Blog Smith is inspired by the myth of Hephaestus in the creation of blacksmith-like, forged materials: ideas. This blog analyzes topics that interest me: IT, politics, technology, history, education, music, and the history of religions.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Domestic drones: What are they good for? Nothing
The most interesting aspect of the story is that as drones are deployed to limit the liberties of the American people the stumbling block has been the stifling bureaucracy of the FAA. The worse enemy of the Federal government, as free-market advocates maintain, is the over-regulation of the Federal government itself.
Anti-drone Counter Measures
Cf. http://www.puxingradio.com/
Miami Beach Drone Checks Out the Babes
The drones are being used to monitor a Memorial Day weekend party on Miami beach. In the video, a party-goer spots the drone and says, “That’s the police.”
Dallas, Texas Police State: Camera as Probable Cause
Motorcyclist: Chris Moore
WESTBROOK: “The reason you‘re being pulled over is because I’m gonna take your camera and we’re gonna use it as evidence of the crimes that have been committed by other bikers.”
MOORE: “I have not committed any crimes, and you cannot take my personal property from me, sir.”
The motorcyclist is correct and this is where he should stop, allow the cop to continue to be a bully, violate the principle of probable cause, further his illegal activities by confiscating private property, and thereafter fighting the violations by filing a complaint, suing the law enforcement agency, and following up after the cop's infractions occurred. However, it is difficult for an ordinary citizen to remain calm and fight the offending officer effectively and legally at a later time.
From the tape I do not see any evidence that Moore's license is obstructed, he spouts it off easily so he could have it memorized but in any case I see no probable cause to arrest Moore for the offense.
After the incident Moore spent eight hours in jail and, as promised from the beginning, the video from his camera was turned over to the gang unit as evidence.
The tape shows no evidence that the motorcycle club engaged in illegal driving. The traffic is light and it appears to me that the club is simply out to enjoy a Memorial Day drive themselves; this is an American right.
But the story doesn’t end there. Local station WFAA-TV caught wind of the story and aired it.
The department has said that officers that day were being taunted by large groups of riders, and has released video of that (riders also shut down the freeway last year with their antics).
The video shows that fifteen minutes before Moore was pulled over there were driving violations, and probable cause of some wrong doing particularly where a female rider was seen handing off some unknown objects to a motorcyclist and then she subsequently hops on another bike and rides off. The police were simply out manned and unable to effectively respond to the violations which must have been frustrating to the police.
What Is Probable Cause?
Probable cause must be based on factual evidence and not just on suspicion.
Most probable cause sources can be placed into four categories. These categories are:
Observation – This is information that the officer obtains through their senses, such as sight, smell or hearing. This category is also used when an officer detects a familiar pattern of criminal activity that contains suspicious behaviors (i.e., flashing headlights, circling around a certain neighborhood.)
Expertise – These are skills that officers are specially trained in, such as: being able to read gang graffiti and tattoos, detecting tools that are used in burglaries or knowing when certain movements or gestures indicate that a criminal activity is about to occur.
Information – Statements provided by witnesses and victims, information provided by informants, and announcements made through police bulletins and broadcasts.
Circumstantial Evidence – This is indirect evidence that implies that a crime has occurred but does not directly prove it.
While there are some sources of probable cause that need to be supplemented by other sources, some sources are sufficient enough to stand on their own.
For a judge to issue a search warrant, probable cause must show that it is likely that a crime took place and the person who is accused was involved in the criminal activity. If a search or arrest is made without a warrant, it must meet the standard of probable cause to be admissible in court.
Evidence obtained through searches and seizures made without probable cause can not be used against a defendant in court.
However, even if violations occurred it does not justify the actions against Moore. It does not constitute probable cause. There is no evidence to connect the earlier incidents with Moore; it would be good police work if it could be done but the officer did not perform his duties in an admirable fashion.
The deputy likely felt that earlier and unrelated incidents were frustrating when he pulled over Moore in order to seize Moore’s helmet camera.
“Well, I think in this particular case, you did need a warrant to get that piece of evidence,” Toby Shook, a former Dallas prosecutor, told the station.
He added later, “The Constitution wins out over frustration every time.”
Absolutely. Ironically, the department says no dash cam video exists from Westbrook’s squad car.
the sheriff’s department has launched an internal investigation over the matter.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
OCCUPY WALL STREET PROTESTERS ARE ASKED: WHO’S MORE DANGEROUS — RUSH LIMBAUGH OR AL QAEDA?
Obama Cairo, Egypt Apology Speech: The fifth issue that we must address together is religious freedom
OBAMA, Cairo, Egypt, June 4, 2009
“So let me be clear: No system of government can or should be imposed by one nation by any other.
That does not lessen my commitment, however, to governments that reflect the will of the people. Each nation gives life to this principle in its own way, grounded in the traditions of its own people. America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election. But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn’t steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose. These are not just American ideas; they are human rights. And that is why we will support them everywhere. (Applause.)
Now, there is no straight line to realize this promise. But this much is clear: Governments that protect these rights are ultimately more stable, successful and secure. Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. America respects the right of all peaceful and law-abiding voices to be heard around the world, even if we disagree with them. And we will welcome all elected, peaceful governments — provided they govern with respect for all their people.
This last point is important because there are some who advocate for democracy only when they’re out of power; once in power, they are ruthless in suppressing the rights of others. (Applause.) So no matter where it takes hold, government of the people and by the people sets a single standard for all who would hold power: You must maintain your power through consent, not coercion; you must respect the rights of minorities, and participate with a spirit of tolerance and compromise; you must pla ce the interests of your people and the legitimate workings of the political process above your party. Without these ingredients, elections alone do not make true democracy.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Barack Obama, we love you!
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you. (Applause.)
The fifth issue that we must address together is religious freedom.
Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance. We see it in the history of Andalusia and Cordoba during the Inquisition. I saw it firsthand as a child in Indonesia, where devout Christians worshiped freely in an overwhelmingly Muslim country. That is the spirit we need today. People in every country should be free to choose and live their faith based upon the persuasion of the mind and the heart and the soul. This tolerance is essential for religion to thrive, but it’s being challenged in many different ways.
Among some Muslims, there‘s a disturbing tendency to measure one’s own faith by the rejection of somebody else’s faith. The richness of religious diversity must be upheld — whether it is for Maronites in Lebanon or the Copts in Egypt. (Applause.) And if we are being honest, fault lines must be closed among Muslims, as well, as the divisions between Sunni and Shia have led to tragic violence, particularly in Iraq.”
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Bill Ayers Says Promote The Violence That Already Exists To His Revolutionaries
On October 20th, 2011 #occupychicago invited Domestic Terrorist turned University of Illinois professor, Bill Ayers, to lead a "teach-in" on the virtues of confrontational tactics dubbed "non-violent disobedience" in the anti-capitalist revolution.
CALIF. CITY CHANGES ZONING CODE TO ALLOW HOME BIBLE STUDY AFTER COUPLE WAS FINED
Posted on June 22, 2012 at 11:32pm
If a mega-mosque is to be built without any apparent funding (http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2012/06/mysterious-money-and-motive-behind-monster-mosque-in-mufreesboro.html) the DOJ gets involved because the claim is that the Muslims are being discriminated against. No one in Justice asks where all the funding is coming from.
On the other hand, if a small group of Christians wishes to meet in a home to study the Bible they are restricted by zoning and they have to appeal to a private, independent Justice group.
Something is wrong with this picture.
NZKIWI
Posted on June 23, 2012 at 4:25am
Indeed there is.
The muslim brotherhood, through its subsidiary groups, has succeeded in berating your various forms of government (state, federal, and local), punishing them with endless litigation, until they are whipped, whimpering, and compliant.
Meanwhile, these same officials land on ordinary, decent people like anvils.
LIVESTREAMING TONIGHT! "A SUMMER NIGHT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS" FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, DEFEAT SHARIA
Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer host:
Nonie Darwish: Ex-Muslim and human rights activist raised in Gaza; director of Former Muslims United; author of Now They Call Me Infidel; Cruel and Usual Punishment; and The Devil We Don't Know.
Ibn Warraq: Pakistani ex-Muslim and renowned scholar; author of Why I Am Not A Muslim; The Quest for the Historical Muhammad; Leaving Islam; Why the West Is Best; and many other books.
Walid Shoebat: Palestinian former jihad terrorist and member of the Muslim Brotherhood; now a Christian and a peace activist.
Ishmail Zarouali: Originally from Morocco, the son of a religious Muslim family. Because of rumors that he was an apostate, he was stabbed several times in his stomach and left for dead on the streets of Morocco by people crying "apostate." Now he has gained asylum in the U.S.
Wafa Sultan: Psychologist and Syrian ex-Muslim; author of A God Who Hates.
Dr. Bushra Qader: Originally from Iraq, she is an activist for the rights of former Muslims.
Ramin Parsha: Iranian NajatTV host who was born and raised as a devout Shiite Muslim is Shiraz, Iran. He is associate Pastor at Nejat Church with Pastor Reza Safa, who also was an Islamic supremacist in Iran and is now one of the most prominent ex-Muslim Christian pastors in America.
Amani Mustafa: Ex-Muslim from Egypt, TV producer and host of a Christian show, The Muslim Woman, appealing to Muslim women in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula. Her show reaches 300 million households globally with 50 million viewers per live program.
Mohammed Asghar: Originally from Bangladesh, ex-Muslim author and an authority on the Qur'an.
U.S. Military Invades St. Louis
June 21-28 in St. Louis. Presence of tanks will be most noticeable in the area of the sixth district.
SOURCE:
http://www.dailypaul.com/241599/dont-be-alrmed-army-trains-mps-to-drive-tanks...
"Sightings of vehicles provokes fears of martial law"
Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
Friday, June 22, 2012
St Louis City residents have been warned to not be alarmed at the sight of U.S. Army tanks rolling down residential neighborhoods after sightings of the vehicles provoked fears of martial law.
The exercise is part of a U.S. Army program run by military police from Fort Meade, Maryland focused around training MPs from St. Louis how to drive heavily armored tanks "on highways and on city streets."
Sightings of the tanks prompted hundreds of residents to flood news channel KSDK's Facebook page, with some expressing fears that martial law had arrived with others promising to "stop and salute" the tanks as they rolled by.
Reporting that he was told by the Army not to disclose the location of where the exercise was operating out of for "security reasons," KSDK reporter Casey Nolan downplayed the exercise as "not such a big deal."
Friday, June 22, 2012
Economic History, Graphed
Original source
In Year 1, India and China were home to one-third and one-quarter of the world's population, respectively. It's hardly surprising, then, that they also commanded one-third and one-quarter of the world's economy, respectively.
Before the Industrial Revolution, there wasn't really any such thing as lasting income growth from productivity. In the thousands of years before the Industrial Revolution, civilization was stuck in the Malthusian Trap. If lots of people died, incomes tended to go up, as fewer workers benefited from a stable supply of crops. If lots of people were born, however, incomes would fall, which often led to more deaths. That explains the "trap," and it also explains why populations so closely approximated GDP around the world.
The industrial revolution(s) changed all that. Today, the U.S. accounts for 5% of the world population and 21% of its GDP. Asia (minus Japan) accounts for 60% of the world's population and 30% of its GDP.
So, one way to read the graph, very broadly speaking, is that everything to the left of 1800 is an approximation of population distribution around the world and everything to the right of 1800 is a demonstration of productivity divergences around the world -- the mastering of means of manufacturing, production and supply chains by steam, electricity, and ultimately software that concentrated, first in the West, and then spread to Japan, Russia, China, India, Brazil, and beyond.
Trey Gowdy: Nancy Pelosi – Mind-Numbingly Stupid – Fast and Furious
Original source
Transcript courtesy of Fox Nation:
GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: Well, watch out! It’s getting worse! Capitol Hill is getting downright dangerous. Party leaders come out swinging at everyone in their path.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: The decision to invoke executive privilege is an admission that White House officials were involved in decisions that misled the Congress and have covered up the truth.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), MINORITY LEADER: The attorney general of the United States is the person responsible for making sure that voter suppression does not happen in our country, that issues that relate to the civil liberties of the American people are upheld. These very same people holding him in contempt are part of a nationwide scheme to suppress the vote.
BOEHNER: The House will vote next week on a contempt resolution unless these documents that we’re looking for are, in fact, turned over.
But this is about getting to the truth for the American people and the Terry family. It’s not — it’s not about personalities here.
PELOSI: Don’t forget they’re going after Eric Holder because he is supporting measures to overturn voter suppression initiatives in the states. This is no accident. It is no coincidence (INAUDIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAN SUSTEREN: Joining us is a member of the House Oversight Committee, Congressman Trey Gowdy. Nice to see you, sir.
REP. TREY GOWDY (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Good to see you also, Greta.
VAN SUSTEREN: In light of the latest developments, the last couple days, I’m curious. Do you believe the president or the attorney general is hiding something?
GOWDY: Well, they have to be. There’s no other explanation. I was talking to my daughter tonight and I said, Honey, when you make a good score on a test, you can’t wait to tell me, but I have to pull it out of you when you don’t get a good score.
I mean, we — we by human nature volunteer good information. If these documents exonerated the attorney general or the Department of Justice, he would have given them to us eight months ago. So it doesn’t take a very smart lawyer — and the good news is I’m not, so it doesn’t take a smart lawyer to deduce something in these documents will be damaging for either the White House, the Department of Justice or maybe both.
VAN SUSTEREN: There is one argument, though, on the other side, is that you don’t want to go down a slippery slope that if this is — if these documents are, indeed, protected legitimately by executive privilege, that you don’t want to have that privilege pierced just because they’re asked for, that there is some — some, you know, need to have this executive privilege to protect communications.
Are you unconvinced that this is a legitimate use of that privilege?
GOWDY: Well, there’s several different forms of executive privilege. The one that is most absolute would be close advisers talking to the president himself. Well, Greta, we know that that didn’t happen because the attorney general says he never discussed it with the president. The president said he’s never discussed Fast and Furious. I take them both at their word. So the highest level of executive privilege is not at play here.
Then you move to what’s called the deliberative process, or a lower of executive privilege, which, frankly, Greta, is weak as water. The only thing we have to prove is that the documents are relevant to an investigation that may involve wrongdoing.
We could convince the DNC of that. There’s not a jury in America we couldn’t convince of that. So executive privilege, talking about national security secrets, the president being able to rely on the advice and counsel of his closest advisers — that’s not at play here by their own admission!
The third point I would raise is this. If executive privilege were so sacrosanct, if we were so worried about this slippery slope, why did they wait eight months to invoke the privilege? The return date on the subpoena was October 25th of last year! Why wait until 10 minutes before we start the markup on contempt of Congress if it’s such a wonderful, valid defense?
VAN SUSTEREN: I’m going to ask our next guest, who is a Democratic member of Congress, so let me ask you, as well — Leader Pelosi says that this vote for contempt is a Republican plan to suppress the vote. Her theory, I guess, is that you’re trying to get the attorney general of the United States and that he is aggressively going out there, fighting a suppression of the vote.
Your response to that?
GOWDY: Well, you know, my friend Allen West said the race card was the last card in the deck. I think former speaker Pelosi has opened up a new deck and has found the 2 of clubs.
I could not believe it when I heard her saying that. Is that all you have to come back with? Is that the best you can come up with, is that we got together in this grand scheme to suppress votes? And I’m sure she didn’t say Southern states, but that’s what she meant.
I — I — it’s really beneath the office of a member of Congress to say something that outrageous, and the fact that she was once the speaker is mind-numbing! I honestly — and I’ve her a lot in my 16 years as a prosecutor. I couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth.
But keep in mind, Greta, this is the same woman who said that she would have arrested Karl Rove any day she wanted. So I don’t know what was wrong with her yesterday or today or whenever she said that, but I would schedule an appointment with my doctor if she thinks that we are doing this to suppress votes this fall. That is mind-numbingly stupid.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Obama, the Killing of Anwar al-Awlaki and the US Constitution
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or
otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or
indictment of a Grand Jury...nor be
deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due
process of law...."
~ Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution
Radical Nuns on the Bus Attack Rep. Paul Ryan/Walsh
On June 20, Nuns on the Bus reached Rep. Paul Ryan's Wisconsin office. Nuns on the Bus, a cross-country bus tour of sisters sponsored by NETWORK, hopes to protest the House Republican budget that drastically cuts safety net programs and disproportionately targets the poor. Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK, spoke outside of Ryan's office in Janesville, Wis., following a meeting with his staff.
University sponsors campaign to undermine 'white privilege'
7 Blacks Beat Up 1 White Boy in an unprovoked racial attack
Post Fight Interview With Old Vietnam Vet After Racist Attack By Black Thug
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HswxRzBkCTw
Racist attack on white females
"RIP" RYAN CARTER ... 12 YEAR OLD "KILLED" IN "RACIST ATTACK"
"WHITES" TARGETED BY "RACIST ATTACKS" ALL ACROSS AMERICA
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Uganda Gets US Special Forces that Obama Sent to help region “remove” LRA leader Joseph Kony
U.S. troops will be supporting the Islamists against the militant Christians.
The Lord's Resistance Army is a heterodox Christian militant group, which operates in northern Uganda and South Sudan. The LRA was formed in 1987 and until about 2007 it was engaged in an armed rebellion against the Ugandan government. It is led by Joseph Kony, who proclaims himself the "spokesperson" of God and a spirit medium, primarily of the Holy Spirit, which the group believes can represent itself in many manifestations.
This action is in line with the Northern Uganda Recover Act of 2009 - authorizing American aid. Obama deployed approximately 100 American troops to Uganda, South Sudan, DRC and the Central African Republic.
The troops will not directly engage the marauding Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) fighters unless fired upon.
Placement of the second combat-equipped team, associated headquarters, communications and logistics personnel will take two months, a senior official at the US Mission in Kampala said.
Since 2008, the US has expended over $40 million in critical logistical support, equipment and training to enhance counter-LRA operations by regional militaries here, according to the Department of State.
RON PAUL‘S LESSON ON THE BENEFITS OF FREEDOM STUN ’MORNING JOE’ PANEL
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
EGYPTIAN TV PANEL DEBATES CLERIC’S CLAIM THAT JERUSALEM WILL BE CAPITAL OF THE CALIPHATE
Why Never Wrong Pundit Is Wrong: Obummer Loses 8 to 5
Below are each of the keys and how it falls for Obama.
Party mandate: After the midterm elections, the incumbent party holds more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives than it did after the previous midterm elections. Says Lichtman, “Even back in January 2010 when I first released my predictions, I was already counting on a significant loss.” Obama loses this key.
Contest: There is no serious contest for the incumbent party nomination. Says Lichtman on Obama’s unchallenged status, “I never thought there would be any serious contest against Barack Obama in the Democratic primary.” Obama wins this key.
Incumbency: The incumbent party candidate is the sitting president. Easy win here for Obama.
Third Party: There is no significant third party challenge. Obama wins this point.
Short term economy: The economy is not in recession during the election campaign. Here Lichtman declares an “undecided.”
The economy is pathetic; Obummer loses here decidedly.
Long-term economy: Real per capita economic growth during the term equals or exceeds mean growth during the previous two terms. Says Lichtman, “I discounted long term economy against Obama. Clearly we are in a recession.” Obama loses this key.
Policy change: The incumbent administration effects major changes in national policy. “There have been major policy changes in this administration. We’ve seen the biggest stimulus in history and an complete overhaul of the healthcare system so I gave him policy change,” says the scholar. Another win for Obama.
The stimulus was a complete bust; health care rationing will go down to defeat since it is unconstitutional. Loss for Obummer.
Social unrest: There is no sustained social unrest during the term. Says Lichtman, “There wasn’t any social unrest when I made my predictions for 2012 and there still isn’t.” Obama wins a fifth key here.
The Occupy movement reflects social unrest from the Left; they oppose Obummer, the TEA party has been defeating Republican and Democratic candidates all over the country; this may be a factor in one of Lichtman's other points, Third Party challenge. You pick which category you want it in but in either case Obummer loses.
Scandal: The incumbent administration is untainted by major scandal. “This administration has been squeaky clean. There’s nothing on scandal,” says Lichtman. Another Obama win.
Has he heard of the unfolding, even as we speak, Fast and Furious fiasco? Obummer just implicated himself in the scandal by invoking Executive Privilege, previously Obummer himself has been untainted by the fiasco. He just implicated himself in this unfolding scandal. In addition, the national security leaks also involve Obummer, a clear loss here.
Foreign/military failure: The incumbent administration suffers no major failure in foreign or military affairs. Says Lichtman, “We haven’t seen any major failure that resembles something like the Bay of Pigs and don’t foresee anything.” Obama wins again.
Foreign/military success: The incumbent administration achieves a major success in foreign or military affairs. “Since Osama bin Laden was found and killed, I think Obama has achieved military success.” Obama wins his eighth key.
Incumbent charisma: The incumbent party candidate is charismatic or a national hero. Explains Lichtman, “I did not give President Obama the incumbent charisma key. I counted it against him. He’s really led from behind. He didn’t really take the lead in the healthcare debate, he didn’t use his speaking ability to move the American people during the recession. He’s lost his ability to connect since the 2008 election.” Obama loses this key.
Challenger charisma: The challenging party candidate is not charismatic or a national hero. Says Lichtman, “We haven’t seen any candidate in the GOP who meets this criteria and probably won’t.”
This is going to be mixed; Romney clearly beats Obummer on the economy which is the major consideration in this election.
Obama wins, according to Lichtman, bringing his total to nine keys, three more than needed to win reelection; however, after a consideration of why Lichtman is wrong, the keys show five for Obummer, and eight against.
Never-Wrong Pundit Picks Obama to Win in 2012
"I Opt Out:" BLOGGER OUTWITTED TSA FULL-BODY SCANNER, AGAIN
A video posted Wednesday on Jonathan Corbett’s “TSA Out of Our Pants!” blog appears to show him go through an airport scanner with the undetected object — all from the TSA’s very own security footage, said to have been obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. As Corbett prepares to go through the scanner in the video, a small object is briefly visible on the side of his body. Corbett’s video describes it as a “metal object in the handmade side pocket.” A few moments later, the footage shows him passing through the scanner and being allowed to leave without incident. The object would be on the opposite side of his body and is not visible as he exits the screening area.
Children Heckled For Singing "God Bless the USA"
Hecklers were saying, “The kids don’t even know what they’re singing!”
“They got something you tell them to say! It’s ridiculous! It’s sad, sad, sad. Y’all are going to burn in hell! You all burn in hell! Shame on you! Shame on you!”
“You Republicans come go to a Republican area and do that, we don’t do that here. This is ridiculous, this is sad. This is so crazy. This is sad.”
'BURN IN HELL!' FOR SINGING 'GOD BLESS THE USA'
Tricky Dick Obama Hides Behind Executive Privilege
In the United States government, executive privilege is the power claimed by the President of the United States and other members of the executive branch to resist certain subpoenas and other interventions by the legislative and judicial branches of government. The concept of executive privilege is not mentioned explicitly in the United States Constitution, but the Supreme Court of the United States ruled it to be an element of the separation of powers doctrine, and/or derived from the supremacy of executive branch in its own area of Constitutional activity.[1]
The Supreme Court confirmed the legitimacy of this doctrine in United States v. Nixon, but only to the extent of confirming that there is a qualified privilege. Once invoked, a presumption of privilege is established, requiring the Prosecutor to make a "sufficient showing" that the "Presidential material" is "essential to the justice of the case."(418 U.S. at 713-14). Chief Justice Burger further stated that executive privilege would most effectively apply when the oversight of the executive would impair that branch's national security concerns.
Executive privilege is a specific instance of the more general common-law principle of deliberative process privilege and is believed to trace its roots to the English Crown Privilege.[2]
In the context of privilege assertions by US Presidents, "In 1796, President George Washington refused to comply with a request by the House of Representatives for documents related to the negotiation of the then-recently adopted Jay Treaty with the Kingdom of Great Britain. The Senate alone plays a role in the ratification of treaties, Washington reasoned, and therefore the House had no legitimate claim to the material. Therefore, Washington provided the documents to the Senate but not the House."[3]
President Thomas Jefferson continued the precedent for this in the trial of Aaron Burr for treason in 1807. Burr asked the court to issue a subpoena duces tecum to compel Jefferson to provide his private letters concerning Burr. Chief Justice John Marshall, a strong proponent of the powers of the federal government but also a political opponent of Jefferson, ruled that the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution, which allows for these sorts of court orders for criminal defendants, did not provide any exception for the president. As for Jefferson's claim that disclosure of the document would imperil public safety, Marshall held that the court, not the president would be the judge of that. Jefferson complied with Marshall's order.
All of the precedents for Executive Privilege directly involved the President. In Obama's case, he was not directly involved in "Fast and Furious." Unless, of course, he has not implicated himself in the case. Obama's exercise of the Privilege is unprecedented and unconstitutional.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
‘REAL NEWS FROM THE BLAZE’: US-RUSSIA RELATIONS 2012
Stephen Yates of D.C. International Advisory joined “Real News” Tuesday to discuss the current U.S. relationship with Russia, and whether escalating concerns are valid and can be solved.
America Is Evil
Religion is really race according to this misguided soul.
“Americans in part identify who we are, and who deserves what, through our notions of whiteness and of the racial enemies that are the non-whites. And in this moment, the new racial enemy became not so much Reagan‘s ’welfare queen,’ who was imaginary, but instead this imagined other that is somehow Muslim, or Arab, or Sikh, or something else. We became willing to stomach a kind of horrific racial violence in the name of national security. It is something that we have been willing to stomach as a people over and over again in our history.”
O’Reilly was notably disturbed by the clip, asking: “So we in the United States are racists because we defended ourselves against radical Islam after 9/11?”
His guest, former Clinton staple Lanny Davis, also had harsh criticism of the comments: “I strongly disagree with what she did. She actually did racial stereotyping herself.”
Common Core Curriculum: The Social Studies Wars, Now and Then
The Social Studies Wars, Now and Then, Social Education, Sept, 2006 by Ronald W. Evans, p. 5
"Into the void left by the failure of the new and newer social studies stepped the revival of history in the 1980s. Historian and former assistant secretary of education Diane Ravitch made social studies a scapegoat for the "decline and fall of history teaching," portraying it as a vacuous form of "tot sociology. (21) Ravitch and other critics charged that social studies was poorly defined and directed by fashion. This was largely a revival of the disparaging commentary on social studies from the 1950s and earlier. In essence, the revival of history represented the citizenship education wing of a much larger conservative restoration in schools and society. The movement gathered steam with formation of the Bradley Commission and received substantial funding from the conservative Bradley Foundation. Despite several criticisms of the revival of history from social studies scholars, the response from NCSS leaders was to create a new consensus definition for social studies and to lend support to the standards movement via creation of NCSS standards. (22) The new definition developed by NCSS offered social studies as an umbrella for the teaching of history and the social sciences, and further weakened support for alternative approaches. The net result was an increase in course-taking in history and the social sciences, notably in world history and geography, and a decline in elective social studies offerings."
Monday, June 18, 2012
Obummer's Harvard law professor says 'President MUST be defeated in 2012'
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Opening prayer at the 2012 Colorado Republican State Assembly and Convention
"The Church has rejected the totalitarian and atheistic ideologies associated in modem times with 'communism' or 'socialism.'" - Catechism of the Catholic Church 2425
MAN BURNS BIBLE DURING PAPAL MASS IN ST. PETER’S SQUARE
Pope Benedict XVI named three new saints for the Catholic Church during a Mass Sunday in St. Peter's Square that was disrupted by a man who climbed out onto the upper colonnade of the square and burned a bible. (Oct. 23 2011)
A man climbed out onto the upper colonnade in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican and lit a bible on fire Sunday while Pope Benedict XVI was celebrating Mass.
According to the Associated Press, Vatican gendarmes, a bishop and the pope’s own bodyguard talked the man back from the edge of the colonnade.
He shouted, “Pope, where is Christ?” in English and threw the burned bible to the crowd below.
He climbed back from the ledge uninjured.
Benedict and the thousands in the square appeared unfazed by the incident and carried on with the Mass, during which the pope named three new saints. Many cheered after the man was secured.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Friday, June 15, 2012
Obama in a Snit When He Violates the Constitution
With respect to the notion that I can just suspend deportations through executive order, that’s just not the case, because there are laws on the books that Congress has passed — and I know that everybody here at Bell is studying hard so you know that we’ve got three branches of government. Congress passes the law. The executive branch’s job is to enforce and implement those laws. And then the judiciary has to interpret the laws.
There are enough laws on the books by Congress that are very clear in terms of how we have to enforce our immigration system that for me to simply through executive order ignore those congressional mandates would not conform with my appropriate role as President.
Longer clip
Neil Munro, White House Correspondent
2nd Amendment: ‘VERY AFRAID’: 66-YEAR-OLD WOMAN SHOOTS AND KILLS HOME INTRUDER
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Charlotte Iserbyt: The Deliberate Dumbing Down of the World
Charlotte Iserbyt served as Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education, during the first Reagan Administration.
Ever since, she's been exposing how educational systems throughout the world have been, gradually and by design, homogenized under UNESCO coordination. The purpose has always been to create a dumbed down, easily manageable, global population. That population would easily be transitioned into being mere human resources, under a new form of regime: a world governance system, run on an authoritarian type system -- a global slave plantation --, for the benefit of the dominant global hierarchy of international oligarchs.
Her book, "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America" is a brilliantly documented exposé on this subject, comprising hundreds of original documents and official statements right from the horse's mouth: the records of big banking foundations, governments and UNESCO departments -- the institutions that created the blueprint for the worldwide education system that is now set in place, all across the world.
Download Mrs. Iserbyt's book, as well as other materials, on her websites:
http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com
http://www.americandeception.com
Also read the books by the first Director-General of UNESCO, eugenicist and Nazi-sympathized Julian Huxley. He is quite clear in explaining you the purpose of our current global educational system.
This interview was made by Sovereign Solutions.
S.E. CUPP CLASHES WITH ANTI-GUN ADVOCATE
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Minn. City Rejects Islamic Center — and Now CAIR Wants the DOJ to Investigate
ST. ANTHONY VILLAGE, Minn. (KMSP) - After months of debate, the St. Anthony Village City Council has rejected plans to build an Islamic center in the basement of the old Medtronic building -- and some in the Muslim community claim the proposal was voted down due to discrimination.
Just a few days ago, the city's planning commission approved the project, but it's just an advisory board. The ultimate decision always rested with the City Council, which argued that the issue was one of land use and zoning -- not of religious intolerance.
Yet, one civil rights group told FOX 9 News they plan to contact the Department of Justice in the coming days to investigate what happened in the small suburb of Minneapolis. The Council on American-Islamic Relations said the department has already gotten involved in more than two dozen rejected mosque projects across the nation.
The chamber was packed on Tuesday night as people on both sides of the issue made their opinions known.
A local Muslim group, known as Abu Huraira, proposed buying the old Medtronics headquarters building on Old Highway 8 in February. Their dream was to turn nearly 13,000 square feet of the lower level into an Islamic center for prayer and gathering space, but the city said some confusion about zoning issues made it unclear if a place of religious assembly was allowed.
So, the city studied the issue, clarified its zoning ordinance, and then rejected the proposal outright by a vote of 4-1.
"It pains me to vote against something people are so passionate about," said Councilman Randy Stille. "It's a land use issue -- nothing more. Always has been."
The Star Tribune reports that the Justice Department has launched investigations into 28 similar cases where new mosques were blocked.
CAIR-MN Will Ask DOJ to Probe Rejection of Mosque Plan
The St. Anthony City Council has voted down a conditional use permit that would have allowed a former Medtronic building to be used for an Islamic center.
Tuesday evening's 4-1 vote against the permit came after a roughly two and a half hour hearing that drew nearly 100 people, most of them against the project.
The Abu-Huraira Islamic Center had requested a conditional use permit that would have allowed them to move into the first floor of the former Medtronic building, located off of Old Highway 8. The building is currently zoned light industrial and city code only lets places of worship exist in residential areas.
The city issued a four-month moratorium to study the zoning issue, prompting the Council on American Islamic Relations to accuse the council of intentionally slowing the process due to community opposition.
City officials say it is strictly a zoning issue because keeping the property as industrial would generate more taxes for the city.
Ahead of Tuesday's hearing, an attorney for the Islamic center said the group could file a lawsuit against the city for discrimination if the permit isn't approved.
The permit had previously been approved by the city's Planning Commission.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
‘Total & Utter Failure’: Watch This British Politician Mercilessly Berate EU Leaders
Speaking before the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, leader of the UK Independence Party Nigel Farage used his time to do what he does best: verbally savage the eurozone leaders responsible for keeping the 17-nation union on the road to financial ruin.
Do We Need More Public School Teachers?
Public School Enrollment Since 1970
And how does employing more and more teachers affect our students’ performance? While the cost of education has steadily risen, academic scores have remained stagnate and in some cases actually declined. As Cato’s Andrew Coulson notes, if the U.S. returned to the student-to-staff ratio we had in 1970, we could save $210 billion… every year.
Obama vs. Romney on Public School Jobs
Furthermore, on a per pupil basis, the inflation-adjusted average cost of a K-12 education has gone from about $55,000 to about $150,000.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Economics: REPORT: ‘APPARENT CONFLICT OF INTEREST’ BETWEEN FED DIRECTORS AND BAILOUTS
What’s the “conflict of interest?”
Several of these Fed reserve directors were connected to the companies and banks that received large sums of government money.
Joel Gehrke of Examiner reports:
The office of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who caucuses with the Democrats, noted that the [GAO] report did not name any names, “but unambiguously described several individual cases involving Fed directors that created the appearance of a conflict of interest.”
The group of 18 people connected to both the Federal Reserve and a bailed out company included: the CEO of General Electric, Jeffrey Immelt (who is now Obama’s jobs czar); Stephen Friedman of Goldman Sachs Group Inc.; and Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan Chase.
It gets worse.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York consulted with GE about creating an “emergency program to assist with the commercial paper market” while Jeffery Immelt served as a New York Fed director, according to the Examiner report.
“The Fed later provided $16 billion in financing for GE under the emergency lending program,” even while Immelt held his position with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and GE, according to the Sanders report.
But it doesn’t stop there.
Jamie Dimon was the director for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York when JP Morgan received $29 billion through the Federal Reserve to purchase Bear Stearns, according to the report.
“Dimon also convinced the Fed to take risky mortgage-related assets off of Bear Stearns balance sheet before JP Morgan Chase acquired this troubled investment bank,” writes the Sanders report.
Cf. http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/report-fed-directors-benefited-bailouts
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