Obama: 'We will never erase evil', Which "evil" is he referring to? - Speech, National Defense University

Speaking at the National Defense University on Thursday, President Obama asserted that, "We will never erase the evil that lies in the hearts of some human beings."

Question: Which "evil" was the President referring to? Was he referring to the "evil" that President George W. Bush wrought upon the Iraqi people when he freed them from the reigns of [Saddam Hussein's] tyranny? Or, was he referring to his own exit strategy in Afghanistan, which has left the Afghan people in a state of fear, and forced a mass exodus from the country?

Or, was he referring to the IRS & Obama administration's targeting of Tea Party and Conservative groups?

IRS: Obama said ASU officials would be targeted, but he decided to target Tea Party & Conservative groups

Speaking at the Arizona State University commencement ceremony in 2009, President Obama chided University officials because of their decision not to award him an honorary degree.

A school spokesman told the student newspaper at the time that Obama would not be awarded an honorary degree because "his lifetime body of work was still ahead of him."

However, ASU later announced that it was renaming a scholarship program for Obama. The scholarship program would be called the President Barack Obama Scholars Program.

But Obama wasn't about to let ASU officials off the hook.

"I'd just like to clear the air about that little controversy everybody was talking about a few weeks back," Obama stated in his commencement address. "I have to tell you, I really thought this was much ado about nothing, but I do think we all learned an important lesson. I learned never again to pick another team over the Sun Devils [the ASU basketball team] in my NCAA bracket. (Applause.) It won't happen again."

Obama added: "President Crow and the Board of Regents will soon learn all about being audited by the IRS." (Applause.)

The crowd laughed off Obama's comments, but in hindsight, it wasn't a laughing matter at all; just ask the Tea Party, and other Conservative groups, who've been targeted by Obama and the IRS.......

AP: Obama reluctant to seize Benghazi terrorists because 1) it could "harm fledgling relations with Libya" 2) he wants to close Gitmo

The AP reported on Tuesday that the Obama administration is disinclined to send a military force into Libya to seize the terrorists who perpetrated the attacks in Benghazi because there isn't enough evidence to try them in a U.S. civilian court as the Obama administration prefers.

The AP added:

The decision not to seize the men militarily underscores the White House aim to move away from hunting terrorists as enemy combatants and holding them at the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The preference is toward a process in which most are apprehended and tried by the countries where they are living or arrested by the U.S. with the host country's cooperation and tried in the U.S. criminal justice system. Using military force to detain the men might also harm fledgling relations with Libya and other post-Arab-Spring governments with whom the U.S. is trying to build partnerships to hunt al-Qaida as the organization expands throughout the region...

Some of the men have... been in contact with a network of well-known regional Jihadists, including al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb...

The option most likely off the table would be taking suspects seized by the military to Guantanamo Bay, the facility in Cuba that Obama has said he wants to close.

"Just as the administration is trying to find the exit ramp for Guantanamo, [it] is not the time to be adding to it," said the former chief prosecutor for Guantanamo.

The AP cited a senior administration official, and four senior U.S. officials - who were briefed on the investigation into the attacks and on high level strategy debates among White House, FBI and other counterterror officials - as the source of the above information. All five officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

Let me preface my remarks with the following comment: Although President Obama constantly feigns righteous indignation about the leaking of highly sensitive information, it is he and his administration who are actually the biggest leakers of 'em all.

Obama and his cronies have consistently used the AP and other media outlets as vehicles to leak out their [highly sensitive] misinformation campaigns - and their spin. "U.S. officials" are often quoted in the mainstream media reports as sources of "newly" obtained information - but these U.S. officials are, in actuality, Obama proxies who are tasked with relaying the President's misinformation campaign to the media and to the public. Hence, I have a hard time believing anything coming out of the mainstream media, especially when anonymous "senior U.S. officials" and/or anonymous "senior administration officials" are cited as sources of new information. Which is why I'm a bit skeptical about certain aspects of this latest AP report. Nevertheless, two significant observations can be gleaned from this report.

1) [As others have pointed out:] The reluctance on the President's part to seize the terrorists militarily if it entails bringing the terrorists to Guantanamo Bay.

Incredible!

2) The Obama administration's concern that, "Using military force to detain the [terrorists] might harm fledgling relations with Libya and other post-Arab-Spring governments."

Incredible!

Is this also the reason why the President refused to conduct a military rescue operation in Benghazi last year?

In truth, as I've noted previously, there are a host of reasons, and motives, that might explain why the President refused to carry out a rescue mission in Benghazi last year. Among those reasons is the fact that it was Obama who empowered the Al Qaeda-affiliated rebels in Libya, and thus the President was reluctant to send in boots on the ground to fight the very terrorists that he empowered, particularly when he had promised the American people that the U.S. involvement in the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi would not entail sending in boots on the ground. The reluctance to send in boots on the ground was compounded by the fact that the U.S. Presidential election was right around the corner.

Fort Hood Shooter received $278,000 military pay while awaiting trial

When U.S. soldiers are killed in insider attacks in Afghanistan, the Pentagon, in its casualty reports, often [deliberately] mislabels the deaths as combat-related casualties: "He died in a combat operation in Afghanistan," the reports typically state.

Admitting that the soldiers were gunned down by their supposed Afghan allies - who they're supposed to be training and partnering with - reflects poorly on President Obama's exit strategy, hence the real cause of deaths are omitted from the casualty report, and the soldiers are falsely reported to have died in combat operations.

On the flip side, however, the Pentagon refuses to label the 2009 Fort Hood shooting spree a “combat related” incident; nor will it label the incident a “terrorist attack”; but has chosen instead to categorize the shooting - which took the lives of 13 soldiers and wounded more than 30 - as a case of “workplace violence".

Par for the course for this administration....

From NBC Dallas:

The Department of Defense confirms to NBC 5 Investigates that accused Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan has now been paid more than $278,000 since the Nov. 5, 2009 shooting that left 13 dead and 32 injured. The Army said under the Military Code of Justice, Hasan’s salary cannot be suspended unless he is proven guilty...

Meanwhile, more than three years later soldiers wounded in the mass shooting are fighting to receive the same pay and medical benefits given to those wounded in combat.

Retired Army Spc. Logan Burnett, a reservist who, in 2009, was soon to be deployed to Iraq, was shot three times when a gunman opened fire inside the Army Deployment Center.

“I honestly thought I was going to die in that building,” said Burnett. “Just blood everywhere and then the thought of -- that's my blood everywhere.”...

Burnett is now fighting a new battle; only this one is against the U.S. Army.

The Army has not classified the wounds of the Ft. Hood victims as “combat related” and declines to label the shooting a “terrorist attack”.

The “combat related” designation is an important one, for without it Burnett and other shooting victims are not given combat-related pay, they are not eligible for Purple Heart retirement or medical benefits given to other soldiers wounded either at war or during the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon.

As a result, Burnett, his wife Torey, and the families of other Fort Hood victims miss out on thousands of dollars of potential benefits and pay every year.

To Burnett the shooting felt like combat.

“You take three rounds and lose five good friends and watch seven other people get killed in front of you. Do you have another term that we can classify that as?” asked Burnett.

The Army has categorized the shooting as a case of “workplace violence.”...

"There have been times when my wife and I cannot afford groceries. We cannot afford gas in our car,” Burnett said. “Literally, times where we ate Ramen noodles for weeks on end. This [that Hasan is still earning a paycheck] makes me sick to my stomach,” said Burnett...

Rep. Thomas Rooney (R) Florida said: “What happened here is not a case of workplace violence. What happened here was an attack on our military by a terrorist element specifically targeting our military, which just so happened to be in the United States of America."...

Red tape, endless maze of FEMA regulations delayed funding Oklahoma Tornado shelter program

From Newsmax:

The tornado-devastated town of Moore, Okla., had complained in February about regulatory delays from state and federal agencies that were preventing it from getting money for its county-wide tornado shelter rebate program.

"The city's safe room rebate program is still 'on hold,' with not a lot changed from our update of last May [2012]," a statement posted on the City of Moore website said.

"Our county-wide Hazard Mitigation Plan still has not been approved by the state and FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency]," the statement continued, marking over a year since plan was first submitted seeking approval for $2 million to help 800 homeowners put in underground shelters.

The city blamed the delay on shifting regulations and apparent difficulty interpreting what was required for approval.

"There were changes to the federal requirements for this plan that occurred while our contractor was writing the document. He has had to rewrite it," the statement read.

"We've found that the FEMA requirements and their interpretations seem to be a constantly moving target, more so with the new wrinkles. We're still working out various wording changes with the state reviewers and hope to submit the final document in March."

Same old, same old: Obama & Nixon discuss the Watergate, Obamagate scandals (IRS, Benghazi, wiretapping etc. ad infinitum)

When analyzing the statements issued by the late President, Richard Nixon, and current U.S. President, Barack Obama, on the Watergate and Obamagate scandals - including the IRS, Benghazi, AP-wiretap scandals, and a multitude of other Obama administration scandals - one can't help but notice an uncanny similarity between their respective statements. There are also a few salient disparities in their statements, all of which can be seen in the video below.

IRS targeting Tea Party & Conservatives - Thank You President Obama! - Press Briefing

During a press briefing on Monday, President Obama was asked when he first learned that the IRS was targeting the Tea Party and other Conservative groups, and If he feels that the IRS has betrayed the Public's trust.

It goes without saying that the reporter's questions were totally inappropriate and unbefitting; a heartfelt "thank you" to the President on behalf of the Tea Party and Conservatives would certainly have sufficed. See the video below.

Benghazi: Obama administration receives call from Gregory Hicks

Gregory Hicks, the former deputy chief of mission in Libya, told lawmakers at a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on Wednesday that, several hours after the terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, he learned that U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens had died in a hospital under the watchful eye and the supervision of a Libyan terrorist group. Hicks said that he immediately contacted the Obama administration and relayed the sad news. Hicks later told lawmakers that U.S. Military personnel in Tripoli were prepared to go to Benghazi, but were ordered to stand down.

Boston police chief: Feds did not inform us of Russian warnings on Marathon bombers

Testifying on Thursday at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on the Boston Marathon bombing, Massachusetts Undersecretary of Public Safety Kurt N. Schwartz and Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis told lawmakers that the F.B.I. did not inform Boston police of the warnings it had received from Russia about one of the bombers, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, or the investigation the FBI had opened on his younger brother, Dzhokhar, until after Tamerlan had died following a gun battle with police on April 19.

Davis and Schwartz also testified that four city police representatives who work with the F.B.I. on a Joint Terrorism Task Force were also never told about the warnings the FBI had received.

“When information is out there that affects the safety of my community, I need to know that,” Davis told lawmakers.

When asked whether he would have taken a closer look at Tamerlan had he been aware of the Russian intelligence warning, Davis replied: "Absolutely!"

Former committee chairman Joe Lieberman said in testimony that, "The fact that neither the FBI nor the Department of Homeland Security notified the local members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force is really a serious and aggravating omission."

“Though it would not have been easy," Lieberman said, "it was possible to prevent the terrorist attacks in Boston. Why didn’t they involve the local law enforcers who could have stayed on this case and picked up signals?”

However, President Obama - who is widely renowned both for his proficiency in keeping people misinformed and his deep admiration for the "low-information" crowd - recently praised the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, telling reporters at a news conference that, "Based on what I've seen so far, the FBI performed its duties, the Department of Homeland Security did what it was supposed to be doing."

Benghazi hearing: Consulate guards' militia threatened Stevens & McCain - was complicit in attacks

During Wednesday's House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the [September 2012] terrorist attacks in Benghazi, "whistle-blower", Eric Nordstrom - the State Department's former regional security officer in Libya - testified that the Libyan guards who were - "supposedly" - watching the U.S. consulate on the night of the attack, were part of a militia that issued threats, in July of 2012, against former U.S. ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens and Senator John McCain.

A second "Whistle-blower", Gregory Hicks, the former deputy chief of mission in Libya, testified that the aforementioned militia was complicit in the Benghazi attacks - which begs the question: Why did the Obama administration allow these terrorist thugs to guard the consulate?

Obama assures Mexico: I'll strive to make you safer & more secure

Speaking to a group of Mexican students at the National Anthropology Museum during his visit to Mexico last week, President Obama pledged to do his utmost to enact legislation here in the U.S. that will help keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of criminals in both Mexico and the U.S.

Obama on the role of government - Commencement address, Ohio State University graduation

President Obama spoke about the role of government during a commencement address to the graduating class at Ohio State University on Sunday. Video below.

Mastermind in Benghazi attack walking free in Libya, but FBI releases photos of three men from Benghazi attack site?

The FBI on Thursday released the photographs of three men it said were at the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, when it was attacked last September, Reuters reported.

The FBI did not call the three men suspects in the attacks, saying only that they "may be able to provide information to help in the investigation."

Well, judging from the bungling job that the FBI did in monitoring Tamerlan Tsarnaev's extremist activities in the months and years leading up to the Boston Marathon bombing - including his trips abroad -  my first inclination is to assume that the photos which the FBI released of the three men who were at the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi on the day of the attack, who, the FBI says, are not necessarily suspects, but nevertheless "may be able to provide information to help in the investigation" - my first inclination is to assume that the FBI photos of these three individuals look something like this:



That's would be my first inclination......

I'm sorry about the cynicism and sarcasm, but bear in mind: We're talking about the Obama administration, which, not only has been engaged in a prolonged and extensive cover-up on the Benghazi attacks, but has also been dragging its feet in dealing with the perpetrators of the attacks.

One example, which you're probably aware of by now:

The U.S. has identified the mastermind of the Benghazi attack, sources tell Fox News, though the individual apparently is walking free in Libya. The confirmation from multiple sources comes more than seven months after the assault on two U.S. locations in Benghazi, Libya... But one source told Fox News the government is "sitting on" information.

"We basically don't want to upset anybody, and the problem is, if Ambassador Stevens' family knew that we were sitting on information about the people who killed their son, their brother, on and on, then, and we could look them as a government in the face, then we're messing up. We're messing up," the source said.

So, I hope you can understand my cynicism, and sarcasm.

Fox News spoke exclusively with the special operator who watched the events [in Benghazi] unfold in real time and has debriefed those who were part of the response.

[The special operator] remains anonymous for his safety and has decided to talk because he says he and others connected with the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks in Benghazi are frustrated with the excuses, [lies] and lack of a military response since Stevens and three other Americans were killed. 

"We have all the capability, all the training, all the capacity, to kill and capture not only terrorists involved, with the specific events of 9/11, and Ambassador Stevens' death, but terrorists that are feeding other regions including Europe that could eventually affect our national security in the short term," the source said. "And we're not talking midterm or long-term, this is the short-term." 

The source said "it's a daily frustration." 

"Benghazi, the second-highest population of foreign fighters in the war in Iraq came from Benghazi, second to Saudi Arabia, so we are talking about a historic location and region that has fed foreign fighters to kill Americans, and kill other coalition forces," [the] source said. 

"The analysts, the intelligence experts all say the same thing, that if we just ignore the situation as it presents itself, eventually it will be another invasion will have to take place for us to eventually turn the tide." 


He says the region also remains a weapons hub after the overthrow of former leader Muammar Qaddafi in 2011, which saw massive stockpiles of weapons in Libya move freely across the Mediterranean...

Benghazi: The Panetta contradiction and the art of deception

Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has offered up two contradictory explanations why there was no military operation to rescue U.S. officials who were under attack in Benghazi on September 11, 2012.

During an October 2012 press briefing, Panetta claimed he was lacking real-time information at the time, and as a result of not having this information, he felt he couldn't send the FAST platoons, and other forces that were deployed in the region, into "harm's way" in "that situation". Hence, he made the decision not to send the  forces to Benghazi.

However, during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in February of 2013, Panetta offered up a different excuse [prevarication]: There was no conscious decision, on his part, not to send forces to Benghazi into "harm's way". But rather, the reason why U.S. forces did not head out to Benghazi was because the attack at the U.S. consulate had ended before they could get off the ground. And, Panetta added, there was no reason to assume that the CIA annex would later come under attack - despite the fact that there were two attacks on the annex, more than four hours apart.

Two different, contradictory, explanations; par for the course, for this administration...

See the video below:

Obama: Obamacare is the greatest thing since sliced bread!

Speaking at a White House Press Conference on Tuesday, President Obama praised the merits of the new health care reform law.

The President said that, for those who currently have health insurance, Obamacare is already working wonders!

Ahem......

Obama vs. Adm. William McRaven on Guantanamo Bay prison - White House Press Conference

Speaking at a White House news conference on Tuesday, President Obama told reporters that there was no need for a special long-term detention & interrogation facility like Guantanamo Bay prison.

"I continue to believe that we've got to close Guantanamo," the President said. "I think it is critical for us to understand that Guantanamo is not necessary to keep America safe... And I understand that in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, with the traumas that had taken place, why, for a lot of Americans, the notion was somehow that we had to create a special facility like Guantanamo, and we couldn't handle this in a normal, conventional fashion. I understand that reaction. But we're now over a decade out. We should be wiser."

But the President's views runs counter to the views of U.S Navy admiral and commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, William McRaven, who, when asked by Sen. Kelly Ayotte - during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in June of 2011 - whether there was a need for a long-term detention & interrogation facility, like Guantanamo Bay, to gather vital intelligence information - replied in the affirmative, saying that a detention center of this nature is indeed "very helpful".

Sen. Kelly Ayotte proceeded to ask Adm. McRaven: "And as far as you understand it, is Guantanamo Bay still off the table in terms of being used for that type of facility?" McRaven replied: "As far as I understand it, it is."

Apparently, President Obama issued a directive forbidding the use of Guantanamo Bay as an interrogation and intelligence-gathering facility.

Sigh.......

Abortion Doctor Says He'd Let Born-Alive Infants die

Live Action, the pro-life advocacy group, released a video on Sunday showing a New York abortionist, Cesare Santangelo, telling an undercover reporter, that if her six-month old fetus were born alive he would not take any action to keep it alive and help it survive. [He makes that confession at about 3:54 into the video.]



As an Illinois Senator, Barack Obama voted against the Illinois Born Alive Infants Protection Act. He offered various excuses which were proven to be outright lies. But of course, lying and telling the truth are synonymous to Obama; he sees absolutely no distinction between the two - which is why he has the uncanny ability to lie so smoothly, without even batting an eyelash. Indeed, no U.S. President before him has been so adept in the art of lying.

Incidentally, President Obama has also been a outspoken supporter of Planned Parenthood. The video below shows a Planned Parenthood official testifying before the Florida legislature in opposition to a bill that would require an abortion doctor to provide medical care to any infant who survives an attempted abortion. Some of the legislatures pepper her with questions, but I like the last question the best.

Obama administration officials have threatened whistle-blowers on Benghazi, lawyer says

From Fox News:

At least four career officials at the State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency have retained lawyers or are in the process of doing so, as they prepare to provide sensitive information about the Benghazi attacks to Congress, Fox News has learned.

Victoria Toensing, a former Justice Department official and Republican counsel to the Senate Intelligence Committee, is now representing one of the State Department employees. She told Fox News her client and some of the others, who consider themselves whistle-blowers, have been threatened by unnamed Obama administration officials.

“I'm not talking generally, I'm talking specifically about Benghazi – that people have been threatened,” Toensing said in an interview Monday. “And not just the State Department. People have been threatened at the CIA.”...

Toensing disclosed that her client has pertinent information on all three time periods investigators consider relevant to the attacks: the months that led up to the attack, when pleas by the ambassador and his staff for enhanced security in Benghazi were mostly rejected by senior officers at the State Department; the eight-hour time frame in which the attacks unfolded, and the eight-day period that followed the attacks, when Obama administration officials incorrectly described them as the result of a spontaneous protest over a video.

“It's frightening, and they're doing some very despicable threats to people,” she said. “Not ‘we're going to kill you,’ or not ‘we're going to prosecute you tomorrow,’ but they're taking career people and making them well aware that their careers will be over [if they cooperate with congressional investigators].”

In a related development, Rep. Trey Gowdy told Fox News over the weekend that “explosive” congressional hearings on the Benghazi terrorist attacks are “coming quickly.” [Source Washingtom Times]

“There are more Benghazi hearings coming; I think they’re going to be explosive,” said Gowdy.

“[The hearings] are coming sooner rather than later," he added.

Gowdy also intimated that eye-witnesses to the attacks might testify in the upcoming hearings.

“Direct evidence, direct testimony by eyewitnesses is always the most compelling,” he said.

“Trust me when I tell you you will want to follow the hearings that are coming up," Gowdy said.

Boston bomb suspect 'had links to slain Islamists'

From the AFP:

One of the brothers suspected of carrying out the Boston bombings had made links with two figures in the Islamist anti-Kremlin insurgency in the Northern Caucasus, both of whom were killed by Russian security forces, a security source said Monday.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, who was himself killed during his capture by US authorities, was known to have been in contact with a Dagestan militant named Makhmud Nidal and also a militant of Canadian origin named William Plotnikov, a Russian security source in the Northern Caucasus told AFP.

Plotnikov took part, like Tamerlan Tsarnaev, in boxing competitions in both Canada and the United States and the two men also had contacts on social networks, said the source.

Plotnikov was among seven militants killed in a shootout with Russian security forces in July 2012. It was not clear if they ever met on the territory of Dagestan itself...

Makhmud Nidal meanwhile was a known militant with whom Tamerlan Tsarnaev was seen when he made a trip back to Dagestan from the United States in 2012, the security source told AFP.

They were seen together four times, on each occasion at a mosque known for its Salafist tendencies in the Dagestani capital Makhachkala...

Nidal was killed in May 2012 in a "counterterrorist" operation in Makhachkala. After his death, Tsarnaev disappeared from the view of the Russian security services...

A source in the Dagestan centre for fighting extremism, which is part of the federal security service... [said that] after the deaths of Nidal and Plotnikov, Tameralan Tsarnaev "lost his contacts, got scared and jumped."

Tsarnaev brothers lone wolves? Or part of a broad pack of wolves?

CNN reported:

Tamerlan Tsarnaev's phone number was traced to numbers that came up in two other investigations into terror suspects, according to a senator who attended classified briefings about the Boston attack investigation. The connection between Tamerlan Tsarnaev and the two other suspects was "twice removed," meaning he was in contact with people who had been in contact with the suspect, a U.S. government official said.

Likewise, the Boston Globe reported:

Investigators also linked Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s phone records to two other phone numbers for people who had been investigated for terror, the official said. But the two other terror cases were closed. It’s not clear when the FBI discovered those phone links or when those cases were closed.

Well, the FBI should start thinking about reopening those cases.

The Tsarnaev brothers may not be the lone wolves they've been portrayed to be, but rather two wolves who are part of a broad pack of wolves.

U.S. counterterrorism task force was warned of Boston Bomber's return trip to U.S.

As I noted in an earlier post, U.S. officials have given two contradictory explanations as to why the FBI failed to take heed when the Boston Marathon bomber, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, returned to the U.S., in 2012, from his overseas trip to the Russian provinces of Dagestan and Chechnya.

Explanation Version 1) - In the spring of 2011, The FBI included Tsarnaev's name in a database called TECS -- the Treasury Enforcement and Communication System. The aforementioned database is used by U.S. officials at the border to help screen people coming in and out of the U.S. However, entries into this database remain active for only a year. Hence, when Tsarnaev returned to the United States in June 2012, there was no "ping" of his TECS database entry because it had already expired. And thus, the FBI was unaware of his return trip to the U.S.

Explanation Version 2) - When Tsarnaev returned to the U.S., there indeed WAS a "ping" generated in his TECS database entry. This information was shared with the Customs and Border Protection officer on the FBI's Boston joint terrorism task force. But because the FBI had closed its investigation into Tsarnaev a year earlier, there was no reason to be suspicious of his travels to Russia.

Contradictory explanations, to say the least.

But now, the anonymous U.S. officials are offering up a third alternative - just in case the American people are not completely satisfied with the earlier prevarications. The third alternative is similar to version 2 with a few alterations and a little added makeup [cosmetic].

"Change you can believe in!"

According to the latest version, a U.S. counterterrorism task force received a warning when Tsarnaev returned to the U.S, but only one person - a Customs officer assigned to the [aforementioned] Joint Terrorism Task Force - knew about the warning, and he failed to tell his colleagues and his superiors in the FBI about it. Or, maybe he did tell them about it....

Confused?

Here's the third version:

Nine months before the Boston Marathon bombing, a U.S. counterterrorism task force received a warning that a suspected militant had returned from a lengthy trip to Russia, U.S. officials said.

Who these anonymous U.S. officials are, no one knows; only President Obama, his lackeys in the mainstream media, and various members of the adminstration, know their true identity.

The warning was delivered to a single U.S. Customs official assigned to Boston's Joint Terrorism Task Force, a cell of specialists from federal and local law enforcement agencies.

The Joint Terrorism Task Forces are led by the FBI and the Justice Department.

It is not clear whether the aforementioned warning came via a database system ping, or some other source: Russian officials etc.

The task force was part of a network of multi-agency organizations set up across the country after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to make sure that clues and tips were shared.

But officials said there is no indication that the unidentified Customs officer provided the information to any other members of the task force, including FBI agents who had previously interviewed the militant.

Difficult to believe.

There's no reason to assume that the Customs officer was aware of an earlier investigation in which the FBI deemed Tsarnaev a non-threat. So, why in the world wouldn't he notify the Feds about the warning?

The man whose return from Russia went largely unnoticed was one of the two brothers who would later be accused of carrying out the April 15 bombing that killed three people and injured more than 250 others near the finish line of the Boston Marathon...

The FBI opened an investigation of Tamerlan Tsarnaev in 2011 at the behest of Russian officials who expressed concern that he was becoming radicalized and could be planning an attack in Russia.

The bureau set the inquiry aside after concluding that Tsarnaev posed no threat. But notice that he had returned from a seven-month trip to Russia might have provided the FBI with new reasons to question him. He had traveled to the strife-torn region of Dagestan, in the North Caucasus, where rebels have adopted the tactics and language of militant Islamists...

U.S. officials also said that the customs officer in Boston may have mentioned Tsarnaev’s return to FBI agents serving on the task force without creating a computer file to record the information had been shared.

Well, that's a quick shift. "The customs officer MAY have mentioned Tsarnaev’s return to FBI agents serving on the task force..." Heh....

Nah, I don't believe it. Why would he do such a silly thing like that?

Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. said during an appearance at a conference in Washington on Thursday that he has seen no evidence that U.S. agencies failed. “The dots were connected,” he said.

"No evidence that U.S. agencies failed?!!" Three people dead, more than 250 injured, amputees - add to that the various prevarications, contradictory talking points, excuses - that's all the evidence we need!

[Clapper] also called on the public “not to hyperventilate for a while before we get all the facts.”

"Before we get all the facts"?!! You gotta be kidding..... All we're getting is an endless stream of revision, changes, alterations, prevarications, excuses - you name it!

"All the facts?" I don't think we'll ever get the facts.

Related Post: U.S. officials: Tsarnaev Did / Did Not set off a 'Ping' in the TECS database when he returned to the U.S.

Mayor Bloomberg, Police Commissioner Kelly confirm: Boston Marathon bombers wanted to detonate bombs in Times Square

From the Boston Globe:

The bombing suspects “intended to drive to New York and detonate additional explosives in Times Square,” [New York Mayor Michael] Bloomberg said. Bloomberg said city officials had been notified by the FBI Wednesday night about the statements by Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is in the hospital.

New York Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said Tsarnaev had initially told investigators that he and his brother had decided to go to New York to “party.” But that story changed, he said, in a subsequent interrogation.

Kelly said Tsarnaev told investigators that the the brothers had “decided spontaneously” on Times Square as a target, while they were driving around in a carjacked Mercedes last Thursday night...

Kelly said the brothers had six bombs in their possession: one pressure cooker bomb like those used to attack the Marathon and five pipe bombs. But Kelly said the plan “fell apart” when the brothers realized they were low on gas...

The brothers had six bombs in their possession and one pressure cooker, which would indicate that their decision to set off bombs was not spontaneous, and that they already had plans to set off the bombs before they hijacked the car. The question arises: Since they already had plans to detonate the bombs before they hijacked the car, is it sensible to believe they didn't have a specific target in mind before the hijacking, and that they only decided on a target while they were driving around in the car?!

Maybe..., maybe not......

Hmmm......

But, if Times Square wasn't a spontaneous target, but rather a premeditated target, why would Dzhokhar Tsarnaev lie and say it was spontaneous?

I could speculate, and offer up a theory - if the theory were sound - and I'm not sure it is, so I'll skip it.

[Hint: New York connections.....]

However, one way to dovetail Tsarnaev's 'spontaneous' claim with his premeditated bombing plot might be as follows: The brothers had plans to set off another round of explosions in Boston, but changed their minds and decided it would be easier to flee to New York and detonate the bombs there. But, I'm not sure I like that explanation....

U.S. officials: Tsarnaev Did / Did Not set off a 'Ping' in the TECS database when he returned to the U.S.

U.S. officials told the AP that Boston Marathon bomber, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Set Off a ping in the TECS database, in 2012, when he returned to the U.S. from his overseas trip to the Russian provinces of Dagestan and Chechnya:

From the AP:

[Tamerlan] Tsarnaev's name was added to a Homeland Security Department database used by U.S. officials at the border to help screen people coming in and out of the U.S. That database is called the Treasury Enforcement Communications System, or TECS.... Three days before he left for Russia, the TECS database generated an alert [a ping] on Tsarnaev. That alert was shared with a Customs and Border Protection officer who is a member of the FBI's Boston joint terrorism task force.

In July 2012, Tsarnaev returned to the U.S., and another alert [ping] was generated in TECS. This information was again shared with the Customs and Border Protection officer on the FBI's Boston joint terrorism task force. But because the FBI had closed its investigation into Tsarnaev a year earlier, there was no reason to be suspicious of his travels to Russia.

U.S. officials told ABC News that Mr. Tsarnaev, DID NOT Set Off a ping in the TECS database, upon his return to the U.S.:

From ABC News:

When Tsarnaev returned to the U.S. in June 2012 there was NO "ping" of his TECS entry because it had already expired.

Afghanistan: 2013 set to become the second most violent year after 2011 - a huge spike in casualties among Afghan civilians & security forces

The Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, Jan Kubis, told a NATO ministerial briefing in Brussels on Tuesday that civilian casualties in Afghanistan rose by about 30% in the first quarter of 2013.

Mr. Kubis said that 475 civilians were killed and 872 wounded between January 1 and March 31 of this year.

The UN envoy called on anti-government groups "to cease targeting civilians, using children in suicide operations and attacking public places including places of worship."

The sharp spike in casualties among Afghan civilians and Afghan security forces comes as U.S and coalition troops continue to hand over more and more security responsibilities to the Afghan troops - and it raises concerns as to whether the Afghan forces will be able to secure the country after President Obama's 2014 exit [capitulation] strategy is consummated.

The AP noted on Sunday:

[Taliban] insurgents killed six police officers at a checkpoint and a suicide bomber killed three civilians at a shopping bazaar in separate attacks Sunday in eastern Afghanistan, while an independent security group warned 2013 is on track to be one of the most violent years of the war.

April already has been the deadliest month this year for security forces and Afghan and foreign civilians as the U.S. and other countries prepare to end their combat mission by the end of next year.

According to an Associated Press tally, 222 people have been killed in violence around the nation this month, including Sunday's nine fatalities....

On Friday, Taliban insurgents attacked a local police checkpoint in Andar, a district of Ghazni province..., and killed 13 officers...

In other violence, the Taliban cut a hand and foot off each of two villagers they accused of helping escort coalition convoys...

Hostilities have surged in Afghanistan as the spring fighting season begins. This year is being closely watched because Afghan forces must operate with less support from the international military coalition. With foreign forces due to hand over combat responsibilities to the local forces next year, the current fighting is a test of their ability to take on the country's insurgency.

Reflecting the rise in bloodshed, the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office said Sunday there were 2,331 insurgent-initiated attacks in the first quarter of this year, a 47 percent increase over the same January-March period last year. "We assess that the current re-escalation trend will be preserved throughout the entire season and that 2013 is set to become the second most violent year after 2011," which suffered 2,755 such attacks in the first three months of the year, the report said.

The U.S.-led NATO coalition has stopped releasing statistics on insurgent attacks in Afghanistan...

The rise of violence that his organization reported in early 2013 should raise serious concern... about whether Afghan forces can fill the gap being left by the reduction in U.S.-led international forces, said Tomas Muzik, the director of the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office.

Russia Alerted FBI `Multiple’ Times on concerns about Boston Marathon bomber

From the Boston Globe:

Russian authorities alerted the FBI not once but ``multiple’’ times over their concerns about Tamerlan Tsarnaev -- including a second time nearly a year after he was first interviewed by FBI agents in Boston -- raising new questions about whether the FBI should have focused more attention on the suspected Boston Marathon bomber, according to US senators briefed on the probe Tuesday.

The FBI has previously said it interviewed Tsarnaev in early 2011 after it was initially contacted by the Russians. After that review, the FBI has said, it determined he did not pose a threat.

In a closed briefing on Tuesday, members of the Senate Intelligence Committee learned that Russia alerted the United States about Tsarnaev in ``multiple contacts’’ -- including ``at least once since October 2011,’’ said Richard Burr, a Republican of North Carolina, speaking with reporters afterward

Vitter: Why do Democrats get 3 times as many Obama stimulus grants as Republicans?

From the Washington Examiner:

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., suggested today that Democratic lawmakers get preferential treatment over Republican colleagues when applying for stimulus grants that fund transportation projects, given that almost three-quarters of the grant money has been spent in Democratic districts.

President Obama’s 2009 stimulus bill contained funding for Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program grants. Democratic districts have received $356,109,553 from the program, compared to just $132,272,695 for Republican districts.

“There is a growing need for real improvement in our infrastructure in every corner of this country,” Vitter said in a statement Thursday. “It is essential that grant projects are selected on a transparent, merit-based set of criteria, not the voting trends of the region. I’m concerned that politics have entered into the process with the TIGER grants, which is why I’ll continue advocating for reforms.”

Earlier this month, the senator asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate how grants are awarded.

Vitter noted the following in a press release:

In 2011, GAO [the Government Accountability Office] reported transparency concerns with the program saying "DOT [the Department of Transportation] cannot definitively demonstrate the basis for its award selections, particularly the reasons why recommended projects were selected for half the awards over highly recommended ones."

Obama feigns righteous indignation over [senate] gun legislation vote, news conference - WH Rose Garden

Speaking in the White House Rose Garden on Wednesday, shortly after the Senate voted down his proposed gun legislation, President Obama stated in a feigned display of righteous indignation: "I've heard folks say that having the families of victims lobby for this legislation was somehow misplaced. 'A prop,' somebody called them.... Are they serious?... Do we think their emotions, their loss is not relevant to this debate? So all in all, this was a pretty shameful day for Washington."

Obama is correct in one aspect: His phony display of righteous indignation made it "a pretty shameful day for Washington" on Wednesday. In fact, his perpetual displays of fake righteous indignation make a lot of days pretty shameful days for Washington.

A "prop"? I used that term on a couple of occasions to describe Obama's exploitation of the parents of Hadiya Pendleton, the 15-year old Chicago native who was shot and killed in January by two gang members.

"Hadiya's parents, Nate and Cleo, are in this chamber tonight," Obama proclaimed during his State of the Union [propaganda] address. "They deserve a vote."

The President [shamefully] used Hadiya Pendleton's parents as a poltical prop, while casually ignoring the facts, including his own abysmal record on gun violence and crime.

Here are the facts:

In 2012, Michael Ward, the Chicago gang member who shot and killed Hadiya Pendleton [the shooting occurred the following year, in January of 2013], pleaded guilty to Aggravated Unlawful Use Of A Weapon, a felony punishable by 1 to 3 years imprisonment in the state of Illinois. But Ward never went to prison for the aforementioned conviction because of an Illinois state law that mandates a "go soft attitude" towards offenders under the age of 18; Ward was 17-years old at the time of the offense.

Ward was also arrested three times while on probation for his gun conviction but only one violation was ever reported to the judge, and he managed to avoid prison once again.

As a member of the SUWU gang faction, Michael Ward, in all likelihood, would have obtained firearms regardless of any kind of gun legislation. However, It would have been impossible for him to gun down Hadiya Pendleton from a prison cell. But sadly, he never went to jail, because of a "go-soft" attitude towards criminals - an attitude typically embraced by the progressive community.

What's more, Judicial Watch noted that, "Last fall the Obama administration quietly shut down a crucial FBI division—National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC)—dedicated to countering gang violence. The alarming move came at a time when gang violence in the United States was at an all-time high, according to the government's own figures.

"When the NGIC got the ax, its latest annual gang threat assessment had revealed that gangs are responsible for nearly half of all violent crimes in most parts of the country and up to 90% in many jurisdictions."

Investor's Business Daily recently noted that, "Nationally federal gun crime prosecutions hit a decade low in 2011 under President Obama, down 40% from their peak under President George W. Bush in 2004.

"The number of federal weapons prosecutions fell from about 11,000 in 2004 to about 6,000 under the Obama administration in 2011, before ticking up to 7,770 in 2012.

"Prosecutions for making a false statement when buying a gun are down 29% from five years ago, while prosecutions for illegal possession fell 14%, according to federal data...

"In 2010..., 6 million Americans... applied to buy a gun... Of those, the ATF referred 4,732 cases for prosecution. Of them, just 44 were prosecuted, and only 13 were punished for lying or buying a gun illegally."

"The prosecution rate [for gun violations] in Chicago" - Obama's hometown - "was the lowest in the country."

A Chicago Tribume editorial once accused Obama of being a "gutless sheep' for missing a vote on crime legislation in late 1999."

Considering the facts surrounding Hadiya Pendleton's death, and Obama's abysmal record on gun violence and crime, it is crystal clear that the President used Hadiya's parents as a political prop during his State of the Union address, while demonstrating a casual, and typical, disregard for the facts, and the truth.

Obama's State of Union deceit [prop and all], coupled with his egregious record on gun violence and crime, leaves us with no choice but to conclude the obvious: His display of righteous indignation is disingenuous, and phony, at best.

If the true motive behind his proposed gun legislation is crime prevention and protecting America's youth, how can he be soft on crime, gang violence and federal weapons prosecutions?



Here are a few previous posts detailing the facts surrounding Hadiya Pendleton's shooting and the Obama administration's egregious record on federal gun crime prosecutions and gang violence:

Hadiya Pendleton - Liberals' "Go easy on crime & gun violence" policies responsible for teen's death

Federal weapons prosecutions plummets under Obama, but ironically, Hadiya Pendleton's Mom is a big Obama fan - Go figure

The result of Obama's illegal immigration policies? Gang violence and Gang-Run Prostitution

And a couple of additional links on then-State Senator Obama's abysmal record on gun violence and crime:

The Jack Ryan Files: Obama 'shamefully soft on crime and drugs'

Obama voted "present" on a bill requiring adult prosecution for discharging a gun in or near a school

Key Obamacare author, Max Baucus, warns of "huge train wreck" implementing ObamaCare provisions

From the AP:

A senior Democratic senator who helped write President Obama's health care law stunned administration officials Wednesday, saying openly he thinks it's headed for a "train wreck."

"I just see a huge train wreck coming down," Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., told Obama's health care chief during a routine budget hearing that suddenly turned tense.

Baucus is the first top Democrat to publicly voice fears about the rollout of the new health care law... Polls show that Americans remain confused by the complex law, and even many uninsured people are skeptical they will be helped by benefits that start next year...

While some other Democratic lawmakers have privately voiced similar frustrations, most have "publicly" lauded Sebelius for her department's work...

Obama: 'Make no mistake', Boston Marathon, Benghazi attackers will feel full weight of justice - Ahem....

Mistake or no mistake, that is the question.......

Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, President Obama told reporters that no one should make the mistake of assuming the perpetrators of the Boston Marathon bombing attacks will escape justice.

"Make no mistake," the President said, "we will get to the bottom of this. And we will find out who did this.... Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice."

Similarly, on the day after the September 11, 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi, President Obama stated that no one should make the mistake of thinking the perpetrators of the attacks would escape justice.

"The United States condemns in the strongest terms this outrageous and shocking attack...," Obama said. He added: "Make no mistake, we will work with the Libyan government to bring to justice the killers who attacked our people."

Sadly, many Americans fell prey to the President's rhetoric, and made the foolish mistake of believing him when he said he would bring justice to the Benghazi terrorists.

Nevertheless, bringing justice to terrorists who target Americans inside the U.S requires far less fortitude, and far less guts, than bringing justice to terrorists who target Americans abroad, especially when the latter are Libyan rebels, the very same rebels who were propped up by this administration.

Hence, this time might be different......