will continue to track how the administration’s statements hold up over time and whether more Pinocchio ratings are appropriate.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/the-benghazi-talking-points-whats-known-and-unknown/2013/05/06/f689ee08-b693-11e2-b94c-b684dda07add_blog.html

Lankford: Either Obama State Dept Ignored Libya Threats, Or Ignored Diplomats’ Please for Protection

US Security Chief in Libya: “State Department Told Us Don’t Continue To Ask For Help”

ISSA OPENING STATEMENT – “The Security Failures of Benghazi”

President Obama’s Complete UN Address (2012)

Background Articles and Videos

Meltdown (pt 1-4) The Secret History of the Global Financial Collapse 2010

Meltdown (pt 2-4) The Secret History of the Global Financial Collapse 2010

Meltdown (pt 3-4) The Secret History of the Global Financial Collapse.2010

Meltdown – pt 4-4 The Secret History of the Global Financial Collapse (2010)

The Fall of Lehman Brothers

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The Fall of the Dollar – The Death of a Fiat Currency part 1

The Fall of the Dollar – The Death of a Fiat Currency part 2

The First 12 Hours of a US Dollar Collapse

LIFE HIDDEN TRUTH 2013 GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS

Billionaires Dumping Stocks, Economist Knows Why

Despite the 6.5% stock market rally over the last three months, a handful of billionaires are quietly dumping their American stocks . . . and fast.

Warren Buffett, who has been a cheerleader for U.S. stocks for quite some time, is dumping shares at an alarming rate. He recently complained of “disappointing performance” in dyed-in-the-wool American companies like Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, and Kraft Foods.

In the latest filing for Buffett’s holding company Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has been drastically reducing his exposure to stocks that depend on consumer purchasing habits. Berkshire sold roughly 19 million shares of Johnson & Johnson, and reduced his overall stake in “consumer product stocks” by 21%. Berkshire Hathaway also sold its entire stake in California-based computer parts supplier Intel.

With 70% of the U.S. economy dependent on consumer spending, Buffett’s apparent lack of faith in these companies’ future prospects is worrisome.

Unfortunately Buffett isn’t alone.

Fellow billionaire John Paulson, who made a fortune betting on the subprime mortgage meltdown, is clearing out of U.S. stocks too. During the second quarter of the year, Paulson’s hedge fund, Paulson & Co., dumped 14 million shares of JPMorgan Chase. The fund also dumped its entire position in discount retailer Family Dollar and consumer-goods maker Sara Lee.

Finally, billionaire George Soros recently sold nearly all of his bank stocks, including shares of JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Goldman Sachs. Between the three banks, Soros sold more than a million shares.

So why are these billionaires dumping their shares of U.S. companies?

After all, the stock market is still in the midst of its historic rally. Real estate prices have finally leveled off, and for the first time in five years are actually rising in many locations. And the unemployment rate seems to have stabilized.

It’s very likely that these professional investors are aware of specific research that points toward a massive market correction, as much as 90%.

One such person publishing this research is Robert Wiedemer, an esteemed economist and author of the New York Times best-selling book Aftershock.

Editor’s Note: Wiedemer Gives Proof for His Dire Predictions in This Shocking Interview.

Before you dismiss the possibility of a 90% drop in the stock market as unrealistic, consider Wiedemer’s credentials.

In 2006, Wiedemer and a team of economists accurately predicted the collapse of the U.S. housing market, equity markets, and consumer spending that almost sank the United States. They published their research in the book America’s Bubble Economy.

The book quickly grabbed headlines for its accuracy in predicting what many thought would never happen, and quickly established Wiedemer as a trusted voice.

A columnist at Dow Jones said the book was “one of those rare finds that not only predicted the subprime credit meltdown well in advance, it offered Main Street investors a winning strategy that helped avoid the forty percent losses that followed . . .”

The chief investment strategist at Standard & Poor’s said that Wiedemer’s track record “demands our attention.”

And finally, the former CFO of Goldman Sachs said Wiedemer’s “prescience in (his) first book lends credence to the new warnings. This book deserves our attention.”

In the interview for his latest blockbuster Aftershock, Wiedemer says the 90% drop in the stock market is “a worst-case scenario,” and the host quickly challenged this claim.

Wiedemer calmly laid out a clear explanation of why a large drop of some sort is a virtual certainty.

It starts with the reckless strategy of the Federal Reserve to print a massive amount of money out of thin air in an attempt to stimulate the economy.

“These funds haven’t made it into the markets and the economy yet. But it is a mathematical certainty that once the dam breaks, and this money passes through the reserves and hits the markets, inflation will surge,” said Wiedemer.

“Once you hit 10% inflation, 10-year Treasury bonds lose about half their value. And by 20%, any value is all but gone. Interest rates will increase dramatically at this point, and that will cause real estate values to collapse. And the stock market will collapse as a consequence of these other problems.”

Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.moneynews.com/MKTNews/billionaires-dump-economist-stock/2012/08/29/id/450265?PROMO_CODE=110D8-1&utm_source=taboola#ixzz2RhO2R5ey
Urgent: Should Obamacare Be Repealed? Vote Here Now!

http://www.moneynews.com/MKTNews/billionaires-dump-economist-stock/2012/08/29/id/450265?PROMO_CODE=110D8-1&utm_source=taboola

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Public Safety Exception or Enemy Combatant Designation of Boston Bomber Terrorist Suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev — The History of FBI Fake Terrorist Plot Planning — The One That Got Away From FBI’s Terror Factory — The Saudi Deportation of Abdul Rahman Ali Alharbi By National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) Event File Tagged Section 212 3B — “Security and related grounds” — “Terrorist activities” –Videos

Posted on April 21, 2013. Filed under: American History, Blogroll, Bomb, College, Communications, Constitution, Crime, Economics, Education, Employment, Federal Government, Foreign Policy, government, government spending, High School, history, Law, liberty, Life, Links, media, People, Philosophy, Pistols, Politics, Radio, Rants, Raves, Rifles, Security, Talk Radio, Taxes, Video, War, Wisdom | Tags: "Security and related grounds" — "Terrorist activities", Abdul Rahman Ali Alharbi, Coverup, Disinformation Campaign, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Boston Terrorist Bomber, Enemy Combatant Designation, FBI Fake Terror, FBI Fake Terror Plot History, FBI Judge Napolitano, FBI's Terror Factory, Glenn Beck, Intelligence, Judge Andrew Napolitano, National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), Navy Seals Bomb Sweep, Public Safety Exception, Reality Check, Saudi Arabian Student Boston Bomber Suspect, Saudi National, Section 212 3B, Senator Feinstein, The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI's Manufactured War on Terroris, Trevor Aaronson |

Glenn Beck Reveals More about Saudi National

“…Monday on radio, Glenn Beck revealed further details about the Saudi national who was the first suspect in the Boston marathon bombing. Despite denials from Janet Napolitano and officials from the U.S. Immigrations and Customs (ICE) that a Saudi national was taken into custody in connection to the Boston marathon bombing, several sources have confirmed that Abdul Rahman Ali Al-Harbi was set to be deported for proven terrorist activity.

According to two FBI sources, Abdul Rahman Ali Al-Harbi was taken “into custody” Monday April 15th at a Boston after he was injured in the blast.

A source within the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) told TheBlaze that on Monday night Al-Harbi’s Revere, Massachusetts apartment was searched and property was taken out.

At 4:00pm ET on Tuesday April 16th, The NCTC Field Watch Commander created an “event file” calling for Al-Harbi’s deportation using Section 212 3b, which is proven terrorist activity. According to TheBlaze’s sources, tagging someone as 3b requires solid evidence.

Fox News reporter Todd Starnes has also reported, “The Saudi national who was initially detained and then ruled out as a suspect in the Boston Marathon terrorist attack had been flagged on a terror watch list and was granted a student visa without being properly vetted, sources have told me.”

Starnes report no longer appears on the Fox News website, but can be found on Townhall.

Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) has told TheBlaze that he has detailed information on the Saudi national and confirmed that Al-Harbi was to be deported under Section 212 3b of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Alongside three other Congressmen, Rep. Duncan has requested a classified briefing on the Saudi national and the deportation order. …”

http://www.glennbeck.com/2013/04/22/exposed-congressional-sources-confirm-saudi-national-was-to-be-deported-for-security-related-grounds-have-files-in-their-possession/

Obama’s “Catch & Release” of Saudi Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect

Jeff Duncan Questions Napolitano On Deportation Of Saudi National. Boston Bombing

Terror in Boston – Saudi Being Deported For National Security Reason? – What The Hell Is This?

Was The Boston Marathon Bombing Another False Flag Attack by FBI?

Still think the FBI is telling you the truth? CHECK THIS OUT

Abdul Rahman Ali Al-Harbi, Bombing ‘Person Of Interest’ Has 6 Saudi ‘Terrorists’ In Family,5 More Are In Gitmo -

Obama Buries Boston Massacre Saudi Connection

PROOF! Boston Bombing is Staged Terror Attack

Navy Seals Soldiers Bomb Boston Marathon 2013

Inside the FBI’s ‘Terror factory’

Conversations w/Great Minds – The Terror Factory – The FBI “Sting” isn’t what you think P1

Conversations w – Great Minds – FBI Informants focus on Muslims instead of Militias P2…

Reality Check Is The FBI Making Us Safer Breaking Up Terror Plots YouTube

Sen. Feinstein, Rep. King Clash Over Suspect’s Enemy Combatant Status: Battlefield Now in The U.S.

Lindsey Graham: ‘A Citizen Can Be An Enemy Combatant,’ And Tsarnaev Should Be Treated Like One

Megyn Kelly Guests Clash Over ‘Enemy Combatant’ Designation For Suspect: ‘Ultimate Act Of Terror’

Rachel Maddow No Miranda Rights For Boston Bombing Suspect

Judge Napolitano: Boston Bombing Reopens Privacy vs. Safety Debate

Reality Check: Did the FBI know about Boston bombing beforehand? – Ben Swann

Former FBI Chief ADMITS Government is Involved in Most ‘Terrorist’ Attacks!

Boston Bombing Coverup?

Saudi Arabian Students Searched and Detained By FBI about Boston Terrorist Attack!!

BREAKING Glenn Beck Gives Government Until Monday to Come Clean About Boston Bombing Cover-Up

Saudi student connected to Boston Marathon bombing – TheBlaze EXCLUSIVE – Glenn Beck Wake Up America

Hannity. Boston Bombing Saudi Being DEPORTED On National Security Grounds

Glenn Beck’s Big Story On Obama And The Bombing Released!

Glenn Beck Reveals More about Saudi National

FBI Insider: Obama Administration Likely Manufactured Dubious Iran Terror Plot

Confirmed – No Iran terror plot in FBI system: Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer Reports 1/2

Confirmed – No Iran terror plot in FBI system: Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer Reports 2/2

FBI Fake Terror Plot History: Judge Napolitano

FBI agents craft their own terror plots

FBI Foils Terror Plot They Created, Again

NY Times: Terrorist Plots, Hatched by The F.B.I.

BOSTON BOMBING Did you notice this?

Background Articles and Videos

Abdulrahman Ali Al-Harbi deportation order records altered

Abdulrahman Ali Al-Harbi was originally named as a ‘person of interest’ after the Boston bombings. The Saudi National was cleared of any involvement in the bombing, but there have been a lot of strange things going on with Abdulrahman Ali Al-Harbi and the Obama regime. According to Breitbart, the Saudi National Abdulrahman Ali Al-Harbi had his deportation order records altered. This rescinded his deportation order. Michelle Obama decided to pay Al-Harbi a visit while he was in the hospital recovering from wounds in the attack. Michelle Obama never paid a visit to any of the other injured people, including those who lost limbs in the attack. Also, Obama himself met with the Saudi foreign minister two days after the attack. This was not listed on Obama’s public schedule and as usual the media didn’t report on this. Something very fishy is going on here. I wonder if this was supposed to be Glenn Beck’s big ‘bombshell’ for tomorrow? If so, Breitbart scooped him.

Now that it’s been revelaed that Abdulrahman Ali Al-Harbi deportation order records altered, it probably explains why Janet Napolitano got so testy when asked about Al-Harbi last week. Why would Obama or his regime alter the deportation order? Are they hiding something? Of course they are. Without a media in this country, we’ll never know what they are hiding.

The alteration occurred the night before Secretary Napolitano vehemently denied the existence of any deportation order in testimony before the House of Representatives. Sources with knowledge of these matters says the change occurred subsequent to Secretary John Kerry’s closed door meeting on Tuesday with the Saudi Minister and around the time of the meeting between the Saudi Minister and Obama later on Wednesday evening. The Saudi National has been identified as Abdulrahman Ali Al-Harbi. There is no evidence that Al-Harbi is connected to the Boston Marathon Bombings. Steven Emerson announced on Wednesday night’s episode of Hannity that the Saudi National who was a person of interest and later cleared, was set to be deported.

http://www.fireandreamitchell.com/2013/04/21/abdulrahman-ali-al-harbi-deportation-order-records-altered/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=abdulrahman-ali-al-harbi-deportation-order-records-altered

Boston MANHUNT is OVER: the Second BOMBER is CAUGHT (FBI FALSE FLAG says the mother)

A retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Army weighs in on Boston.

Background Articles and Videos

Once again DHS orders hundreds of millions of rounds of ammo

Joint Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicle Program (Part 1 of 2)

Joint Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicle Program (Part 2 of 2)

DHS Won’t Answer Congress On Billion Bullet Purchase

Bullet Buys: Fifteen members of Congress have written a letter to the Department of Homeland Security demanding to know why the federal agency is buying so many rounds of ammunition. We’d like to know too.

Freshman California Republican Doug LaMalfa and 14 of his House colleagues, who signed on to his March 5 letter, are asking the Department of Homeland Security to explain why it is buying 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition of various calibers. They aren’t happy with explanations provided so far in the press by lower-level officials, answers meant to debunk “unfounded” concerns.

As we have noted, DHS has been buying lots of ammo, enough by one calculation to fight the equivalent of a 24-year Iraqi War.

Peggy Dixon, spokeswoman for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Ga., told the Associated Press that the training center and others like it run by the Homeland Security Department use as many as 15 million rounds every year, mostly on shooting ranges and in training exercises.

The massive purchases are said to be spread out over five years and due simply to the best practice of saving money by buying in bulk what comes down to five rounds of ammo for every man, woman and child on the U.S. That’s a lot of practice and training.

A good portion of the 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition are being purchased by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal government’s second-largest criminal investigative agency. Yes that’s the same ICE that is releasing detained criminal illegal aliens onto our streets because of sequestration cuts.

Jonathan Lasher, the Social Security Administration’s assistant inspector general for external relations, explained the purchase of 174,000 hollow-point bullets by saying they were for the Social Security inspector general’s office, which has about 295 agents who investigate Social Security fraud and other crimes.

When they say they’re cracking down on waste, fraud and abuse, they apparently mean it.

However, as former Marine Richard Mason told reporters with WHPTV News in Pennsylvania recently, hollow-point bullets (which make up the majority of the DHS purchases) are not used for training because they are more expensive than standard firing range rounds .

“We never trained with hollow points, we didn’t even see hollow points my entire 4-1/2 years in the Marine Corps,” Mason said.

LaMalfa offers one theory that’s less sinister than some: The federal government is simply trying to corner the market on ammo and restrict what’s available to the American people as part of its gun control efforts.

1.6 Billion Rounds Of Ammo For Homeland Security? It’s Time For A National Conversation

Ralph Benko, Contributor

The Denver Post, on February 15^th, ran an Associated Press article entitled Homeland Security aims to buy 1.6b rounds of ammo, so far to little notice. It confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security has issued an open purchase order for 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition. As reported elsewhere, some of this purchase order is for hollow-point rounds, forbidden by international law for use in war, along with a frightening amount specialized for snipers. Also reported elsewhere, at the height of the Iraq War the Army was expending less than 6 million rounds a month. Therefore 1.6 billion rounds would be enough to sustain a hot war for 20+ years. In America.

Add to this perplexing outré purchase of ammo, DHS now is showing off its acquisition of heavily armored personnel carriers, repatriated from the Iraqi and Afghani theaters of operation. As observed by “paramilblogger” Ken Jorgustin last September:

[T]he Department of Homeland Security is apparently taking delivery (apparently through the Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico VA, via the manufacturer – Navistar Defense LLC) of an undetermined number of the recently retrofitted 2,717 ‘Mine Resistant Protected’ MaxxPro MRAP vehicles for service on the streets of the United States.”

These MRAP’s ARE BEING SEEN ON U.S. STREETS all across America by verified observers with photos, videos, and descriptions.”

Regardless of the exact number of MRAP’s being delivered to DHS (and evidently some to POLICE via DHS, as has been observed), why would they need such over-the-top vehicles on U.S. streets to withstand IEDs, mine blasts, and 50 caliber hits to bullet-proof glass? In a war zone… yes, definitely. Let’s protect our men and women. On the streets of America… ?”

…

“They all have gun ports… Gun Ports? In the theater of war, yes. On the streets of America…?

Seriously, why would DHS need such a vehicle on our streets?”

Why indeed? It is utterly inconceivable that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is planning a coup d’etat against President Obama, and the Congress, to install herself as Supreme Ruler of the United States of America. There, however, are real signs that the Department bureaucrats are running amok. About 20 years ago this columnist worked, for two years, in the U.S. Department of Energy’s general counsel’s office in its procurement and finance division. And is wise to the ways. The answer to “why would DHS need such a vehicle?” almost certainly is this: it’s a cool toy and these (reportedly) million dollar toys are being recycled, without much of a impact on the DHS budget. So… why not?

Why, indeed, should the federal government not be deploying armored personnel carriers and stockpiling enough ammo for a 20-year war in the homeland? Because it’s wrong in every way. President Obama has an opportunity, now, to live up to some of his rhetoric by helping the federal government set a noble example in a matter very close to his heart (and that of his Progressive base), one not inimical to the Bill of Rights: gun control. The federal government can (for a nice change) begin practicing what it preaches by controlling itself.

Remember the Sequester? The president is claiming its budget cuts will inconvenience travelers by squeezing essential services provided by the (opulently armed and stylishly uniformed) DHS. Quality ammunition is not cheap. (Of course, news reports that DHS is about to spend $50 million on new uniforms suggests a certain cavalier attitude toward government frugality.)

Spending money this way is beyond absurd well into perverse. According to the AP story a DHS spokesperson justifies this acquisition to “help the government get a low price for a big purchase.” Peggy Dixon, spokeswoman for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center: “The training center and others like it run by the Homeland Security Department use as many as 15 million rounds every year, mostly on shooting ranges and in training exercises.”

At 15 million rounds (which, in itself, is pretty extraordinary and sounds more like fun target-shooting-at-taxpayer-expense than a sensible training exercise) … that’s a stockpile that would last DHS over a century. To claim that it’s to “get a low price” for a ridiculously wasteful amount is an argument that could only fool a career civil servant.

Meanwhile, Senator Diane Feinstein, with the support of President Obama, is attempting to ban 100 capacity magazine clips. Doing a little apples-to-oranges comparison, here, 1.6 billion rounds is … 16 million times more objectionable.

Mr. Obama has a long history of disdain toward gun ownership. According to Prof. John Lott, in Debacle, a book he co-authored with iconic conservative strategist Grover Norquist,

“When I was first introduced to Obama (when both worked at the University of Chicago Law School, where Lott was famous for his analysis of firearms possession), he said, ‘Oh, you’re the gun guy.’

I responded: ‘Yes, I guess so.’

’I don’t believe that people should own guns,’ Obama replied.

I then replied that it might be fun to have lunch and talk about that statement some time.

He simply grimaced and turned away. …

Unlike other liberal academics who usually enjoyed discussing opposing ideas, Obama showed disdain.”

Mr. Obama? Where’s the disdain now? Cancelling, or at minimum, drastically scaling back — by 90% or even 99%, the DHS order for ammo, and its receipt and deployment of armored personnel carriers, would be a “fourfer.”

The federal government would set an example of restraint in the matter of weaponry.
It would reduce the deficit without squeezing essential services.
It would do both in a way that was palatable to liberals and conservatives, slightly depolarizing America.
It would somewhat defuse, by the government making itself less armed-to-the-teeth, the anxiety of those who mistrust the benevolence of the federales.

If Obama doesn’t show any leadership on this matter it’s an opportunity for Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, to summon Secretary Napolitano over for a little national conversation. Madame Secretary? Buying 1.6 billion rounds of ammo and deploying armored personnel carriers runs contrary, in every way, to what “homeland security” really means. Discuss.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphbenko/2013/03/11/1-6-billion-rounds-of-ammo-for-homeland-security-its-time-for-a-national-conversation/

Responses to Senator Coburn’s November 13, 2012 Letter

DHS Explains Plans To Buy 1.6B Rounds Of Ammo: We’re Buying in Bulk to ‘Significantly Lower Costs’

By Gregory Gwyn-Williams, Jr.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has responded to a letter dated November 13, 2012 from Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) regarding the agency’s ammunition purchases.

Sen. Coburn published the response on the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs website yesterday, April 1, 2013.

The response, dated February 4, 2013, says that DHS buys ammunition in bulk to “significantly lower costs.”

The letter states:

“DHS routinely establishes strategic sourcing contracts that combine the requirements of all its Components for commonly purchased goods and services such as ammunition, computer equipment and information technology services. These strategic sourcing contracts help leverage the purchasing power of DHS to efficiently procure equipment and supplies at significantly lower costs.”

While it has been previously reported that DHS has solicited the purchase of 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition over the next four to five years, the government agency shows only 263,733,362 rounds in its current inventory.

But, DHS estimates it will spend $37,263,698 on ammunition in FY 2013.

Last year, DHS spent $36,535,910, a decrease from 2011′s ammunition expense of $38,237,305.

Also, over the last three years the number of rounds purchased by DHS has declined.

In 2010, the agency purchased 148,314,825 rounds. In 2011, 108,664,054 rounds were purchased; and in 2012, 103,178,200 rounds.

In response to how the ammunition will be used by DHS, the various component agencies answered specific to their usage:

CBP (Customs & Border Protection) said that “70 percent of CBP ammunition is used for quarterly qualifications.”
ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) says it “allocates 1,000 rounds of ammunition per firearm per year for quarterly qualifications and training.”
TSA (Transportation Security Administration) says “35 percent of TSA ammunition is allocated for operational use (qualifications and duty carry).”

For Full DHS Response, Click Here.

http://cnsnews.com/blog/gregory-gwyn-williams-jr/dhs-explains-plans-buy-16b-rounds-ammo-were-buying-bulk-significantly

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Jean Shepherd — Videos

Posted on March 14, 2013. Filed under: American History, Blogroll, Communications, Culture, Education, Entertainment, history, liberty, Life, Links, media, People, Philosophy, Politics, Radio, Raves, Talk Radio, Technology, Video, Wealth, Wisdom | Tags: Jean Shepherd, Jean Shepherd's America, Radio, Talk Radio, The Great American Fourth of July, Videos WOR Radio |

Jean Shepherd Tribute

Trailer – A Christmas Story (1983)

“A Christmas Story” is a 1983 Christmas comedy film based on the short stories and semi-fictional anecdotes of author Jean Shepherd. The film centers on 9 year old ”Ralphie” Parker, who only wants one thing for Christmas; a Red Ryder BB Gun.

Jean Shepherd: A Christmas Story WOR Radio 1974 1/5

Jean Shepherd: A Christmas Story WOR Radio 1974 2/5

Jean Shepherd: A Christmas Story WOR Radio 1974 4/5

Jean Shepherd: A Christmas Story WOR Radio 1974 3/5

Jean Shepherd: A Christmas Story WOR Radio 1974 5/5

Jean Shepherd – The Great American Fourth of July – PART 1

Jean Shepherd – The Great American Fourth of July – PART 2

Jean Shepherd – The Great American Fourth of July – PART 3

Jean Shepherd – The Great American Fourth of July – PART 4

Jean Shepherd – The Great American Fourth of July – PART 5

Jean Shepherd – The Great American Fourth of July – PART 6

Jean Shepherd – Route 22

Jean Shepherd – “Call-In Radio”

Jean Shepherd’s Parody of Lawrence Welk

Jean Shepherd’s America – Chicago (White Sox)

Phantom Of The Open Hearth (Complete) Jean Shepherd

Jean Shepherd on Beer

Jean Shepherd Cafe Incident WOR Radio NY

Jean Shepherd WOR Radio “Train Traffic Jam”

Jean Shepherd Plane Lands Part 1 of 2

Jean Shepherd Plane Lands Part 2 of 2

Jean Shepherd WOR Radio The Perfect Crime

Jean Shepherd Uncle Carl’s Essex

Jean Shepherd WOR Radio Stoned MG

Jean Shepherd The General

Jean Shepherd WOR Radio Air Corps Flight

Jean Shepherd WOR Radio Japanese Balloon Bombs

Jean Shepherd WOR Radio Ice Cream War

Jean Shepherd WOR Radio Troop Train Ernie

Jean Shepherd Cafe Incident WOR Radio NY

Jean Shepherd New York Worlds Fair Part 1 of 2

Jean Shepherd New York Worlds Fair Part 2 of 2

Jean Shepherd Ham Radio Part 1 of 2

Jean Shepherd WOR Radio describes getting his Class A Ticket. Part 1 1-7-64
Jean Shepherd was an American Radio and TV personality, writer and actor who was often referred to by the nickname “Shep”. He did a 45 minute nightly live radio show on WOR in New York for over twenty years. With a career that spanned decades, Shepherd is perhaps best-known to modern audiences for narrating the film A Christmas Story (1983), which he co-wrote, based on his own semi-autobiographical stories. As a kid he worked briefly as a mail carrier at a Indiana steel mill and earned his Amateur Ham radio license when he was 14. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. In 2005, Shep was posthumously inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.

Jean Shepherd Ham Radio Part 2 of 2

Jean Shepherd The Specialist Part 1 of 2

Jean Shepherd The Specialist Part 2of 2

Jean Shepherd Bums

Jean Shepherd – “Shepherd’s Pie”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9XWucxFYuU]

Part 1: Jean Shepherd’s “I Libertine” Literary Hoax

Part 2: Jean Shepherd’s “I Libertine” Literary Hoax

Jean Shepherd

Jean Parker Shepherd (July 26, 1921 – October 16, 1999) was an American raconteur, radio and TV personality, writer and actor who was often referred to by the nickname Shep.^[1]

With a career that spanned decades, Shepherd is best known to modern audiences^[2] for the film A Christmas Story (1983), which he narrated and co-scripted, based on his own semi-autobiographical stories.

Early life

Born on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, Shepherd was raised in Hammond, Indiana, where he graduated from Hammond High School in 1939.^[2] The movie A Christmas Story is based on his days growing up in Hammond’s southeast side neighborhood of Hessville. As a youth he worked briefly as a mail carrier in a steel mill and earned his Amateur Radio license, sometimes claiming he got it at 16, other times saying he was even younger. Shepherd was a lifelong White Sox fan.

During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps.^[2] Shepherd then had an extensive career in a variety of media.

Career

Radio career

Shepherd began his broadcast radio career on WSAI in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1948. From 1951 to 1953 he had a late-night broadcast on KYW in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after which he returned to Cincinnati for a show on WLW. After a stint on television (see below), he returned to radio. “Shep,” as he was known, settled in at WOR radio New York City, New York on an overnight slot in 1956, where he delighted his fans^[3] by telling stories, reading poetry (especially the works of Robert W. Service), and organizing comedic listener stunts. The most famous^[4] of the last involved creating a hoax about a non-existent book, I, Libertine, by the equally non-existent 18th century author “Frederick R. Ewing”, in 1956. During a discussion on how easy it was to manipulate the best seller lists, which at that time were based not only on sales but demand, Shepherd suggested that his listeners visit bookstores and ask for a copy of I, Libertine which led to booksellers attempting to purchase the book from their distributors. Fans of the show eventually took it further, planting references to the book and author so widely that demand for the book led to it being listed on The New York Times Best Seller list.^{[citation needed]} Shepherd, Theodore Sturgeon and Betty Ballantine later wrote the actual book, with a cover painted by illustrator Frank Kelly Freas, published by Ballantine Books.^[5] Among his close friends in the late 1950s were Shel Silverstein and Herb Gardner. With them and actress Lois Nettleton, Shepherd performed in the revue he created, Look, Charlie. Later he was married to Nettleton for about six years.^[6]

When he was about to be released by WOR in 1956 for not being commercial, he did a commercial for Sweetheart Soap, not a sponsor, and was immediately fired. His listeners besieged WOR with complaints, and when Sweetheart offered to sponsor him he was reinstated. Eventually, he attracted more sponsors than he wanted—the commercials interrupted the flow of his monologues. Ex WOR engineer, Frank Cernese, adds: The commercials of that era were on “ETs”—phonograph records about 14″ in diameter. Three large turntables were available to play them in sequence. However, Shepherd liked the engineer to look at him and listen when he told his stories. That left little time to load the turntables and cue the appropriate cuts. That’s when he started complaining about “too many commercials”!.^{[citation needed]} He broadcast until he left WOR in 1977. His subsequent radio work consisted of only short segments on several other stations including crosstown WCBS. His final radio gig was the Sunday night radio show “Shepherd’s Pie” on WBAI-FM in the mid-1990s, which consisted of his reading his stories uncut, uninterrupted and unabridged. The show was one of WBAI’s most popular of the period.

In later life he publicly dismissed his days as a radio raconteur as unimportant, focusing more on his writing and movie work. This distressed his legions of fans who fondly remembered nights with Shepherd on WOR.^{[citation needed]} He once made such comments during an appearance on the Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder. This contrasts with his frequent criticisms of television during his radio programs.

In addition to his stories, his shows also contained, among other things, humorous anecdotes and general commentaries about the human condition, observations about life in New York, accounts of vacations in Maine and travels throughout the world. Among the most striking of his programs was his account of his participation in the March on Washington in August 1963, during which Dr. Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, and the program that aired on November 25, 1963—the day of President Kennedy’s burial. However, his most scintillating programs remain his oftimes prophetic, bitingly humorous commentaries about ordinary life in America.

Throughout his radio career, he performed entirely without scripts. His friend and WOR colleague Barry Farber marveled at how he could talk so long with very little written down.^{[citation needed]} Yet during a radio interview, Shepherd once claimed that some shows took several weeks to prepare. On most of his Fourth of July broadcasts, however, he would read one of his most enduring and popular short stories, “Ludlow Kissel and the Dago Bomb that Struck Back,” about a neighborhood drunk and his disastrous fireworks escapades. In the 1960s and 1970s, his WOR show ran from 11:15 pm to midnight, later changed to 10:15 pm to 11 pm, so his “Ludlow Kissel” reading was coincidentally timed to many New Jersey and New York local town fireworks displays, which would traditionally reach their climax at 10 pm. It was possible, on one of those July 4 nights, to park one’s car on a hilltop and watch several different pyrotechnic displays, accompanied by Shepherd’s masterful storytelling.

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Jean Shepherd posed as Frederick R. Ewing on the back cover of Ballantine’s I, Libertine (1956).

Shepherd wrote a series of humorous short stories about growing up in northwest Indiana and its steel towns, many of which were first told by him on his programs and then published in Playboy. The stories were later assembled into books titled In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories: and Other Disasters, The Ferrari in the Bedroom, and A Fistful of Fig Newtons. Some of those situations were incorporated into his movies and television fictional stories. He also wrote a column for the early Village Voice, a column for Car and Driver, numerous individual articles for diverse publications, including Mad Magazine (“The Night People vs. Creeping Meatballism”, March/April 1957), and introductions for books such as The America of George Ade, American Snapshots, and the 1970 reprint of the 1929 Johnson Smith Catalogue.^[7]^[8]

When Eugene B. Bergmann’s Excelsior, You Fathead! The Art and Enigma of Jean Shepherd was published in 2005, Publishers Weekly reviewed:

This prismatic portrait affirms Shepherd’s position as one of the 20th century’s great humorists. Railing against conformity, he forged a unique personal bond with his loyal listeners, who participated in his legendary literary prank by asking bookstores for the nonexistent novel I, Libertine (when publisher Ian Ballantine had Shepherd, author Theodore Sturgeon, and illustrator Frank Kelly Freas make the fake real, PW called it “the hoax that became a book”). Storyteller Shepherd’s grand theme was life itself… Novelist Bergmann (Rio Amazonas) interviewed 32 people who knew Shepherd or were influenced by him and listened to hundreds of broadcast tapes, inserting transcripts of Shepherd’s own words into a “biographical framework” of exhaustive research.^[9]

Television and films

Early in his career, Shepherd had a television program in Cincinnati called Rear Bumper.^[2] He claimed that he was recommended to replace the resigning Steve Allen on NBC’s Tonight Show. Shepherd was reportedly brought to New York City by NBC executives to prepare for the position, but they were contractually bound to first offer it to Jack Paar. The network was certain Paar would hold out for a role in prime time, but he accepted the late-night assignment. However, he did not assume the position permanently until Shepherd and Ernie Kovacs had co-hosted the show.

In 1960 he did a weekly television show on WOR in New York, but it did not last long. Between 1971 and 1994, Shepherd became a screenwriter of note, writing and producing numerous works for both television and cinema. He was the writer and narrator of the show Jean Shepherd’s America, produced by Boston Public Television station WGBH in which he told his famous narratives, visited unusual locales, and interviewed local people of interest. He used a somewhat similar format for the New Jersey Network TV show Shepherd’s Pie. On many of the Public TV shows he wrote, directed and edited entire shows.^{[citation needed]}

He also wrote and narrated many works, the most famous being the feature film A Christmas Story, which is now considered a holiday classic. In the film, Shepherd provides the voice of the adult Ralph Parker. He also has a cameo role playing a man in line at the department store waiting for Santa Claus. Much to Ralphie’s chagrin, he points out to him that the end of the line is much further away.

Ten years later, Shepherd and director Bob Clark returned to the same working-class Cleveland neighborhood to film a sequel, It Runs In The Family (later known as My Summer Story) released by MGM in 1994, with an entirely different cast from the previous film. The PBS series American Playhouse aired a series of television movies based on Shepherd stories, also featuring the Parker family. These included Ollie Hopnoodle’s Haven of Bliss, The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski, The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters,^[10] and The Phantom of the Open Hearth.^[11]

Live performances and recordings

On Saturday nights for several years, Shepherd broadcast his WOR radio program live from the Limelight Cafe in New York City’s Greenwich Village, and he also performed at many colleges nationwide. His live shows were a perennial favorite^{[citation needed]} at Rutgers to wildly enthusiastic standing room only crowds, and Fairleigh Dickinson Universities (he often referred to the latter as “Fairly Ridiculous University” on his WOR show). He performed at Princeton University annually for 30 years, until 1996. He performed before sold-out audiences at Carnegie Hall and Town Hall. He was also emcee for several important jazz concerts in the late 1950s. Shepherd improvised spoken word narration for the title track on jazz musician Charles Mingus’s 1957 album The Clown. Eight record albums of live and studio performances of Shepherd were released between 1955 and 1975. In 1994, Shepherd recorded the opening narration and the voice of the Audio-Animatronics “Father” character for the updated Carousel of Progress attraction at Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom, still heard today.

Music

On some of his broadcasts he played parts of recordings of such novelty songs as “The Bear Missed the Train” (a parody of the Yiddish ballad “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen”) and “The Sheik of Araby”. Sometimes Shepherd would accompany the recordings by playing the Jew’s harp, nose flute, or kazoo, and occasionally even by thumping his knuckles on his head.

The theme song of his show was “The Bahn Frei Polka” by Eduard Strauss. The particular version he used was a 1958 recording by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops.

Ham radio

Shepherd held the ham radio call signs W9QWN (2907 Cleveland St., Hammond, Ind.) and later K2ORS (New York). A 1938 W9QWN QSL card shows him signing the name (handle) “Shep”. This is also confirmed from an early log book. He was very active on ham radio until his death. He is listed in the 1962 Amateur Radio Callbook as K2ORS, 1307 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y.

For a number of years, while married to Lois Nettleton, his address was 340 East 57th Street in New York City. His last residence in NYC was on West 10th Street in Greenwich Village, where he lived for many years. He is also credited as the voice for the ARRL’s tape series Tune In the World with Ham Radio. This series of tapes helped many young people become ham radio operators.

Marriages, children and death

Jean Shepherd was married four times. A brief first marriage, about which virtually nothing is known, has been confirmed by Shepherd’s son, Randall and by Shepherd’s third wife, Lois Nettleton.

Joan Laverne Warner: September 9, 1950 – 1957 (divorced)
- Son: Randall Shepherd born 1951
- Daughter: Adrien Shepherd born December 16, 1957.
Lois Nettleton: December 3, 1960 – 1967 (divorced)^[12]
Leigh Brown: March 2, 1977 – July 16, 1998 (her death)

Shepherd spent his final years in relative seclusion on Sanibel Island, Florida, with his wife Leigh Brown. She was also his producer at WOR, and played many roles in his varied career. As Shepherd attained a rotund figure in his later years, Leigh would refer to him as “ma pamplemousse,” or, “my grapefruit.” He died on Sanibel Island in 1999 of “natural causes.”

Fact and fiction

It is unknown to what extent Shepherd’s radio and published stories were fact, fiction or a combination of the two. The childhood friends included in many of his stories were people he claimed to have invented, yet high school yearbooks confirm that many of them did exist. His father was a cashier at the Borden Milk Company. Shepherd always referred to him as “my old man.” During an interview on the Long John Nebel Show—an all-night radio program that ran on WOR starting at midnight—Shepherd once claimed that his real father was a cartoonist along the lines of Herblock, and that he inherited his skills at line drawings. This may well have not been true but Shepherd’s ink drawings do adorn some of his published writings, and a number of previously unknown ones were sold on eBay from his former wife Lois Nettleton’s collection after her death in 2008.

The 1930 Federal Census Record for Hammond, Indiana indicates that Jean’s father did work for a dairy company. His actual occupation reads “cashier.” The 1930 census record (which misspells the last name as “Shephard” when searching) lists the following family members: Jean Shepherd, age 30, head; Anna Shepherd, age 30, wife; Jean Shepherd, Jr, age 8, son; and Randall Shepherd, age 6, son. According to this record, Jean Sr, Anna, Jean Jr, and Randall were all born in Illinois. Jean, Sr’s parents were born in Kansas. Ann’s parents were born in Germany.

Jean Shepherd had two children, a son Randall and a daughter Adrien, but publicly denied this. Randall Shepherd describes his father as having frequently come home late or not at all. Randall had almost no contact with him after his parents’ divorce.^[13]

Legacy

Shepherd’s life and multimedia career are examined in the 2005 book Excelsior, You Fathead! The Art and Enigma of Jean Shepherd by Eugene B. Bergmann (ISBN 0-55783-600-0).

Shepherd’s oral narrative style was a precursor to that used by Spalding Gray and Garrison Keillor. Marshall McLuhan in Understanding Media wrote that Shepherd “regards radio as a new medium for a new kind of novel that he writes nightly.” In the “Seinfeld Season 6″ DVD set, commenting on the episode titled “The Gymnast” Jerry Seinfeld says “He really formed my entire comedic sensibility—I learned how to do comedy from Jean Shepherd.” Furthermore, the first name of Seinfeld’s third child is “Shepherd.” On January 23, 2012 the Paley Center for Media (formerly The Museum of Television and Radio) presented a tribute to Jean Shepherd. Jerry Seinfeld was interviewed for the hour and discussed how Shepherd and he had similar ways of humorously discussing minor incidents in life. He confirmed the importance of Shepherd on his career.

Shepherd was an influence on Bill Griffith’s Zippy comic strip, as Griffith noted in his strip for January 9, 2000. Griffith explained, “The inspiration—just plucking random memories from my childhood, as I’m wont to do in my Sunday strip (also a way to expand beyond Zippy)–and Shep was a big part of them”.^[14]

In an interview with New York magazine, Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen says that the eponymous figure from his solo album The Nightfly was based on Jean Shepherd.

Though he primarily spent his radio career playing music, New York Top 40 DJ legend Dan Ingram has acknowledged Shepherd’s style as an influence.

An article he wrote for the March–April 1957 issue of MAD magazine, “The Night People vs Creeping Meatballism”, described the differences between what he considered to be “day people” (conformists) and “night people” (non-conformists). In the opening credits of John Cassavetes’ 1959 film Shadows the credits read “Presented by Jean Shepherd’s Night People”.

In 2005, Shepherd was posthumously inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.

The Community Center in Hammond, Indiana is named after him.

Watch

Jean Shepherd in Clinton, New Jersey, in 1977.
Jean Shepherd in Boston’s Fenway Park discussing his childhood vis-a-vis baseball, October 14, 1969

Listen to

Jean Shepherd’s radio shows from the 50s, 60s and 70s at archive.org
http://www.live365.com/stations/wxrb?site=pro — The Jean Shepherd Show rebroadcasts are also heard every Sunday night at 11:00 p.m./Eastern on WXRB (95.1 FM/Dudley–Webster, MA)
The Brass Figlagee — Nightly podcast of Jean Shepherd shows
Jean Shepherd Reads Poems of Robert Service (1975) at Smithsonian Folkways
Insomnia Theater — Free 24 x 7 stream of Jean Shepherd shows
Shep-A-Day — What was Jean Shepherd talking about on this day in history? Podcast updated daily
Shepherd describes how his father personally lost a White Sox game — The voice of the father in Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress

Bibliography

I, Libertine (1956, co-written by Theodore Sturgeon as “Frederick R. Ewing”)
The America of George Ade (1960, edited and introduced by Jean Shepherd)
In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash (1966)
Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories: And Other Disasters (1971)
The Ferrari in the Bedroom (1972)
The Phantom of the Open Hearth (1978)
A Fistful of Fig Newtons (1981)
A Christmas Story (2003, posthumously)

Filmography

America, Inc. NET Playhouse (1970) (TV)
Jean Shepherd’s America (1971) (TV)
No Whistles, Bells, or Bedlam (1972) (Rochester Institute of Technology) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307234/
The Phantom of the Open Hearth (1976) (TV)
The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters (1982) (TV)
The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski (1983) (TV)
A Christmas Story (1983)
The Great American Road-Racing Festival (1985) (TV)
Ollie Hopnoodle’s Haven of Bliss (1988) (TV)
My Summer Story (aka It Runs in the Family) (1994)

References

^ Clavin, Jim (2007). “Who Is Jean Shepherd?”. Flick Lives!. http://www.flicklives.com/Misc/who_is.htm. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d “Famous Hammond Personalities: Jean Shepherd”. HammondIndiana.com. http://www.hammondindiana.com/personalities.htm. Retrieved 2006-11-26.
^ Phillips, McCandlish (August 13, 1956). “400 Hold A Wake For Radio Cult”. The New York Times. http://www.flicklives.com/Articles/articles.asp?ID=19560813A. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
^ Wilcock, John (August 1, 1956). “The Book That Wasn’t”. The Village Voice. http://www.flicklives.com/Articles/articles.asp?ID=19560801Ab. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
^ Tricked You: Great Literary Hoaxes Good Reading magazine June 2008 Pg 22
^ Ramirez, Anthony (October 17, 1999). “Jean Shepherd, a Raconteur Of the Radio, Dies in Florida”. New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9801E3DA1639F934A25753C1A96F958260&sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
^ Excelsior, you fathead!: the art and enigma of Jean Shepherd, Eugene B. Bergmann, Hal Leonard Corporation, 2005, 495 pages, p. 333-4, ISBN 978-1-55783-600-7 via Google Books
^ Shep Bibliography: The Works and Career of Jean Shepherd, Jim Sadur and Joe Berg, 1998–2004, keyflux.com, retrieved March 30, 2010
^ Publishers Weekly, vol. 252, no. 4 (2005), p. 233.
^ “The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters at IMDB”. http://imdb.com/title/tt0084022/.
^ “The Phantom of the Open Hearth at IMDB”. http://imdb.com/title/tt0202527/.
^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0626728/bio
^ Shepherd, Randall (2006). “One More Hat on a Man”. Shep’s vast file of dynamic trivia: People in Shep’s Life. Jim Clavin. http://www.flicklives.com/people/randall.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
^ Flick Lives: “Zippy”

External links

A blog begun in early 2013, shepquest.wordpress.com discusses Jean Shepherd’s life and work.
Jean Shepherd at the Internet Movie Database
Works by or about Jean Shepherd in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
Jean Shepherd Historical Preservation Website
Jean Shepherd Festival in Hammond, Indiana
The Night People vs Creeping Meatballism Mad 32 (March–April 1957) article by Jean Shepherd, illustrated by Wally Wood
Jean’s ham call on QRZ.COM
Ralph Gardner’s One Ralphie to Another
Leigh Brown at the Internet Movie Database

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Federally Sponsored Jailbreak of 2,228 Criminal Aliens Released By Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — Videos

Posted on March 14, 2013. Filed under: Blogroll, Communications, Crime, Economics, Immigration, Law, liberty, Life, Links, media, Philosophy, Radio, Unemployment, Video, Wisdom | Tags: Criminal Aliens Released, Criminals Released, Detention Centers, Economics, ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Politics |

2,000 criminal illegal aliens released from prison.

Judge Jeanine Pirro reports on the Obama administrations releasing of 2,000 illegal invaders.

Goodlatte Talks ICE’s Release of Detainees on Lou Dobbs Tonight

Congressman Bob Goodlatte, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, appeared on “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on Fox Business to discuss ICE’s release of detainees. An internal U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) document obtained by the House Judiciary Committee reveals that the agency planned to release thousands of criminal aliens onto the streets to reduce the agency’s costs in light of sequestration. As of February 15, 2013, the document shows that ICE had roughly 31,000 illegal immigrants and criminal aliens in detention — already below the 34,000 mandated by Congress — and planned to reduce that number to less than 26,000 by March 31, 2013. According to sources, roughly 2,000 criminal aliens may have already been released so far.

Border Battle – Startling Info On Release Of Illegal Aliens Across U.S. -

Limbaugh Rips Release Of Immigrants (Audio)

Illegal Immigrants Released from Detention Centers…

Inside Tacoma’s Northwest Detention Center

Fox News Says Sequester Will Lead To Murder By Freed Immigrants

Geraldo Calls Release Of Immigrants A ‘Spiteful Move’ By Obama: He’s Throwing A ‘Tantrum’

Operation Cross Check: 3,100 arrests

Federal spending cuts underway

Democrats: Term “Illegal Immigrants” OFFENSIVE – Use Out of Status/ New Americans/Undocumented

Rick Perry Slams McCain, Romney At CPAC, Says They Aren’t Conservative

“…”The popular media narrative is that this country has shifted away from conservative ideals, as evidenced by the last two presidential elections. That’s what they think. That’s what say. That might be true if Republicans had actually nominated conservative candidates in 2008 and 2012,” Gov. Rick Perry (R-Texas) said in his address at CPAC this afternoon.

Perry also slammed President Obama for undocumented illegal immigration being released from detention centers due to sequestration cuts.

“This president’s posture, it’d be laughable if he hadn’t taken it one step too far, dangerously releasing criminals onto our streets to make a political point,” Perry told the crowd at CPAC. “When you have a federally-sponsored jailbreak, and don’t get confused, that’s exactly what that is — when you’ve had a federally-sponsored jailbreak, you’ve crossed the line from politics of spin to politics as a craven form of cynicism.” …”

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2013/03/14/rick_perry_slams_mccain_romney_at_cpac_says_they_arent_conservative.html

“…The Obama administration reversed itself Thursday, acknowledging to Congress that it had, in fact, released more than 2,000 illegal immigrants from immigration jails due to budget constraints during three weeks in February.

The director of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, John Morton, said his agency had released 2,228 illegal immigrants during that period for what he called “solely budgetary reasons.” The figure was significantly higher than the “few hundred” immigrants the Obama administration had publicly acknowledged were released under the budget-savings process. He testified during a hearing by a House appropriations subcommittee.

Morton told lawmakers Thursday that the decision to release the immigrants was not discussed in advance with political appointees, including those in the White House or Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. He said the pending automatic cuts known as sequestration was “driving in the background.”

“We were trying to live within the budget that Congress had provided us,” Morton told lawmakers. “This was not a White House call. I take full responsibility.”

The Associated Press, citing internal budget documents, reported exclusively on March 1 that the administration had released more than 2,000 illegal immigrants since Feb. 15 and planned to release 3,000 more in March due to looming budget cuts, but Napolitano said days later that the AP’s report was “not really accurate” and that the story had developed “its own mythology.”

“Several hundred are related to sequester, but it wasn’t thousands,” Napolitano said March 4 at a Politico-sponsored event.

On March 5, the House Judiciary Committee publicly released an internal ICE document that it said described the agency’s plans to release thousands of illegal immigrants before March 31. The document was among those reviewed by the AP for its story days earlier.

The immigrants who were released still eventually face deportation and are required to appear for upcoming court hearings. But they are no longer confined in immigration jails, where advocacy experts say they cost about $164 per day per person. Immigrants who are granted supervised release – with conditions that can include mandatory check-ins, home visits and GPS devices – cost the government from 30 cents to $14 a day, according to the National Immigration Forum, a group that advocates on behalf of immigrants.

Morton said Thursday that among the immigrants released were 10 people considered the highest level of offender. Morton said that although that category of offender can include people convicted of aggravated felonies, many of the people released were facing financial crimes. Four of the most serious offenders have been put back in detention. Other people released include immigrants who had faced multiple drunken driving offenses, misdemeanor crimes and traffic offenses, Morton said.

After the administration challenged the AP’s reporting, ICE said it didn’t know how many people had been released for budget reasons but would review its records.

Texas Department of Public Safety

News Release
Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Public Safety Commission discusses Border Security report
and the Criminal Alien threat to Texas

During today’s Public Safety Commission (PSC) meeting, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Steven C. McCraw discussed the border security strategic assessment that was conducted by General Barry McCaffrey (Ret.) and Retired Major-General Robert Scales as a part of HB 4 from the 82^nd Session.

The report highlighted the efforts that Texas has put in place in order to combat the threat from the Mexican cartels and commended Texas for being “the most aggressive and creative in confronting the threat.”

The report further determined that “criminality spawned in Mexico is spilling over to the U.S. and Texas is the tactical close combat zone and frontline of this conflict.”

The Commission also discussed the impact criminal aliens were having on communities in Texas. Director McCraw stated that criminal aliens were responsible for a significant amount of crime and constituted a serious threat.

As of September 15, 2011, 6,508 illegal aliens have been identified in Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) units. These 6,508 criminal aliens are responsible for 27,880 total crimes over their criminal careers.

Furthermore, from October 2008 through August 2011, Texas has identified a total of 88,080 unique criminal alien defendants in Texas. These defendants are responsible for 344,398 individual criminal charges over their criminal careers, including 2,245 homicides and 46,412 sexual assaults. Director McCraw provided a detailed breakdown of the violations committed by the 88,080 criminal aliens.

Breakdown of 15 of the 50 Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) crime categories committed by the 88,080 criminal aliens

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FBI Criminal Investigation of White House Leaks–Videos

Posted on February 12, 2013. Filed under: Blogroll, Communications, Energy, Foreign Policy, government spending, Law, liberty, Life, media, Nuclear, Nuclear Power, Radio, Strategy, Video, War, Weapons, Wisdom | Tags: FBI Criminal Investigations, High Senior Administration Officials, White House Leaks |

Obama Impeachment Over White House Leaks

Democrat Senator: Obama White House Behind National Security Leaks

Obama, White House leaks ‘offensive’

Michael Coren on White House security leaks

Listening Post : Playing the Osama bin Laden card

Axelrod Hammered On National Security Leaks Coming From The White House

Rep. King on CNN “Erin Burnett OutFront” on recent leaks of classified information

TREASON Obama Leaks Israeli Strike Plan on Iran Todays News

Zero Dark Thirty Official Final Trailer (2012) – Kathryn Bigelow Bin Laden Movie HD

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The Coming Obama Recession — Real Recession — Real Recovery Needed –Videos

Posted on January 30, 2013. Filed under: Agriculture, American History, Banking, Blogroll, Business, College, Communications, Economics, Education, Employment, Energy, Federal Government, Federal Government Budget, Fiscal Policy, Foreign Policy, government, government spending, history, Inflation, Investments, Language, Law, liberty, Life, Links, Macroeconomics, media, Monetary Policy, Money, Natural Gas, Oil, People, Philosophy, Politics, Public Sector, Radio, Raves, Regulations, Resources, Security, Talk Radio, Tax Policy, Taxes, Unemployment, Unions, Video, War, Wealth, Wisdom |

http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2013/02/january-employment-report-157000-jobs.html

Table 1.1.1. Percent Change From Preceding Period in Real Gross Domestic Product

[Percent] Seasonally adjusted at annual rates

Last Revised on: January 30, 2013 – Next Release Date February 28, 2013

Line		2010				2011				2012
Line		I	II	III	IV	I	II	III	IV	I	II	III	IV
1	Gross domestic product	2.3	2.2	2.6	2.4	0.1	2.5	1.3	4.1	2.0	1.3	3.1	-0.1
2	Personal consumption expenditures	2.5	2.6	2.5	4.1	3.1	1.0	1.7	2.0	2.4	1.5	1.6	2.2
3	Goods	5.2	3.3	3.8	7.9	5.4	-1.0	1.4	5.4	4.7	0.3	3.6	4.6
4	Durable goods	5.5	10.5	7.2	15.2	7.3	-2.3	5.4	13.9	11.5	-0.2	8.9	13.9
5	Nondurable goods	5.1	0.1	2.2	4.5	4.6	-0.3	-0.4	1.8	1.6	0.6	1.2	0.4
6	Services	1.2	2.3	1.9	2.3	2.0	1.9	1.8	0.3	1.3	2.1	0.6	0.9
7	Gross private domestic investment	19.8	14.6	16.4	-5.9	-5.3	12.5	5.9	33.9	6.1	0.7	6.6	-0.6
8	Fixed investment	-0.9	14.5	-1.0	7.6	-1.3	12.4	15.5	10.0	9.8	4.5	0.9	9.7
9	Nonresidential	2.1	12.3	7.7	9.2	-1.3	14.5	19.0	9.5	7.5	3.6	-1.8	8.4
10	Structures	-23.0	13.1	-2.2	9.3	-28.2	35.2	20.7	11.5	12.9	0.6	0.0	-1.1
11	Equipment and software	14.7	12.0	11.9	9.2	11.1	7.8	18.3	8.8	5.4	4.8	-2.6	12.4
12	Residential	-11.4	23.1	-28.6	1.5	-1.4	4.1	1.4	12.1	20.5	8.5	13.5	15.3
13	Change in private inventories	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
14	Net exports of goods and services	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
15	Exports	5.9	9.6	9.7	10.0	5.7	4.1	6.1	1.4	4.4	5.3	1.9	-5.7
16	Goods	9.9	11.9	9.0	11.2	5.7	3.7	6.2	6.0	4.0	7.0	1.1	-7.9
17	Services	-2.2	4.5	11.1	7.4	5.8	5.1	6.1	-8.8	5.2	1.1	4.0	-0.1
18	Imports	10.4	20.2	13.9	0.0	4.3	0.1	4.7	4.9	3.1	2.8	-0.6	-3.2
19	Goods	12.2	24.7	14.1	1.1	5.2	-0.7	2.9	6.3	2.0	2.9	-1.2	-2.7
20	Services	2.4	1.2	12.9	-5.0	-0.6	4.2	13.8	-1.7	9.0	2.3	2.6	-5.4
21	Government consumption expenditures and gross investment	-3.1	2.8	-0.3	-4.4	-7.0	-0.8	-2.9	-2.2	-3.0	-0.7	3.9	-6.6
22	Federal	0.6	9.7	3.7	-4.1	-10.3	2.8	-4.3	-4.4	-4.2	-0.2	9.5	-15.0
23	National defense	-3.7	7.3	7.2	-6.1	-14.3	8.3	2.6	-10.6	-7.1	-0.2	12.9	-22.2
24	Nondefense	10.1	14.6	-3.1	0.0	-1.7	-7.5	-17.4	10.2	1.8	-0.4	3.0	1.4
25	State and local	-5.5	-1.4	-2.9	-4.6	-4.7	-3.2	-2.0	-0.7	-2.2	-1.0	0.3	-0.7
	Addendum:
26	Gross domestic product, current dollars	3.9	4.1	4.6	4.5	2.2	5.2	4.3	4.2	4.2	2.8	5.9	0.5

Peter Schiff on Negative 4th QTR GDP “The Temporary Euphoria Of The Stimulus

Marc Faber ‘Correction is Overdue’

GDP Drops -0.1% In 4th Quarter – State Of The Economy – America In Crisis!

Surprise Q4 fall in US GDP

Rick Santelli Reacts To Negative Fourth Quarter GDP Growth: ‘We Have Become

The Economy Shrank 0.1% Last Quarter – That’s Not Good IMO – John D. Villarreal

Carney: GDP report not “good news”

US GDP drop dents FTSE’s good form– IG’s Afternoon Market Headlines 30.01.13

US economy shrinks for first time since 2009.

John Williams: We’re Going to be in a New Recession in 2013

Marc Faber. – US Economy 100% Chance of Another Recession

Recession Risks: UK heads for triple-dip as GDP shrinks

Background Articles and Videos

EMBARGOED UNTIL RELEASE AT 8:30 A.M. EST, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2013

BEA 13-02

* See the navigation bar at the right side of the news release text for links to data tables, contact personnel and their telephone numbers, and supplementary materials.

<!—-><!—-><!—->

Lisa S. Mataloni:	(202) 606-5304	(GDP)	gdpniwd@bea.gov
Andrew Hodge:	(202) 606-5564	(Profits)	cpniwd@bea.gov
Recorded message:	(202) 606-5306
Brent Moulton:	(202) 606-9606	(Annual Revision)
Bob Kornfeld:	(202) 606-9285
Ralph Stewart:	(202) 606-2649	(News Media)
Jeannine Aversa:	(202) 606-2649	(News Media)

National Income and Product Accounts Gross Domestic Product, 4th quarter and annual 2012 (advance estimate)

Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property
located in the United States -- decreased at an annual rate of 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012
(that is, from the third quarter to the fourth quarter), according to the "advance" estimate released by the
Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 3.1 percent.

The Bureau emphasized that the fourth-quarter advance estimate released today is based on
source data that are incomplete or subject to further revision by the source agency (see the box on page 4
and the "Comparisons of Revisions to GDP" on page 5). The "second" estimate for the fourth quarter,
based on more complete data, will be released on February 28, 2013.

The decrease in real GDP in the fourth quarter primarily reflected negative contributions from
private inventory investment, federal government spending, and exports that were partly offset by
positive contributions from personal consumption expenditures (PCE), nonresidential fixed investment,
and residential fixed investment. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, decreased.

The downturn in real GDP in the fourth quarter primarily reflected downturns in private
inventory investment, in federal government spending, in exports, and in state and local government
spending that were partly offset by an upturn in nonresidential fixed investment, a larger decrease in
imports, and an acceleration in PCE.

Final sales of computers added 0.15 percentage point to the fourth-quarter change in real GDP
after adding 0.11 percentage point to the third-quarter change. Motor vehicle output added 0.04
percentage point to the fourth-quarter change in real GDP after subtracting 0.25 percentage point from
the third-quarter change.

_____________
FOOTNOTE. Quarterly estimates are expressed at seasonally adjusted annual rates, unless otherwise
specified. Quarter-to-quarter dollar changes are differences between these published estimates. Percent
changes are calculated from unrounded data and are annualized. "Real" estimates are in chained (2005)
dollars. Price indexes are chain-type measures.

This news release is available on www.bea.gov along with the Technical Notes and Highlights
related to this release.
_____________

The price index for gross domestic purchases, which measures prices paid by U.S. residents,
increased 1.3 percent in the fourth quarter, compared with an increase of 1.4 percent in the third.
Excluding food and energy prices, the price index for gross domestic purchases increased 1.1 percent in
the fourth quarter, compared with an increase of 1.2 percent in the third.

Real personal consumption expenditures increased 2.2 percent in the fourth quarter, compared
with an increase of 1.6 percent in the third. Durable goods increased 13.9 percent, compared with an
increase of 8.9 percent. Nondurable goods increased 0.4 percent, compared with an increase of 1.2
percent. Services increased 0.9 percent, compared with an increase of 0.6 percent.

Real nonresidential fixed investment increased 8.4 percent in the fourth quarter, in contrast to a
decrease of 1.8 percent in the third. Nonresidential structures decreased 1.1 percent; it was unchanged
in the third quarter. Equipment and software increased 12.4 percent in the fourth quarter, in contrast to a
decrease of 2.6 percent in the third. Real residential fixed investment increased 15.3 percent, compared
with an increase of 13.5 percent.

Real exports of goods and services decreased 5.7 percent in the fourth quarter, in contrast to an
increase of 1.9 percent in the third. Real imports of goods and services decreased 3.2 percent, compared
with a decrease of 0.6 percent.

Real federal government consumption expenditures and gross investment decreased 15.0 percent
in the fourth quarter, in contrast to an increase of 9.5 percent in the third. National defense decreased
22.2 percent, in contrast to an increase of 12.9 percent. Nondefense increased 1.4 percent, compared
with an increase of 3.0 percent. Real state and local government consumption expenditures and gross
investment decreased 0.7 percent, in contrast to an increase of 0.3 percent.

The change in real private inventories subtracted 1.27 percentage points from the fourth-quarter
change in real GDP after adding 0.73 percentage point to the third-quarter change. Private businesses
increased inventories $20.0 billion in the fourth quarter, following increases of $60.3 billion in the third
and $41.4 billion in the second.

Real final sales of domestic product -- GDP less change in private inventories -- increased 1.1
percent in the fourth quarter, compared with an increase of 2.4 percent in the third.

Gross domestic purchases

Real gross domestic purchases -- purchases by U.S. residents of goods and services wherever
produced -- increased 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter, compared with an increase of 2.6 percent in the
third.

Disposition of personal income

Current-dollar personal income increased $256.2 billion (7.9 percent) in the fourth quarter,
compared with an increase of $72.7 billion (2.2 percent) in the third. The acceleration in personal
income primarily reflected a sharp acceleration in personal dividend income, an upturn in personal
interest income, and an acceleration in wage and salary disbursements. The sharp acceleration in
personal dividend income reflected accelerated and special dividends that were paid by many companies
in the fourth quarter in anticipation of changes in individual income tax rates. The upturn in personal
interest income primarily reflected an upturn in interest rates for Treasury Inflation Protected Securities.
The acceleration in wages and salaries reflected the pattern of monthly Bureau of Labor Statistics
employment, hours, and earnings data for the fourth quarter, as well as a judgmental estimate of
accelerated compensation in the form of bonus payments and other irregular pay in the fourth quarter.

Personal current taxes increased $21.0 billion in the fourth quarter, compared with an increase of
$10.0 billion in the third.

Disposable personal income increased $235.2 billion (8.1 percent) in the fourth quarter,
compared with an increase of $62.7 billion (2.1 percent) in the third. Real disposable personal income
increased 6.8 percent, compared with an increase of 0.5 percent.

Personal outlays increased $95.0 billion (3.3 percent) in the fourth quarter, compared with an
increase of $88.6 billion (3.1 percent) in the third. Personal saving -- disposable personal income less
personal outlays -- was $570.0 billion in the fourth quarter, compared with $429.8 billion in the third.
The personal saving rate -- personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income -- was 4.7
percent in the fourth quarter, compared with 3.6 percent in the third. For a comparison of personal
saving in BEA’s national income and product accounts with personal saving in the Federal Reserve
Board’s flow of funds accounts and data on changes in net worth, go to
www.bea.gov/national/nipaweb/Nipa-Frb.asp.

Current-dollar GDP

Current-dollar GDP -- the market value of the nation's output of goods and services -- increased
0.5 percent, or $18.0 billion, in the fourth quarter to a level of $15,829.0 billion. In the third quarter,
current-dollar GDP increased 5.9 percent, or $225.4 billion.

2012 GDP

Real GDP increased 2.2 percent in 2012 (that is, from the 2011 annual level to the 2012 annual
level), compared with an increase of 1.8 percent in 2011.

The increase in real GDP in 2012 primarily reflected positive contributions from personal
consumption expenditures (PCE), nonresidential fixed investment, exports, residential fixed investment,
and private inventory investment that were partly offset by negative contributions from federal
government spending and from state and local government spending. Imports, which are a subtraction in
the calculation of GDP, increased.

The acceleration in real GDP in 2012 primarily reflected a deceleration in imports, upturns in
residential fixed investment and in private inventory investment, and smaller decreases in state and local
government spending and in federal government spending that were partly offset by decelerations in
PCE, exports, and nonresidential fixed investment.

The price index for gross domestic purchases increased 1.7 percent in 2012, compared with an
increase of 2.5 percent in 2011.

Current-dollar GDP increased 4.0 percent, or $600.3 billion, in 2012, compared with an increase
of 4.0 percent, or $576.8 billion, in 2011.

During 2012 (that is, measured from the fourth quarter of 2011 to the fourth quarter of 2012) real
GDP increased 1.5 percent. Real GDP increased 2.0 percent during 2011. The price index for gross
domestic purchases increased 1.5 percent during 2012, compared with an increase of 2.5 percent during
2011.

______________
BOX. Information on the assumptions used for unavailable source data is provided in a technical note
that is posted with the news release on BEA's Web site. Within a few days after the release, a detailed
"Key Source Data and Assumptions" file is posted on the Web site. In the middle of each month, an
analysis of the current quarterly estimate of GDP and related series is made available on the Web site;
click on Survey of Current Business, "GDP and the Economy." For information on revisions, see
"Revisions to GDP, GDI, and Their Major Components."
______________

BEA's national, international, regional, and industry estimates; the Survey of Current Business;
and BEA news releases are available without charge on BEA's Web site at www.bea.gov. By visiting the
site, you can also subscribe to receive free e-mail summaries of BEA releases and announcements.

* * *

Next release -- February 28, 2013, at 8:30 A.M. EST for:
Gross Domestic Product: Fourth Quarter and Annual 2012 (Second Estimate)

Release Dates in 2013

2012: IV and 2012 annual 2013: I 2013: II 2013: III

Gross Domestic Product
Advance.......... January 30 April 26 July 31 October 30
Second........... February 28 May 30 August 29 November 26
Third............ March 28 June 26 September 26 December 20

Corporate Profits
Preliminary...... ........ May 30 August 29 November 26
Revised.......... March 28 June 26 September 26 December 20

Comparisons of Revisions to GDP

Quarterly estimates of GDP are released on the following schedule: the "advance" estimate, based on
source data that are incomplete or subject to further revision by the source agency, is released near the end of the
first month after the end of the quarter; as more detailed and more comprehensive data become available,
the "second" and "third" estimates are released near the end of the second and third months, respectively.
The "latest"” estimate reflects the results of both annual and comprehensive revisions.

Annual revisions, which generally cover the quarters of the 3 most recent calendar years, are usually carried
out each summer and incorporate newly available major annual source data. Comprehensive (or benchmark)
revisions are carried out at about 5-year intervals and incorporate major periodic source data, as well as
improvements in concepts and methods that update the accounts to portray more accurately the evolving U.S.
economy.

The table below shows comparisons of the revisions between quarterly percent changes of current-dollar
and of real GDP for the different vintages of the estimates. From the advance estimate to the second estimate (one
month later), the average revision to real GDP without regard to sign is 0.5 percentage point, while from the
advance estimate to the third estimate (two months later), it is 0.6 percentage point. From the advance estimate to
the latest estimate, the average revision without regard to sign is 1.3 percentage points. The average revision
(with regard to sign) from the advance estimate to the latest estimate is 0.2 percentage point, which is larger
than the average revisions from the advance estimate to the second or to the third estimates. The larger average
revisions to the latest estimate reflect the fact that comprehensive revisions include major improvements, such as
the incorporation of BEA’s latest benchmark input-output accounts. The quarterly estimates correctly indicate the
direction of change of real GDP 97 percent of the time, correctly indicate whether GDP is accelerating or
decelerating 72 percent of the time, and correctly indicate whether real GDP growth is above, near, or below trend
growth more than four-fifths of the time.

Revisions Between Quarterly Percent Changes of GDP: Vintage Comparisons
[Annual rates]

Vintages Average Average without Standard deviation of
compared regard to sign revisions without
regard to sign

____________________________________________________Current-dollar GDP_______________________________________________

Advance to second.................... 0.2 0.6 0.4
Advance to third..................... .1 .7 .4
Second to third...................... .0 .3 .2

Advance to latest.................... .3 1.2 1.0

________________________________________________________Real GDP_____________________________________________________

Advance to second.................... 0.1 0.5 0.4
Advance to third..................... .1 .6 .5
Second to third...................... .0 .2 .2

Advance to latest.................... .2 1.3 1.0

NOTE. These comparisons are based on the period from 1983 through 2009.

Recovery Shows a Soft Spot

GDP Shrinks 0.1% on Government Cuts, but Consumer, Business Spending Offer Hope

By JOSH MITCHELL

“…The U.S. economy shrank for the first time in more than three years in the fourth quarter, underscoring the halting nature of the recovery. But the strength of consumer spending and business investment suggested that the economy will grow, albeit slowly, this year.

Gross domestic product—the broadest measure of goods and services churned out by the economy—fell at a 0.1% annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to the government’s initial estimate out Wednesday.

The details weren’t as discouraging as the headline. The drop, a surprise, was driven by a sharp fall in government spending and by businesses putting fewer goods on warehouse shelves, as well as by a decline in exports. The mainstays of the domestic private economy—housing, consumer spending and business investment in equipment and software—were stronger.

to the economy, even though it expected a return to moderate growth in the months ahead.

The U.S. joined other advanced economies in reporting contractions in the final months of last year. The U.K., Germany, Spain and Belgium have said their economies shrank in the fourth quarter, and several more euro-zone members in coming weeks are expected to report their own declines. Budget cuts appear to be a leading factor driving the contractions in many of those nations.

Deficit cutting in advanced economies is an important reason why global growth is expected to barely improve this year. The International Monetary Fund last week projected global growth of just 3.5% this year, a slight pickup from the estimated 3.2% growth in 2012, due partly to budget tightening in the U.S. and Europe. The International Monetary Fund expects advanced economies to expand just 1.4% this year, compared with 5.5% growth among developing economies.

Wednesday’s GDP report portrayed an economy stuck in low gear. For 2012, the economy grew 2.2%, up from the 1.8% growth of 2011, but still below the roughly 3% pace notched during healthier times.

For now, the economy is riding largely on the backs of consumers. Consumer spending, adjusted for inflation, increased at a 2.2% rate in the fourth quarter, up from 1.6% in the third. That included a jump in spending on durable goods, which are big-ticket items such as cars and refrigerators.

One thing that is helping consumers: They are starting to see substantial income gains after years of stagnation. The GDP report showed after-tax income rose at a rate of 6.8%, adjusted for inflation, the fastest pace since the recession.

One company benefiting from stronger consumer spending is Nando’s Peri-Peri USA, a closely held chain of chicken restaurants in the Washington, D.C., area. Same-store sales rose roughly 5% in the final months of 2012 compared with a year ago, said Chief Executive Burton Heiss.

Mr. Heiss said he believes consumers are feeling more secure as housing and other parts of the economy improve. Higher home prices, for example, might be giving consumers the confidence to spend more freely on going out. Mr. Heiss added that the strength seems to be continuing: Sales have picked up slightly since the start of the year.

U.S. companies stepped up investment in equipment and software during the quarter, with business investment rising at a rate of 8.4%, the strongest pace in a year. That defied expectations that companies would pull back due to worries over the “fiscal cliff” budget dispute in Washington.

Still, those factors weren’t strong enough to overcome declines in federal spending and exports and slower inventory growth.

The slower inventory investment was the biggest factor behind the contraction. Businesses essentially sold items from warehouse shelves, rather than placing new orders with manufacturers.

That may have been due to inventory accumulating too quickly last summer and some businesses becoming extra cautious about restocking. The upside is that with inventory levels now depleted, many businesses will be forced to replenish, possibly boosting growth in the current quarter.

Meanwhile, government spending, which has been a drag on growth for more than two years, declined for the ninth time in 10 quarters. The biggest cuts came in military spending, which tumbled at a rate of 22.2%, the largest drop since 1972. But state and local spending also fell, dashing hopes of stabilization after a rare increase in the third quarter.

Military analysts said the decline likely was a result of pressure on the Pentagon from a number of areas.

Among them: reductions in spending on the war in Afghanistan as it winds down, a downturn in planned military spending, a constraint placed on the Pentagon budget because the federal government is operating on short-term resolutions that limit spending growth, as well as concern that further cuts may be in the pipeline.

Pentagon officials already have imposed tighter controls on military spending to deal with the challenges.

David Berteau, a former Defense Department official who now heads the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said he was surprised by the sharp drop and predicted that persistent uncertainty about the defense budget would continue to be a drag on the national economy.

“Is this a blip in the data or is it a trend?” he said. “I think you’re seeing a trend.”

The effect of defense cuts on the economy in the fourth quarter likely raises the stakes of looming budget fights between the White House and congressional Republicans. The White House said the GDP report showed the need for Congress to avoid “self-inflicted wounds” and reach a deal.

Companies tied to the defense industry already are bracing for cuts.

Noel McCormick, president of McCormick Stevenson, a small engineering firm in Clearwater, Fla., that designs weapons for major defense contractors, said big clients have told him they may resort to layoffs and cut spending if cuts happen.

That would have a “tremendous” impact on McCormick’s 12-person company, he said, likely causing it to cut back as well.

“There is a great deal of angst associated in the coming months,” Mr. McCormick said.

—Sudeep Reddy, Jon Hilsenrath, Ben Casselman and Dion Nissenbaum contributed to this article.

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Give President Obama What He Wants A Massive Tax Increase–Jump Barack Jump!–Republican Senator Paul’s $3 Trillion Budget for Fiscal Year 2014 Would Really Cut Over $500 Billion in Spending–A Balanced Approach Leading To A Balanced Budget!–Videos

Posted on December 28, 2012. Filed under: American History, Banking, Blogroll, Business, Communications, Demographics, Diasters, Economics, Education, Employment, Federal Government, Federal Government Budget, Food, Foreign Policy, government, government spending, Health Care, history, Inflation, Investments, Law, liberty, Life, Links, Macroeconomics, media, Monetary Policy, Money, People, Philosophy, Politics, Programming, Psychology, Public Sector, Radio, Rants, Raves, Regulations, Strategy, Talk Radio, Tax Policy, Taxes, Television, Unemployment, Unions, Video | Tags: Barack Obama, Fiscal Cliff, Jump Barack Jump, Jumper Obama, Massive Tax Increase, Obama Recession, Political Suicide, Rand Paul, Suicide |

Passerby pushes suicide jumper off bridge in frustration

China bridge jumper ‘gets a push’ 1

The Deal with Jack Hunter: Ignoring Rand Paul’s Budget

Sen. Rand Paul: People in Congress Don’t Deserve to Manage Any More Money

Rand Paul: We Should Let Dems Raise Taxes And Then Let Them Own It -

Rand Paul: We Should Let Democrats Raise Taxes

Rand Paul On The Fiscal Cliff: Spending Cuts Are Fiction, The Tax Increases Should Be Too

Sen. Rand Paul on $500B in Spending Cuts: The American People Are Ready

Senator Rand Paul on Neil Cavuto about $500 Billion spending cut S.162

TEA PARTY THE ANSWER TO GOVT. SPENDING?: Sen. Rand Paul: $500 billion budget cuts

Rand Paul: I’m Mad At My Dad! I Had 500 Billion In Cuts, Now He Comes Out With A Trillion!

Since President Obama wants to grow government and make all Americans dependent upon the Government and Democratic Party, let the Democratic Party and Obama jump from the fiscal cliff.

They will own the resulting recession and will be committing political suicide.

Do not negotiate with a person or party that wants to jump off the cliff by raising taxes on all Americans.

The Republican Party should stop negotiating with the person responsible with the massive spending problem resulting in huge deficits and over $5 trillion of new national debt.

Neither the Democratic Party led by President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi nor the Republican Party led by House Speaker Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, are capable of balancing the budget of the U.S. government.

The table below summarizes the failed 10 year record of both political parties in controlling government spending that have produced massive fiscal-year deficits and an ever increasing national debt.

Summary of Tax Receipts and Spending Outlays of theUnited States Government for Fiscal Years 2002-2012[in million of dollars]
Fiscal Year	Tax Receipts	Spending Outlays	Deficits (+) or Surplus (-)
2002	1,853,225	2,011,016	157,791
2003	1,782,108	2,159,246	377,139
2004	1,879,783	2,292,628	412,845
2005	2,153,350	2,472,095	318,746
2006	2,406,675	2,654,873	248,197
2007	2,567,672	2,729,199	161,527
2008	2,523,642	2,978,440	454,798
2009	2,104,358	3,520,082	1,415,724
2010	2,161,728	3,455,931	1,294,204
2011	2,302,495	3,601,109	1,298,614
2012	2,449,093	3,538,286	1,089,193
Source: Department of the Treasury, Final Monthly Treasury Statements of Receipts and Outlays of the United States Government for Fiscal Years 2002-2012, table 1.

Simply tell the American people that the Republican Party wants no tax increase for any American and is willing to have a Fiscal Year 2014 budget of $3 trillion that represents a real spending cut of over $500 billion.

Obama rejected the proposal and jumped. Rest in peace.

Pass Senator Rand Paul’s $500 billion spending cuts for Fiscal Year 2014!

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SERVICE STAR - TREASURY FINANCIAL DATABASE TABLE 1. SUMMARY OF RECEIPTS, OUTLAYS AND THE DEFICIT/SURPLUS BY MONTH OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT (IN MILLIONS) ACCOUNTING DATE: 11/12 PERIOD RECEIPTS OUTLAYS DEFICIT/SURPLUS (-) + ____________________________________________________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ PRIOR YEAR OCTOBER 163,072 261,539 98,466 NOVEMBER 152,402 289,704 137,302 DECEMBER 239,963 325,930 85,967 JANUARY 234,319 261,726 27,407 FEBRUARY 103,413 335,090 231,677 MARCH 171,215 369,372 198,157 APRIL 318,807 259,690 -59,117 MAY 180,713 305,348 124,636 JUNE 260,177 319,919 59,741 JULY 184,585 254,190 69,604 AUGUST 178,860 369,393 190,533 SEPTEMBER 261,566 186,386 -75,180 YEAR-TO-DATE 2,449,093 3,538,286 1,089,193 CURRENT YEAR OCTOBER 184,316 304,311 119,995 NOVEMBER 161,730 333,841 172,112 YEAR-TO-DATE 346,045 638,152 292,107 - - - - - - - - 0REPORT ID: STM0P081 USER ID : DATE: 2012-12-10 TIME: 18.47.19 PAGE http://www.fms.treas.gov/mts/mts1112.txt

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Obama Puts Biden in Charge of Gun Policy Review –Joe Biden’s “Beretta” Shotgun–Fire, Ready, Aim–The Black Genocide–Videos

Posted on December 19, 2012. Filed under: Babies, Blogroll, Communications, Demographics, Diasters, government, government spending, Law, liberty, Life, Links, media, People, Philosophy, Politics, Radio, Rants, Raves, Strategy, Talk Radio, Unemployment, Video, Wisdom | Tags: Beretta Shotgu, Biden's Greatest Hits, Cold Dead Hands, gun control, Joe Biden, Shotgun, Xtrema2 |

Biden 2008: If Obama ‘tries to fool with my Beretta, he’s got a problem’

Obama Puts Biden in Charge of Gun Policy Review

George Will: Tougher Gun Laws, Assault Weapons Ban Won’t Help

White House Publicizes Ideas on Gun Control

Joe Biden’s shotgun

Joe Biden’s Greatest Hits

Joe Biden Says Obama Should be Impeached

Assault Rifles: Behind The Propaganda

Guy With Awesome Aim Blasts His New Beretta Shotgun – Xtrema2

Barack Obama Addresses Planned Parenthood

Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood’s Racist Founder

The Black Genocide (Maafa21)

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Bath School Massacre–May 18, 1927–Videos

Posted on December 18, 2012. Filed under: Blogroll, Books, College, Communications, Culture, Diasters, Education, High School, Law, liberty, Life, Links, media, People, Radio, Rants, Raves, Video, Wisdom | Tags: Bath School Bombing, Bombing, Murder, School, Violence |

Bath School Massacre

Bath Bombing Victims

Bath Massacre book trailer

Plans on Hold for New Bath School Disaster Memorial

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No Spending Cuts, No Tax Cuts, No Balanced Budget, No Spending Cap, No Hope, No Change–Obama Recession–Fiscal Year 2013 Deficit Will Exceed $1 Trillion–We Have A Spending Problem–Videos

Posted on December 18, 2012. Filed under: American History, Banking, Blogroll, Business, College, Communications, Economics, Education, Employment, Federal Government, Federal Government Budget, government, government spending, history, Investments, Law, liberty, Life, Links, Macroeconomics, media, Microeconomics, Monetary Policy, People, Philosophy, Politics, Radio, Rants, Raves, Security, Tax Policy, Taxes, Technology, Unemployment, Video, War, Wisdom | Tags: Balanced Budget, Federal Reserve, Fiscal Cliff, fiscal policy, medicare, Money Creation, No Change, No Hope, Obama Recession, Politics, social security, Spending Cut, Tax Cut, Tax Policy, Videos |

U.S. Debt Clock

http://www.usdebtclock.org/

$16 Trillion U.S. DEBT – A Visual Perspective

What Are the Dangers of Too Much Debt?

Does Government Have a Revenue or Spending Problem?

Funding Government by the Minute

Will Higher Tax Rates Balance the Budget?

Will Taxing the Rich Fix the Deficit?

What Can We Cut to Balance the Budget

Does Stimulus Spending Work?

The table below summarizes the failed 10 year record of both political parties in controlling government spending that have produced massive fiscal-year deficits and an ever increasing national debt.

Summary of Tax Receipts and Spending Outlays of the United States Government for Fiscal Years 2002-2012 [in million of dollars]
Fiscal Year	Tax Receipts	Spending Outlays	Deficits (+) or Surplus (-)
2002	1,853,225	2,011,016	157,791
2003	1,782,108	2,159,246	377,139
2004	1,879,783	2,292,628	412,845
2005	2,153,350	2,472,095	318,746
2006	2,406,675	2,654,873	248,197
2007	2,567,672	2,729,199	161,527
2008	2,523,642	2,978,440	454,798
2009	2,104,358	3,520,082	1,415,724
2010	2,161,728	3,455,931	1,294,204
2011	2,302,495	3,601,109	1,298,614
2012	2,449,093	3,538,286	1,089,193
Source: Department of the Treasury, Final Monthly Treasury Statements of Receipts and Outlays of the United States Government for Fiscal Years 2002-2012, table 1.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SERVICE
                                                  STAR - TREASURY FINANCIAL DATABASE
             TABLE 1.  SUMMARY OF RECEIPTS, OUTLAYS AND THE DEFICIT/SURPLUS BY MONTH OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT (IN MILLIONS)

                                                        ACCOUNTING DATE:  11/12

   PERIOD                                                                     RECEIPTS                OUTLAYS    DEFICIT/SURPLUS (-)
+  ____________________________________________________________  _____________________  _____________________  _____________________
   PRIOR YEAR

     OCTOBER                                                                   163,072                261,539                 98,466
     NOVEMBER                                                                  152,402                289,704                137,302
     DECEMBER                                                                  239,963                325,930                 85,967
     JANUARY                                                                   234,319                261,726                 27,407
     FEBRUARY                                                                  103,413                335,090                231,677
     MARCH                                                                     171,215                369,372                198,157
     APRIL                                                                     318,807                259,690                -59,117
     MAY                                                                       180,713                305,348                124,636
     JUNE                                                                      260,177                319,919                 59,741
     JULY                                                                      184,585                254,190                 69,604
     AUGUST                                                                    178,860                369,393                190,533
     SEPTEMBER                                                                 261,566                186,386                -75,180

       YEAR-TO-DATE                                                          2,449,093              3,538,286              1,089,193

   CURRENT YEAR

     OCTOBER                                                                   184,316                304,311                119,995
     NOVEMBER                                                                  161,730                333,841                172,112

       YEAR-TO-DATE                                                            346,045                638,152                292,107
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0REPORT ID: STM0P081
 USER ID  :     
 DATE: 2012-12-10 TIME: 18.47.19                                                                                         PAGE 
http://www.fms.treas.gov/mts/mts1112.txt

Ron Paul- Discussing The Fiscal Cliff- John Stossel Show

GOP offers fiscal cliff ‘plan b’

US fiscal cliff & options at hand

Woodward: Obama Would Own Recession From Going Over Fiscal Cliff

Peter Schiff: Fed Will Keep Printing Money Until Economy Collapses

Marc Farber: The problem with President Obama & Recession 2013!

CNBC Global Recession Is Coming – Marc Faber

Will Taxing the Rich Deepen the Recession? – The “Fiscal Cliff” is a Scam

Fiscal Cliff An Artificial Crisis

Show News: Hume Boehner has a weak hand in fiscal cliff talks

Peter Schiff: Ben Bernanke throws the dollar over the Currency Cliff

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Tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut: School Shooting–20 Children and 8 Adults Killed–Videos

Posted on December 14, 2012. Filed under: Babies, Blogroll, Communications, Crime, Culture, Diasters, Education, Law, liberty, Life, Links, media, People, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, Radio, Rants, Raves, Talk Radio, Video, Wisdom | Tags: Adam Lanza, Assault Weapons, Bill Clinton, Bullshit!--Gun Control, Connecticut, Crime, depression, Drugs, Elementary School, Eric Holder, Father, gun control, Gun Free Guns, Guns, I am Adam Lanza’s Mother, John Lott, John Stossell, Liza Long, Mark Levin, Mass Shootings, Mental Illness, Michael Savage, Mother, Newtown, Penn & Teller, Ryan Lanza, Sandy Hook Elementary School, School Shooting |

Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Newtown CT Tribute

ALLISON N. WYATT, 6
BENJAMIN WHEELER, 6
VICTORIA SOTO, 27, teacher
MARY SHERLACH, 56, school psychologist
LAUREN GABRIELLE ROUSSEAU, 30, teacher
AVIELLE RICHMAN, 6
JESSICA REKOS, 6
CAROLINE PREVIDI, 6
NOAH POZNER, 6
JACK PINTO, 6
EMILIE PARKER, 6
ANNE MARIE MURPHY, 52, teacher
GRACE AUDREY McDONNELL, 7
JAMES MATTIOLI, 6
ANA MARQUEZ-GREENE, 6
JESSE LEWIS, 6
NANCY LANZA, 52, gunman’s mother
CHASE KOWALSKI, 7
CATHERINE HUBBARD, 6
MADELEINE HSU, 6
DYLAN HOCKLEY, 6
DAWN HOCHSPRUNG, 47, principal
JOSEPHINE GAY, 7
OLIVIA ENGEL, 6
RACHEL D’AVINO, 29
DANIEL BARDEN, 7
CHARLOTTE BACON, 6

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I am Adam Lanza’s Mother

It’s time to talk about mental illness

“…Friday’s horrific national tragedy—the murder of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in New Town, Connecticut—has ignited a new discussion on violence in America. In kitchens and coffee shops across the country, we tearfully debate the many faces of violence in America: gun culture, media violence, lack of mental health services, overt and covert wars abroad, religion, politics and the way we raise our children. Liza Long, a writer based in Boise, says it’s easy to talk about guns. But it’s time to talk about mental illness.

Three days before 20 year-old Adam Lanza killed his mother, then opened fire on a classroom full of Connecticut kindergartners, my 13-year old son Michael (name changed) missed his bus because he was wearing the wrong color pants.

“I can wear these pants,” he said, his tone increasingly belligerent, the black-hole pupils of his eyes swallowing the blue irises.

“They are navy blue,” I told him. “Your school’s dress code says black or khaki pants only.”

“They told me I could wear these,” he insisted. “You’re a stupid bitch. I can wear whatever pants I want to. This is America. I have rights!”

“You can’t wear whatever pants you want to,” I said, my tone affable, reasonable. “And you definitely cannot call me a stupid bitch. You’re grounded from electronics for the rest of the day. Now get in the car, and I will take you to school.”

I live with a son who is mentally ill. I love my son. But he terrifies me.

A few weeks ago, Michael pulled a knife and threatened to kill me and then himself after I asked him to return his overdue library books. His 7 and 9 year old siblings knew the safety plan—they ran to the car and locked the doors before I even asked them to. I managed to get the knife from Michael, then methodically collected all the sharp objects in the house into a single Tupperware container that now travels with me. Through it all, he continued to scream insults at me and threaten to kill or hurt me.

That conflict ended with three burly police officers and a paramedic wrestling my son onto a gurney for an expensive ambulance ride to the local emergency room. The mental hospital didn’t have any beds that day, and Michael calmed down nicely in the ER, so they sent us home with a prescription for Zyprexa and a follow-up visit with a local pediatric psychiatrist.

We still don’t know what’s wrong with Michael. Autism spectrum, ADHD, Oppositional Defiant or Intermittent Explosive Disorder have all been tossed around at various meetings with probation officers and social workers and counselors and teachers and school administrators. He’s been on a slew of antipsychotic and mood altering pharmaceuticals, a Russian novel of behavioral plans. Nothing seems to work.

At the start of seventh grade, Michael was accepted to an accelerated program for highly gifted math and science students. His IQ is off the charts. When he’s in a good mood, he will gladly bend your ear on subjects ranging from Greek mythology to the differences between Einsteinian and Newtonian physics to Doctor Who. He’s in a good mood most of the time. But when he’s not, watch out. And it’s impossible to predict what will set him off.

Several weeks into his new junior high school, Michael began exhibiting increasingly odd and threatening behaviors at school. We decided to transfer him to the district’s most restrictive behavioral program, a contained school environment where children who can’t function in normal classrooms can access their right to free public babysitting from 7:30-1:50 Monday through Friday until they turn 18.

The morning of the pants incident, Michael continued to argue with me on the drive. He would occasionally apologize and seem remorseful. Right before we turned into his school parking lot, he said, “Look, Mom, I’m really sorry. Can I have video games back today?”

“No way,” I told him. “You cannot act the way you acted this morning and think you can get your electronic privileges back that quickly.”

His face turned cold, and his eyes were full of calculated rage. “Then I’m going to kill myself,” he said. “I’m going to jump out of this car right now and kill myself.”

That was it. After the knife incident, I told him that if he ever said those words again, I would take him straight to the mental hospital, no ifs, ands, or buts. I did not respond, except to pull the car into the opposite lane, turning left instead of right.

“Where are you taking me?” he said, suddenly worried. “Where are we going?”

“You know where we are going,” I replied.

“No! You can’t do that to me! You’re sending me to hell! You’re sending me straight to hell!”

I pulled up in front of the hospital, frantically waiving for one of the clinicians who happened to be standing outside. “Call the police,” I said. “Hurry.”

Michael was in a full-blown fit by then, screaming and hitting. I hugged him close so he couldn’t escape from the car. He bit me several times and repeatedly jabbed his elbows into my rib cage. I’m still stronger than he is, but I won’t be for much longer.

The police came quickly and carried my son screaming and kicking into the bowels of the hospital. I started to shake, and tears filled my eyes as I filled out the paperwork—“Were there any difficulties with… at what age did your child… were there any problems with.. has your child ever experienced.. does your child have…”

At least we have health insurance now. I recently accepted a position with a local college, giving up my freelance career because when you have a kid like this, you need benefits. You’ll do anything for benefits. No individual insurance plan will cover this kind of thing.

For days, my son insisted that I was lying—that I made the whole thing up so that I could get rid of him. The first day, when I called to check up on him, he said, “I hate you. And I’m going to get my revenge as soon as I get out of here.”

By day three, he was my calm, sweet boy again, all apologies and promises to get better. I’ve heard those promises for years. I don’t believe them anymore.

On the intake form, under the question, “What are your expectations for treatment?” I wrote, “I need help.”

And I do. This problem is too big for me to handle on my own. Sometimes there are no good options. So you just pray for grace and trust that in hindsight, it will all make sense.

I am sharing this story because I am Adam Lanza’s mother. I am Dylan Klebold’s and Eric Harris’s mother. I am James Holmes’s mother. I am Jared Loughner’s mother. I am Seung-Hui Cho’s mother. And these boys—and their mothers—need help. In the wake of another horrific national tragedy, it’s easy to talk about guns. But it’s time to talk about mental illness.

According to Mother Jones, since 1982, 61 mass murders involving firearms have occurred throughout the country. Of these, 43 of the killers were white males, and only one was a woman. Mother Jones focused on whether the killers obtained their guns legally (most did). But this highly visible sign of mental illness should lead us to consider how many people in the U.S. live in fear, like I do.

When I asked my son’s social worker about my options, he said that the only thing I could do was to get Michael charged with a crime. “If he’s back in the system, they’ll create a paper trail,” he said. “That’s the only way you’re ever going to get anything done. No one will pay attention to you unless you’ve got charges.”

I don’t believe my son belongs in jail. The chaotic environment exacerbates Michael’s sensitivity to sensory stimuli and doesn’t deal with the underlying pathology. But it seems like the United States is using prison as the solution of choice for mentally ill people. According to Human Rights Watch, the number of mentally ill inmates in U.S. prisons quadrupled from 2000 to 2006, and it continues to rise—in fact, the rate of inmate mental illness is five times greater (56 percent) than in the non-incarcerated population.

With state-run treatment centers and hospitals shuttered, prison is now the last resort for the mentally ill—Rikers Island, the LA County Jail and Cook County Jail in Illinois housed the nation’s largest treatment centers in 2011.

No one wants to send a 13-year old genius who loves Harry Potter and his snuggle animal collection to jail. But our society, with its stigma on mental illness and its broken healthcare system, does not provide us with other options. Then another tortured soul shoots up a fast food restaurant. A mall. A kindergarten classroom. And we wring our hands and say, “Something must be done.”

I agree that something must be done. It’s time for a meaningful, nation-wide conversation about mental health. That’s the only way our nation can ever truly heal.

God help me. God help Michael. God help us all.

(Originally published at The Anarchist Soccer Mom.)

Liza Long is an author, musician, and erstwhile classicist. She is also a single mother of four bright, loved children, one of whom has special needs.

http://thebluereview.org/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother/

Newtown tragedy could put mental health in spotlight

Liz Szabo

Could the nation’s mental health services be improved in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting?

“…Families and doctors who treat the mentally ill say they hope that Friday’s tragedy in Newtown, Conn., will refocus the nation’s attention on improving mental health services.

Police have not yet released details about the motives or mental state of shooter Adam Lanza. But the perpetrators of similar mass murders — at Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois University and a Tucson gathering for Rep. Gabby Giffords, for example — all suffered from serious mental health conditions.

“We wait for things like this to happen and then everyone talks about mental health,” says Priscilla Dass-Brailsford, an associate professor of psychology in the psychiatry department at Georgetown University Medical Center. “But they quickly forget.”

There are hundreds of multiple-casualty shootings every year, says forensic psychologist Dewey Cornell, director of the Virginia Youth Violence Project. People have become so desensitized to the horror, however, that “It’s gotten to the point where only the ones with high body counts make the news,” he says. “It takes a record number, or something extraordinary, to get our attention.”

Yet mental illness destroys countless lives everyday, he says, contributing to domestic violence and child abuse, drug addiction, homelessness and incarceration. Investing in mental health care and reducing its stigma could help prevent future tragedies, he says.

“Mental health has shrunk down to the level of short-term crisis management,” Cornell says. “If we are going to focus on prevention, we can’t think about the gunman in the parking lot and what to do with him. We have to get involved a lot earlier.”

Schools and communities “have cut their mental health services to the bone,” says Cornell. “We’re paying a price for it as a society.” …”

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/12/16/newtown-mental-health/1773479/

Gun prosecutions under Obama down over 40 percent

“…Despite his calls for greater gun control, including a new assault weapons ban that extends to handguns, President Obama’s administration has turned away from enforcing gun laws, cutting weapons prosecutions some 40 percent since a high of about 11,000 under former President Bush.

“If you are not going to enforce the laws on the books, then don’t start talking about a whole new wave of new laws,” said a gun rights advocate.

In the wake of the horrific mass killing at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Democratic lawmakers have begun preparing a new collection of anti-gun laws, including renewing the assault weapons ban, banning the purchase of high-capacity clips that spring bullets into guns, and tightening rules on who can buy weapons.

Lawmakers are banking that the public will push for new gun controls. But as with other mass shootings, polls find the public split, and blaming the shooter, not the gun. Pew Research Center for the People & the Press on Monday found that public is evenly divided over whether the Newtown shootings reflect broader problems in American society, 47 percent, or are just the acts of troubled individuals, 44 percent.

Figures collected by Syracuse University’s TRAC project, the authority on prosecutions from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, shows that the administration has reduced the focus on gun crimes and instead steered prosecutors and investigators to drug crimes.

Gun prosecutions peaked at 10,937 under Bush in 2004. A current TRAC report shows that the Obama administration is prosecuting about 6,000 weapons cases.

According to an October 2011 TRAC report, “There also has been a shifting emphasis towards drug-related investigations. Since ATF-referred prosecutions peaked in FY 2005, the number of weapons prosecutions actually has fallen by 32 percent, a much higher rate than for ATF prosecutions overall. Making up the difference has been the growing number of drug cases, up by 26 percent during the same period.”

In 2011, the Obama gun prosecutions hit a low for the decade, but there has been a slight uptick in prosecutions this year, said another TRAC report.

Second Amendment advocates said on background that they expect Obama to press ATF to boost prosecutions and use the Sandy Hook case, and other mass shootings, to move gun control to the top of his second term agenda. “It’s in his DNA to push this issue,” said one gun-rights official, speaking on background. “This would be his crowning achievement, if he can ban guns,” added the official.

28 Killed in Connecticut School Shooting

“…A gunman opened fire at a Connecticut elementary school where his mother worked, killing 26 people, including 20 children, law-enforcement officials said, in what could be the worst mass shooting at a U.S. elementary or high school.

The shooter was found dead inside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, located about 65 miles northeast of New York City. State police said another victim was found dead elsewhere in Newtown, putting the total toll at 28.

Law-enforcement officials identified the suspected shooter as Adam Lanza. Officials said the alleged shooter’s mother was a teacher at the school, and she was believed to be among the victims. Earlier, a law-enforcement official incorrectly identified the suspect as Mr. Lanza’s brother, Ryan. Authorities didn’t identify a motive.

The attack at Sandy Hook, a historic village lined with colonial homes in Newtown, began at about 9:40 a.m. and was concentrated around a single classroom, a school bathroom and a hallway, an official said.

Diane Day, a therapist at the school, was sitting with the principal, other staff members and a parent in a routine meeting around 9:30 a.m. when she heard gunshots. “We were there for about five minutes chatting and we heard, ‘pop pop pop,’ ” she said. “I went under the table.”

The principal and school psychologist leaped out of their seats and ran out of the room, Ms. Day said. “They didn’t think twice about confronting or seeing what was going on,” she said.

Without a lock on the door, the school’s lead teacher pressed her body against the door to hold it shut, Ms. Day said. That teacher was shot through the door in the leg and arm. “She was our hero,” Ms. Day said.

Lt. J. Paul Vance, a spokesman for the Connecticut State Police, said that multiple law-enforcement agencies were engaged in “search-warrant activity.” Lt. Vance said investigators were looking “both in and out of state” for information on the gunman but assured the public that they weren’t at risk.

A federal law-enforcement official said a .223 Bushmaster rifle was found in the back of a vehicle at the scene. Two firearms were recovered near the alleged gunman’s body: a Glock and a Sig Sauer, both handguns.

The scene was chaotic as initial reports of a shooting grew steadily worse. Joe Wasik, whose daughter, Alexis, is in the third grade at the school, said his wife called him a little after 10 a.m. after receiving a text from the town’s automated alert system on her phone. Checking his laptop, Mr. Wasik saw the reports of a shooting and raced to the scene.

“There were cars everywhere,” he said, describing a crush of parents at a nearby firehouse where parents were sent to look for their children among those evacuated from the school.

Alexis, who was standing in the crowd, crying, was “a nervous wreck,” he said. Mr. Wasik said his daughter had sheltered in a closet during the shooting, and he wasn’t sure if she had heard the shots.

Mr. Wasik’s wife took their daughter to a cousin’s house to play in an attempt to take her mind off the shooting. He remained in the firehouse to wait for a friend, who was sequestered in another room at the firehouse—an area for parents whose children were still missing.

Mr. Wasik’s voice was still shaking, hours after the massacre. “Pretty much everyone has dispersed, except for parents with missing children,” he said.

President Barack Obama was notified of the attack around 10:30 a.m. by his counterterrorism and homeland security adviser, John Brennan, White House press secretary Jay Carney said.

Mr. Obama spoke on the phone with Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Robert Mueller and Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy to receive an update on the situation and express his condolences, Mr. Carney said.

Mr. Malloy, in a news conference Friday afternoon, said “you can never be prepared for this kind of incident,” adding that what happened “will leave a mark on this community and every family impacted.”

Mr. Obama delivered an emotional statement from the White House Friday afternoon, tearing up several times as he spoke of the children who were killed. “They had their entire lives ahead of them—birthday, weddings, kids of their own,” Mr. Obama said pausing to wipe tears from his eyes.

Saying he was reacting as a parent of two daughters, he called the shooting a “heinous crime” and vowed to press for meaningful action, regardless of the politics, to prevent more such incidents in the future. “We’ve endured too many of these tragedy in the last few years,” he said.

The death toll at Sandy Hook Elementary, which has nearly 600 students in kindergarten through 4th grade and 42 teachers, exceeds the death at Columbine High School in 1999, which left 12 students and one teacher dead at the hands of two fellow students, who also took their own lives.

In 2007, 33 people including the gunmen were shot and killed on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.

Schools nationwide have increased security measures since the fatal shooting at Columbine. Many installed metal detectors, developed detailed crisis plans, implemented policies to keep school doors locked and accessible only by buzzer, and put teachers and staff through training session on how to recognize and deal with threats.

Michael Dorn, executive director of Safe Havens International, a nonprofit that works with thousands of U.S. schools to develop safety plans, said there has been a dramatic improvement in school safety “but so much more” could be done.

A letter sent to Sandy Hook parents earlier this year described a new security protocol put in place at the school. The protocol requires identification for most visitors who must ring a doorbell to gain entry to the school’s front entrance, which is locked after 9:30 a.m.

“If our office staff does not recognize you, you will be required to show identification with a picture ID,” the letter said.

Leigh Libero’s daughter, Joey, would have been in a second-grade classroom Friday morning, but she had a dentist appointment. As Ms. Libero pulled up to the school, she saw just-erected barricades and received an urgent text message from her sister, who works at a television news station in Hartford.

Children were led out the school’s driveway, directly to the firehouse, where parents streamed in “en masse” to locate their children, Ms. Libero said. “This is the perfect New England town,” Ms. Libero said. “You wouldn’t think of this.”

Ms. Libero said parents were trying to determine how the gunman entered the school. The school uses a double-secured door during the day, she said. Visitors approaching the school must press a button to be buzzed in through the outer set of school doors to enter the building.

Carrie Usher, a fourth-grade teacher at Sandy Hook, was having a team meeting with three other teachers while her class worked in the library. They heard gunfire and then the loudspeaker came on with “fighting and crying and maybe some screaming,” sounds of chaos that she said were being broadcast throughout the building.

“The gunfire was just unbelievable it felt like it lasted for five minutes. It wouldn’t stop,” she said.

Three of the teachers jumped out the window of their meeting room, Ms. Usher said, while the fourth remained behind and hid behind bags and boxes. The door opened and someone came in but that person didn’t see the hiding teacher.

Ms. Usher is still uncertain what was broadcast over the loudspeaker. “I think it was fighting,” she said in a phone interview. “I think it was the principal before she was killed put that out there to warn the teachers what was happening. I believe so. We don’t know.” …”

http://washingtonexaminer.com/gun-prosecutions-under-obama-down-over-40-percent-percent/article/2516175#.UM-JbEbCz8B

20 Children Among 28 Dead In Newtown Elementary School Massacre

Gunman Opens Fire Inside Sandy Hook Elementary School Early Friday

“…Twenty children are among 28 people who were killed Friday morning after a gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

State Police Lt. Paul Vance said 18 children and 6 adults were pronounced dead at that scene. Two other children later died at the hospital. One other person was injured, Vance said.

A 28th victim was found dead at a secondary crime scene, Lance said. He would not elaborate on the details.

Among those dead is the gunman. A source familiar with the investigation identified him as 20-year-old Adam Lanza, CBS News reported. He was found dead inside the building from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, sources told CBS 2.

Law enforcement sources had earlier told CBS News that the gunman was 24-year-old Ryan Lanza, Adam Lanza’s older brother. Ryan Lanza, of Hoboken, New Jersey, is now being questioned by police.

According to an Associated Press report, the confusion over the alleged gunman’s identity occurred when a law enforcement officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, “mistakenly transposed the brothers’ first names.”

A second official who spoke with the AP said Adam Lanza drove to the scene of the shootings in his mother’s car. That official also told the wire service Lanza’s girlfriend and another friend are missing in New Jersey.

The AP also reported that a former Jersey Journal staff writer said he spoke with Ryan Lanza, who told the writer his brother may have had his identification.

The shooting has become the second-deadliest school shooting in the nation’s history, exceeded only by the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech that left 33 people dead.

Lance said the shooting occurred in two different classrooms in one section of the school.

One of the adult victims is Lanza’s mother, Nancy Lanza, a teacher at the school, sources told CBS 2.

A law enforcement source told CBS News two pistols, a Glock and a Sig Sauer, were found in the school and a .223-caliber rifle was found in a car.

An emotional President Barack Obama spoke about the massacre at the White House Friday. Fighting back tears, he said he reacted to the news not just as the president, but as a parent.

“The majority of those who died today are children. Beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10-years-old,” he said. “They had their entire lives ahead of them. Birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own.”

At times, Obama wiped away tears from the corner of his eyes, adding ”Our hearts are broken.”

“As a country, we have been through this too many times,” he said. “These children are our children and we are going to come together to take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this regardless of the politics.”

The president ordered that U.S. flags be flown at half-staff through Tuesday. Conn. Gov. Dan Malloy has also ordered all U.S. and state flags be flown at half-staff.

Malloy arrived in Newtown Friday afternoon. His office said several state agencies are working together to coordinate the state’s response.

Speaking a news conference, Malloy called the shooting “a tragedy of unspeakable terms.”

Gunfire erupted inside the school around 9:40 a.m. Parents said they received an automatic message that there had been a shooting incident in the district and that schools were being placed on lockdown.

An 8-year-old student said he was on his way to the school’s office when he saw the gunman.

“I saw some of the bullets going down the hall and then a teacher pulled me into her classroom,” the boy told CBS 2′s Lou Young.

Vance said several agencies, including local and state police, responded to the scene and immediately began a search of the building.

“The entire school was searched and a staging area was set up,” he said.

tudents and staff were then evacuated from the school. As they were walking out of the building, some of the children were told to close their eyes and walk fast, WCBS 880′s Sean Adams reported.

Students were then taken to a nearby firehouse to be reunited with their parents. Schools in surrounding areas were also placed on lockdown.

Danbury Hospital spokesperson Diane Burke told CBS 2 that the hospital was also put on lockdown as a precautionary measure.

Lisa Bailey, a Newtown resident with three children in Newtown schools, told CBSNewYork.com, “Newtown is a quiet town. I’d never expect this to happen here. It’s so scary. Your kids are not safe anywhere.” …”

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/12/14/police-respond-to-report-of-school-shooting-in-conn/

Gunman kills 20 children, 6 adults at Connecticut elementary school

“…Twenty-seven people, including 20 children, were killed Friday when a gunman clad in black military gear opened fire inside his mother’s kindergarten class at a Connecticut elementary school.

The shooter, who sources identified as Adam Lanza, 20, shot his mother in the face at their home in Newtown, Conn., then went to nearby Sandy Hook Elementary School where she taught and gunned down her entire class, according to sources. Lanza was found dead inside the school, according to officials. Eighteen of the children and six more adults were dead at the school and two more children died later, according to Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance.

Vance would not confirm the shooter’s name, and earlier in the day there were conflicting reports over the gunman’s identity. Law enforcement sources told FoxNews.com the shooter was Adam Lanza. His brother, Ryan Lanza, 24, was being questioned in Hoboken, N.J., but it was not sure if he faced charges.

“It is not a simplistic scene,” Vance told reporters.

An official with knowledge of the situation said the shooter was armed with a .223-caliber rifle. Four weapons in total were recovered from the scene. The motive is not yet known.

Vance said during an afternoon news conference that police arrived at the scene “within minutes” of a 911 call placed shortly after 9:30 a.m.

“Every door, every crack, every crevice of that school” was checked, Vance said. “The entire school was searched.” He said the shooting occurred inside two rooms in “one section of the school.”

Vance did not give details about the number of victims other than to say they included students and staff, pending notification of the families. He said more information would be released, possibly later Friday.

Vance also said that a “deceased adult” was found at a “secondary crime scene,” though he declined to elaborate.

A federal law enforcement official told Fox News that Lanza’s mother, Nancy, was killed at her home in Connecticut. The vehicle the suspect used in the shooting was registered to his mother.

A source close to the investigation said the shooter’s father, who lives in Stamford, Conn., is meeting with FBI agents.

Robert Licata said his 6-year-old son was in class when the gunman burst in and shot the teacher.

“That’s when my son grabbed a bunch of his friends and ran out the door,” he said. “He was very brave. He waited for his friends.”

He said the shooter didn’t utter a word.

Stephen Delgiadice said his 8-year-old daughter was in the school and heard two big bangs. Teachers told her to get in a corner, he said.

“It’s alarming, especially in Newtown, Connecticut, which we always thought was the safest place in America,” he said. His daughter was fine.

Mergim Bajraliu, 17, heard the gunshots echo from his home and ran to check on his 9-year-old sister at the school. He said his sister, who was fine, heard a scream come over the intercom at one point. He said teachers were shaking and crying as they came out of the building.

“Everyone was just traumatized,” he said.

President Obama was notified of the shooting around 10:30 am ET, White House officials said.

“Our hearts are broken today,” Obama said in a brief address to the nation on Friday. “We’ve endured too many of these tragedies in these past few years, and each time I receive the news I react not as a president, but as a parent.”

“Most victims were children, between five and 10 years old…They had their entire lives ahead of them, birthdays, graduations weddings, kids of their own,” he said, pausing before wiping tears from his eyes.

Sandy Hook Elementary School has close to 700 students.

Newtown is in Fairfield County, about 45 miles southwest of Hartford and 60 miles northeast of New York City. …”

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Let Obama Own The Tax Increases and Wrecking The Economy Leading To Great Depression–Videos

Posted on December 9, 2012. Filed under: Banking, Blogroll, College, Economics, Education, Federal Government, Federal Government Budget, Fiscal Policy, government spending, Inflation, Investments, Law, liberty, Life, Links, media, Medicine, Microeconomics, Monetary Policy, Money, People, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, Public Sector, Radio, Raves, Strategy, Tax Policy, Taxes, Unemployment, Unions, Video, War, Wealth, Wisdom | Tags: Big Government, Democratic Party, Economics, Economy, Fiscal Cliff, fiscal policy, government spending, Great Depression, Party of Tax Increases, President Barack Obama, Progressives, Recession, Republican Party, Senator Rand Paul, Tax Policy |

Rand Paul: We Should Let Dems Raise Taxes And Then Let Them Own It – CNBC’s Kudlow Report

SEN. RAND PAUL: I have yet another thought on how we can fix this. Why don’t we let the Democrats pass whatever they want? If they are the party of higher taxes, all the Republicans vote present and let the Democrats raise taxes as high as they want to raise them, let Democrats in the Senate raise taxes, let the president sign it and then make them own the tax increase. And when the economy stalls, when the economy sputters, when people lose their jobs, they know which party to blame, the party of high taxes. Let’s don’t be the party of just almost as high taxes.

LARRY KUDLOW, CNBC: Some people have called that the doomsday scenario. Others have said, ‘Look, it’s a strategic retreat on the Republicans’ behalf.’ WWould you vote present for that in the Senate if that came up?

RAND PAUL: Yes, I don’t think we have to in the Senate. In the House, they have to because the Democrats don’t have the majority. In the Senate, I’m happy not to filibuster it, and I will announce tonight on your show that I will work with Harry Reid to let him pass his big old tax hike with a simple majority if that’s what Harry Reid wants, because then they will become the party of high taxes and they can own it.

Obama Runs Rings pt4 + Rand Paul Joins the ‘Let Democrats Raise Taxes and Own It’ Crowd

Gregory Mankiw: The Fiscal Challenge Ahead

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Tea Party Conservatives–What We Believe–Videos

Posted on December 8, 2012. Filed under: American History, Banking, Blogroll, Books, Business, College, Communications, Culture, Demographics, Economics, Education, Employment, Federal Government, Fiscal Policy, Foreign Policy, government, government spending, history, History of Economic Thought, Homes, Immigration, Investments, Language, Law, liberty, Life, Links, Macroeconomics, media, Monetary Policy, Money, People, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, Radio, Rants, Raves, Regulations, Resources, Science, Security, Strategy, Talk Radio, Tax Policy, Taxes, Unemployment, Video, War, Wealth, Wisdom | Tags: American Exceptionalism, Bill Whittle, conservatives, Elitiism, Gun Rights, Guns, Immigration, Natural Law, Small Government, Tea Party Conservatives, The Road To Freedom: How To Win The Fight for Free Enterprise, Videos, Wealth, What We Believe |

What We Believe, Part 1: Small Government and Free Enterprise.

What We Believe, Part 2: The Problem with Elitism

What We Believe, Part 3: Wealth Creation

What We Believe, Part 4: Natural Law

What We Believe, Part 5: Gun Rights

What We Believe, Part 6: Immigration

What We Believe, Part 7: American Exceptionalism

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Ron Paul’s Farewell Speech To Congress–Videos

Posted on December 2, 2012. Filed under: Blogroll, Business, College, Communications, Economics, Education, Federal Government, Federal Government Budget, Fiscal Policy, Foreign Policy, government, government spending, Homes, Immigration, Inflation, Investments, Language, Law, liberty, Life, Links, Macroeconomics, media, People, Philosophy, Politics, Public Sector, Radio, Rants, Raves, Regulations, Tax Policy, Taxes, Unemployment, Unions, Video, War, Wealth, Wisdom | Tags: Collectivism, freedom, Individualism, liberty, Peace, Policeman of the World, Private Property, Progressives, prosperity, Robert Welch, Ron Paul, Warfare, Warfare Welfare State, Welfare |

Ron Paul’s Farewell Speech to Congress, November 14th, 2012

Ron’ Pauls Greatest Speech “The Last Nail”

Congressman Ron Paul, MD – We’ve Been NeoConned

Thank You Dr. Ron Paul

Duncan Pays Tribute to Ron Paul

Ron Paul RNC Tribute Video

Ron Paul ‘Exit Interview’ with The Washington Post 11/29/2012

ron_paul_family

Background Articles and Videos

Mind blowing speech by Robert Welch in 1958 predicting Insiders plans to destroy America

G. Edward Griffin – The Collectivist Conspiracy

Constitutional Conservatism or Die

A man of principle and integrity ahead of his time.

He will be greatly missed by the American people who love liberty.

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Obama’s Collectivist Victory Speech–The Collectivists March Forward Over The Fiscal Cliff–Videos

Posted on November 7, 2012. Filed under: Blogroll, College, Communications, Economics, Education, Employment, Federal Government, Federal Government Budget, Fiscal Policy, Food, Foreign Policy, government, government spending, Inflation, Law, liberty, Life, Links, Macroeconomics, media, People, Philosophy, Politics, Programming, Radio, Raves, Regulations, Tax Policy, Wisdom | Tags: Barack Obama, Collectivist Conspiracy, Collectivists, freedom, G. Edward Griffin, George Carlin, Individualist, liberty, Progressivism, Tyranny, Voting |

George Carlin Doesn’t vote

President Obama’s Election Night Victory Speech – November 6, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois

G. Edward Griffin – The Collectivist Conspiracy

George Carlin -”Who Really Controls America”

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Independent Fiscal, Religious and Libertarian Conservatives Stayed Home Instead of Voting for A Neoconservative Progressive Republican or Democrat–Paul Prepares For 2016?–Plague On Both Parties–Lesser of Two Evils Is Still Evil–Conservatives Looking For A New Political Party–Tea Party–Videos

Posted on November 7, 2012. Filed under: Uncategorized, Politics, Video, Taxes, Raves, Economics, Links, War, Religion, People, Life, Talk Radio, Education, Employment, Communications, Law, Philosophy, Foreign Policy, Health Care, Wisdom, liberty, Fiscal Policy, government spending, media, history, government, Federal Government, College, Wealth, American History, Unemployment, Tax Policy, Federal Government Budget, Radio | Tags: Barack Obama, Ron Paul, Progressives, Rand Paul, Libertarian Conservatives, Religious Conservatives, Fiscal Conservatives |

“You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”
Abraham Lincoln

Why Rand Was Right to Endorse Romney

“I did not come to praise the progressive Republican establishment but to replace them.”

Raymond Thomas Pronk

SA@TheDC – Conservatism for What?

Open Memo To Republican Party: No more progressives or your party will go the way of the Whigs.

Dewey, Eisenhower, Nixon, Bush, Dole, Bush, McCain, and Romney–Progressive Republicans all.

Since the end of World War II, the only conservative libertarian Republican elected President was Ronald Reagan and the progressive Republicans or Rockefeller Republicans did not want him.

Millions of Independent conservatives as well as Republican conservatives stayed home in 2012 or did not vote for either Romney nor Obama, get a clue Republican Party establishment.

I stayed home.

The time has come for tea party candidates to form their own political party.

The Republican Party like the Democratic Party is controlled by progressive Republicans that favor big government intervention in the economy and abroad.

Conservatives are leaving the Republican Party in droves.

The only way to get a politician or political party’s attention is to not vote for them.

Have we got your attention.

I doubt it.

Why would any progressive vote for a Republican progressive?

Why would any conservative–traditional, national defense, social, religious, fiscal or libertarian–vote for a progressive Republican.

Neoconservatives are not conservatives, they are right-wing progressives from the Democratic Party.

Soon the number of independent voters will exceed the number of registered Democrats as well as the number of registered Republicans.

All the Republican Party had to do in 2012 was nominate a conservative, instead the Republican Party establishment nominated a progressive.

Some people and parties never learn.

Romney did not get the young vote.

Ron Paul did in the primaries.

Barack Obama got the majority of the young vote–18-29.

For sheer stupidity and arrogance read the post below from a Romney volunteer and their get out the vote software or website failure!

Romney’s team did not the basics down.

Should be a Havard Business School case study in how not to run a campaign.

Senator Rand Paul for President in 2016!

Senator Rand Paul

Why ‘Mitt Romney’ Lost

The Ultimate Mitt Romney Flip-Flop Collection

“Can’t Be Worse Than Obama”

“The Libertarian View”

SA@TAC – What’s a ‘Neoconservative?’

SA@TheDC – Confronting American Empire

SA@TAC – No Excuse: Mitt Romney’s Case for American Empire

SA@TAC – Ronald Reagan: Isolationist

SA@TAC – Conservatism in Exile

RNC or WWE?

Snakes on a Campaign: Mitt Romney by the Southern Avenger

How Romney and Republicans Can Appeal to Libertarians

Ron Paul on Fox News ~ Election Day Analysis 11/6/12

RON PAUL on THE TONIGHT SHOW with JAY LENO (09/04/2012)

Rand Paul Eyes 2016 Run

Alex Jones It’s gonna get BAD! 7.nov.2012

Collectivism Running America: Alex Jones Report

G. Edward Griffin – The Collectivist Conspiracy

Mind blowing speech by Robert Welch in 1958 predicting Insiders plans to destroy America

The Truth in Time by Robert Welch

[youatube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLucLyyJxMQ&feature=related]

Mr. Conservative: Barry Goldwater at the 1964 Republican National Convention

Reagan – A Time For Choosing

Turnout shaping up to be lower than 2008

“…

A drop in voter turnout in Tuesday’s election didn’t keep President Barack Obama from winning a second term.

Preliminary figures suggest fewer people voted this year than four years ago, when voters shattered turnout records as they elected Obama to his first term.

In most states, the numbers are shaping up to be even lower than in 2004, said Curtis Gans, director of American University’s Center for the Study of the American Electorate. Every state is showing lower numbers than in 2008, Gans said. Still, the full picture may not be known for weeks because much of the counting takes place after Election Day.

“This is one of those rare elections in which turnout in every state in the nation went down,” Gans said.

In Texas, turnout for the presidential race dropped almost 11 percent from 2008. Vermont and South Carolina saw declines that were almost as large. The drop-off was more than 7 percent in Maryland, where voters approved a ballot measure allowing gay marriage.

With 97 percent of precincts reporting, The Associated Press’ figures showed more than 118 million people had voted in the White House race, but that number will go up as more votes are counted. In 2008, 131 million people cast ballots for president, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Experts calculate turnout in different ways based on who they consider eligible voters. A separate, preliminary estimate from George Mason University’s Michael McDonald put the 2012 turnout rate at 60 percent of eligible voters. That figure was expected to be revised as more precincts reported and absentee votes were counted. …”

November 08, 2012

The Unmitigated Disaster Known As Project ORCA

What is Project Orca? Well, this is what they told us:

Project ORCA is a massive undertaking – the Republican Party’s newest, unprecedented and most technologically advanced plan to win the 2012 presidential election.

Pretty much everything in that sentence is false. The “massive undertaking” is true, however. It would take a lot of planning, training and coordination to be done successfully (oh, we’ll get to that in a second). This wasn’t really the GOP’s effort, it was Team Romney’s. And perhaps “unprecedented” would fit if we’re discussing failure.

The entire purpose of this project was to digitize the decades-old practice of strike lists. The old way was to sit with your paper and mark off people that have voted and every hour or so, someone from the campaign would come get your list and take it back to local headquarters. Then, they’d begin contacting people that hadn’t voted yet and encourage them to head to the polls. It’s worked for years.

From the very start there were warning signs. After signing up, you were invited to take part in nightly conference calls. The calls were more of the slick marketing speech type than helpful training sessions. There was a lot of “rah-rahs” and lofty talk about how this would change the ballgame.

Working primarily as a web developer, I had some serious questions. Things like “Has this been stress tested?”, “Is there redundancy in place?” and “What steps have been taken to combat a coordinated DDOS attack or the like?”, among others. These types of questions were brushed aside (truth be told, they never took one of my questions). They assured us that the system had been relentlessly tested and would be a tremendous success.

On one of the last conference calls (I believe it was on Saturday night), they told us that our packets would be arriving shortly. Now, there seemed to be a fair amount of confusion about what they meant by “packet”. Some people on Twitter were wondering if that meant a packet in the mail or a pdf or what. Finally, my packet arrived at 4PM on Monday afternoon as an emailed 60 page pdf. Nothing came in the mail. Because I was out most of the day, I only got around to seeing it at around 10PM Monday night. So, I sat down and cursed as I would have to print out 60+ pages of instructions and voter rolls on my home printer. Naturally, for reasons I can’t begin to comprehend, my printer would not print in black and white with an empty magenta cartridge (No HP, I will never buy another one of your products ever again). So, at this point I became panicked. I was expected to be at the polls at 6:45AM and nothing was open. I was thankfully able to find a Kinko’s open until 11PM that was able to print it out and bind it for me, but this is not something I should have had to do. They expected 75-80 year old veteran volunteers to print out 60+ pages on their home computers? The night before election day? From what I hear, other people had similar experiences. In fact, many volunteers never received their packets at all.

At 6:30AM on Tuesday, I went to the polls. I was immediately turned away because I didn’t have my poll watcher certificate. Many, many people had this problem. The impression I got was this was taken care of because they had “registered me”. Others were as well. But apparently, I was supposed to go on my own to a Victory Center to pick it up, but that was never communicated properly. Outside of the technical problems, this was the single biggest failure of the operation. They simply didn’t inform people that this was a requirement. In fact, check out my “checklist” from my ORCA packet:Notice anything missing? My guess is the second “Chair (if allowed)” was supposed to be “poll watcher certificate” but they put chair twice. This was an instruction packet that went out to 30,000+ people. Did no one proof-read it?

So, I headed back home to see if I could get my certificate. I called their official help line. It went unanswered. I tried their legal line. Same thing. I emailed them. No response. I continued to do this for six straight hours and never got a response. I even tried to call three local victory centers. All went straight to voicemail.

While I was home, I took to Twitter and the web to try to find some answers. From what I saw, these problems were widespread. People had been kicked from poll watching for having no certificate. Others never received their pdf packets. Some were sent the wrong packets from a different area. Some received their packet, but their usernames and passwords didn’t work.

Now a note about the technology itself. For starters, this was billed as an “app” when it was actually a mobile-optimized website (or “web app”). For days I saw people on Twitter saying they couldn’t find the app on the Android Market or iTunes and couldn’t download it. Well, that’s because it didn’t exist. It was a website. This created a ton of confusion. Not to mention that they didn’t even “turn it on” until 6AM in the morning, so people couldn’t properly familiarize themselves with how it worked on their personal phone beforehand.

Next, and this part I find mind-boggingly absurd, the web address was located at “https://www.whateveritwas.com/orca”. Notice the “s” after http. This denotes it’s a secure connection, something that’s used for e-commerce and web-based email. So far, so good. The problem is that they didn’t auto-forward the regular “http” to “https” and as a result, many people got a blank page and thought the system was down. Setting up forwarding is the simplest thing in the world and only takes seconds, but they failed to do it. This is compounded by the fact that mobile browsers default to “http” when you just start with “www” (as 95% of the world does).

By 2PM, I had completely given up. I finally got ahold of someone at around 1PM and I never heard back. From what I understand, the entire system crashed at around 4PM. I’m not sure if that’s true, but it wouldn’t surprise me. I decided to wait for my wife to get home from work to vote, which meant going very late (around 6:15PM). Here’s the kicker, I never got a call to go out and vote. So, who the hell knows if that end of it was working either.

So, the end result was that 30,000+ of the most active and fired-up volunteers were wandering around confused and frustrated when they could have been doing anything else to help. Like driving people to the polls, phone-banking, walking door-to-door, etc. We lost by fairly small margins in Florida, Virginia, Ohio and Colorado. If this had worked could it have closed the gap? I sure hope not for my sanity’s sake.

The bitter irony of this entire endeavor was that a supposedly small government candidate gutted the local structure of GOTV efforts in favor of a centralized, faceless organization in a far off place (in this case, their Boston headquarters). Wrap your head around that.

I’m on Twitter at @JohnEkdahl if you have any questions.

http://ace.mu.nu/archives/334783.php

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Bye Bye Birdie aka Bubbles Ben Bernanke and Bye Bye Blackbird Barry–A Twofer!–Videos

Posted on November 4, 2012. Filed under: American History, Banking, Blogroll, Business, College, Communications, Economics, Education, Employment, Federal Government, Foreign Policy, government, government spending, history, Inflation, Investments, Law, liberty, Life, Links, Macroeconomics, media, Monetary Policy, Money, People, Philosophy, Politics, Radio, Rants, Raves, Resources, Wisdom | Tags: Barack Obama, Barry Obama, Ben Bernanke, Bye Bye Birdie, Bye Bye Blackbird, Dual Mandate, Economics, fiscal policy, FOMC, monetary policy, Political, The Federal Reserve System, Videos |

Ann-Margret BYE BYE BIRDIE

“CTRL+P” BERNANKE IS ALMOST DEAD!

November 2, 2011, Press Conference with Chairman of the FOMC, Ben S. Bernanke

Peter Schiff – The Fed Unspun: The Other Side of the Story

Jim Rogers on Ben Bernanke, the Dollar and “Saving the Saver”

Investor Jim Rogers Gives Dire Warning

Marc Faber: Fed Monetary Policy Will Destroy World 9/14/2012

G. Edward Griffin: “The End Of The Line”

Taylor at CFR: Rethinking the Fed’s Dual Mandate

Corker On Fed’s Dual Mandate

Pence: End Dual Mandate of Fed

A Discussion of the Fed’s Dual Mandate Responsibilities

Huizenga Questions Witnesses on the Dual Mandate of the Fed

Julie London & Bass Duet Bye Bye Blackbird Colour TV Show

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Obama Lied and Americans Died In Libya and Big Corporate Media Ignores The Story In Support of Obama!–Have They No Shame? Have They No Honor?–Apparently Not–Videos

Posted on November 1, 2012. Filed under: American History, Blogroll, Business, College, Communications, Economics, Education, Foreign Policy, government, government spending, history, Language, Law, liberty, Life, Links, media, Radio | Tags: Benghazi, CIA, Have They No Shame, Libya, Major General Bob Scales, Obama, President Obama, U.S. Ambassador Stevens Killed |

The White House Disinformation Campaign on Libya

Libya Cover-up – Obama Outright Lied to American People

Judge Jeanine Pirro, Ann Coulter and Pat Caddell on the Benghazi, Libya Attack

Father Of Murdered Navy Seal in Benghazi, Recounts Days After Attack – Judge Jeanine Pirro

Obama Admin Cover-up!
Delta Force Was On The Ready – Planes Was On The Ready
Father Of Slain Ex-seal Tyron Woods Speaks Out
Father Of Murdered Navy Seal Recounts Days After Attack

Latest on Libya – TheBlaze

BREAKING- OBAMA MAY GO TO PRISON AND BE IMPEACHED KILLING OUR OWN; GLENN BECK

10/28/2012 New Revelations on Attack in Benghazi with Bret Baier – Fox News

Know The TRUTH ~ Step By Step ~ Bret Baier’s ~ ‘Death and Deceit in Benghazi’

Judge Jeanine Investigates Benghazi Gate Part 1 – 10/20/2012

Judge Jeanine Investigates Benghazi Gate Part 2 – 10/20/2012

Christopher Stevens US ambassador to Libya killed: HD Video

Judge Jeanine Investigates Benghazi Gate Part 3 – 10/20/2012

Judge Jeanine Investigates Benghazi Gate Part 4 – 10/20/2012

Obama Administration Denies CIA in Benghazi Requested Help (10/26/12)

Major General Bob Scales: White House Should Have Taken Action in Benghazi (10/26/12)

Retired Major General Bob Scales believes, the White House should have taken action to go after the terrorists in Benghazi on 9/11/12. TWO U.S. drones were flying overhead, giving the White House all the info needed, which made the “fog of war” a minimum concern, and help for the CIA agents and U.S. Ambassador was less than 2 hours away. The siege lasted for 7 hours, making a rescue very possible for at least 2 CIA agents. Repeated calls for help, by the CIA agents, only met with a “request denied” with each call.

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Friedrich A. Hayek–Masters of Money–Video

Posted on October 26, 2012. Filed under: American History, Banking, Blogroll, Business, Communications, Demographics, Economics, Federal Government, Federal Government Budget, Fiscal Policy, government, government spending, history, History of Economic Thought, Inflation, Investments, Language, Law, liberty, Life, Macroeconomics, media, Monetary Policy, Money, People, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, Radio, Raves, Regulations, Technology, Video, War, Wealth, Wisdom | Tags: Economics, Free Markets, Friedrich A. Hayek, government intervention, Interest, John Maynard Keynes, Market, monetary policy, Money |

Friedrich Hayek

Background Articles and Videos

Vice Presidential Debate 2012, Paul Ryan Vs Joe Biden; ‘This Week’ Roundtable Discussion

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The Project–Muslim Brotherhood’s Plan To Infiltrate, Subvert and Overthrow The American Government And U.S. Constitution–Videos

Posted on September 27, 2012. Filed under: Blogroll, Politics, Video, Books, Resources, Rants, Economics, Links, War, People, Life, Talk Radio, Babies, Employment, Security, Strategy, Communications, Law, Philosophy, Foreign Policy, Culture, Wisdom, liberty, Crime, government spending, media, Psychology, history, Language, Federal Government, College, Narcissism, Unions, Public Sector, American History, Drug Cartels, Weapons, Radio | Tags: Terrorists, Glenn Beck, subversion, Jihad In America, Muslim Brotherhood, Sharia Law, CAIR, al Qaeda, The Project, Overthrow, Radical Muslimes, The Blaze, Holy Land Foundation, ISNA, MSA, Muslim Student's Association, Council on American-Islamic Relations, IIIT, International Institute for Islamic Thought, Muslim American Society, MAS, United Association fro Studies and Research, UASR, World Assembly of Muslim Youth, WAMY, American Muslim Council, AMC, NAIT, North American Islamic Trust |

GLENN BECK PRESENTS “THE PROJECT”, The Muslim Brotherhood “Project” DOCUMENTARY

GBR: You need to understand The Project PART 1

GBR: You need to understand The Project PART 2

GBTV The Blaze TV 9-26-12 The Project (FULL pt 1)

GBTV The Blaze TV 9-26-12 The Project (FULL pt 2)

Background Articles and Videos

Muslim Brotherhood in America: The Overview

http://muslimbrotherhoodinamerica.com/

Muslim Brotherhood in America, Part 2: ‘Civilization Jihad’ in America

Muslim Brotherhood in America, Part 3: Influence Operations Against Conservatives & the GOP

Muslim Brotherhood in America, Part 4: Suhail Khan, A Case Study in Influence Operations

Muslim Brotherhood in America, Part 5: The Organizations Islamists Are Using to Subvert the Right

Muslim Brotherhood in America, Part 6: Electing Islamist Republicans

Muslim Brotherhood in America, Part 7: Advancing the Islamists’ Agendas

Muslim Brotherhood in America, Part 8: Team Obama & the Islamists

Muslim Brotherhood in America, Part 9: Team Obama & the Islamist Agenda

Muslim Brotherhood in America, Part 10: What’s To Be Done?

Employment Level–144.2 Million

Series Id:           LNS12000000
Seasonally Adjusted
Series title:        (Seas) Employment Level
Labor force status: Employed
Type of data:        Number in thousands
Age:                 16 years and over

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2001	137778	137612	137783	137299	137092	136873	137071	136241	136846	136392	136238	136047
2002	135701	136438	136177	136126	136539	136415	136413	136705	137302	137008	136521	136426
2003	137417(1)	137482	137434	137633	137544	137790	137474	137549	137609	137984	138424	138411
2004	138472(1)	138542	138453	138680	138852	139174	139556	139573	139487	139732	140231	140125
2005	140245(1)	140385	140654	141254	141609	141714	142026	142434	142401	142548	142499	142752
2006	143150(1)	143457	143741	143761	144089	144353	144202	144625	144815	145314	145534	145970
2007	146028(1)	146057	146320	145586	145903	146063	145905	145682	146244	145946	146595	146273
2008	146397(1)	146157	146108	146130	145929	145738	145530	145196	145059	144792	144078	143328
2009	142187(1)	141660	140754	140654	140294	140003	139891	139458	138775	138401	138607	137968
2010	138500(1)	138665	138836	139306	139340	139137	139139	139338	139344	139072	138937	139220
2011	139330(1)	139551	139764	139628	139808	139385	139450	139754	140107	140297	140614	140790
2012	141637(1)	142065	142034	141865	142287	142415	142220
1 : Data affected by changes in population controls.

Civilian Labor Force Level–155 Million

Series Id:           LNS11000000
Seasonally Adjusted
Series title:        (Seas) Civilian Labor Force Level
Labor force status: Civilian labor force
Type of data:        Number in thousands
Age:                 16 years and over

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2001	143800	143701	143924	143569	143318	143357	143654	143284	143989	144086	144240	144305
2002	143883	144653	144481	144725	144938	144808	144803	145009	145552	145314	145041	145066
2003	145937(1)	146100	146022	146474	146500	147056	146485	146445	146530	146716	147000	146729
2004	146842(1)	146709	146944	146850	147065	147460	147692	147564	147415	147793	148162	148059
2005	148029(1)	148364	148391	148926	149261	149238	149432	149779	149954	150001	150065	150030
2006	150214(1)	150641	150813	150881	151069	151354	151377	151716	151662	152041	152406	152732
2007	153144(1)	152983	153051	152435	152670	153041	153054	152749	153414	153183	153835	153918
2008	154075(1)	153648	153925	153761	154325	154316	154480	154646	154559	154875	154622	154626
2009	154236(1)	154521	154143	154450	154800	154730	154538	154319	153786	153822	153833	153091
2010	153454(1)	153704	153964	154528	154216	153653	153748	154073	153918	153709	154041	153613
2011	153250(1)	153302	153392	153420	153700	153409	153358	153674	154004	154057	153937	153887
2012	154395(1)	154871	154707	154365	155007	155163	155013
1 : Data affected by changes in population controls.

Labor Force Participation Rate–63.7%

Series Id:           LNS11300000
Seasonally Adjusted
Series title:        (Seas) Labor Force Participation Rate
Labor force status: Civilian labor force participation rate
Type of data:        Percent or rate
Age:                 16 years and over

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2001	67.2	67.1	67.2	66.9	66.7	66.7	66.8	66.5	66.8	66.7	66.7	66.7
2002	66.5	66.8	66.6	66.7	66.7	66.6	66.5	66.6	66.7	66.6	66.4	66.3
2003	66.4	66.4	66.3	66.4	66.4	66.5	66.2	66.1	66.1	66.1	66.1	65.9
2004	66.1	66.0	66.0	65.9	66.0	66.1	66.1	66.0	65.8	65.9	66.0	65.9
2005	65.8	65.9	65.9	66.1	66.1	66.1	66.1	66.2	66.1	66.1	66.0	66.0
2006	66.0	66.1	66.2	66.1	66.1	66.2	66.1	66.2	66.1	66.2	66.3	66.4
2007	66.4	66.3	66.2	65.9	66.0	66.0	66.0	65.8	66.0	65.8	66.0	66.0
2008	66.2	66.0	66.1	65.9	66.1	66.1	66.1	66.1	65.9	66.0	65.8	65.8
2009	65.7	65.8	65.6	65.6	65.7	65.7	65.5	65.4	65.1	65.0	65.0	64.6
2010	64.8	64.9	64.9	65.1	64.9	64.6	64.6	64.7	64.6	64.4	64.5	64.3
2011	64.2	64.2	64.2	64.2	64.2	64.1	64.0	64.1	64.1	64.1	64.0	64.0
2012	63.7	63.9	63.8	63.6	63.8	63.8	63.7

Unemployment Level–12.8 Million

Series Id:           LNS13000000
Seasonally Adjusted
Series title:        (Seas) Unemployment Level
Labor force status: Unemployed
Type of data:        Number in thousands
Age:                 16 years and over

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2001	6023	6089	6141	6271	6226	6484	6583	7042	7142	7694	8003	8258
2002	8182	8215	8304	8599	8399	8393	8390	8304	8251	8307	8520	8640
2003	8520	8618	8588	8842	8957	9266	9011	8896	8921	8732	8576	8317
2004	8370	8167	8491	8170	8212	8286	8136	7990	7927	8061	7932	7934
2005	7784	7980	7737	7672	7651	7524	7406	7345	7553	7453	7566	7279
2006	7064	7184	7072	7120	6980	7001	7175	7091	6847	6727	6872	6762
2007	7116	6927	6731	6850	6766	6979	7149	7067	7170	7237	7240	7645
2008	7678	7491	7816	7631	8395	8578	8950	9450	9501	10083	10544	11299
2009	12049	12860	13389	13796	14505	14727	14646	14861	15012	15421	15227	15124
2010	14953	15039	15128	15221	14876	14517	14609	14735	14574	14636	15104	14393
2011	13919	13751	13628	13792	13892	14024	13908	13920	13897	13759	13323	13097
2012	12758	12806	12673	12500	12720	12749	12794

Unemployment Rate U-3–8.3%

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2001	4.2	4.2	4.3	4.4	4.3	4.5	4.6	4.9	5.0	5.3	5.5	5.7
2002	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.9	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.9	6.0
2003	5.8	5.9	5.9	6.0	6.1	6.3	6.2	6.1	6.1	6.0	5.8	5.7
2004	5.7	5.6	5.8	5.6	5.6	5.6	5.5	5.4	5.4	5.5	5.4	5.4
2005	5.3	5.4	5.2	5.2	5.1	5.0	5.0	4.9	5.0	5.0	5.0	4.9
2006	4.7	4.8	4.7	4.7	4.6	4.6	4.7	4.7	4.5	4.4	4.5	4.4
2007	4.6	4.5	4.4	4.5	4.4	4.6	4.7	4.6	4.7	4.7	4.7	5.0
2008	5.0	4.9	5.1	5.0	5.4	5.6	5.8	6.1	6.1	6.5	6.8	7.3
2009	7.8	8.3	8.7	8.9	9.4	9.5	9.5	9.6	9.8	10.0	9.9	9.9
2010	9.7	9.8	9.8	9.9	9.6	9.4	9.5	9.6	9.5	9.5	9.8	9.4
2011	9.1	9.0	8.9	9.0	9.0	9.1	9.1	9.1	9.0	8.9	8.7	8.5
2012	8.3	8.3	8.2	8.1	8.2	8.2	8.3

Total Unemployment Rate U-6–15%

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2001	7.3	7.4	7.3	7.4	7.5	7.9	7.8	8.1	8.7	9.3	9.4	9.6
2002	9.5	9.5	9.4	9.7	9.5	9.5	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.7	9.8
2003	10.0	10.2	10.0	10.2	10.1	10.3	10.3	10.1	10.4	10.2	10.0	9.8
2004	9.9	9.7	10.0	9.6	9.6	9.5	9.5	9.4	9.4	9.7	9.4	9.2
2005	9.3	9.3	9.1	8.9	8.9	9.0	8.8	8.9	9.0	8.7	8.7	8.6
2006	8.4	8.4	8.2	8.1	8.2	8.4	8.5	8.4	8.0	8.2	8.1	7.9
2007	8.4	8.2	8.0	8.2	8.2	8.3	8.4	8.4	8.4	8.4	8.4	8.8
2008	9.2	9.0	9.1	9.2	9.7	10.1	10.5	10.8	11.1	11.8	12.7	13.5
2009	14.2	15.1	15.7	15.8	16.4	16.5	16.5	16.7	16.8	17.2	17.1	17.1
2010	16.7	16.9	16.9	17.0	16.6	16.5	16.5	16.6	16.9	16.8	16.9	16.6
2011	16.1	15.9	15.7	15.9	15.8	16.2	16.1	16.2	16.4	16.0	15.6	15.2
2012	15.1	14.9	14.5	14.5	14.8	14.9	15.0

Comparison of U.S. Recoveries from Recession

1949-2007

Real Gross Domest Product (GDP) Growth Rates

Background Articles and Videos

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Current Population Survey

August 3, 2012

Employment from the BLS household and payroll surveys:

summary of recent trends

http://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/ces_cps_trends.pdf

Employment Situation Summary

Transmission of material in this release is embargoed USDL-12-1531
until 8:30 a.m. (EDT) Friday, August 3, 2012

Technical information:
Household data: (202) 691-6378 * cpsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/cps
Establishment data: (202) 691-6555 * cesinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/ces

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov

THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION -- JULY 2012

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 163,000 in July, and the unemployment rate
was essentially unchanged at 8.3 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported
today. Employment rose in professional and business services, food services and drinking
places, and manufacturing.

Household Survey Data

Both the number of unemployed persons (12.8 million) and the unemployment rate (8.3
percent) were essentially unchanged in July. Both measures have shown little movement
thus far in 2012. (See table A-1.)

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for Hispanics (10.3 percent) edged
down in July, while the rates for adult men (7.7 percent), adult women (7.5 percent),
teenagers (23.8 percent), whites (7.4 percent), and blacks (14.1 percent) showed little
or no change. The jobless rate for Asians was 6.2 percent in July (not seasonally
adjusted), little changed from a year earlier. (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)

In July, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) was
little changed at 5.2 million. These individuals accounted for 40.7 percent of the
unemployed. (See table A-12.)

Both the civilian labor force participation rate, at 63.7 percent, and the employment-
population ratio, at 58.4 percent, changed little in July. (See table A-1.)

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as
involuntary part-time workers) was essentially unchanged at 8.2 million in July. These
individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because
they were unable to find a full-time job. (See table A-8.)

In July, 2.5 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force, down from 2.8
million a year earlier. (These data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were
not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job
sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had
not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. (See table A-16.)

Among the marginally attached, there were 852,000 discouraged workers in July, a decline
of 267,000 from a year earlier. (These data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged
workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are
available for them. The remaining 1.7 million persons marginally attached to the labor
force in July had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons
such as school attendance or family responsibilities.

Establishment Survey Data

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 163,000 in July. Since the beginning of this
year, employment growth has averaged 151,000 per month, about the same as the average
monthly gain of 153,000 in 2011. In July, employment rose in professional and business
services, food services and drinking places, and manufacturing. (See table B-1.)

Employment in professional and business services increased by 49,000 in July. Computer
systems design added 7,000 jobs, and employment in temporary help services continued
to trend up (+14,000).

Within leisure and hospitality, employment in food services and drinking places rose by
29,000 over the month and by 292,000 over the past 12 months.

Manufacturing employment rose in July (+25,000), with nearly all of the increase in durable
goods manufacturing. Within durable goods, the motor vehicles and parts industry had fewer
seasonal layoffs than is typical for July, contributing to a seasonally adjusted employment
increase of 13,000. Employment continued to trend up in fabricated metal products (+5,000).

Employment continued to trend up in health care in July (+12,000), with over-the-month
gains in outpatient care centers (+4,000) and in hospitals (+5,000). Employment also
continued to trend up in wholesale trade.

Utilities employment declined in July (-8,000). The decrease reflects 8,500 utility workers
who were off payrolls due to a labor-management dispute.

Employment in other major industries, including mining and logging, construction, retail
trade, transportation and warehousing, financial activities, and government, showed little
or no change over the month.

The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at
34.5 hours in July. Both the manufacturing workweek, at 40.7 hours, and factory overtime,
at 3.2 hours, were unchanged over the month. The average workweek for production and
nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at 33.7 hours. (See
tables B-2 and B-7.)

In July, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls edged up
by 2 cents to $23.52. Over the year, average hourly earnings rose by 1.7 percent. In July,
average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees increased
by 2 cents to $19.77. (See tables B-3 and B-8.)

The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for May was revised from +77,000 to +87,000,
and the change for June was revised from +80,000 to +64,000.

_____________
The Employment Situation for August is scheduled to be released on Friday, September 7, 2012,
at 8:30 a.m. (EDT).

Glenn Hubbard: The Romney Plan for Economic Recovery

Tax cuts, spending restraint and repeal of Obama’s regulatory excesses would
mean 12 million new jobs in his first term alone

By Glenn Hubbard

“…We are currently in the most anemic economic recovery in the memory of most Americans. Declining consumer sentiment and business concerns over policy uncertainty weigh on the minds of all of us. We must fix our economy’s growth and jobs machine.

We can do this. The U.S. economy has the talent, ideas, energy and capital for the robust economic growth that has characterized much of America’s experience in our lifetimes. Our standard of living and the nation’s standing as a world power depend on restoring that growth.

But to do so we must have vastly different policies aimed at stopping runaway federal spending and debt, reforming our tax code and entitlement programs, and scaling back costly regulations. Those policies cannot be found in the president’s proposals. They are, however, the core of Gov. Mitt Romney’s plan for economic recovery and renewal.

In response to the recession, the Obama administration chose to emphasize costly, short-term fixes—ineffective stimulus programs, myriad housing programs that went nowhere, and a rush to invest in “green” companies.

As a consequence, uncertainty over policy—particularly over tax and regulatory policy—slowed the recovery and limited job creation. One recent study by Scott Baker and Nicholas Bloom of Stanford University and Steven Davis of the University of Chicago found that this uncertainty reduced GDP by 1.4% in 2011 alone, and that returning to pre-crisis levels of uncertainty would add about 2.3 million jobs in just 18 months.

The Obama administration’s attempted short-term fixes, even with unprecedented monetary easing by the Federal Reserve, produced average GDP growth of just 2.2% over the past three years, and the consensus outlook appears no better for the year ahead.

Moreover, the Obama administration’s large and sustained increases in debt raise the specter of another financial crisis and large future tax increases, further chilling business investment and job creation. A recent study by Ernst & Young finds that the administration’s proposal to increase marginal tax rates on the wage, dividend and capital-gain income of upper-income Americans would reduce GDP by 1.3% (or $200 billion per year), kill 710,000 jobs, depress investment by 2.4%, and reduce wages and living standards by 1.8%. And according to the Congressional Budget Office, the large deficits codified in the president’s budget would reduce GDP during 2018-2022 by between 0.5% and 2.2% compared to what would occur under current law.

President Obama has ignored or dismissed proposals that would address our anti-competitive tax code and unsustainable trajectory of federal debt—including his own bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform—and submitted no plan for entitlement reform. In February, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner famously told congressional Republicans that this administration was putting forth no plan, but “we know we don’t like yours.”

Other needed reforms would emphasize opening global markets for U.S. goods and services—but the president has made no contribution to the global trade agenda, while being dragged to the support of individual trade agreements only recently.

The president’s choices cannot be ascribed to a political tug of war with Republicans in Congress. He and Democratic congressional majorities had two years to tackle any priority they chose. They chose not growth and jobs but regulatory expansion. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act raised taxes, unleashed significant new spending, and raised hiring costs for workers. The Dodd-Frank Act missed the mark on housing and “too-big-to-fail” financial institutions but raised financing costs for households and small and mid-size businesses.

These economic errors and policy choices have consequences—record high long-term unemployment and growing ranks of discouraged workers. Sadly, at the present rate of job creation and projected labor-force growth, the nation will never return to full employment.

It doesn’t have to be this way. The Romney economic plan would fundamentally change the direction of policy to increase GDP and job creation now and going forward. The governor’s plan puts growth and recovery first, and it stands on four main pillars:

• Stop runaway federal spending and debt. The governor’s plan would reduce federal spending as a share of GDP to 20%—its pre-crisis average—by 2016. This would dramatically reduce policy uncertainty over the need for future tax increases, thus increasing business and consumer confidence.

• Reform the nation’s tax code to increase growth and job creation. The Romney plan would reduce individual marginal income tax rates across the board by 20%, while keeping current low tax rates on dividends and capital gains. The governor would also reduce the corporate income tax rate—the highest in the world—to 25%. In addition, he would broaden the tax base to ensure that tax reform is revenue-neutral.

• Reform entitlement programs to ensure their viability. The Romney plan would gradually reduce growth in Social Security and Medicare benefits for more affluent seniors and give more choice in Medicare programs and benefits to improve value in health-care spending. It would also block grant the Medicaid program to states to enable experimentation that might better serve recipients.

• Make growth and cost-benefit analysis important features of regulation. The governor’s plan would remove regulatory impediments to energy production and innovation that raise costs to consumers and limit new job creation. He would also work with Congress toward repealing and replacing the costly and burdensome Dodd–Frank legislation and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Romney alternatives will emphasize better financial regulation and market-oriented, patient-centered health-care reform.

In contrast to the sclerosis and joblessness of the past three years, the Romney plan offers an economic U-turn in ideas and choices. When bolstered by sound trade, education, energy and monetary policy, the Romney reform program is expected by the governor’s economic advisers to increase GDP growth by between 0.5% and 1% per year over the next decade. It should also speed up the current recovery, enabling the private sector to create 200,000 to 300,000 jobs per month, or about 12 million new jobs in a Romney first term, and millions more after that due to the plan’s long-run growth effects.

But these gains aren’t just about numbers, as important as those numbers are. The Romney approach will restore confidence in America’s economic future and make America once again a place to invest and grow.

Mr. Hubbard, dean of Columbia Business School, was chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President George W. Bush. He is an economic adviser to Gov. Romney. …”

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443687504577562842656362660.html

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