Michelle Obama Q & A - Conservative tweeter confused?

From the USA Today:

First lady Michelle Obama knows how to use Twitter to promote her causes, but so do her husband's critics and opponents.

Live by social media, slapped by social media. First lady Michelle Obama took to Twitter today for a Q&A on her anti-obesity campaign, but some critics couldn't resist the chance to try to hijack the forum to mock her...

Since 2009, Mrs. O has effectively used social media, especially Twitter, to promote her causes and reach people she might otherwise miss. But her husband's opponents know how to use social media, too, to promote their causes and to bash the president through the first lady.

"Would we save enough money to reopen WH tours if we shut down your Let's Move tour?," tweeted right-wing radio pundit Laura Ingraham, alluding to the sequester budget cuts the administration cited to shut down White House tours starting this week.

Some tweeters were confused about, or deliberately distorting, Mrs. Obama's Let's Move campaign, which seeks to encourage healthy eating and more exercise for everyone but especially kids. It's voluntary, not mandatory, as most first-lady projects are.

"What makes you think that you are qualified to dictate MY CHILDREN'S diet, or anything else concerning them, than I am?," scoffed Matt Harrison, self-described "Uncompromising Conservative."

The USA Today asserts that tweeters like Matt Harrison are "confused" because they assume Michelle Obama's Let's Move Campign is "mandatory," when it is really "voluntary."

Well, that's a disingenuous assertion.

From the U.S government's Let's Move.Gov website:

Since we launched Let’s Move! a year ago, we’ve been hard at work, talking to educators, parents, and kids... We’ve done it all to achieve one big goal – to end the epidemic of childhood obesity in a generation... And that’s why we made passing the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act a cornerstone of our work during the first year of Let’s Move

From Wikipedia:

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, [otherwise known as The Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act]... sets new nutrition standards for schools, and allocates $4.5 billion dollars for their implementation. The new nutrition standards have been a point initiative of First Lady Michelle Obama in her fight against childhood obesity as part of her Let's Move! initiative.

The $4.5 billion, tax payer-funded legislation was promoted by Michelle Obama as part of her Let's Move initiative. The bill is mandatory, not voluntary.

Incidentally, the bill was funded in part by siphoning off $2.2 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the federal food stamp program. Heh...

Moreover, many parents complain that their children are coming home from school hungry as a result of the new nutritional mandate initiated by Michelle Obama.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act?  Heh.....

Conclusion: Matt Harrison is not confused at all; he's clearheaded and he's right!

P.S. Here's a few more tweets that were tweeted to Michelle Obama during here Q & A:

"Where in the constitution does its state "the FLOTUS shall tell kids what to eat"? Just wondering...."

"Why do you think the media has spent more time reporting on your bangs than they have on #Benghazi?"

"What's the best vacation destination to escape to when you really feel like spending my tax dollars in style?"......

Afghanistan: Two U.S. soldiers killed, at least ten wounded in insider attack; second insider attack in 4 days

Two American soldiers were killed, and at least ten wounded when an Afghan police officer opened fire on them with a truck-mounted machine gun after a training-related meeting between coalition and Afghan forces at a military base in the Jalrez district of Wardak province in Afghanistan.

The incident was the second insider attack in less than a week. On Friday a U.S. contractor was killed and four U.S. soldiers were wounded when three men in Afghan uniforms rammed an Afghan military vehicle through a checkpoint, forced their way into a U.S. base and opened fire on their victims.

The latest incidents in a slew of Green on Blue attacks raises questions about the partnership between U.S. troops and the Afghan forces they are trying to train to take over responsibility for the country's security after Obama's dash to the exit is completed and U.S. forces have departed.

Related Posts: Afghanistan: Insider attack kills one American, wounds four; Suicide bombers kill Nineteen Afghans, including eight children

Taliban cancels Hagel, Karzai press conference

Taliban cancels Hagel, Karzai press conference

President Obama asserted in May of 2012 that the Taliban's momentum in Afghanistan had been broken, contradicting an assessment made at the time by the heads of House and Senate Intelligence committees, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Mike Rogers, who, upon returning from a fact-finding trip to Afghanistan, stated that the Taliban were even stronger than they had been before the President announced his 30,000-troop surge to Afghanistan in December of 2009 [while simultaneously announcing - and telegraphing - to the Taliban - his timetable for withdrawal]. The President's assertion about the Taliban's broken momentum also ran contrary to media reports which noted an increase in violence across the country.

U.S. officials said Sunday that a joint press conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, scheduled for Sunday afternoon at the presidential palace in Kabul, had been cancelled because of a security threat - although the two men still planned to meet later in the day.

The cancellation came a day after a suicide bomber killed nine people outside the Afghan Defense Ministry in central Kabul; the Taliban took credit for the bombing.

Hagel, who was reportedly in a safe location meeting with Afghan officials at the time of the explosion, later told reporters he heard the explosion from afar but wasn't sure what it was.

Nevertheless, U.S. officials refused to provide details on the security concerns that led to the cancellation of Sunday's joint press conference [and perhaps there might have been other reasons that led to the cancellation]. However, the attack on the Afghan Defense Ministry was likely the cause for those security concerns. Which leads me to believe that Obama's assertion about the Taliban is spot-on! For ultimately the Taliban's ability to bring about the cancellation of the Hagel/Karzai press conference at the presidential palace in Kabul can only mean one thing: "We broke the Taliban's momentum!"

Afghanistan: Insider attack kills one American, wounds four; Suicide bombers kill Nineteen Afghans, including eight children

A U.S. contractor was killed and four U.S. soldiers were wounded in Afghanistan on Friday in an apparent insider attack, shortly before U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel arrived on his first visit to the country.

Three men in Afghan uniforms, driving an Afghan security force vehicle, forced their way into a U.S. base and opened fire on their victims.

Investigators said they were nearly certain it was an insider attack because the gunmen came from the Afghan side of the joint U.S.-Afghan base and rammed an Afghan military vehicle through a checkpoint dividing the base before they leaped out of the vehicle and gunned down their victims.

Additionally, on Saturday, two separate suicide attacks - one, on the Afghan Defense Ministry in Kabul, and one, near the city of Khost - left nineteen Afghans dead, including eight children.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on the Afghan Defense Ministry in Kabul, and said the attack was a message to Mr. Hagel that they have the capability to strike the capital city - even while he was there. However, the Taliban said it did not carry out the previous day's attack on the joint U.S.-Afghan base, which, as mentioned earlier, appears to have been an insider attack. Thus far, the Taliban have not claimed responsibility for the attack near Khost.

As the U.S. military continues to heed President Obama's directive to withdraw from Afghanistan and hand over security to the Afghan forces, the steady, ongoing stream of violence continues to raise the question as to whether the Afghan forces are capable of securing the country after Obama completes his bolting exit from Afghanistan.

Graham criticizes Obama for "Sneaking" Abu Ghaith into the U.S., "under the nose of Congress"

Republican lawmakers sharply criticized the Obama administration on Thursday for "sneaking" Osama bin Laden's son-in-law, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, a senior Al Qaeda leader, into the United States [New York] to stand trial in federal court instead of sending him to Guantanamo Bay.

Abu Ghaith was recently apprehended in Jordan and stealthily transported to the U.S. without the knowledge of congress. He served as a spokesman for Al-Qaida, and, prior to September 11, 2001, he was tasked with signing up new Al Qaeda members to train in Osama bin Laden's training camps in Afghanistan.

During a joint press conference with Sen. Kelly Ayotte on Thursday, Sen. Lindsey Graham asserted that, “We are setting a new precedent that will come back to bite us. It's clear to me they [Obama & Company] snuck him in... under the nose of Congress... We believe the administration's decision here to bring this person to New York City... without letting Congress know is a very bad precedent to set... The Congress has tried to tell the administration that when it comes to people like this we want them to go to Gitmo to be held for interrogation purposes. So we're putting the administration on notice... We think that sneaking this guy into the country, clearly going around the intent of Congress when it comes to enemy combatants, will be challenged."

Echoing Graham's sentiment, Sen. Ayotte argued that because the senior terrorist was transported to New York, he will now receive the same rights as a U.S. citizen, including Miranda rights, making it virtually impossible to properly interrogate him and glean the vital information that he possesses.

"When we find somebody like this, this close to bin Laden and the senior al-Qaida leadership," said Ayotte, "the last thing in the world we want to do, in my opinion, is put them in civilian court. This man should be in Guantanamo Bay... If you are that close to bin Laden, we want to develop all the information that person has."

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers stated: “I am very concerned, just as I was in the past, about taking an al-Qaida member off the battlefield in foreign soil and Mirandizing them and bringing them back to the United States."

Sending Abu Ghaith to Guantanamo Bay “makes the most logical sense”, he said.

The U.S has gotten "that facility right and in the right positioning to handle that kind of high-risk, high-threat al-Qaida prisoner," he added.

But President Obama is seeking to close the Guantanamo Bay facility, hence, he was left with no other choice but to sneak the senior Al Qaeda leader into New York City and afford him all the rights of a U.S. citizen.

Liberal media pundits will undoubtedly hail Obama's decision [stealthy maneuver] to bypass congress and secretly slip Abu Ghaith into New York City as a bold act of "unilateralism"!

How right they are! Obama is the ultimate unilateralist!

Obama wines and dines Republicans; Will they veer off the right lane?

Sen. John McCain talks on his cell phone Wednesday evening after President Obama finished wining and dining a group of Republican Senators [that included Sen. McCain] at the Jefferson Hotel near the White House.

President Obama's aversion to reaching out to lawmakers and communicating with members of congress - Republicans and Democrats alike - is well-known. However, with the President's poll numbers sinking, as a result of his ridiculous brainchild, namely, his sequestration mandate - and his refusal to rescind the mandate - he apparently realizes he has little choice but to get off his high horse and meet with the common people and ordinary folk in congress.

Hence, Mr. Obama arranged a group dinner with Republican lawmakers on Wednesday at the Jefferson Hotel, a few blocks from the White House, where they discussed a number of subjects, including fiscal issues.

The dinner guests included Senators Lindsey Graham, John McCain and Tom Coburn, among others.

"[The President's] never spent anytime reaching out." said Coburn about Obama's outreach in recent days. "The question is, is it starting to change because there is bad poll numbers or is it because he really decided he's going to lead and solve some of the problems of the country?"

Question number two: Will the food and drink from Wednesday's feast get the better of these Republicans and cause them to veer off the right lane?

Benghazi Update: Obfuscations & Lies

Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz says the State Department still refuses to provide the House Oversight Committee and the National Security Subcommittee with the names of the Americans who survived the September 11, 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi.

Committee members would like to interview the survivors to find out exactly what happened on the night of the attacks, but the White House refuses to disclose the names of the survivors to the committee.

"The State Dept. will not provide us the information." Chaffetz said. "There were more than a dozen [survivors]. Some were interviewed in Libya, some were interviewed in Germany the night after the attack. We know that there have been people at the Bethesda Hospital; Secretary Kerry has visited those people. They won't even tell us their names!"

Chaffetz also said that the committee had sent a letter to the Accountability Review Board requesting them to testify before congress, but the Review Board - the investigative panel which Hillary Clinton appointed to do a whitewash job and absolve the administration of any blame - turned down the committee's request.

In a related development: The Obama administration, in recent days, handed over some documents pertaining to the Benghazi attacks after Congressional Republicans threatened to withhold confirmation of CIA director nominee John Brennan unless the White House agreed to disclose additional information about the attacks.

CBS' Sharyl Attkisson reported on Monday:

Regarding the [Obama adminstration's] talking points [on Benghazi]: one source who reviewed the documents said removal of the word "al Qaeda" from the talking points was initiated, at least in part, by one of the "press shops." The source said press officers from the Defense Intelligence agency, the White House and the FBI were "looped in" from the start and that some of them expressed concerns in writing that the media would ask follow up questions if certain words or phrases were used...

The documents indicated numerous other changes were made to the talking points, including removal of certain references to an "attack."

The source who reviewed the documents also flagged several emails prior to the Benghazi attacks from officials in Libya to Washington, D.C., that supposedly specifically warned of an imminent attack within days of the Benghazi consulate.

In other words, despite claims from the Obama administration - the President, Leon Panetta and the rest of the gang - that there were no signs of an imminent attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi prior to actual attack, there were indeed specific warnings of an imminent attack on the consulate. Likewise, Attkisson noted via twitter that, "An official familiar with the docs says there were warnings from Libya sent to Washington in the days leading up to the attack that specifically warned of an imminent attack on the US compound in Benghazi."

Additionally, the source says "most if not all contact" between officials in Libya and Washington, D.C., once the attacks began reference al Qaeda, al Qaeda-affiliated cells or both as being the suspected instigator from the very start...

"It's amazing that anyone would question who was behind the attack and keep the idea of the demonstration going for weeks," said the source.

Obama Borrowed Nearly 6x as Much in February as Sequester Cuts All Year

The President's "Sequester" mandate, if left intact, will weaken the military and place an unnecessary strain on the U.S. economy. The automatic, arbitrary budget cuts - which Obama devised, and refused to rescind - are not helpful, to say the least.

Nevertheless, CNS News notes that, "During the month of February--as President Barack Obama was warning Americans they would see dramatic effects in their lives if “sequestration” of some planned federal spending kicked in--the federal government’s debt climbed by $253.5 billion."

That one-month increase in the debt was nearly six times as much as the $44 billion in spending cuts the Congressional Budget Office estimates will take place in all of fiscal 2013 as a result of sequestration...

Bottom line: In February alone, the government borrowed nearly 6 times as much as it intends to save with the sequester over the rest of the fiscal year.

Just because the President engages in outrageous spending sprees, thereby causing the national debt to climb to unprecedented levels, it doesn't make the pain of sequestration, and arbitrary budget cuts, any easier to bear, in my opinion. I don't take sequestration lightly. Nevertheless, the fact that the national debt, in February, climbed nearly six times as much as the $44 billion in sequestration spending cuts that will take place in all of 2013, underscores just how much debt Obama is creating with his reckless and profligate spending sprees.

Bob Schieffer to McCain & Graham: Obama phoning Republicans is "news"; Chris Matthews disagrees

During an interview with Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham on Sunday, CBS News anchor, Bob Schieffer, asked the two ranking Republican congressmen if they have recently received any phone calls from President Obama.

"Have you all been called by the President? We hear from his people this morning that, yes, he is starting to call Republicans and I guess that's kind of the state of where we are when it's news that we hear the President has called members of the other party."

Schieffer is partially correct: The country is indeed in a sad, sad state when it elects a President who refuses to communicate with members of the 'other party'. However, as Chris Matthews once lamented, Obama refuses to call members of his OWN party too [see the video below]...... Hence, Schieffer is indeed correct, but only partially correct.........

Personal income plummeted, largest one-month drop in 20 years, Disposable income suffers largest one-month decline since 1959 when monthly records began

Personal income growth plummeted to 3.6% in January, the largest one-month drop in 20 years, the Commerce Department said Friday. Disposable income - the money left over after taxes - dropped 4% after adjusting for inflation, the biggest plunge since monthly records began in 1959, Bloomberg News reported. Consumer spending rose just a measly 0.2%, but analysts say that most of those expenditures went toward higher heating bills and filling up the gas tank.

There was a decline in spending, in the month of January, on big-ticket items and durable goods, like cars, appliances, furniture and electronics. Spending on clothing, food and various other non-durable goods, also fell in January.

Flashback - Obama: I will veto any effort to get rid of sequestration!

During a press briefing earlier this month, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney conceded what others have already confirmed, namely that the budget sequestration mechanism - an automatic trigger which facilitates a series of devastating cuts in domestic and military spending if the White House and congress fail to reach an agreement on a deficit reduction plan by [tomorrow] March 1 - was conceived and crafted by the White House.

What's more, President Obama consistently rebuffed the desperate pleas of Republicans lawmakers who repeatedly begged him to do away with his reckless sequestration scheme.

Moreover, during a press briefing in 2011, President Obama stated that he would veto any effort on the part of congressional lawmakers to rescind his sequestration mandate.

"Already, some in Congress are trying to undo these automatic spending cuts," the President said. "My message to them is simple: 'No! I will veto any effort to get rid of those automatic spending cuts to domestic and defense spending! There will be no easy off ramps on this one! We need to keep the pressure up...' "

Sadly, in a mere few hours from now, the President's sequestration mandate will likely go into effect; sequestration is the President's creation, it's his baby - and this is one baby that he will not allow to be aborted.

In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the President on the birth of his new baby!

Congratulations, Mr. President!

Sequester is an incredibly adorable baby; the spitting image of his/her father!

Hagel displayed Obama campaign yard signs on his lawn in 2012

During the 2012 Presidential campaign, two Obama yard signs were prominently displayed on the lawn of Chuck Hagel's Virginia home - [an Obama/Kaine sign and an Obama/Biden sign].


Mr. Hagel - a nominal Republican, but, in actuality, an extreme left-wing ideologue - later claimed that his wife was responsible for the signs. 

Heh...... 

And I suppose Hagel's wife was also responsible for her husband's endorsement of Nebraska's 2012 Democratic Senatorial candidate Bob Kerrey over Republican candidiate Deb Fischer. Heh......  

Nebraska Republican party chairman Mark Fahleson was quoted by the National Review Online [in December] as saying he considered Hagel’s endorsement of Kerrey “an attempt to curry favor with the Obama administration.” 

Fahleson added that on the very same morning that Hagel had flown to Omaha, Nebraska to publicly endorse Kerrey, Hagel had a phone conversation with Vice President Joe Biden. “We have no idea what they talked about,” Fahleson said suggestively.

The National Review Online noted that Republican Nebraska senator Mike Johanns also described Hagel's endorsement of Bob Kerrey as an effort on the part of Hagel to snag a cabinet position in the Obama administration. 

“[Hagel’s] been clear he’d love to be in the administration,” Johannes said in November, adding that the Kerrey endorsement is “a step in [Hagel’s] path to try to build those bona fides that he is truly an Obama person and deserves a place in his cabinet.”

Then again, Hagel might have been coerced by his wife to throw his weight behind Kerrey. Heh..... In fact, Hagel might actually be a genuine Republican, who simply has no choice but to obey his wife's every command..........

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

Michael Ward and Kenneth Williams were charged, earlier this month, in the murder of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, the Chicago teen who was shot and killed just one week after performing at President Obama’s inauguration.

President Obama invited Hadiya's parents to his State of the Union Address last week and used them as a prop to 1) promote his gun control initiatives; 2) portray himself and his Democratic colleagues as the protectors of today's youth; 3) to depict the Republicans as the source of all evil who are responsible for the huge number of murders perpetrated against America's youth.

"Hadiya’s parents, Nate and Cleo, are in this chamber tonight," Obama proclaimed. "They deserve a vote."

But truth be told, a large number of today's teens have been killed as a result of gang violence, soft prison sentences and a left-wing policy that advocates a "go soft" approach toward the perpetrators of these heinous crimes. [I have already alluded to this "go soft" approach in my previous post entitled, "The result of Obama's illegal immigration policies? Gang violence and Gang-Run Prostitution"].

Would Hadiya Pendleton still be alive today if there were stricter gun control laws in place? Would tougher gun laws have prevented the gang members who murdered Pendleton from procuring the murder weapon? I highly doubt it. However, were it not for the "go soft" on crime and gun violence attitude that Liberals hold so dearly to their hearts, Hadiya Pendleton would likely still be alive today.

Michael Ward and Kenneth Williams, who were charged with the murder of Hadiya Pendleton, were members of the SUWU gang faction.

State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said prosecutors had sought prison time for Ward when he was convicted of a weapons charge in 2012, but he was given probation because he was only 17 at the time of the offense. A state law that went into effect that year requires a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in prison for unlawful use of a weapon but only for offenders 18 or older, she said.

Responding to a Tribune report that Ward had been arrested three times while on probation for his gun conviction but still was on the street, Alvarez said the Cook County Adult Probation Department was responsible for notifying prosecutors of the new arrests and filing for a violation of probation. That can result in an arrestee being sent to prison.

"What I've been told (is) the probation department has admitted that they did not notify us, so obviously we didn't proceed on that violation of probation," Alvarez said.

Michael Ward, the one who actually pulled the trigger and shot and killed Hadiya Pendleton, was arrested three times while on probation for a gun conviction but never went to prison. Moreover, he violated his probation three times before he gunned down Hadiya Pendleton, but only one violation was ever reported to the judge.

The chief of Chicago's adult probation department said that because all three of Ward’s probation violations were misdemeanors, there’s no guarantee he would have been held in jail for long even if the violations had been reported to the judge. Nevertheless, Ward was convicted of a weapons charge in 2012, and he 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 a 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.

Stricter gun control laws, in all likelihood, would not have prevented Michael Ward and Kenneth Williams - the aforementioned SUWU gang members - from procuring a gun because gang members will obtain their guns by hook or by crook. But Hadiya Pendleton would likely still be alive today were it not for this "go soft" attitude toward criminals and gun violence that Liberals so eagerly embrace. As noted earlier, Michael Ward, in 2012, pleaded guilty to Aggravated Unlawful Use Of A Weapon, a felony punishable by 1 to 3 years imprisonment in the state of Illinois. Had Ward received a 1 to 3 year prison sentence, he would have been unable to murder Hadiya Pendleton in January of 2013 because he would have been incarcerated at the time. But sadly, he never served time for his gun conviction, and, he remained a free man even after violating his probation three times.

I noted in my previous post, via Judicial Watch, as follows:

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.

Using Hadiya Pendleton's parents as a prop, during his State of the Union address, was a nice ploy by the President to promote himself and to try to fault Republican lawmakers for Hadiya's death, but a more appropriate propt would have been a huge banner proclaiming: "Democrats, stop being so soft on gun violence, and stop treating the criminals with kid gloves!"

Of course, I would never expect the President to do that, not when his image is on the line, not when he has the opportunity to twist the facts and publicly shame the Republican Party. But the American people deserve the truth. And most of all, Hadiya Pendleton deserves the truth, Obama's carefully crafted and phony image notwithstanding.

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

From Judicial Watch:

In yet another example of sanctuary policies enabling criminals, the area surrounding the nation’s capital is infested with juvenile sex-trafficking operations run by illegal alien gangs that benefit from don’t-ask-don’t tell immigration policies practiced by area police.

For years violent street gangs, especially the MS-13 or Mara Salvatrucha, have operated lucrative prostitution enterprises in the District of Columbia area. Federal authorities have confirmed in recent years that most members of the notoriously violent MS-13 are illegal immigrants with active criminal records, most of them Mexican nationals, followed by Salvadorans and Hondurans.

But local sanctuary policies—such as those in place in D.C. and the area surrounding it—present the biggest obstacle to combating gang violence and the illicit businesses they operate. In fact, a 2008 study sanctioned by the Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed this, explaining that don’t-ask-don’t-tell immigration policies in sanctuary cities shield deportable violent criminals, especially gangbangers, from federal authorities.

This appears to be fueling the underage sex-trafficking business in the metro D.C. area..., but there are countless others in a region where sanctuary policies force cops to operate with one hand tied behind their backs. Just this week an illegal immigrant pleaded guilty in Alexandria, Virginia to recruiting a pregnant teenager to work for a prostitution ring operated by the MS-13 in various parts of the state...

Despite this epidemic of underage gang-operated prostitution rings near the nation’s capital, 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. That’s because there are over 33,000 active gangs in the U.S. with some 1.4 million members, according to the now-defunct NGIC, which was created by Congress in 2005 to help curb the growth of gangs and related criminal activity.

Iranian terror plot discovered in Bahrain

Bahrain's National Security Agency announced Saturday the discovery of an Iranian backed "terrorist cell" in Bahrain that was planning to attack highly-sensitive civil and military sites and to target public figures. Bahraini Security Chief, Tareq al-Hassan, said the terrorist cell "brought in arms and explosives" and was prepared "to launch operations at a moment decided by their command in Iran."

The detained terror cell members admitted that they were recruited by two Bahrainis based in Iran.

Bahraini officials also revealed that a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard codenamed "Abu Nasser" was the mastermind of the terror operation.

The Iranian-backed terrorists were trained in the use of firearms, explosives, collection of intelligence information and photographing sensitive sites.

The training took place in camps operated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Iran and training sites belonging to Hezbollah in Iraq.

Additionally, the terror cell received $80,000 from Abu Nasser, the aforementioned Iranian Revolutionary Guard member.

However, it is worthy to note that, with a few carrots and a small dose of appeasement from President Obama and his Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel, Iran will most certainly agree to cease its terrorist activities in Bahrain, Yemen etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. Just ask Obama and Hagel, they'll tell you........ Heh........

The truth of the matter is, Iran is conducting these terrorist operations for peaceful purposes only, just as they are developing their nuclear program solely, and exclusively, for peaceful purposes. Hence, it would behoove the President to continue to adhere to his policy of refraining from meddling in Iran's peaceful pursuits.

President Obama has continuously reassured the Iranian government that he is not seeking, and will not seek, regime change in Iran; Chuck Hagel strongly advocates the same policy. And this is indeed the correct path to take, for only a non-meddling policy on Obama's part, that ensures there will be no regime change in Iran, will afford the Iranian government the opportunity to further engage in their peaceful activities....... Ahem......

Lavrov snubs Kerry

Secretary of State John Kerry placed a telephone call on Tuesday to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, to discuss North Korea's recent nuclear test. But Kerry failed to make contact with the Russian foreign Minister. Lavrov, who is currently visiting Africa, has thus far, left the call unanswered.

However, this is not the first time that the Obama/Russia reset button has prompted such a congenial and warm snub from Mr. Lavrov.

In January of 2012, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tried to contact Mr. Lavrov - while he was on a visit Australia - to discuss a UN resolution on Syria. CNN reported at the time that Clinton had been trying for two days to reach her Russian counterpart. But Mr. Lavrov was apparently unavailable, and did not return the call. A Russian news media outlet explained at the time that Mr. Lavrov "was busy negotiating with his Australian partners." Heh.... Russia has, thus far, blocked three U.N. Security Council resolutions on Syria.

On Friday, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland confirmed that Lavrov still had not returned Mr. Kerry's telephone call. Nuland went on to say that if the Russians "are too busy or otherwise engaged, the offer stands, and we'll continue to do other diplomacy.” Heh....

Obama: Health Care Overhaul is already keeping costs down - State of the Union Address

Speaking at his annual State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Obama said that the Affordable Care Act - otherwise know as Obamacare - is already keeping health care costs down.

Iran plans to vastly increase the speed of its uranium enrichment program

From the AP:

Diplomats tell The Associated Press that Iran plans to vastly increase the speed of its uranium enrichment program, which can make both reactor fuel and the core of nuclear warheads.

The diplomats say Iran has told the International Atomic Energy Agency that it wants to install thousands of high-technology machines at its main enriching site at Natanz, in central Iran. The machines can enrich two or three times faster than the present equipment being used by Tehran.

Likewise, Reuters reported that it had obtained a document - an IAEA communication sent to member states - stating that the Secretariat of the IAEA had received a letter from the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran - dated January 23, 2013 -  informing him of the aforementioned plans.

With Obama's 2014 deadline approaching, Afghans fleeing their homeland

From the Washington Post:

Two decades after Afghanistan witnessed one of the 20th century's most dramatic refugee crises, a quieter exodus is gaining momentum. Last year, at least 50,000 Afghans fled to Europe and Australia, more than twice as many as in 2011.

The flight reflects a growing fear that security will worsen after NATO's military withdrawal by the end of 2014, a date that has taken on near-apocalyptic symbolism in parts of the country.

Onyango Obama receives December date for deportation hearing, just one day after the President calls for immigration overhaul

Just one day after President Obama called for a dramatic overhaul of U.S. immigration laws that would create a path to citizenship for the nation's 11 million undocumented immigrants, the President's uncle, Onyango Obama, a Kenyan native and illegal resident of the U.S., received a hearing date, scheduled for December 3, 2013, to determine whether he will be permitted to remain in the country. But, by the time December 3 arrives, the President's immigration overhaul will likely be passed, creating a new path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, and Onyango's immigration hearing will no longer be necessary. [Heh, Chalk one up for the Obamas!]

Onyango Obama defied a deportation order issued against him 21 years ago. In 2011, he was arrested on DUI charges. Shortly after his arrest, Onyango was asked whether he wanted to make a telephone call to arrange for bail.

"I think I will call the White House," he replied.

However, he was later detained without bail by Federal immigration officials after they discovered he had defied his deportation order 21 years ago.

But a little more than two weeks after his arrest, he was quietly released from prison.

Federal immigration officials refused to divulge whether he had posted bail, whether they were keeping track of his whereabouts, or whether they were still seeking his deportation........

And, as I noted in an earlier post: "I suppose we'll never know whether Onyango made that call to the White House or not......" Ahem......

In 2010, an immigration court granted asylum to Pres. Obama's Kenyan aunt, Zeituni Onyango, setting her on the path to U.S. citizenship. Zeituni was given a deportation order in '04, but she continued to reside in the U.S. illegally - until, ultimately, she was granted asylum. [Chalk one up for the Obamas!]

In 2005, when Barack Obama was sworn in as a U.S. senator from Illinois, Zeituni Onyango attended his swearing-in ceremony. And she donated $260 to Obama's 2008 Presidential campaign. However, despite the fact that she had been living in the U.S. illegally since 2004, the Prevaricator-in-Chief claimed he was unaware that she had been living in the country illegally. And, the $260 campaign contribution - an insignificant and paltry sum, considering the loads of cash that Obama received from foreign donors - was returned to Ms. Onyango.

In 2008, just days before the Presidential election, the Bush administration issued a directive requiring high level approval before federal agents could arrest fugitive immigrants.

The AP noted at the time that, "The Bush administration had imposed the unusual directive days before the election of Barack Obama, whose aunt was living in the United States illegally."

The unusual directive from Immigration and Customs Enforcement made clear that U.S. officials worried about possible election implications of arresting Zeituni Onyango, the half-sister of Obama's late father, who at the time was living in public housing in Boston. ..

The directive was lifted at the end of November, after Obama's win, ICE spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said.

The AP noted in a separate report:

The Homeland Security Department had imposed an unusual directive days before the 2008 election requiring high-level approval before federal agents nationwide could arrest fugitive immigrants including Zeituni Onyango, the half-sister of Obama's late father. The directive from ICE expressed concerns about "negative media or congressional interest," according to a copy of that directive obtained by AP.

[Benghazi] - Flashback 2010: Hillary Clinton on Afghanistan: "We helped create the problem!"

The U.S. "helped create the problem we are now fighting" in Afghanistan, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton opined in 2010. Clinton contended that the U.S., in the 1980's, supported the Mujahideen against the Soviet backed Communist regime in Afghanistan. The Mujahideen later morphed into Al Qaeda, which perpetrated the 9/11 attacks, which prompted the U.S-led Afghan war.

However, it should be noted that the U.S., back then in the 80's, had no way of knowing the Mujahideen would later turn against America. On the flip side, President Obama should have known - in 2011 - that the Al Qaeda affiliated rebels in Libya - that he supported - would eventually turn around and attack Americans in Benghazi, and that the rebel extremists would help facilitate attacks against Americans elsewhere - Algeria etc.

Clearly, Obama helped create/created the problems we are now facing in Libya, and the neighboring countries. But Hillary will never acknowledge this fact, nor will she ever acknowledge her role in creating these problems.

Iranian regime intimidating journalists before election, warning Iranians not to meddle

During the widespread protests that erupted in Iran after the disputed June 2009 presidential election, President Obama refused to issue a strong statement on the matter, because, as he explained, "It is not productive... to be seen as meddling - the U.S. president meddling - in Iranian elections."

The President later reaffirmed his commitment not to meddle in Iran's internal affairs, in a statement released by the White House on November 4, 2009 in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the seizing of the American Embassy in Tehran.

“We do not interfere in Iran’s internal affairs," the statement read. “We have condemned terrorist attacks against Iran. We have recognized Iran’s international right to peaceful nuclear power. We have demonstrated our willingness to take confidence-building steps along with others in the international community.”

Yep, you read that correctly........

Conversely, the President chose a different route, in 2011, when widespread protests broke out in Egypt; Obama demanded that Hosni Mubarak step down from office. However, it is important to note that the Iranian regime - unlike the Mubarak regime - is a benevolent, and friendly, regime, which explains the discrepancy on Obama's part......

Obama apparently knows when to meddle and when not to meddle.

In any case, the next Presidential election in Iran is right around the corner, and the Iranian regime is doing everything within its power to ensure that journalists covering the event adhere to Obama's policy of not meddling in the regime's internal affairs.

In the past two days, Iranian authorities arrested more than a dozen journalists, in an effort to both intimidate media critics ahead of the presidential election and avoid the widespread protests that broke out after the disputed election in 2009. Additionally, several Journalists have said they were summoned by the Iranian authorities to discuss the forthcoming election.

Earlier this month, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a statement to the Iranian people warning them not to question the fairness of the upcoming election.

Of course, Obama wasn't the only world leader who chose not to meddle in Iran's 2009 Presidential election. As I noted in 2009: Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General, Sheikh Naim Qassem, seemingly took his cue from Obama when he stated Hezbollah's position on Iran's Presidential election: "Hezbollah has nothing to do with Iran's internal affairs... We don't side with anyone. This is an internal Iranian issue."

Hezbollah apparently agreed with Obama's position.......

Incidentally, as I noted back in 2009, Roberto Micheletti, the former President of Honduras wasn't too happy with Obama when the latter chose to meddle in Honduras' internal affairs:

Responding to reports that US Ambassador to Honduras, Hugo Llorens, met with former Honduran dictator, Manuel Zelaya on Thursday, interim president Roberto Micheletti told a reporter: "If you are sure that has taken place, that the ambassador has met with Zelaya, it is MEDDLING."

"The ambassador is making a serious mistake if he has done that," Micheletti said. "We don't want any country interfering in Honduras' affairs."

However, as I stated earlier, the Iranian regime is a benevolent, and friendly, regime, which explains the discrepancy on Obama's part.......

Afghanistan: Suicide bomber kills 10 policemen & counterterrorism official, as violence continues unabated

From the AP:

A provincial counterterrorism department head and at least 11 others were killed in bombings around Afghanistan on Saturday, including 10 policemen who died when a suicide bomber driving a motorcycle blew himself up in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province, officials said... 14 other policemen and five civilians were wounded in the explosion...

Earlier on Saturday, a remote-controlled bomb planted on a bicycle exploded, killing one police officer and one civilian in the eastern city of Ghazni... Another five people were wounded.

Suicide attacks by insurgents have become a near daily occurrence around Afghanistan.

On Friday, a suicide car bomber killed five civilians and wounded another 25

Reuters noted on Monday that violence across the country has been increasing over the past year, raising concerns about how the Afghan security forces will be able to manage once the U.S. and coalition troops withdraw from Afghanistan. Nevertheless, despite the increase in violence, President Obama announced last week that, beginning this spring, Afghan forces will take over the lead security role in their country - sooner than planned.

Jay Carney: Court ruling contradicts 150 years of practice dating back to 2007

From Reuters:

A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that President Barack Obama violated the U.S. Constitution when he... made three "recess" appointments to the National Labor Relations Board in January 2012, while the Senate was on one of its many recesses but not formally adjourned for the year.

"Considering the text, history, and structure of the Constitution, these appointments were invalid from their inception," said the ruling by a three judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The panel said the Senate was not truly in recess when Obama made his appointments.

White House spokesman Jay Carney called the ruling "novel and unprecedented" and said it contradicted 150 years of practice by both Democratic and Republican administrations.

Yep, the ruling contradicted 150 years of practice by both Democratic and Republicans, going all the way back to 2007 when Senate Majority leader Harry Reid held pro forma sessions to block Bush nominees.

Wait, I just realized something! Harry Reid looks pretty young for a 150+ year-old man! The guy's eating his wheaties!

P.S. The New York Times notes that, "Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have used the tactic of “pro forma” session to block presidents from making recess appointments." But of course, President Obama is above the law......

Clinton vows to use video to fight the terrorists

From the AFP:

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promised Wednesday that the United States would use the Internet and social media in its fight against Al-Qaeda and other extremist Islamist groups.

The outgoing top diplomat said the US State Department had "started two organizations to deal with countering violent extremism" on the Internet, and would use tools such as Twitter to combat online anti-Americanism.

"Social media is a great tool," Clinton told lawmakers when speaking to Congress about the deadly attack on a US mission in Benghazi, Libya four months ago...

The new operation she has set up is "staffed with inter-agency experts," and "I'm not saying anything that's classified, but it's beginning to try to respond to Al-Qaeda and other jihadist propaganda.

"If they put up a video which talks about how terrible Americans are, we put up a video which talks about, you know, how terrible they are," Clinton said.

And then, if Al Qaeda attacks the U.S., Obama can always blame it on the video. Heh.........

Obamacare penalties could leave smokers without healthcare

From the AP:

Millions of smokers could be priced out of health insurance because of tobacco penalties in President Barack Obama's healthcare law, according to experts who are just now teasing out the potential impact of a little-noted provision in the massive legislation.

The Affordable Care Act -- "Obamacare" to its detractors -- allows health insurers to charge smokers buying individual policies up to 50 percent higher premiums starting next Jan. 1.

For a 55-year-old smoker, the penalty could reach nearly $4,250 a year. A 60-year-old could wind up paying nearly $5,100 on top of premiums...

Nearly one of every five U.S. adults smokes. That share is higher among lower-income people, who also are more likely to work in jobs that don't come with health insurance and would therefore depend on the new federal healthcare law...

Several provisions in the federal law work together to leave older smokers with a bleak set of financial options...

First, the law allows insurers to charge older adults up to three times as much as their youngest customers.

Second, the law allows insurers to levy the full 50 percent penalty on older smokers while charging younger ones less.

And finally, government tax credits that will be available to help pay premiums cannot be used to offset the cost of penalties for smokers.

“The effect of the smoking (penalty) allowed under the law would be that lower-income smokers could not afford health insurance,” said Richard Curtis, president of the Institute for Health Policy Solutions, a nonpartisan research group that called attention to the issue with a study about the potential impact in California.

Angry Hillary Clinton says motive behind Benghazi attacks not important ANYMORE!

Testifying at a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, a visibly angry Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, assailed Republican lawmakers who questioned the Obama administration's factual distortions and phony talking points during the ensuing weeks after the terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

"What difference does it make at this point" to discuss the motive behind the attack? Clinton said in a tone of phony righteous indignation, eerily similar to the tone that President Obama has used to fend off questions about the Benghazi, Libygate scandal.

Sadly, and not surprisingly, while the administration felt, during the ensuing weeks after the attack, that it was of utmost importance to offer up a phony motive for the attack - now that the cover has been blown, and the deceit and facade have been exposed, the administration has reached the conclusion that it is no longer an imperative to discuss the assailants' true motive - Al Qaeda sponsored terror - nor is it necessary to probe the White House cover-up.

Benghazi fiasco leaves seven Americans dead? Including three in Algeria?

Question: How many Americans were murdered as a result of the Obama administration's reluctance to put boots on the ground in Benghazi to confront the terrorists?

Four Americans? The four who were killed during the terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi in September?

Perhaps. But according to the latest report, it is quite possible that seven Americans died as a result of the Obama administration's inaction.

Several Egyptian members of the squad of militants that lay bloody siege to an Algerian gas complex last week also took part in the deadly attack on the United States Mission in Libya in September, a senior Algerian official said Tuesday.

Three of the militants were captured alive, and one of them described the Egyptians’ role in both assaults under interrogation by the Algerian security services, [an Algerian] official said...

But the Algerian official did not say why the captured kidnapper’s assertion — that some fighters had taken part in both the Benghazi and Algerian attacks — should be considered trustworthy. Nor did he say whether it was obtained under duress.

Instead, he focused on the chaos unleashed by the recent uprisings throughout the region, leaving large ungoverned areas where extremists can flourish.

“This is the result of the Arab Spring,” said the official said, who spoke on condition of anonymity because investigations into the hostage crisis were still under way. “I hope the Americans are conscious of this.”

If the kidnapper is indeed telling the truth, that would mean some of the terrorists who participated in the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi - which claimed the lives of four Americans - also took part in the attack on the Algerian gas complex that left three Americans dead. That would mean seven Americans died as a result of the Obama administration's disinclination/reluctance to put boots on the ground in Libya to confront the terrorists.

In a related development, which connects the Libyan Arab Spring to the attack on the Algerian gas facility:

The terrorist leader who claimed to have mounted the deadly raid on an Algerian gas plant in the name of al Qaeda is the same one-eyed jihadist who once bragged his fighters “benefit” from the loose weapons streaming out of Libya...

“We have been one of the main beneficiaries of the revolutions in the Arab world,” Mokhtar Belmokhtar, then a leader of the north Africa-based al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), told the Mauritanian news agency ANI in November 2011. “As for our benefitting from the [Libyan] weapons, this is a natural thing in these kinds of circumstances.”...

Several major Algerian news outlets, including the state-run Numidia News, reported that the militants crossed into Algeria from the Libyan border just 50 miles to the east, drove vehicles with Libyan license plates and dressed in Libyan military uniforms to attack the BP joint venture facility outside In Amenas, Algeria. They were reportedly armed with small arms, rocket-propelled grenades and several bombs...

The Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), told ABC News Sunday that the U.S. didn’t react quickly enough to stop the arms from seeping through Libya’s porous borders.

“Remember when Gadhafi fell, all of those arms rooms, all of those weapons caches, while we were debating… walked out the back door, fueled the insurgency and the extremist groups, including al Qaeda affiliates to feel emboldened…” he said. “So now they’re well armed. You have battle-hardened fighters from Libya. It really is naive to believe this isn’t getting worse.”

Obama creating immeasurable instability in the world

President Obama has been both a staunch supporter and a willing facilitator of the so-called Arab Spring.

Obama tossed former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak under the bus, and now Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood - the notorious group of extremists that Obama befriended early on in his Presidency [well before the Egyptian uprising] - is running the show.

Obama also aided the Libyan rebels during the Libyan uprising. And now, loose weapons, from Libya, are being smuggled into Mali, and are being used by the Malian insurgents.

Moreover, weapons looted from Libya were among the arms that Islamist terrorists used in their recent terrorist attack in Algeria.

One weapons expert noted that, "The weapons proliferation that we saw coming out of the Libyan conflict was of a scale greater than any previous conflict — probably 10 times more weapons than we saw going on the loose in places like Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan."

Oh, and did we forget to mention the Benghazi, U.S. consulate attack? And the Al Qaeda infested Libyan government?

Conclusion: We have yet to witness the full consequence, and extent, of Obama's disastrous foreign policy decisions. The chaos and mayhem are rapidly expanding, and swiftly spiraling out of control.

And yet, President Obama claims that he has brought, and continues to bring, stability to the world, when in fact, he has wreaked, and continues to wreak unprecedented, immeasurable instability in the world.

Ironically, and incredibly, Obama is the exact opposite of the image that he and the mainstream media are projecting.

Clearly, the Emperor has no clothes on - but sadly, his willfully blind minions refuse to acknowledge this truth. Which raises the question: When will they finally remove their blinders and admit once and for all that the Emperor is stark naked?