Anwar al-Awlaki Killed

The guy responsible for inspiring Nidal Malik Hasan to go on a shooting rampage at Fort Hood, TX, killing 14 and injuring 32 is now, himself dead. Anwar al-Awlaki was also credited with being the inspiration for Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the underwear bomber who attempted to detonate a bomb on a plane during its descent into Detroit. The Times Square bomber, Faisal Shahzad also gave credit to al-Awlaki for motivating him to kill infidels.

Via the BBC:

The US-born radical Islamist cleric and suspected al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki has been killed in Yemen, the country's defence ministry reported.

US administration officials confirmed the reports, according to US media.

Awlaki, of Yemeni descent, has been on the run in Yemen since December 2007.

The US had named him a "specially designated global terrorist" for his alleged role in a number of attacks and US President Barack Obama is said to have personally ordered his killing.

The defence ministry statement said only that he died "along with some of his companions".

It gave no further details of his death.

But tribal sources told AFP news agency Awlaki was killed in an air strike in the eastern Marib province, said to be an al-Qaeda stronghold.

It is not clear whether he was killed by Yemeni forces or a US drone strike.

This is a big deal in many respects. Awlaki was a US citizen and was very fluent in both English and Arabic. He also was credited with taking internet jihad to a new level.

h/t Free Republic

Two Islamic Terrorists Apprehended, Released after Crossing into US from Mexico

Any rational person who knows anything about homeland security has to admit that our open border to the south is a perfect opportunity for Islamic terrorists to blend in with Mexican nationals. There is now proof in the form of two men who were apprehended by US Border agents. It's important to point out that because far more people get through than get caught, these two terrorists are not isolated cases. They represent a sample so there are likely many more where they came from. Meanwhile, our Federal Government is doing all it can to not only ignore its responsibility when it comes to securing the border but preventing states like Arizona from doing it.

Via PJM:

Two Bangladeshis who were caught by Customs and Border Protection illegally crossing the border in June 2010 admitted under questioning that they were members of a designated terrorist organization that signed on to a fatwa by Osama bin Laden pledging to wage war against Americans.

But amazingly, after one of the men requested asylum, he was released on bond. And now one Homeland Security official tells me, concerning the released terror operative, “We don’t have the slightest idea where he is now.”

The two men, Muhammad Nazmul Hasan and Mirza Muhammad Saifuddin, were intercepted near Naco, Arizona, not long after they had crossed the border on June 25, 2010. During their interrogation, one of the men admitted that they were members of Harakat-ul-Jihad-i-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), which was designated a terrorist organization by the United States in February 2008. Earlier this month the group claimed responsibility for a bombing a courthouse in New Delhi. That attack killed 11 and wounded at least 45 others.

Well, these terrorists were apprehended at about the same time Operation Fast and Furious was kicking into high gear as well.

From the Declaration of Independence:

He (King George) has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

I think our border with Mexico qualifies as one of our 'frontiers' and I think terrorists qualify as 'savages.'

Read more at PJM

Video: Sign Showing Obama in Diaper Brings Libs out of Woodwork

If you put up a sign in your yard that showed a picture of Barack Obama in a diaper with words that said, 'change me, I stink,' it could just be the perfect bait to attract liberals. That's exactly what happened in Louisiana when a man put up such a sign. He even got a paid a visit by Mayor Ray Nagin, who didn't get very far. Perhaps more disturbing was reaction of a City Council member, who perfectly enunciated what the left believes. Susan Guidry admitted that she would use whatever law she could to have the sign removed. Ah, the left. When you disagree with them, they'll attempt to use whatever they can to shut you down.

Via WWLTV:

The signs have created such a firestorm of controversy, though, that police came to the scene-- called in by City Council Member Susan Guidry. She represents the district where the home is located. Guidry said she was concerned about public safety and was trying to figure out if the sign was even legal. She also said she spoke to Reily, but didn't get far.

"We have to determine that there is a zoning law that prohibits perhaps the size of the sign, perhaps the way that it's erected, that it is leaning over onto public property," Guidry said. "Whatever we can use, we will, but of course, we do have to balance that with First Amendment rights."

Yet, the signs remain in place, fanning the flames of a free speech debate on both sides of the fence.

I smell a cheese and mousetrap metaphor.

Personally, I love how these folks make the leap that a photo of a man in a diaper is racist. Only in the liberal mind....



h/t Drudge

Video: Was that a Light that went on in Anderson Cooper's Head or is it a Deer in the Headlights look?

This is an amazing clip for several reasons. First, the fact that CNN had Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu on to talk about Operation Fast and Furious at all is truly noteworthy. Then again, it's a scandal that's been unfolding for eight months now (welcome to the party, CNN). Second, if Cooper was betting that Babeu was going to walk back his comments about the ATF being an 'accomplice to murder,' he was sadly mistaken because Babeu reiterated and double-underscored those comments with the equivalent of a sharpie. Lastly, it's hard to tell if Cooper is amazed at what he's hearing or can't come to grips with it but the look on his face is priceless. Babeu even calls out Eric Holder by name.

Babeu simply BRINGS IT and Cooper is left punch drunk:



h/t Hapblog

Breaking: Illegal Aliens to Flee Alabama in Droves

The good news is that Alabama can now implement the most important parts of its tough immigration law. The bad news is it's not a border state. Last year, Arizona passed SB 1070, only to have the toughest aspects of its immigration law struck down by a federal judge. In Texas, a tough sanctuary cities bill died in the legislature, in part, because two wealthy businessmen - grocery store magnate Charles Butt and developer Bob Perry - threatened to withhold campaign contributions to the Republican Party. Alabama passed what should have been passed in Texas and US District Judge Sharon Blackburn did what US District Judge Susan Bolton should have done relative to Arizona's law; she allowed the key parts to remain in effect.

Via POLITICO:

A federal judge gave a green light for Alabama to enforce some of the most controversial parts of its toughest-in-the-nation immigration law, ruling that certain measures do not violate federal law.

U.S. District Judge Sharon Blackburn ruled that Alabama can enforce the law’s requirements for schools to verify students’ immigration status and for police to determine citizenship and status of those they stop, detain or arrest. Police are allowed to arrest anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant during a routine traffic stop, under the law.

In a 115-page opinion, Blackburn wrote that “the United States has not met the requirements for a preliminary injunction” for several of the measures the Justice Department had argued violated the Constitution and usurped the federal government’s authority to set immigration policy.

But Blackburn granted the Obama administration’s request to block certain portions of the law until she makes a final ruling. Those sections include provisions making it a crime to transport or harbor an illegal immigrant, or for an illegal immigrant to look for or perform work. Blackburn also blocked parts of the law that would allow discrimination lawsuits against companies that hire illegal immigrants when they discharge or fail to hire a U.S. citizen and forbid employers from claiming as business tax deductions wages paid to illegal immigrants.

Once again, the Obama administration comes down on the side of defending illegal behavior. In the minds of Eric Holder's Justice Department, it's apparently not a crime to harbor an illegal alien. Uh, Mr. Holder, it's called being an accomplice.

All things being equal, this is good news.

h/t Weasel ZIppers

Audio: NC Governor Bev Perdue a Horrible Joke-Teller

When news broke earlier this week that North Carolina Governor, Bev Perdue (D) suggested at a Rotary club event that the 2012 elections should be suspended, there was a predictable backlash; it was swift and immediate. A reaction from Perdue's office was practically unavoidable. So, what was that reaction? Well, she wasn't really serious; she was just joking. Perhaps team Perdue would like a do-over on that excuse because the audio of the governor's actual comments have now come out and her office has officially dashed any hopes Perdue may have had to enter the comedy business.

Listen for yourself, via the Daily Caller:



More HERE.

Air Force Cheers General who stood up to Obama Administration

Hundreds of Airmen and at least one other General applauded the actions of Air Force General William Shelton, who told a congressional committee back on September 15th that the White House attempted to get him to change his testimony about the potential threat to national security relative to the plans of a company called LightSquared. Gen. Shelton's view was that if LightSquared was granted the bandwidth it was requesting, its technology would encroach upon the GPS bandwidth necessary for military communications operations.

Military.com is reporting that Shelton was given resounding support by his colleagues and hundreds of Airmen at a recent forum:

During a forum of senior officers at the Air Force Association conference in Washington on Wednesday, the moderator complimented Shelton for giving his "unvarnished" testimony before Congress.

The applause of hundreds of Airmen and others broke out, interrupted only when Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz interrupted to make a comment of his own.

Schwartz acknowledged Shelton's candid testimony in the face of the purported White House pressure.

"Will Shelton, I salute your courage."

The White House has reportedly said it offered only guidance to Shelton. Meanwhile, the House Science, Space and Technology Committee has launched an investigation into contacts between administration officials and LightSquared, according to the website NextGov.com.

The committee's chairman Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas, and the six other Republican lawmakers allege the administration sought to muzzle and soften the testimony Shelton and other experts on how the planned multibillion-dollar network could interfere with GPS receivers, according to the report.

It seems like everywhere you look these days, there's a hunger for true leadership.

h/t Barrackaid #10

More on the LightSquared scandal HERE.

Video: Piling On Rick Perry's Demise with Lip-Reading

Rick Perry may have had his 'read my lips' moment when he said that if you don't support in-state tuition for illegal aliens, 'you don't have a heart' but this is sheer awesomeness. I bet he wishes he would have said these things instead of what he said at last week's debate but because he said what he said, this is nothing more that gratuitous piling on. Perry is down but it's too early to officially call him out. This video might just help, not because it's actually real but because the words that sync up more than just casually to how Perry's lips move may just make you wonder how much sense he actually made when he said whatever he truly said. Does that make sense?

It will after you watch this.



h/t Hot Air

Video: OMB Director Confronted About Solyndra, Goes back Inside

As Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Jack Lew walked out of an office building, he was confronted by a Washington Times reporter and asked about the decision to loan so much money to Solyndra, which went bankrupt after two short years. As is typical with politicians, there is usually a lackey on-hand to run interference. Predictably, Lew did not even acknowledge the reporter but perhaps the best part of this video is where Lew sought refuge from him - in the same building he moments earlier exited from. I guess he could make the argument that he only went outside to get some fresh air but that's such a tough sell, he'd be better off saying nothing, I guess.

Watch this video to see the closest thing to real life whack-a-mole you'll probably witness in a while.

GET BACK IN YOUR HOLE!

Via Washington Times:



h/t Hapblog

North Carolina Governor (D) Suggests Suspending Elections

There is a quote loosely attributed to FDR that says, 'In politics, nothing happens by accident.' The comments of North Carolina governor Bev Perdue at a Rotary luncheon this week may or may not apply but when she suggested that the 2012 elections be suspended, there was definitely a reaction. Almost immediately, there was a backlash to Perdue's suggestion that it might be better for the country if politicians were focused on getting the economy going instead of on their next election.

Via Daily Caller:

North Carolina Democratic Governor Bev Perdue’s recommendation that congressional elections be suspended may cause collateral damage to the Democratic Party, her Republican critics speculate.

On Tuesday Perdue recommended suspending elections until the economy recovers. “I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won’t hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover,” Perdue said at a rotary club event in Cary, N.C., according to the Raleigh News & Observer. “I really hope that someone can agree with me on that.”

The shocking statement is destined for a long shelf life ahead of the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

Additionally, Perdue is governor of the state slated to host the 2012 Democratic National Convention. It would seem that her comments certainly don't serve to benefit turnout.

When the backlash to her comments, which was both swift and forceful, became apparent, Perdue's team attempted to play down her comments:

When news broke about Perdue’s suggestion, the governor’s press team quickly asserted that she was joking.

“Come on … Gov. Perdue was obviously using hyperbole to highlight what we can all agree is a serious problem: Washington politicians who focus on their own election instead of what’s best for the people they serve,” Perdue spokesman Chris Mackey said in an email to TheDC.

Aside from the fact that the very politicians Perdue wants to leave in office to fix the economy are the same ones (Democrats, mainly) largely responsible for breaking it, there is likely a bigger reason for her floating this absurd idea.

In November of 2010, the Democratic Party suffered a political earthquake, the likes of which it hasn't seen in a century. A message was sent and, so far, Democrats have thumbed their collective noses at those who delivered it - the voters. Perdue is staring at the very real possibility that the tsunami that's likely in 2012 will make 2010 look like a ripple. It's an interesting coincidence that at about the same time Perdue was calling for a suspension of elections, Obama adviser David Axelrod expressed concern that those elections would be a 'titanic struggle' for the Democrats. Not only that but just two weeks ago, former Obama OMB Director Peter Orszag suggested that America could use a little less Democracy.

Moreover, in 2012, there are 21 Democratic Senators up for reelection and only 10 Republicans.

Perdue's words were not meant as a joke; they reflect an extreme level of desperation and fear. They are also likely to backfire by becoming the source of many a campaign ad. The fact that Perdue is governor of the state hosting the convention only adds fuel to the fire.

More at DC

BrightSource: Is this Solyndra X's Three?

One of the things that makes the Solyndra scandal so potentially explosive is the likely probability that there were other very similar deals. After getting $535 Million in federal loan guarantees, the solar panel company went bankrupt in two years - and even required additional funding to prevent bankruptcy sooner. What if Solyndra is jus the warm-up act to a much bigger scandal? Aaron Klein is reporting that, like Solyndra, BrightSource is a solar panel company that received guaranteed federal loans. Unlike Solyndra, however, BrightSource received guarantees totaling $1.37 Billion, nearly three times more than Solyndra.

Via WND:

President Obama's nominee for Commerce secretary served as chairman of the board of a solar energy company that recently received a $1.37 billion federal loan guarantee – the largest the Department of Energy has ever given for a solar power project.

Now that company, BrightSource Energy, is attempting to build the world's largest solar power plant amid concerns such ventures may be too risky an investment for the federal government.

In June, BrightSource Chairman John Bryson was nominated by Obama to head the Commerce Department.

WND reported in June that Bryson co-founded an environmental activist group that is a member and funder of the controversial Apollo Alliance.

Apollo is run by a slew of socialists and radicals, including Jeff Jones, a founder of the Weather Underground domestic terrorist organization. Jones himself boasts of doing work for the environmental group founded by Bryson, the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Bryson served until June as co-chairman of the Pacific Council on International Policy, a globalist organization whose members can be found throughout the Obama administration.

The massive loan guarantee to BrightSource is meant to build an expensive California desert solar plant known as the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System.

So Obama's nominee for head of the Commerce Department was a Chairman with the solar panel company that received the largest federal loan guarantee from DOE; and the Apollo Alliance, which helped to write the stimulus bill, consists of a group that Chairman founded.

What are the odds that BrightSource is heading down a road identical to the one Solyndra is on? Is BrightSource simply taking longer to run out of money because it had more to begin with? If and when the BrightSource shoe drops, it will shake the Obama administration to the core. We could look at the entire Democratic Party go into survival mode for 2012.

On another note, Bryson has not yet been confirmed so anyone on the committee responsible for confirming him should be digging into this.

Read it all.

Will Secret Service Agent Defeat Incumbent Liberal Democrat Ben Cardin in Senate Race?

His name is Daniel Bongino and he has retired from the Secret Service, where he worked for ten years protecting president George W. Bush and current President Obama. He resigned because he grew disgusted with bureaucrats and has a big problem with the policies of Obama. Bongino is running as a Republican in Maryland and hopes to dethrone Democrat Ben Cardin in 2012. Bongino is definitely on the side of the Tea Party tsunami whose initial waves crashed on the political landscape last November.

Via ABC:

After more than a decade protecting presidents with the Secret Service, Daniel Bongino is currently running against the policies that the most recent president he worked under – President Obama – has moved along.

Bongino, who quit his job with the Secret Service in May to run for the Senate as a Republican in Maryland, told us on ABC’s “Top Line” today that it’s nothing personal.

“I like the president a lot personally. We had a good relationship. He was a wonderful man to me, and this is not any kind of a personal gripe,” Bongino said.

“It’s strictly a political, ideological difference. His policies I think are just wrong. We’re headed down a path I don’t think we want to go down.”

Bongino would become the first former Secret Service agent to serve in Congress. And his reason for running sounds similar to the rationale given by dozens if not hundreds of first-time candidates over the last few years.

“I got tired of the establishment bureaucrats who frankly were leading us down a road that I wasn’t comfortable with,” he said. “I think this is the first generation where we’re going to turn over to our children a country that is less prosperous than ours. So I decided it was time for real people who have led real lives with real consequence to get off the couch and to do something, and giving up my job and running for office was my way of doing it.”

Watch the interview with Bongino; he's very, very sharp and he obviously has discipline. Before watching, ask yourself if you think this guy appears determined. After watching, you'll have your answer.



h/t Fox Nation

Ruh Roh: Is Sarah Palin Preparing a Lawsuit against Publisher of McGinniss Book?

It appears that Andrew Breitbart may have done it again. When Big Government published an e-mail written by Joe McGinniss, the guy who moved in next door to the Palins, it didn't just provide evidence that McGinniss had no hard evidence to back up his tawdry claims; it's causing the Palins to consider suing both McGinniss and his publisher, Random House. In a letter sent to Random House, Palin's attorneys all but make the charge of defamation and then drop a bombshell by reminding the publisher that it is a crime to destroy evidence in the event of litigation.

Via Big Government:

palin redacted 5

Obama Mocks Texas, Blames Fires on Global Warming

A good friend of mine is doing contract work in Bastrop County, Texas. He tells me they're up to 2,000 homes being destroyed. The view from the ground elicits 'war zone' comparisons and leaves one seeing little difference between these Texas wildfires and the destruction wrought by hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes. He also said FEMA came in thumping its chest and provided virtually no assistance. Despite all of this, Barack Obama decided to pile on by politicizing this 'natural' disaster while mocking Texas governor Rick Perry for not believing in man-made global warming.

Via LA Times:

Reporting from Woodside, Calif.— President Obama, speaking at a fundraiser in the Bay Area on Sunday night, said the behavior at the Republican presidential debates was at odds with core American values.

"Has anybody been watching the debates lately?" the president said at the home of John Thompson, chairman of Symantec.

In a reference to the GOP front-runner, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Obama said: "You've got a governor whose state is on fire denying climate change. It's true."

Aside from this despicable attempt to politicize a natural disaster to push an agenda, it's not a far cry off from Louis Farrakhan saying that Bush blew up the levees in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.

h/t GWP

Fast and Furious Bombshell: Gun Store Owner told to sell Weapons to ATF Agent

It was bad enough when it was learned that the ATF directed gun store owners to sell weapons to bad guys, who the ATF then allowed to 'walk' those guns into Mexico. That reality just got a whole lot worse thanks to a letter written by ATF supervisor David Voth. That letter was addressed to a gun store owner, directing him to sell weapons to none other than agent John Dodson, the whistleblower who blew this entire scandal wide open when he came forward in February of 2011 with information that implicated the ATF in the murder of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry.

Via David Codrea at Gun Rights Examiner:

Dodson is the agent who put a face to the whistleblowers in Sharyl Attkisson’s bombshell CBS News interviews. Other sources tell Mike Vanderboegh that this letter indicates Dodson would have been fearful to proceed without documentation to prove management not only knew and approved of this activity, but had directed it.

A critical piece to the puzzle here is what Dodson was instructed to do with these weapons once he purchased them. Yes, he was using taxpayer money to buy the guns but if they weren't being put in the hands of bad guys, there's not much 'there' there, right? Well, Codrea quotes from Mike Vanderboegh at Sipsey Street:

"The existence of this letter," Vanderboegh writes, "coupled with interviews of other sources across the country which put it into context, provides startling proof that the Federal government did not merely 'lose track' of weapons purchased by 'straw buyers' under surveillance by the ATF and destined for the Mexican drug cartels. In an undercover operation ordered by Fast and Furious supervisor David Voth, the U.S. government purchased firearms with taxpayer money from licensed firearms dealers, instructed them to conduct the sales 'off the books,' and used an ATF agent, John Dodson, to deliver them directly to people that Dodson believed were conducting them across the border."

Consider the stakes sufficiently raised in this scandal. If, as this information indicates, Dodson was directed by Voth to purchase guns with US taxpayer cash dollars and then give them to bad guys, it further implicates the ATF and anyone higher in the commission of extremely serious crimes. It also directly removes the argument from the ATF that mistakes were made. This information indicates no such thing. Crimes took place. Sipsey Street makes clear that it was not Dodson who provided them with the letter; it was another source entirely:

"Dodson was given this undercover assignment by Voth," said the source, "to purchase weapons directly and provide them to the smugglers. He was operating under cover, pretending to be a 'straw buyer.'" He continued, "I think Dodson demanded the letter from Voth to cover both himself and the FFL (Federal Firearm Licensee). He didn't want to be hung out to dry" by Voth.

A source also said that the undercover assignment was an effort by Voth to "dirty him (Dodson) up," pointing out that by the time of the undercover assignment that Dodson's vocal opposition to "letting guns walk" was well known to his superiors in the Phoenix ATF office.

Perhaps most alarming are the claims that there were powerful forces inside the ATF who were open to killing Dodson.

After the death of Brian Terry, the "rumor" post on the ATF agent's website, CleanUpATF.org and the initial coverage by these reporters in the early weeks of January, 2011, "things got ugly" for Dodson. Blamed by his immediate supervisors as well as many of his fellow agents in the Phoenix office for "treason" as one source described it, Dodson's existence at the Phoenix office was described as "precarious" by one D.C. source. The threats to his life were perceived to be so great that "solitary range days" were arranged by a sympathetic supervisor so Dodson could practice marksmanship in safety. "He (the supervisor) didn't want him (Dodson) to eat one in the back" in a range "accident," said the source.

There are two general reasons why this scandal is not going away. First, the severity of the charges and second, the layers of this toxic onion that continue to get peeled back.

More at Sipsey Street

Report: Pakistan Refusing to go after Haqqani Network

This can be considered validation of what Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen said in front of a Senate Armed Services Committee last week. After Mullen called out Pakistani Intelligence (ISI) for working with the Haqqani terror network, which has committed multiple attacks against US interests, including the embassy in Kabul and a truck bomb on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Pakistan's reaction would speak volumes either way. It appears that they have chose INaction when it comes to proving Mullen wrong.

Via Hindustan Times:

Pakistan's military will not take action against a militant group Washington blames for an attack against its embassy in Kabul, despite mounting American pressure to do so, a Pakistani newspaper reported on Monday.

Pakistan's army chief General Ashfaq Kayani met with his top commanders on Sunday in a "special" meeting to discuss the security situation, the military said, as the war of words with the United States escalated.

That emergency meeting came against the backdrop of sharp US allegations that the Pakistani army's powerful spy agency supported the Haqqani militant group Washington blames for the recent attack on its embassy and other targets in Kabul.

The commanders agreed to resist US demands for a Pakistani army offensive in North Waziristan, where the United States believes the Haqqani network is based, the Express Tribune reported, quoting an unnamed military official.

It would appear that Pakistan's bluff has been sufficiently called. If this report is accurate, they're not even willing to go through the motions of fighting Haqqani.

h/t Free Republic

Syrian Opposition Leader a Prominent Muslim Brotherhood Figure

In the case of Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia, the 'Arab Spring' set the stage for something much worse than the existent regimes. The same thing is predictably happening in Syria. The Global Muslim Brotherhood Report has picked up on a Washington Post report that quoted Louay Safi in reference to a council made up of Syrian opposition groups. Safi, who was training US troops at Fort Hood AFTER Nidal Malik Hasan's jihadist attack there on November 5, 2009 is a prominent member of the Muslim Brotherhood. There's more.

The Washington Post quotes Safi but doesn't refer to him as being affiliated with the group. GMBDR then links to an AFP photo of the council and Safi is right in the middle of it. Though that article includes a photo of Safi with the council, it doesn't once mention his name. Via the Epoch Times:

The new Syrian National Council (SNC) formed last month represents the most serious attempt so far by the diverse Syrian opposition to form an alternative to the al-Assad regime. One of the main driving forces behind it are oppositional Syrians abroad, in particular Syrian Americans.

On Thursday, the Syrian opposition group told AP that they will announce a national council made up of 60 Syrians in exile and 70 dissidents inside Syria. The announcement follows meetings in neighboring Turkey.

The Syrian American Council (SAC), which has played an important role in forming the group, presents itself as a “grassroots organization devoted to promoting educational, civic, economic, and human development, as well as advancing civil liberties and human dignity in Syria,” on its website.

The Epoch Times spoke to SAC’s PR Chairman, Hussam Ayloush, over the phone, about how the SNC came about, and what it’s plans and aims are.

GMBDR includes a bio of Louay Safi, who is tied to several Muslim Brotherhood groups and convicted terrorist fundraiser Sami al-Arian:

Dr. Safi reports that in May 1992, he became an associate professor of political science at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), closely associated with the global Muslim Brotherhood, and later became a Deputy Dean and then Dean of the Research Centre and College of Islamic Knowledge and Human Sciences. U.S. court records indicate that in 1995, Dr. Safi was in phone contact with convicted Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Sami Al- Arian. According to a transcript of the intercepted conversation, the two discussed President Clinton’s new executive order banning financial transactions with terrorist groups including the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. In 1998, Dr. Safi was a member of the advisory council of a journal published by the United Association for Studies and Research (UASR), a part of the Palestine Committee of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood which was closely tied to Hamas. In January 1999, Dr. Safi reports that he became the Research Director for the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), an important part of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood. Also in January 1999, Dr. Safi says he was a founding member of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID) whose other founding members included several individuals associated with IIIT. CSID is also part of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood and has close relations with the U.S. State Department. In January 2000, Dr. Safi says he became editor of the American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, the publication of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS), headquartered at IIIT. From January 2001 to January 2003, Dr. Safi says he was also AMSS President. In January 2003, Dr. Safi says he ended his position at IIIT and in January 2004 became Executive Director of the Leadership Development Center of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), another important part of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood. In November 2005, Dr. Safi became Chairman of the newly established Syrian American Congress, described on its website as …a grassroots organization devoted to promoting educational, civic, economic, and human development, as well as advancing civil liberties and human dignity in Syria.” In January 2005, local media report indicates that Dr. Safi was identified as Unindicted Co-Conspirator Four in the indictment against Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Sami Al-Arian. The report notes that Dr. Safi was the research director at IIIT which provided Al-Arian’s think tank with the bulk of its financial support.In September 2009, Dr. Safi became the ISNA Communications Director. Dr. Safi has been perhaps the leading voice at ISNA in complaining that criticism of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood is a form of “Muslim bashing.”

The Obama administration continues to do the bidding of Turkey and the Muslim Brotherhood, which should be considered both a foreign and domestic enemy of the United States.

More at GMBDR

Video: Obama Recruits for Civilian National Security Force in Front of Congressional Black Caucus

It would appear that Mr. Barack Obama is more petulant than normal these days. Again, while speaking at the annual Congressional Black Caucus dinner, he exhorted the audience to take off their 'bedroom slippers' and 'put on their marching shoes.' This visible frustration exhibited by Obama is likely the culmination of many things: Fast and Furious, Solyndra, and LightSquared come to mind but it's also likely about the prospect of all the unions and people he's promised money to not getting what they think is coming to them.

His base is expecting to get paid and if they don't, Obama is toast. The threat of them not getting paid is quickly becoming a possible reality Obama is having to confront. The president of the United States is coming precariously close to calling for insurrection here. He also seems to be imploding before our very eyes. Fast forward to the 11:30 mark.



The 'marching shoes' line is very telling because Mr. Obama may have shown us a glimpse of that Civilian National Security force he referred to on the 2008 campaign trail. If there's anyone who is well on their way to being just as well funded as the US Military, it's Obama's union goons.



More at the AP

h/t GWP

Video: Did Obama Say 'Jew' Instead of 'Janitor'?

While speaking at the annual Congressional Black Caucus (Racist organization), Barack Obama appeared to inadvertently say 'Jew' instead of janitor. Here is the relevant quote: 'If asking a billionaire to pay the same tax rate as a Jew.... as a janitor, makes me a warrior for the working class, I wear that with a badge of honor.' Gaffe aside, in light of the Solyndra scandal and the soaring unemployment rate among blacks during this administration, the words that came out of Obama's mouth were beyond hypocritical; it was projection on steroids. In 2009, he got his $787 Billion stimulus package and the people he claims to want to help got the shaft while his buddies at Solyndra squandered $535 Million.

Via Hapblog:



Reminds me of when he said 'the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree' back in 2008.

Pakistan Responds to Admiral Mullen's Charges that Pakistani Intelligence Aiding Haqqani Network

On September 22nd, outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen threw down a gauntlet with Pakistan when he testified that the Haqqani terrorist network is, in essence, working with Pakistani Intelligence (ISI). In particular, he pointed to the US Embassy bombing in Afghanistan and an attack on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, in which 80 Americans were wounded. Pakistan has apparently responded to Mullen's testimony by issuing a threat and demanding evidence of Mullen's claims. Uh, how about Osama bin Laden living one mile away from a Pakistani military academy for five years? They still haven't explained that one. How about letting the Chinese get a look at our helicopter that was downed during the raid?

First up, the relevant portion of Mullen's testimony:



As for Pakistan's response, via WSJ:

Pakistani officials snapped back at the U.S. for saying its spy agency was aiding a militant group that targets Americans, and warned Washington that such accusations could sink their alliance.

Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani called the charges by Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, "very unfortunate and not based on facts."

Earlier Friday, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar told an Indian news channel that "pointing fingers at each other will not help." Ms. Khar was in the U.S. for the United Nations General Assembly.

"We've never ventured into the blame game because we want to be a mature, responsible country," she said.

Adm. Mullen told Congress on Thursday that he believed the Haqqani network, a militant group linked to the Afghan Taliban and blamed by the U.S. for an attack last week on its embassy in Kabul, was a "veritable arm" of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence military spy agency.

Gen. Kayani, in a statement issued by the Pakistani military on Friday, denied "accusations of proxy war and ISI support to Haqqanis."

Gen. Kayani said "Adm. Mullen knows fully well which…countries are in contact with the Haqqanis. Singling out Pakistan is neither fair nor productive," the statement said.

The good news may be that we're getting closer to identifying the actual enemies of the United States. The bad news is in how long it's taking us to do so.

More from the hearing HERE.

Video: Solyndra Execs Plead the FIF

Solyndra CEO Brian Harrison and the company's CFO Bill Stover thoroughly embarrassed themselves by invoking their Fifth Amendment rights at a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing. Isn't it amazing how guys like this hide behind the Constitution when it suits them but apparently worked intimately with an administration that has demonstrated such thorough disregard for our founding documents? In this first video, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) attempts to get each man to answer questions that, on their face, should not implicate them at all. Yet, both Harrison and Stover cite the Fifth Amendment anyway.

I can't think of a time when silence has so implicated two men.

Via Fox Nation:



Kinda reminds me of this:

Video: The Solyndra Scandal in less than Two Minutes

The Scandal that is Solyndra, more than perhaps anything else to date, is a massive pie in the face of an administration that has touted a green jobs economy. It's also vindication for those of us who insisted the push for such an economy was all a sham. Why? Because Solyndra's executives are large Obama donors and made countless visits to the White House in order to get $535 Million in loan guarantees to launch their solar panel plant in 2009. This video from Institute for Energy Research sums it all up quite nicely with a montage of clips from Obama and Biden singing the praises of a company that got more than half a billion dollars of your money and squandered it in two years.



h/t Hot Air

Does Sarah Palin have Grounds to Sue Author?

Yeah, I know. The threshold necessary for a public figure to prove libel or slander is virtually impossible to meet. That reality more than likely factored into Joe McGinniss's decision to let loose with unsubstantiated facts about Sarah Palin. However, thanks to an email obtained by Andrew Breitbart and posted to his Big Journalism and Big Government sites, we may have our first bread crumb that leads to grounds for a lawsuit against McGinnis. McGinniss's recently released book, which is clearly intended to smear Sarah Palin, is full of extremely serious claims that, if unproven, may just meet the standard for proving libel of a public figure.

Though Breitbart hasn't divulged how he got his hands on the email McGinnis sent to a guy named Jesse Griffin, who used to run an anti-Palin blog, McGinnis has since confirmed its authenticity.

Here is a portion of that email via Big Journalism:

From: Joe McGinniss
To: Jesse Griffin
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 6:15 PM
Subject: I have to ask you for help

Jesse–
Legal review of my manuscript is underway and here’s my problem: no one has ever offered documentation of any of the lurid stories about the Palins. Shailey Tripp is the latest example.

APD and Sarah have denied that Todd had any involvement with her. To my knowledge, no one has provided any evidence that he did. TheEnquirer cites AlaskaWTF, which in turn cites the Enquirer: what good is that? I’m also told that the Enquirer is preparing to back off this story and save face by denouncing Ms. Tripp as an unreliable source who promised documentation she couldn’t provide.

She may be mentally unstable and prone to fabrication, delusion, or both. Her joint may be called Blue Hands Massage (brrrrr!), but she’s no Monica Lewinsky with a blue dress with a semen stain, that’s for sure.

Do you believe that Todd paid her for sex? If so, why do you believe that, other than that you wish it were true?

A lurid, sensational, defamatory story about Todd, based only on the account of a woman charged with prostitution, who is no doubt desperate for money, and who sold her story to the Enquirer, is a gift from heaven for Sarah.

Jesse, you can ridicule Sarah for calling in to the execrable Bob & Mark, but the fact is that as far as this story goes, there’s no there there. And rumors about what might come in weeks ahead are not facts. In fact, they’re garbage.

I’ve neither seen nor heard anything that indicates that Ms. Tripp’s story has any basis in fact. None of the endless crap Patrick posted about her before getting the boot from palingates.com offers any substantiation.

CLICK HERE to read the entire email. McGinniss has CONFIRMED the email is authentic, the recipient of that email has quite ironically claimed to be a victim - along with McGinniss - of 'vicious attacks,' and the 'prostitute' referred to in McGinniss's email has directed questions to her attorney.

There is an interesting confluence of events taking place here. First off, McGinniss went over-the-top when he moved in next door to the Palins in order to do 'research' for the book. If it comes out that he knowingly put forth tawdry falsehoods as fact, his book may just do Sarah Palin more good than harm.

Meanwhile, the hopes conservatives have been pinning on Rick Perry seem to be getting dashed after he told his base they 'don't have a heart' if they're not willing to grant in-state tuition for illegals. With Perry fading, Romney rises by default and conservatives don't seem to have any hope of overthrowing Romney as the frontrunner unless Sarah Palin jumps in the race. If she does so at a time when McGinniss proves to have libeled her, it may actually provide her an even bigger boost.

Either way, it's interesting to see McGinniss on defense so soon after the release of his book.

CLICK HERE and scroll down for updates to this story.

Video: CNN Covers Fast and Furious after Eight Months

When I received an email from Issa's office yesterday, though it contained several video links, the one that caught my eye featured Oversight Committee chairman Issa on CNN with Wolf Blitzer, talking about the Fast and Furious scandal. That was surprising in and of itself but then after watching it, I was doubly surprised because it was actually quite fair. This scandal is not going away; it has been taking root for several months. In fact, it's getting bigger by the day. Scandals come and go all the time and as much as the left wing media has tried to further that cause on Fast and Furious, it has failed to this point. We're now seeing the media being dragged to the scandal instead of being instrumental in disposing of it.

People are going to start taking note, if for no other reason, than because it's been going on so long that it will start generating even more curiosity. Nonetheless, nothing earth-shattering in this exchange between Blitzer and Issa if you've been following the scandal via other venues but it's absolutely noteworthy that CNN has decided to put its toe in the water on Fast and Furious.

Video: The Real Rick Perry Unmasked Himself in Debate

Remember the scene in 'Backdraft' where DeNiro takes Donald Sutherland's character - an imprisoned pyromaniac - in front of the parole board and gets him to show them he's still crazy? Therein lies a metaphor for last night's debate. With voters playing the role of the parole board, Perry playing the role of Sutherland, and the immigration issue playing the role of DeNiro, Perry may have torpedoed his chances with the American people when he defended his in-state tuition for illegal aliens position by saying if you don't agree with him, you 'don't have a heart.' The boos were cacophonous BEFORE Rick Santorum jumped on Perry's illogic by saying it makes no sense to subsidize a benefit for illegals that US citizens don't receive.

Hopefully, last night's debate will end the Tea Party's infatuation with Rick Perry. Mitt Romney sounded much more conservative.

Via from MediaIte via Weekly Standard:

Black Man Admits to Posing as KKK Member, Issuing Threats

There are just some things that are beyond despicable and this is one of them. Perhaps that's why it's one of the Ten Commandments (Bearing false witness comes to mind). What would make a black man pose as a member of the KKK and send threatening letters to City Hall? Was there not enough hate in the community to suit Justin Kidd? Who knows? Seeing this story, though, reminded me of a Dave Chappelle character named Clayton Bigsby, who was a 'black' white supremacist who was also blind.

Via KMOV:

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) -- Sentencing will be held in January for a black man who admits posing as a member of the Ku Klux Klan in sending racist letters in 2006 to a police department and city hall in his former southwestern Illinois hometown of O'Fallon.

Justin Kidd, 28, pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in East St. Louis to charges of conveying false threats in O'Fallon.

Federal prosecutors say Kidd mailed a letter to the O'Fallon Police Department in November 2006 that threatened to burn down an apartment complex if blacks were not barred from living there.

Absent this being an issue of race, these are tactics employed by none other than the most heinous and despicable men of history. Hitler was a master at this kind of stuff.

There was also a similar incident that took place shortly after the election of Barack Obama. In 2008, another black man named Dyron Hart, posed as a KKK member on Facebook and threatened other blacks.

h/t Gateway Pundit

Solyndra: A Case Study in Economics and Corruption

Imagine having a great idea, starting a company, and then being given $528 Million to launch it. Then imagine declaring bankruptcy in two years. If that money was given to you by private investors who demanded accountability, you'd be arrested. But, what if that $528 Million was given to you by an entity that sets the rules, an entity that isn't accountable to anyone and doesn't really want to hold you accountable because it's not really their money? The answer is that recklessness thrives when accountability is absent. That's exactly what happened at Solyndra. The unaccountable entity is the Barack Obama administration and the money was yours.

Via Washington Post:

Former employees of Solyndra, the shuttered solar company that exhausted half a billion dollars of taxpayer money, said they saw questionable spending by management almost as soon as a federal agency approved a $535 million government-backed loan for the start-up.

A new factory built with public money boasted a gleaming conference room with glass walls that, with the flip of a switch, turned a smoky gray to conceal the room’s occupants. Hastily purchased state-of-the-art equipment ended up being sold for pennies on the dollar, still in its plastic wrap, employees said.

As the $344 million factory went up just down the road from the company’s leased plant in Fremont, Calif., workers watched as pallets of unsold solar panels stacked up in storage. Many wondered: Was the factory needed?

“After we got the loan guarantee, they were just spending money left and right,” said former Solyndra engineer Lindsey Eastburn. “Because we were doing well, nobody cared. Because of that infusion of money, it made people sloppy.”

Solyndra’s ability to secure federal backing also made the company eager for more assistance, interviews and records show. Company executives ramped up their Washington lobbying efforts, hiring a former Senate aide to work with the White House and the Energy Department. Within a week of getting a loan guarantee commitment from the Energy Department, Solyndra applied for another, worth $400 million. It never won final approval.

On Friday, company executives are scheduled to appear before a House committee investigating how Solyndra obtained its loan and whether the Obama White House rushed its approval for political reasons. Chief Executive Officer Brian Harrison and Chief Financial Officer Bill Stover were supposed to face a grilling about the company’s spending and collapse, but they announced Tuesday that they would assert their Fifth Amendment rights because of a criminal probe of the company by the Justice Department.

Wait, who heads the Justice Department again? Oh, yeah, Eric Holder. Makes you wonder how much of what the FBI removed from Solyndra offices was more about covering this thing up than in actually investigating what happened.

An interesting side note here is how scathing this WaPo article is. The Obama administration is not supposed to be treated like this by the mainstream media.

h/t Weasel Zippers

More Fast and Furious Audio Tapes: ATF Agent 'Collateral Damage'

This side of the Operation Fast and Furious scandal is growing increasingly despicable. Again, ATF lead case agent Hope McAllister and Gun Store owner of Lone Wolf Trading Company Andre Howard can be heard on these recordings. Taken at face value, it appears that Howard, despite being the person who made these recordings, is in on the coverup. There are some disgusting things that become quite apparent in listening to this latest release of recordings. The lack of concern for Border Patrol agent Brian Terry is off the charts; Howard can be heard referring to him as 'collateral damage.'

Howard can then be heard expressing disgust for agent John Dodson for blowing the whistle. Interestingly, Howard then says Dodson won't be able to 'substantiate' his claims because the evidence is 'gone.' Could it be that Howard was making a reference to the third gun found at Terry's murder scene, the one that was the result of an FBI informant leaving it there?

After listening to the first rounds of recordings, I wondered if Howard might have been stringing the ATF along since he was the one making the recordings but it's looking less and less likely that's the case. After listening to these, I'm left with the impression that he likely made the recordings to cover his own butt. If so, it looks like that was a bad idea for him. Though these recordings make McAllister and the ATF look bad, this latest round makes Howard look much worse.

Via CBS:



Here is the transcript that corresponds with audio above:

EXCERPT 1

Dealer: Unfortunately a consequence occurred from a weapon shall we say that found its way into the wrong area ok and that was not anticipated. Nobody could foresee that that's collateral damage I think the term is. It happened. It's terrible. That's life ok we move on. Unfortunately, Mr. Dodson with his allegation is a pain in the a--. Now, my understanding now is it will be impossible now that he will be able to substantiate anything directly because that evidence is gone. I want you to know that. It don't exist. Not that one. You understand me?

Agent: MMhmm.

Dealer: Good. I get that.

EXCERPT 2

Dealer: My biggest problem is Dodson. You know this guy has damaged the hell out of me. I mean I walked out of here yesterday.

Agent: Mmhmm.

Dealer: I got it from the tattoo parlor, I got some damn Mexicans and white trash over there.

Agent: Yeah...

Dealer: Yelling across the parking lot: "can i buy 300 AK 47's?? Would you turn me in, over that?" This is the kind of sh-- i'm getting.

Agent: Yeah.

EXCERPT 3

Dealer: The most damning thing that you guys got to be aware of I think hypothetically is was there, you have to ask yourselves this first I'm just throwin this out there, was there a communication that hypothetically the US Attorney's office uh was entertained with the DOJ in reference to any ballistics tests or anything? Is there any way any of these idiots..

Agent: The problem is I mean we're not investigating that case.

Dealer: I know the FBI is.

Agent: And he's (Dodson) assigned to the FBI. I, I have not, I don't have any way of knowing what he has access to. And that's on the FBI. I mean that's on them. If they consider him, don't consider him an operational security issue, that's their f-----g fault. But I don't have access to that sh--, I don't know I have no idea what the FBI.

Dealer: (unintell.) I know you don't...I'm saying that's a whole parallel issue.

Agent: Right.

EXCERPT 4

Dealer: What about the emails copies he's got?

Agent: Those emails are a year ago that's why I wonder what he I mean

Dealer: Let me help you out. Here's what I smell. There's a reason you ran (unintell.) about not talking about any of your other agents out there.

Agent: Yeah.

Dealer: You got some rats in there honey...

(Crosstalk)

Dealer: I'll tell you some of these motherf-----s, I don't know if they're giving it to Dodson, I think they are, somebody's got some inter-agency copies not just this sh--.

These recordings are now coming out daily and each time, appear to be more incriminating. I expect those involved in this scandal to start singing soon.

CLICK HERE for previously released recordings.

Ruh Roh: Darrell Issa Calling for Special Prosecutor in Fast and Furious

Sorry, two Fast and Furious posts in a row but this is very big news. As I mentioned in the previous post, this scandal appears to be reaching critical mass. The audio recordings released by CBS appear to be coming out via drip, drip, drip. Each new release is more damning than the previous. If they get even worse, those who were on them know it and may commence CYA mode very soon. Now, Oversight Committee chairman Darrell Issa, who both Howard and McAllister expressed strong concern over in those recordings, is calling for a Special Prosecutor.

Via Washington Examiner:

House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., on Tuesday called for a special prosecutor to investigate the growing “Fast and Furious” scandal, in which the Obama administration allowed guns to walk to Mexico, where they fell into the hands of drug lords and were found at the murder scene of at least one U.S. border agent.

Issa complained in a conference call that, “there is ongoing cover up of a pattern of wrongdoing that can’t be explained by any ordinary people (who tried) to do the right thing but made a mistake.”

The Obama administration has been slow to hand over documents to Issa’s committee, and when they have, they’ve been heavily redacted.

“Even though I have subpoena ability, I don’t have the ability to lock people up for contempt until they fess up and give us what we want,” Issa said.

A special prosecutor would have such powers, and would be independent of the government agencies that were responsible for creating and attempting to cover up details of the program.

“We were happy to see the U.S Attorney’s office in Phoenix relieved of these prosecutions so we could have somebody not tarnished in creating the problem also in charge of prosecuting,” Issa said, referring to last month’s news that U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke was pushed out. “But yes, we’d like to have a true special prosecutor on this.”

There you have it. Issa is laying the groundwork for arrests and jail time. By calling for a special prosecutor, Issa is putting some very powerful people on notice. The steady release of audio recordings of conversations between Andre Howard and lead ATF case agent Hope McAllister coupled with the prospect of people doing serious jail time could force someone very close to Holder and Obama to start chirping.

h/t Weasel Zippers

More Fast and Furious Audio Tapes Coming Out

Sharyl Attkisson over at CBS continues to release audio recordings of conversations between the Lone Wolf Trading Company owner, Andre Howard and the lead ATF case agent, Hope McAllister. A new bit of information here is that according to Attkisson, the source of the recordings is Howard, which makes what's on them even more curious. If Howard is speaking honestly to McAllister, these recordings are very damaging to him because they implicate him in a coverup. Why would someone intentionally record something that would harm them? It looks like we're going to have to wait for the answer to that one. How did Atkisson get her hands on these recordings? Did Howard willingly give them to her?

The two guns found at Border Patrol agent Brian Terry's murder scene came from Howard's store. Note that in the recordings, you hear both Howard and McAllister discuss the FBI. McAllister twice mentions that the FBI 'has their own problems.' Could this be a reference to the third gun found at Terry's murder scene? The existence of that gun was allegedly covered up because it was an FBI informant who put it there.

Via CBS:

In a series of secretly recorded audio tapes believe to have been recorded last March and obtained by CBS News, an Arizona gun dealer and an ATF agent involved with ATF's "Fast and Furious" operation worried about the unraveling scandal.

The conversations were recorded by Andre Howard who ran the Lone Wolf Trading Company. Howard's gun dealership had been cooperating with the ATF in "Fast and Furious." At least two of his weapons were sold to a straw buyer before turning up later at the murder scene of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Hope MacAllister, the ATF agent heard in the conversations, was the lead case agent.

Below is the audio, with transcripts underneath.



This scandal is reaching critical mass folks.

The gun dealer is Andre Howard, the agent is ATF Agent Hope MacAllister.
Dealer: He's (Dodson) more toxic than you realize. I can tell you casue I asked him. How much of this f-----g file did you release?

Agent: Mmmhm

Dealer: He said basically the underlying case file. I said okay, who'd you release it to? F-----g Patrick Leahy! Ok? Wasn't just Grassley it was Leahy alright? Leahy as we both know has adjourned this inquiry right now okay with no plans to reconvene it. So your people were successful on that end.

Agent: Right.

Dealer: Obviously that's good. However these other idiots from

Agent: Yeah I saw that. The House?

Dealer: Yeah and that I don't know. What is troublesome with this I expected Darrell Issa's signature to be on this it wasn't. He's your biggest thorn, he hates Holder.

Agent: Yeah. Where's he out of?

Dealer: Darrell Issa?

Agent: Yeah.

Dealer: California.

Agent: California.

Dealer: Lamar Smith you know's out of Texas, I don't know. Holder has to respond to this tomorrow.

Agent: Yeah he's gonna respond.

Dealer: I know he is. And I can assure you the media isn't gonna like his response because basically it's gonna mirror what he's told Grassley.

Agent: Yeah.

Dealer: He can't deviate.

Agent: Well if, I mean I've seen a rough copy at least of what our US Attorney here has sent up. Whether or not he has the b---s to actually use it or not, I doubt it. But I mean it's pretty aggressive. Um. The way I see it our local US Attorney is extremely aggressive. When it gets to DC..

Dealer: Who Emory?

Agent: No...THE US Attorney.

Dealer: Burke, yeah, used to work under Clinton. Guy used to work under Clinton. Talking about Burke?

Agent: MMhmm.

Dealer: yeah well

Agent: But the problem is once it gets to dc it just gets... well you know

(unintell.)

Dealer: Discombobulated that's a good term for it yeah I get that.

Dealer: Let me tell you you got more people out there now talking about this f-----g thing than anything I've ever seen...(unintell.) ... they're not shutting the hell up

Agent: (unintell)

Dealer: and that goes from DHS to f-----g FBI to everybody...

Agent: Yeah.

Dealer: I'm hearing hypothetically on every fringe

Agent: Yeah.

Dealer: Thru third parties and I can assure you they're all like what the hell are they nuts?

EXCERPT 2

Dealer: But you have got to put the word out there to all the departments tell the f------g FBI shut the f--- up. (whispering)

Agent: FBI'S got their own problems, trust me.

Dealer: I know I hear.

Agent: They've got their own problems.

Dealer: Hypothetically.

Agent: If anybody's gonna get sued it's gonna be the FBI in my opinion.

EXCERPT 3

Dealer: What is it with the FBI they just have a h--- on for you guys or what?

Agent: The FBI's got their own problems. Like I said they're focusing on our problems they should probably turn it inward, cause they got their own problems right now.

Dealer: That ain't no lie.

Agent: So.. so hahaha.

EXCERPT 4

Dealer: What's Holders' office got to say about this?

Agent: Well like I said they're supposed to come out with little more um b----y statement than they have in the past, so...

Dealer: God they're (intell)

Agent: I mean at some point they're gonna say have to say Grassley you're just gonna have to sit your a-- down. I mean that or they're gonna have to (unintell). I mean like I said my understanding is he can't call a hearing. Somebody from the majority party has got to call a congressional hearing and as of right now...

Dealer: Patrick Leahy's an a----e, you know that. He gets ahold of something he's like a dog with a bone.

Agent: As of right now we don't have any info that's occurred. So...

Dealer: No, not now, but

Agent: I know there was a presentation given to Judiciary committee and everybody aside from Grassley is is satisfied. At least at this point.

Dealer: So they say you know I don't trust em...

Agent: No but I mean that's all I've got...it's all (unintell.)

It's very interesting that within those recordings, there seems to be the realization that Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee was told to stand down by the DOJ and he obeyed. This is the quintessential example of how Congress is ceding its power to the Executive Branch.

CLICK HERE to listen to recordings released earlier.

h/t Sipsey Street

Palin Gaining on Obama (and She's not Even in the Race... yet)

I will continue to shout from the rooftops that Rick Perry would be a terrible choice for Republicans to settle on as their nominee. He is such a moderate, he'd only open the door for another Democrat in 2016. Unless the Republicans nominate a conservative, it will be the biggest waste of the Obama years. Jimmy Carter opened the door for Ronald Reagan. Obama is Carter on steroids and it will be an utter shame if conservatives don't take advantage of this reality. Sure, there are conservatives in the race (Santorum and Bachmann) but they increasingly look like they don't have a chance. There is one conservative who does and her name is Sarah Palin. She's also gaining ground on Obama.

Via Miami Herald:

WASHINGTON -- Look out President Barack Obama. Even Sarah Palin's gaining on you.

A new McClatchy-Marist poll finds that Obama looks increasingly vulnerable in next year's election, with a majority of voters believing he'll lose to any Republican, a solid plurality saying they'll definitely vote against him and most potential Republican challengers gaining on him.

Even in potential matchups where he leads, Obama in most cases has lost ground to the Republican.

The biggest gain came for Palin, the former Alaska governor who hasn't yet announced whether she'll jump into the fast-changing race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

After trailing Obama by more than 20 percentage points in polls all year, the new national survey, taken Sept. 13-14, found Palin trailing the president by just 5 points, 49-44 percent. The key reason: She now leads Obama among independents, a sharp turnaround.

If it's true that any Republican nominated would defeat Obama, why on earth should the Tea Party or conservatives settle for a moderate like Romney or Perry. Let's face it. As it stands right now, one of those two is probably who we're going to get unless Palin gets in. She's the only potential candidate who can beat either Romney or Perry for the nomination.

On top of that, she's the only one with a quantifiable record of taking on crony capitalism, which is fast becoming a primary issue in 2012.

h/t Drudge

Video: Interview with LightSquared CEO

It's being reported that the Obama administration is mired in three different scandals. The first is Fast and Furious; the second is Solyndra; and the third is this one - LightSquared. Philip Falcone is the CEO of LightSquared, which has been working on acquiring bandwidth for its 4G wireless technology. Last week, it was reported that Air Force General William Shelton said the White House attempted to soften his testimony about allowing LightSquared to move forward. Shelton apparently viewed the technology as a danger to national security because it would encroach upon the GPS bandwidth. Accusations that Falcone and Obama had a cozy business relationship and the implication was that there was some palm-greasing going on.

Falcone appeared on Megyn Kelly's show over at Fox and all but called Shelton a liar. In fact, he almost did and corrected himself. Falcone is quite adamant that this is a scandal that is being manufactured. Frankly, unless General Shelton comes forward with the name of the person or persons who attempted to change his testimony, it should probably end there. After watching, see if you think Falcone put the ball in Shelton's court.

Part 1


Part 2

Did you know the Ground Zero Mosque is Opening this Week?

In the summer of 2010, Americans who objected to the Ground Zero mosque felt good about what they had accomplished. People showed up in great numbers; the ground zero imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf was exposed and actually resigned his post. Everyone went home thinking it was a major victory. It was a victory but it was one that apparently required a bit more follow-up because the Ground Zero mosque is now set to open two weeks after the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

Via Daily Mail:

The first part of Park51, the controversial Lower Manhattan Islamic community centre, is opening on Wednesday with an art exhibition featuring photographs of children.

Just a few blocks away from the site where the Twin Towers once stood, the exhibition marks Park51’s first big public event.

It comprises portraits of children from 169 countries who now live in New York and its opening coincides with the United Nations’ International Day of Peace.

Katerina Lucas, Park51’s chief of staff, said: 'It is a huge step forward. I hope it shows we are about inclusion, not exclusion.'

When plans to build a high-rise Islamic institution were announced last year, critics angrily pointed out that it was insensitive to have the mosque so close to the site attacked by Islamic extremists.

To be fair to citizens who protested, it doesn't help that NYC's mayor, governor, and the US President all support the construction of the mosque, despite the intentions of Rauf being made known through translations of his Arabic into English.

h/t Weasel Zippers

Audio: Very Intriguing Fast and Furious Recordings

CBS' Sharyl Attkisson continues to overturn rocks in Fast and Furious. In particular, she has released a series of secret recordings between Andre Howard, the owner of Lone Wolf Trading Company, one of the gun stores the ATF instructed to sell guns to bad guys, and Hope McAllister, who was a lead case agent for ATF at the time. It's obvious that Howard doesn't think much of Senate Judiciary chairman Pat Leahy; he only seems to think Grassley is only slightly better but the bigger story here is what appears to be an desire on the part of both Howard and McAllister for a coverup.

Via CBS:

WASHINGTON - "Watch your back," the gun dealer warns the ATF Agent in an audio recording obtained by CBS News.

The secretly recorded conversations are between the primary gun dealer cooperating with ATF in its "Fast and Furious" operation, Andre Howard, and lead case ATF agent Hope MacAllister.

Howard owns Lone Wolf Trading Company in Glendale, Arizona.

It would be nice to know who made these recordings. Was it Howard or someone else?



Here are the transcripts from the calls:

EXCERPT 1

Dealer: Question: do your people have any confidence that you can forestall subpoena? Or is it still up in the air?

Agent: No, my understanding is person, the only people that can request a congressional hearing has to be a majority party. Grassley is a Republican.

Dealer: I know.

Agent: And as of right now...

Dealer: In the Senate right.

Agent: Yeh. And as of right now we don't have any interest from anybody in the majority party to the extent that he's shown interest. So even if you wanted to at this point unless he gets CUTS OUT somebody from the majority party to jump on board, he can't...

Dealer: Not on his own no but you know Leahy and rest of 'em these people are snakes, they'll do anything they can...

Agent: My understanding also is that the Attorney General's office is supposed to come out little bit stronger...um...

Dealer: I understand that.

Agent: position...which may or may not, um, you know, help.

Dealer: I'll tell you what I'll give him that, he's got f---ing b---s making that statement. I don't wanna even go there.

EXCERPT 2

Dealer: Until something else happens they're not stupid, Hope, they connect the dots.

Agent: No and you know and all that's fine if Senator Grassley wants to come in and tell us show us how to work these cases more efficiently more effectively by all means.

Dealer: Don't think Grassley, think Leahy.

Agent: Well, him too. I... I welcome him to come down and work...

Dealer: He's an arrogant b-----d

Agent: So is Grassley though

Dealer: Chuck probably and I don't know a thing about him other than from somebody else I've heard seems to be just somebody who's hitching his wagon to any star to.. for his own aggrandizement.

Agent: Yeh

Dealer: You know that. He's an arrogant

Agent: Yeh

Dealer: individual. Look he's a United States senator there it is right there.

EXCERPT 3

Agent: That's kind of what my suggestion but nobody thought that was funny like if I were a P.I. I'd put him on Grassley, I'm sure there's a lot would go away. Actually my one suggestion was just tell him in a registered Republican. I'm sure if he knew that everything would be fine, they didn't like that either.

Dealer: Well.

Agent: Alright.

Dealer: You gotta be, watch your back. I don't trust these people around you one bit. You've been very lucky so far.

Agent: Again I'll be more than happy to talk to somebody, they won't let me, but more than happy to talk to anybody about the decisions we made.

Dealer: Hope, stay off the screen. You don' t need this sh--. Neither does your husband.

Agent: Believe me I have...

Dealer: You gotta have a f-----g life man.

Agent: I have a file and...

Dealer: shhh

Agent: It's all, it's all public stuff I dont' care.

Dealer: Well don't even convey it in that. I'm sure you do. Hopefully this thing will subside...

Agent: You keep saying that but ?

Dealer: I know.

Dealer: You and I both know how bad it's gonna get I won't bull---t you you don't bull---t me

Agent: Ha ha.

Dealer: my a-- is up here and yours is here here but you're covered I'm out in the open

Agent: Ha ha.

Dealer: God.

These conversations reportedly took place in March, 2011 which would have been after ATF Agent John Dodson blew the whistle. To this point, we've been led to believe that Howard and his gun store colleagues had objected to directives issued to them by the ATF agents to sell guns to bad guys. If that's true, why would Howard be ostensibly wishing for a coverup, as these recordings indicate? Again, knowing who made these recordings would help to clarify that.

Here is an earlier story from Attkisson that includes the first round of recordings she released.

h/t Sipsey Street

Video: Either Obama was Lying or he Believes we're not in a Recession

It wasn't that long ago that the debate over the debt ceiling was the top headline. Remember how everyone settled on deficit reduction numbers over the next ten years? The Tea Party didn't want to go along with it but enough House members caved to get it done. Barack Obama's new plan almost perfectly illustrates the problem. He wants to reduce increases in deficit spending (note, he doesn't want to reduce spending, just increases in additional spending) by raising taxes to the tune of $1.5 trillion. There is a very basic economic tenet which says you don't raise taxes in a recession. As recently as August of 2009, Barack Obama himself espoused this principle.

Via Breitbart:



Ok, so for Obama to want to raise taxes, he must believe we are not in a recession, right?

Via the AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama's proposal to reduce long-term deficits with $1.5 trillion in new taxes is less an opening bid in a negotiation than it is an opening salvo in a struggle to draw sharp contrasts with congressional Republicans.

Obama's proposal is aimed predominantly at the wealthy and comes just days after House Speaker John Boehner ruled out tax increases to lower deficits. It also comes amid a clamor in his own Democratic Party for Obama to take a tougher stance against Republicans. And while the plan stands little chance of passing Congress, its populist pitch is one that the White House believes the public can support.

The core of the president's plan totals just more than $2 trillion in deficit reduction over 10 years. It combines the new taxes with $580 billion in cuts to mandatory benefit programs, including $248 billion from Medicare.

So, which is it, Mr. Obama?

Were you lying in 2009 (that's a shocker) or do you believe we're not in a recession now? If it's the latter, don't tell the Congressional Black Caucus. They're already mad at you for the high unemployment among the black community. Say, doesn't that mean we're in a recession?

More Here.

Congressional Black Caucus Admits to being Racist (sort of)

Forget for a moment that more than 70% of all Congressional Black Caucus members are also registered with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) caucus, which means lying is permitted. When CBC chairman Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) - the same guy who lied about being spat on by a Tea Party member - said that if Bill Clinton was the president presiding over such high unemployment among the black community, blacks would be marching on the White House. We are left only to conclude that Cleaver is being racist.

Via Miami Herald:

WASHINGTON — As the debate over jobs turns into the latest political tug-of-war, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri walks a careful but candid line.
As chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, he has been at odds with President Barack Obama over his administration's response to the soaring unemployment rate in the African-American community.

Nearing 17 percent, joblessness among blacks is at a three-decade high and almost twice the size of the overall unemployment rate. The black caucus wants the president to do more.

But the group's efforts are freighted with political sensitivities, given Obama's unique role as the first African-American occupant of the White House and the sometimes untethered animosity that his election has triggered.

"If (former President) Bill Clinton had been in the White House and had failed to address this problem, we probably would be marching on the White House," Cleaver said. "There is a less-volatile reaction in the CBC because nobody wants to do anything that would empower the people who hate the president."

Hey, uh, Emanuel, far be it from me to defend Bill Clinton (I can't stand the thought of it) but the fact is that a 17 percent unemployment rate among blacks DIDN'T exist during the Clinton years and it does now.

The fact is that the black community is suffering more than it has in decades while a president who happens to be black is presiding over that misery. Yet, Emanuel Cleaver and the near 3/4 majority of his caucus who are also registered with a socialist caucus would rather default to inaction because of..... dare I say it?..... RACISM.

h/t Hot Air

Turkey and Egypt Linking up?

Turkey has almost been flying under the radar when it comes to its role in the Middle East. An Islamist government took power there nearly ten years ago and for all intents and purposes, has taken control of the military. It's not a secular ally of the west anymore and hasn't been for some time. Yet, it's potentially the most dangerous nation in the Islamic world right now. It's at least running neck and neck with Iran. This report that Turkey is now seeking an alliance with the post-Mubarak Egypt only further validates these claims.

Via New York Times:

ANKARA, Turkey — A newly assertive Turkey offered on Sunday a vision of a starkly realigned Middle East, where the country’s former allies in Syria and Israel fall into deeper isolation, and a burgeoning alliance with Egypt underpins a new order in a region roiled by revolt and revolution.

The portrait was described by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu of Turkey in an hourlong interview before he was to leave for the United Nations, where a contentious debate was expected this week over a Palestinian bid for recognition as a state. Viewed by many as the architect of a foreign policy that has made Turkey one of the most relevant players in the Muslim world, Mr. Davutoglu pointed to that issue and others to describe a region in the midst of a transformation. Turkey, he said, was “right at the center of everything.”

He declared that Israel was solely responsible for the near collapse in relations with Turkey, once an ally, and he accused Syria’s president of lying to him after Turkish officials offered the government there a “last chance” to salvage power by halting its brutal crackdown on dissent.

Strikingly, he predicted a partnership between Turkey and Egypt, two of the region’s militarily strongest and most populous and influential countries, which he said could create a new axis of power at a time when American influence in the Middle East seems to be diminishing.

“This is what we want,” Mr. Davutoglu said.

There is another point of view being vindicated as we watch these events unfold and it says that the Muslim Brotherhood, formed in Egypt, was created to reinstated the Turkish Ottoman Empire. This development is a clear step in that direction. The next step will be for Turkey to basically annex Egypt, which is the process of being controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood. Ditto for Libya and Tunisia, other countries we are sure to see Turkey establish relations with, in much the same way it's doing with Egypt.

One man who has been loudly and boldly predicting all this for years now was a Muslim Brotherhood activist himself. Despite media attempts to smear him, Walid Shoebat has been right on target to this point.

h/t Drudge