Friday, May 17, 2013

The IRS Scandal 'Fall Guys'

 
Treasury Department’s Inspector General Russell George for Tax Administration and ousted IRS chief Steven Miller.


Today we will have another Capitol Hill Mid-May Washington Grilling, with nothing in mind but to look as if something is being done to address the violation of ethics that the Internal Revenue Service committed against American tax payers. As usual this is just a case of going through the motions, especially when 'patsies' or fall guys are questioned about policies and measures that were instituted by people above their pay grades.
 These two guys (Miller and Russell) are just sacrificial lambs.
By the way, the violations of our Constitutional Republican form of government (we have seen recently) are typical of Banana Republics, Dictatorships, and Communist Regimes.  

Speaking of Banana Republics:

Day-o, dayyyyyy-aaaayyoooo
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Day, me say day, me say day, me say day
Me say day, me say day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
.
Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana
Daylight come and me wan' go home

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Arsenio

Gen X and Late Baby Boomers Face Bleak Retirements



By PHILIP MOELLER

May 17, 2013 RSS Feed Print




Unless Gen Xers and late baby boomers are able to make big changes in their savings, spending and debt habits, they are on track to become the nation's first generations to fare more poorly than earlier groups of retirees, according to a new study from the nonprofit Pew Charitable Trusts. At the same time, early baby boomers who have already reached traditional retirement age are in relatively good shape for their later years.

Pew looked at five groups of Americans and measured each group's financial losses from 2007 to 2010.

Depression babies – born between 1926 and 1935 and now 78 to 87 years old; median net worth was $207,500 in 2010 and had not changed from 2007.

War babies – born between 1936 and 1945 and now 68 to 77 years old; median net worth in 2010 of $212,300, down about $53,500 or 20 percent from 2007.

Early baby boomers – born between 1946 and 1955 and now 58 to 67 years old; median net worth in 2010 of $173,480, down about $67,850 or 28 percent from 2007.

[Read: What Are Your Real Retirement Costs?]

Late baby boomers – born between 1956 and 1965 and now 48 to 57 years old; median net worth in 2010 of $110,870, down $36,800 or 25 percent from 2007.

Gen Xers – born between 1966 and 1975 and now 38 to 47 years old; median net worth in 2010 of only $41,600, down nearly $33,500 or 45 percent from 2007.

Pew's study measured how all groups' total assets – investments, home equity and other holdings – fared in the 20 years leading up to the recession and from 2007 to 2010.

Pew found that Gen Xers were in poor financial shape entering the recession and had suffered the largest hit to their net worth as of 2010. "Gen Xers lost nearly half (45 percent) of their wealth, an average of about $33,000, reducing their already low levels," according to the Pew report.

At the same time, Gen Xers have taken on more debt than older generations. They had a median debt of $80,000 in 2010, which was more than $20,000 higher than the debt of the next highest group. Depression babies had virtually no debt as of 2010, and war babies had only about $10,000. Early boomers had less than $40,000 in median debt and late boomers about $60,000.

[Read: What Gen X Doesn't Know About Social Security.]

Based on a detailed snapshot of personal finances as of 2010, Pew projected each age group's retirement income when members of the group were between 60 and 65 years old – at or near retirement age. It did so by determining each group's retirement income as a percentage of its preretirement income. This ratio – known as the replacement rate – was only 51 percent for Gen Xer single women and couples and 58 percent for single men.

It was 84 percent for early boomer couples (83 percent for single men and 69 percent for single women) and 60 percent for late boomer couples (60 percent for single men and 64 percent for single women). A replacement rate of 80 percent is widely used as the threshold for financial sufficiency in retirement, and many advisers recommend higher rates as a goal.

While Gen Xers have fared poorly, the Pew analysis concluded that early boomers have emerged from the recession with their retirements largely intact. "Early boomers' wealth, financial net worth and home equity . . . put them ahead of where Depression and war babies were at the same ages, and their replacement rates suggest that, even after the recession, they are well prepared for retirement," the study concluded.

[See: 50 Smart Money Moves]

"The evidence strongly suggests that early boomers may be the last generation on track to exceed the wealth of the cohorts that came before them and to enjoy a secure retirement," Pew added. "As policymakers focus attention on Americans' retirement security, particular consideration should be paid to helping the youngest cohorts change course and prepare for financial security over the long term."

The Pew study did not include data from after 2010, and officials acknowledged that gains have occurred between 2010 and 2013. But they noted the impact would be felt unevenly within and across age groups, depending on a person's debt level, the extent of his or her participation in the stock market and whether a person owned his or her home.

Source

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5.1-magnitude earthquake felt in eastern Ontario; no damage reported




Published May 17, 2013

Associated Press


TORONTO – Earthquakes Canada is reporting a 5.1-magnitude earthquake just west of Ottawa that was felt as far away as Toronto.

The federal agency that monitors earthquakes revised its original report, saying it registered a 5.1-magnitude temblor with an epicenter located about 21 kilometers (13 miles) northeast of Shawville, Quebec, about an hour's drive outside Ottawa.

It was felt as far west as Toronto, Canada's largest city, but no damage was immediately reported.

Twitter erupted with reports of buildings shaking in Ottawa for several seconds. Ontario's premier, who lives in Toronto, tweeted that her house was shaking.

Ontario Provincial Police in Arnprior, Ontario, not far from the epicenter, say they have received no reports of damage.

The original report said a 4.8-magnitude quake was centered near the town of Braeside, Ontario.



Source
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7 Caught Trespassing At Quabbin Reservoir; Patrols Stepped Up Across State



May 14, 2013 9:55 PM





BELCHERTOWN (CBS) – Shortly after midnight Tuesday, seven people were caught trespassing at the Quabbin Reservoir.

State Police say the five men and two women are from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore, and “cited their education and career interests” for being in the area. The men told police they were chemical engineers and recent college graduates.

Update: No Connection To Criminal Groups


The Quabbin, in Belchertown, is one of the country’s largest man-made public water supplies. Boston’s drinking water comes from the Quabbin and the Wachusett Reservoirs.

State Police say there were no warrants or advisories on any of the individuals and “there was no evidence that the seven were committing any crime beyond the trespassing.”

Related: MWRA: Quabbin Reservoir Water Safe

All seven were allowed to leave and will be summonsed to court for trespassing. The FBI is investigating and routine checks of public water supplies have been increased following the incident.

The seven individuals currently live in Amherst, Cambridge, Sunderland, Northampton and New York City. Police have not released their names because a court date has not been set.



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Study the Book of Revelation - Part 1 - Jan Marcussen





MrBotschafter7

Published on Jan 14, 2013

Interesting sermons from Jan Marcussen about the book of Revelation, he wrote the book the National Sunday law:http://www.sundaylaw.net/books/nsl/en...

Please watch all the interesting video`s, on this website you can watch too: http://www.atradio.net/videos.html the book of Revelation is the love message from Jesus to us, Jesus want we study the, He want that we know what is happen in the future!

Be blessed, Jesus loves you!

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The Cult of the Black Virgin



......

The Cult of the Black Virgin Ean Begg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2006

There are many icons of Mary that show black faces and hands. In France, these are called Vierge Noires—Black Virgins. Elsewhere, may be called Black Madonnas or the "other Mary." Jung called her Isis, while others claim she is the symbolic remains of a prehistoric worship of the Earth Mother. She is generally connected with Cybele, Diana, Isis, and Venus, as well as with Kali, Inanna, and Lilith. Historically she is connected with the Crusades, the Islamic occupation of Spain, the Conquistadors, as well as the Merovingians and Knights Templars, who viewed her as Mary Magdalene.

Why are more than five hundred of the world’s Madonna images black or dark? Why is so little known about them? Black Virgins—a resurfacing of the powerful pagan goddesses of sexuality, the underworld, and earth wisdom—they are symbols of power and majesty, the other side of the traditional Madonna’s virginity or tender maternity. They personify the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant in a quest for lost feminine wisdom and the search for soul.

Ean Begg's fascinating book investigates the pagan origins of the phenomenon as well as the heretical Gnostic-Christian underground stream that flowed west with the cult of Mary Magdalene and resurfaced in Catharism at the time of the Crusades, especially with the Templars.


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Now You Can Send Money Via Email With Google Wallet



MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANIES 2013


ARE YOU A U.S RESIDENT OVER 18 WITH A GMAIL ACCOUNT? YOU ARE? WELL, THIS ONE'S FOR YOU.


BY: ADDY DUGDALE



Google has just introduced a nifty little service to U.S. residents who are over 18 and who use Gmail. Its Google Wallet service can now be used within an email to send people money--provided your bank account is hooked up to Wallet.

All you have to do is click on the $ button above the content box, type in the amount you want to send, and presto! Instant bucks to your friends. The email service only works on the desktop version of Gmail, so mobile users will have to make do with using Google Wallet in its traditional way.

Google's I/O conference is currently underway, and here are just some of the innovations that it rolled out yesterday.


May 16, 2013 | 6:01 AM



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Tornado Count Rises to 16 in Texas

Tornado Central


Published: May 16, 2013, 9:51 PM EDT weather.com





Lightning strikes from a storm illuminate a home damaged by a tornado on Hyde Park Lane at Country Club Rd. in Cleburne, May 15, 2013. (The Dallas Morning News, Tom Fox)



The number of tornadoes confirmed in North Texas Wednesday night has now increased to 16, including an EF4 twister that claimed six lives in the town of Granbury.

Several survey teams documented the damage Thursday. The NWS released new details on the strength and location of the tornadoes.
Granbury, Texas: EF4; wind speeds as high as 200 mph
Cleburne, Texas: EF3
Millsap, Texas: EF1
Pecan Plantation, Texas: EF1
near Lake Amon G. Carter, Montague Co., Texas: EF1
Ennis, Texas: EF1
east southeast of Cleburne, Texas: EF0

The NWS confirmed additional tornadoes in Montague, Wise, Mills and Hamilton counties, but investigators are still collecting data and will return those findings over the next few days.


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Thursday, May 16, 2013

Second IRS official resigns after scandal


Aamer Madhani and Gregory Korte, USA TODAY11:22 a.m. EDT May 16, 2013



(Photo: James J. Lee Military Times)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller offered his resignation Wednesday
Agency officials had targeted Tea Party groups for extra scrutiny
President called the misconduct "inexcusable"




WASHINGTON — President Obama said on Thursday that he was naming a trusted White House budget official to serve as his new acting IRS commissioner, while a second top IRS official announced he was stepping down from the agency in the aftermath of revelations that the agency had targeted conservative groups for extra scrutiny.

Joseph Grant, commissioner of the agency's tax exempt and government entities division, will retire on June 3, according to an IRS statement. Grant joined the IRS in August 2005 and became the deputy commissioner of the tax exempt division in 2007.

Meanwhile, Obama announced that the controller of the White House Office of Management and Budget, Daniel Werfel, will move into the job of acting IRS commissioner next week, replacing Steven Miller.

"Throughout his career working in both Democratic and Republican administrations, Danny has proven an effective leader who serves with professionalism, integrity and skill," Obama said in a statement. "The American people deserve to have the utmost confidence and trust in their government, and as we work to get to the bottom of what happened and restore confidence in the IRS, Danny has the experience and management ability necessary to lead the agency at this important time."

Obama said on Wednesday that he'd accepted the resignation of Miller in the aftermath of revelations that agency officials were putting extra scrutiny on Tea Party groups' applications for tax-exempt status.

Werfel, 42, will start the job on Wednesday and has agreed to serve in the position through September.

Werfel, who is known around the White House as Danny, will lead the IRS efforts to restore its reputation that has taken a beaten since it was made public that the organization was targeting conservative groups.

He has served in a number of other positions at OMB, including deputy controller, chief of financial integrity and as a policy analyst. He also served during the George W. Bush administration as a member of the Federal Accounting and Standards Advisory Board.

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, who has known Werfel for more than 15 years, said Werfel has the makeup to help the agency get through a difficult period.

"He is an immensely talented and dedicated public servant who has ably served presidents of both parties. Danny has a strong record of raising his hand for -- and excelling at -- tough management assignments," Lew said in a statement.


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Conservative Hispanic Groups Targeted In IRS Scandal



By Andrew O'Reilly

Published May 16, 2013

Fox News Latino



The Internal Revenue Service scandal involving the apparently unjustified targeting of Tea Party and other conservative groups has also hit home with the Hispanic community.

George Rodriguez, former president of the San Antonio Tea Party, said that when the organization applied for non-profit status, leaders were intimidated by IRS workers with excessive paperwork and meddling questions.

“They asked us all sorts of things that were out of the norm,” Rodriguez, now head of the conservative South Texas Alliance, told Fox News Latino. “We knew these questions were not the norm and we had our suspicions about them.”

SUMMARY

The complaint from the San Antonio group is just one of many nationwide leveled against the federal agency, which surfaced last Friday when Lois G. Lerner director of the IRS’s exempt-organizations division, let slip that low-level IRS staffers had given extra scrutiny to conservative groups with words such as “tea party” or “patriot” in their names.

The public slip started a furor among conservative groups and pundits and forced U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to announce that the Justice Department would open a criminal investigation into the matter.

Rodriguez said the group received a questionnaire from the IRS with “well over 50 questions,” including inquiries into who the group met with, where they held their meetings, who was in attendance and what the subject of their internal emails were.

“They should have been worried about the numbers, not who we were meeting with,” he added. “It was flat-out dirty politics.”

The complaint from the San Antonio group is one of many nationwide leveled against the embattled federal agency, in the escalating case that surfaced last week when Lois G. Lerner, director of the IRS’ exempt-organizations division, let slip that low-level IRS staffers had given extra scrutiny to conservative groups with words such as “tea party” or “patriot” in their names.

Republicans have pressed the Obama administration for heads to roll. On Wednesday, Obama asked for and received the resignation of the agency's acting commissioner, Steve Miller.

The scandal sparked a furor among conservative groups and pundits, forcing U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to announce that the Justice Department would open a criminal investigation into the matter.

Holder followed the announcement by adding Wednesday that the FBI’s criminal investigation could include charges of civil rights violations, false statements and potential violations of the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in some partisan political activities.

“I can assure you and the American people that we will take a dispassionate view of this,” Holder said. “This will not be about parties, this will not be about ideological persuasions. Anybody who has broken the law will be held accountable.”

The revelations also spurred calls for investigations into the practices of the administration of President Barack Obama and allegations of a potential cover-up operation.

“It’s an abuse of power and it smells of Watergate,” said Bob Quasius, the president of the conservative Latino group Café con Leche, referring to the political scandal that led to the impeachment of President Richard Nixon.


“I think it goes to the top levels of his administration,” Quasius added. “If it doesn’t directly connect to him it at least connects to someone close to him.”

So far, however, there has been no evidence directly linking the Obama administration to the IRS mess-up. For its part, the administration has tried to portray the scandal as something done independently of the federal government in Washington by the IRS field office in Cincinnati.

The federal government enacted strict measures following the Watergate scandal to keep the executive branch of government away from the IRS, making it very difficult for the president to interfere in the agency’s affairs.

Of the 296 applications for nonprofit status the inspector general reviewed, the San Antonio Tea Party was one of the 108 that were approved. Of the others, 28 were withdrawn by the applicants and 160 were still open.

Despite the approval of the group’s application, which Rodriguez said required the help of the American Center for Law and Justice, he still believes that the hoops it had to jump through were indicative of the “shenanigans” that were going on in the IRS.

“We understand we need to show we’re a nonprofit,” Rodriguez said. “But these questions were way beyond what the norm is and were way out of line.”


Source
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Franklin Graham: IRS targeted us, too




Graham said the IRS story threatens to engulf all manner of non-profits. | AP PhotoClose
By REID J. EPSTEIN | 5/14/13 5:08 PM EDT


The IRS came after Billy Graham, too, his son charged Tuesday in a letter to President Barack Obama.

Franklin Graham, the president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the family’s international humanitarian organization Samaritan’s Purse, said that the IRS notified the organizations in September that it was conducting a “review” of their activities for tax year 2010.  Continue Reading



Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/franklin-graham-irs-targeting-91362.html#ixzz2TTwNqUeP
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German Homeschool Family Loses Asylum Case; Home School Legal Defense Association Will Appeal



(Photo: Home School Legal Defense Association)
Uwe and Hannelore Romeike (middle) and their six children, with Michael Farris (L) and the rest of the HSLDA legal team (back), at a hearing for Romeike vs. Holder at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Cincinnati, Ohio, April, 23, 2013.


By Napp Nazworth , Christian Post Reporter

May 14, 2013|6:51 pm


A U.S. appeals court sided with the U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday and denied asylum for the Romeikes. They fled from Germany after they were threatened with the possibility of losing custody of their children when they decided to homeschool and refused to send their children to the German public schools.

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the Justice Department, in Romeike vs. Holder, that the freedom to homeschool one's children is not among the fundamental rights protected for asylum seekers. The Home School Legal Defense Association, which represented the Romeikes in the case, said it will appeal the decision.

"We believe the Sixth Circuit is wrong, and we will appeal their decision," said Michael Farris, HSLDA founder and chairman. "America has room for this family, and we will do everything we can to help them."

According to an HSLDA press release, the court recognized parents have the right to direct the education of their children under the U.S. Constitution, but also noted that asylum is not granted to every victim of unfair treatment.

"There is a difference between the persecution of a discrete group and the prosecution of those who violate a generally applicable law. As the Board of Immigration Appeals permissibly found, the German authorities have not singled out the Romeikes in particular or homeschoolers in general for persecution. As a result, we must deny the Romeikes' petition for review and, with it, their applications for asylum," Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton wrote in the opinion for the court.

Mike Donnelly, HSLDA director of international affairs, contended that Germany is in fact persecuting homeschoolers. "The court ignored mountains of evidence that homeschoolers are harshly fined and that custody of their children is gravely threatened – something most people would call persecution. This is what the Romeikes will suffer if they are sent back to Germany," he stressed.

HSLDA also began a White House petition asking the administration to grant asylum for the Romeikes. In mid-April, the petition surpassed the 100,000 signatures needed for the White House to provide an official response. The White House has yet to provide that response.

The Romeikes – Uwe, Hannelore and their six children – chose to homeschool because they believed that the German public schools were teaching their children values that contradicted their evangelical Christian beliefs. They fled to the United States in 2008 after HSLDA helped them leave Germany.

They were first granted asylum by a U.S. District Court in 2010. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement appealed that decision in 2012 and was supported by the Board of Immigration Appeals. The case then went to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Justice Department defended the Board of Immigration Appeals ruling, arguing, in part, that homeschooling is not a fundamental right.

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How will they preach unless they are sent?


How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Romans 10:14,15.

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Satan's Assault on the Christian - Ivan Plummer



Satans Assault on the Christian - Part 1 - Ivan Plummer



Michael Walston

Published on Jul 13, 2011


2010 Campmeeting



Satans Assualt on the Christian - Part 2 - Ivan Plummer



Satans Assualt of the Christian - Part 3 - Ivan Plummer.

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Satan Prince Of This World




SATAN, PRINCE OF THIS WORLD


By
William Guy Carr, R.D.
Commander R.C.N. (R)


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Table of Contents



PREFACE...........................................................................................................................4


PUBLISHER’S POSTSCRIPT.............................................................................................5


NOTE FROM THREEWORLDWARS WEBMASTER........................................................5


FOREWORD..........................................................................................................................6


THE DEVIL, THE WORLD AND THE FLESH.........................................................................8


HOW THE W.R.M. WAS TRANSFERRED TO EARTH...........................................................17


LUCIFERIANISM.......................................................................................................................24


THE LUCIFERIAN DOCTRINE.....................................................................................................32


SATANISM BEFORE AND AFTER THE ADVENT OF CHRIST.................................................36


SECRET SOCIETIES AND SUBMERSIVE MOVEMENTS...........................................................42


ADAM WEISHAUPT.....................................................................................................................50


HOW THE SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN WORKS IN HIGH PLACES............................................55


HOW THE SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN CONTROLS THE CHANNELS OF PUBLIC INFORMATION................................. 58


PROOF OF THE CONSPIRACY........................................................................................................61


GENERAL ALBERT PIKE AND THE CONSPIRACY......................................................................65


THE PROTOCOLS OF THE SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN ...............................................................73


HOW THE CONSPIRACY WAS DEVELOPED IN AMERICA.........................................................80


THE LAST CHAPTER OF A BOOK AND ALSO OF A LIFE............................................................86


APPENDIX A – THE SECRET COVENANT AGAINST HUMANITY ............................................88


APPENDIX B – BACK COVER.........................................................................................................92




PREFACE

When the author of this book, Commander W.J.G. Carr died on October 2, 1959, he left this book in manuscript form along with many scribbled notes, reference books, half formulated thoughts, etc. His last wish was that the book be finished and published in order that all men might know of the plot which exists to wipe out every trace of decency in the world and all civilizations as we know them now.

Such a task is manifestly beyond ordinary means. I, his oldest son, have been asked to try and edit, revise and correct the manuscript as best possible before publication. This I have done to the best of my limited ability. I have not added anything to the original draft or changed anything except where requested to do so in marginal notes in my father’s own handwriting.

I found the work frustrating because it was far beyond the scope of my ability. At the same time, I found it extremely interesting and rewarding as I tried to sort out the thoughts and ideas of a man who died almost seven years ago.

At some points in the manuscript I found notes such as: “Check the accuracy of such and such a point” or “dig out more information on such and such a person”. On each occasion, I deleted the point queried completely, for it was always my father’s strong belief that nothing should ever be written until completely proved out in the light of existing knowledge. Since I do not have the necessary sense of values to decide what information should or should not be used in such cases, I felt safest by leaving the information out completely.

The fact that there are only thirteen chapters in this book will annoy some people and frustrate others: I think all who read it will be left in a state of restlessness. “The Unfinished Symphony” has never been completed and this book will not be completed either, except as each reader finishes it for himself in the future by personal experience as the story unfolds.

Many of you will scoff at the statements made in this book; many will toss it aside as the ravings of a madman; some will be unable to finish the book because it will arouse anxieties and fears that cannot be faced. But many others, and I hope that they will be in the majority, will find in this work the answers to some of the most perplexing of the problems that have faced men since the beginning of time and provide material for pondering possible solutions to the future.

It is up to this latter group principally, but to all men of goodwill generally, regardless of color, race or creed, that this work is respectfully dedicated in my father’s name. With the dedication goes my earnest hope and prayer that each one of you will strive, each in his own way, to avert the catastrophe that is surely to come upon us if the Devil’s plots are not thwarted soon.

For those of you who do read further, please try to remember that this is an uncompleted work and that if there appears to be a gap or lack of continuity at some points, it is only because this book was published from little better than a rough draft of what undoubtedly would have been a polished literary effort had Cmdr. Carr lived a few more months to finish it himself.

Please accept my apologies for my obvious lack in preparing this work completely and I hope that in spite of its shortcomings, it will be a rich source of material for your future thought. Even more, that it will be the inspiration for future good work to continue the author’s efforts to: “Tell the truth and shame the Devil”. If we all work together, perhaps with the help of our Creator, we shall be able to make the world just a little more like God intended that it should be.


Sincerely and fraternally yours,
 Signed


 W.J. Carr, Jr.
 Lima, Peru
 June 2, 1966



Brought to you by www.ThreeWorldWars.com


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Mile-wide tornado reportedly rips through North Texas, killing at least 6 and leaving hundreds homeless


Published May 16, 2013


FoxNews.com




http://video.foxnews.com/v/2385763524001/tornadoes-leave-6-dead-14-missing-in-texas/



Authorities searched for survivors Thursday after a powerful storm system that spawned multiple tornadoes tore through two North Texas neighborhoods, killing at least six and leaving about 250 homeless.

As of daybreak, 14 people were missing in the town of Granbury, which is just outside Fort Worth. It was not clear if they were missing or were away from the area for other reasons.



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2013/05/16/multiple-fatalities-reported-after-tornado-rips-through-north-texas-town/#ixzz2TSQey0mc

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Still Eat Conventional Meat or Poultry? Preservatives, Antimicrobials, Antifungals, and Viral Sprays Saturate Factory Farmed Sources

May 15, 2013 by NATASHA LONGO



70 percent of all beef and chicken sold in the United States, Canada, UK and Australia and many other countries contain a growing number of preservatives, meat glues, and antibacterial/antifungal/antiviral sprays. They also are commonly treated with carbon monoxide gas injections to make meat appear more fresh than it actually is.



Synthetic preservatives are added to 70 percent of all factory farmed meat and poultry to prevent spoilage, rancidity and mould growth.

Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Proprionate and Benzoic Acid

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has amended regulations that once banned the use of sodium benzoate, sodium propionate and benzoic acid in meat and poultry products, the Food and Drug Administration has announced.

In combination with ascorbic acid (vitamin C, E300), sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate form benzene, form known carcinogens. If a individual happens to consume any of these toxins after consuming ascorbic acid, a carcinogenic process may initiate.

The three preservatives had been on the list of prohibited antimicrobial substances the FSIS considered to have the potential to conceal damage or inferiority in meat and poultry.

The change follows a petition by Kraft Foods Global Inc., which wants to use the substances to help inhibit the growth of bacteria.

After consideration, the FSIS said it has "determined that sodium benzoate, sodium propionate and benzoic acid, under the conditions proposed in the petitions, are both safe and suitable for use as antimicrobial agents in certain RTE (Ready-to-Eat) meat and poultry products."

Nitrites/Nitrates

Nitrites and nitrates are also added to meat products during processing toinhibit the growth of bacteria and enhance color. Nitrites may be added directly to the meat product, but more frequently nitrates are added.Nitrites are used in pork, beef and poultry products to enhance colour. For example, nitrates are added to ham and bacon, giving them their characteristic pink colour. Some countries even permit the use of nitrites in fish products.

When nitrites combine with certain amino acids, N-nitroso compounds or nitrosamines are formed and these have been shown to be carcinogenic (cancer-causing). Our primary source of exposure to nitrates and nitrites is through the food we consume, however exposure to these compounds can also occur through drinking water.

Sulphites

They are used widely as preservatives in food to maintain food colour and prolong shelf-life. Sulphites can also be used in some pharmaceutical medications as a way of maintaining their potency.

Sulphites can trigger asthma or an anaphylactic-type reactions. Certain individuals, particularly those with asthma, may react to sulphites with allergy-like symptoms. It's one reason most pre-packaged foods are required to have an ingredients listing on the presence of sulphites on the label. The pre-packaged food product label will state “may contain” or “may contain traces of” sulphites and sulphite derivatives.

It is important to always read the ingredients’ lists and remember that sulphite derivatives exist and may be listed as:

E 220, E 221, E 222, E 223, E 224, E 225, E 226, E 227, E 228 (European names)
Potassium bisulphite/metabisulphite
Sodium bisulphite/dithionite/metabisulphite/sulphite
Sulfur dioxide
Sulphiting agents
Sulphurous acid

Meat Glue

Produced as Activa by Japan's Ajinomoto Company, it's scientific name is "transglutaminase" and it belongs to the family of clotting enzymes which are eight in number.

Meat glue is thrombin, a coagulation protein which together with the fibrous protein fibrin can be used to develop a "meat glue" enzyme that can be used for sticking together different pieces of meat. It can be made from blood taken from either cows or pigs.

The European Parliament had voted to ban bovine and porcine thrombin. The House said the meat glue has no proven benefit for consumers and might mislead them instead. One year later, all but one of the European Union nations voted in favor of using Thrombian, or Transglutaminase (TG). They now joining other developed nations such as the U.S., Canada, and Australia who approved the product.

This sort of thing has been a boon to the food industry, which can now treat all sorts of proteins like meat or fish as just another material to be processed, but in the hands of molecular gastronomists it's become a way to manipulate food in a way that would have been previously impossible. It's possible, for example, to make tenderloin rolls wrapped in bacon that hold together perfectly without the need for twine or toothpicks.

Viral Sprays

The FDA also approved a virus-cocktail spray that might prevent listeriosis. The spray, called LMP 102, is a mixture of six different special viruses called bacteriophages -- viruses that infect only bacteria, not people, animals or plants.

Bacteriophages, like all viruses, contain protein. These proteins can cause allergic reactions, just like milk proteins cause milk allergies.

The bacteriophages might also get into battle with the friendly bacteria in the digestive system, making it harder for the body to digest food. But that's a risk the FDA already takes by allowing the use of antibiotics on farms.

The FDA currently allows bacteriophages to be used in pesticides, including those sprayed on crops. But this is the first time that the FDA has regulated the use of bacteriophages as a food additive. Other countries actually use bacteriophages in antibiotic drugs.

The idea here is that these six bacteriophages will infect and kill any listeria bacteria that might linger on meats.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, use of this spray will have to be marked on the food just like any other ingredient on the label.

Consumers might soon see the words "bacteriophage preparation" on cold cuts. As always, although the virus spray is intended to make food safer, it does not come without its own risks.

Carbon Monoxide Treatment

Carbon monoxide (often referred to as CO) is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas, one measly oxygen molecule away from the carbon dioxide we all exhale. But that one molecule makes a big difference in that it does very, very bad things to the human body at very, very low concentrations.

CO is toxic because it sticks to hemoglobin, a molecule in blood that usually carries oxygen, even better than oxygen can. When people are exposed to higher levels of CO, the gas takes the place of oxygen in the bloodstream and wreaks havoc. Milder exposures mean headaches, confusion, and tiredness. Higher exposures mean unconsciousness and death, and even those who survive CO poisoning can suffer serious long-term neurological consequences.

Keeping meat at healthy temperatures is very challenging for grocery retailers. The actual surface temperature of displayed fresh meat is often much higher than the thermometer of the display case due to UV radiation from the display case lighting which penetrates the meat packaging and heats the surface just as the sun can cause a sunburn on a cold winter day. Various studies have found that the internal temperature of meat from display cases does exceed 50 degrees Celsius which is more than 10 degrees higher than recommended temperatures.

The meat consequently decomposes very quickly, so the meat industry heavily invested in modified atmospheric packaging which utilizes carbon monoxide gas to extend the shelf life and resist spoilage.

In a carbon monoxide system, with low oxygen, the carbon monoxide will react with the myoglobin and give the meat a bright red colour. The low oxygen mixture artificially limits the growth of spoilage organisms that are commonly caused by increased levels of heat in display cases.

So although carbon monoxide is a gas that can be fatal when inhaled in large quantities, the meat industry insists that it is not harmful to human health when ingested via atmospheric packaging.

This is not true of course since C. perfringens bacteria, the third-most-common cause of food-borne illness, has been proven to grow on what is considered fresh meat right out of the supermarket that is well within the expiry dates on the labels. Marissa Cattoi a lab tech who analyzes meat samples for a health and safety agency says the bacteria are commonly found on fresh grocery meat. "We commonly test for C.perfringens bacteria and about half of the fresh meat products that come in are positive despite them being within the expiry period. 100% of the these cases come from packagers who adopted atmospheric packaging methods such as the use of carbon monoxide gas," she stated.

Most atmospheric packaging will not be labeled. There also many foods that do not have to declare the presence of preservatives, unless the amount of the preservative is naturally occurring in, or added to, the product exceeds a certain concentration.

Natasha Longo has a master's degree in nutrition and is a certified fitness and nutritional counselor. She has consulted on public health policy and procurement in Canada, Australia, Spain, Ireland, England and Germany.

Sources:
courthousenews.com
uoguelph.ca
preventdisease.com
abcnews.go.com


Industry-Wide Use of Meat Glue Sticks Together Scraps of Meat To Sell You Prime Cuts


Reference Sources




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Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Acting Chief of I.R.S. Forced Out Over Tea Party Targeting


BREAKING NEWS Wednesday, May 15, 2013 6:46 PM EDT


President Obama announced Wednesday night that the acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service had been fired, and he pledged that his administration would cooperate with Congressional investigations into the targeting of conservative groups that are building momentum.

Speaking in the White House’s formal East Room, the president said Treasury Secretary Jack Lew had asked for and accepted the resignation of Steven Miller, who was aware of the agency’s efforts to single out conservative groups for special scrutiny in early 2012 as a deputy I.R.S. commissioner.

Mr. Miller is scheduled to testify on Friday before the House Ways and Means Committee in the first of a series of hearings on the I.R.S. targeting scandal.



....


Pope Francis’s Posse


by Barbie Latza Nadeau Apr 15, 2013 4:45 AM EDT


These aren’t yes men. Francis has assembled an advisory team hell-bent on fixing the church. Barbie Latza Nadeau on why some Vatican officials are polishing up their résumés.



On the one-month anniversary of his election, Pope Francis appointed a diverse advisory group from around the world to help him cure all that ails the Catholic Church. But will heads roll, or is this just a game of holy smokes and mirrors?

The group of eight cardinals named by Francis represents all seven continents, sending a blaring message that the focus of the universal church may soon diverge from the myopic views from within the Roman Curia. Among the pope’s new posse is Seán O’Malley from Boston, who was seen as a top contender to become pope himself in the days leading up to the conclave. The group also includes notable representatives of developing nations like Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay.



Among the pope’s advisory group is (from left): Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cardinal Seán O’Malley from Boston, and Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay. (Getty (3))


There are a number of outspoken leaders who have been very vocal about the church’s troubles, including Cardinal George Pell of Australia and Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich and Freising, Germany. There is only one Italian on the list, Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, who is not part of the Roman curial inner circle. “These are not yes men,” a senior Vatican official tells The Daily Beast. “They are all independent thinkers who don’t feel beholden to anyone.”

The geographic makeup of the advisory group will give a voice to some of the largest and most ignored areas of the church’s massive flock. The appointment also hints at tough reforms Francis reportedly has in store, which could even lead to decentralization and will surely lead to tougher stances on everything from the child-sex-abuse scandal to allegations of financial corruption that have dogged the church for decades. The Vatican press office was quick to clarify that it is a group—not a commission, committee, or council. “The group has no legislative power and its main function is to advise the pope,” says Father Thomas Rosica of the Vatican press office. “The group will not in any way interfere in the normal functions of the Roman Curia.”

But their influence could still be substantial. Vatican expert and author John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter says the group’s impact could be dramatic. “Potentially it could be an earthquake if it means the Vatican will now be accountable to the local churches rather than the other way around,” he tells The Daily Beast. “In effect, it could be a way of implementing the call for decentralization of power in the church that goes all the way back to Vatican II.”

Prior to the conclave last month, the College of Cardinals held closed-door congregations to prioritize the biggest problems the church faces from dwindling membership to a series of salacious sex scandals. They listened to hundreds of cardinals address the group and, in doing so, created a character profile of the type of leader the church needed. In one of those meetings, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (before he was elected to become Pope Francis) reportedly scolded his peers that the Roman Curia had become too shortsighted and had been ignoring the larger mission of faith and focus on the poor, in what effectively became a campaign promise, even though Bergoglio did not actively seek the papacy. Still, the formation of this group makes good on that promise, and the unintentional promise for change was likely part of what got him elected.

The group members are already in informal contact with the pope, but they won’t officially meet until early October, when they are expected to come to Rome to discuss everything from the future of the Vatican’s troubled bank to how to effectively deal with the church sex-abuse scandal. But they won’t likely get a peak at the contents of a top-secret red-covered dossier investigation into the VatiLeaks scandal, which was commissioned by Pope Benedict XVI and delivered before his resignation. The dossier remains strictly under lock and key unless and until Francis decides to put any of its contents on the group’s agenda.


By the time the group officially meets, the pope will have likely already shaken up the Curia with new appointments for key roles. Vatican expert Allen believes that the group will also help the pope decide which Vatican departments are redundant, with an eye to streamlining and simplifying the structure of the Holy See itself.

“In terms of who’s vulnerable, the most obvious group that’s had its wings clipped is the secretariat of State. Up to now, that’s been the outfit that made most of the key governance decisions in the name of the pope. Potentially its role could now become a sort of support staff to this body of cardinals,” predicts Allen. “To be honest, there are probably more than just a few Vatican officials right now thinking about polishing their résumés.”


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Gloria and Emilio Estefan Went to Private Mass with Pope Francis


Gloria Estefan asked the new pontiff to pray for human rights in Cuba

Tuesday, May 14, 2013 | Updated 11:09 AM EDT




Courtesy Photo
Gloria and Emilio Estefan with Pope Francis.




Gloria and Emilio Estefan met Pope Francis and attended a private Mass with him during a recent trip to the Vatican, they announced Monday.

The Estefans are very proud that the new pope hails from Latin America, and asked him to pray for human rights in their homeland of Cuba, they said in a statement released by Estefan Enterprises Inc.

Photos were also released of the meeting, which occurred on April 20, a spokeswoman said. Gloria Estefan spoke about the importance of religious freedom in the world today at a TEDx conference sponsored by the Vatican on April 19, and the private Mass was held the next day.

The Grammy Award-winning singer is the first international recording artist to meet the new pope, the statement says.

Gloria Estefan Campaigns to Save Miami Marine Stadium

The pontiff, who was the longtime archbishop of Buenos Aires, is the first Latin American pope.

Music and prayer are very important for the Estefans and have given them strength during difficult times, they said.

"Music is like part of my religion," Gloria Estefan said.

She previously asked Pope John Paul II to pray for human rights in Cuba in 1995.

Stories and Videos on the Election of Pope Francis

Below: Pope Francis with Emilio Estefan (courtesy photo).




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Dr. Richard Ruhling Issues Statement Regarding Possible Megaquake And Martial Law On May 25, 2013


An earthquake of biblical size and timing may initiate the scenes of Revelation on May 25.
The end of freedom with military, "standing where it ought not," suggests the need for Christians to evacuate cities if they see martial law being set up


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


PRLog (Press Release) - May 12, 2013 - WILMINGTON, N.C. -- "An apocalyptic earthquake may initiate martial law and the end of freedom as we've known it," says Dr. Richard Ruhling, author and speaker on current events and Bible prophecy, citing the following five sources of information in the order of their helpfulness.

1. Government agencies. The science of seismology is not well-developed. Predictability by the US Dept of Interior and their geoglogic offices is not significant.

FEMA is more helpful with www.Ready.gov --Be Informed; Have a Plan; Make a Calamity Kit. You haven't done it? Now's a good time. FEMA bought 140 million meals for their May, 2012 drill on the New Madrid Fault. It may be overdue for a big one, and maybe FEMA knows something we don't. There seems to be a connection between calamities and government drills

A. Oklahoma City Murrah Bldg had the records of the Branch Davidians who burned alive in Waco, TX. The evidence was blown up on the 2nd anniversary, 1995. The BATF had a drill the day before Timothy McVeigh activated a fertilizer bomb out front. Patriots examining the scene found explosives attached to supporting columns that failed to go off, or the whole building would have come down.

B. World Trade Center, NORAD drill on September 10, 2001

C. Haiti's Earthquake, SOUTHCOM drill then.

D. Sandy Hook Drill CT Dept of Emergency Services & Public Protection with FEMA

E. Boston Marathon

2. Patriot sources. Alex Jones urged his listeners on July 25, 2001 to call the White House to cancel plans for a "false flag" terrorist event. 9-11 and other events have given Jones credibility, but he doesn't seem to know the nature and timing of the next event.

3. Nostradamus. The occult sources of information are forbidden in Scripture but one researcher cited Nostradamus: "A horrible destruction. Blood, thirst, famine, when the Comet shall run. [Two comets this year]...The great earthquake shall be in the month of May. Saturn, Capricorn, Jupiter, Mercury in Taurus, Venus, Also Cancer, Mars in Zero.” The astrology of planets led the researcher to May 8; not exactly.

4. Ellen White. Seventh-day Adventist founder and visionary saw church leaders in apostasy and risking judgments that would come in end-times. Visiting New York City, in vision she saw tall buildings "warranted to be fire-proof...These buildings were consumed as if made of pitch. The fire engines could do nothing to stay the blaze." Oddly, her description of 9/11 was published in Vol 9, pg 11-13 of Testimonies for the Church in 1909.

Earthquake. Visiting the medical school in Loma Linda, California that she founded, Ellen White had a vision of an earthquake: "Many lives were blotted out...It seemed that...Judgment day had come." She cited Zephaniah 1:8 for future punishment by God "in the day of the Lord's sacrifice" (Passover). ibid, pgs 92-95.

Reminiscent of her 9-11 vision published in Vol 9, pgs 11-13, the Seventh-day Adventist Sabbath Lesson for May 25 is titled "The Day of the Lord" and it focuses on Zephaniah's "Day of Doom,"-- the same passages that Ellen White cited in her earthquake vision at Loma Linda. But the earthquake may affect much more than Loma Linda.

5. The Bible shines as a basis of integrating all the above information as follows:

Bible imagery supports May 25 for possible judgment, "as in the days of Noah" when the Flood had Passover timing, but in the 2nd spring month. This year it's May 25. Maybe it's a coincidence, but as Adventists celebrate their 150th anniversary on May 21, it will be the 10th day from the new moon day on May 11/12--the same day Noah entered the ark as some gathered outside to celebrate, Genesis 7:4,11.

The disciples were probably thinking of Passover for when God executes judgment when Christ said, "You don't know [understand], for the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country," Matthew 25:14. His clue on timing connects His last two last parables to second Passover, as follows:

Israelites traveled in the spring, but if they went to a far country and couldn't get back to Jerusalem for Passover, they were to keep it a month later, Numbers 9:10,11. Christ said the law was in effect "till heaven and earth pass." His return for a time of judgment could fit His sayings better than we've understood, due to translation of speech idioms.

2nd Passover (full moon) falls on Friday night/Saturday (May 24/25) and "watching" (being awake and praying that God will pass over us) is protective, says Ruhling, (Matt 24:43; Revelation 3:3)

Several recent geopolitical events have occurred on Jewish feast days, according to Ruhliing, including the U.S. Senate's approval for $760 billion in bank bailout on October 1, 2008. The new moon was in the sky that night--it was the Feast of Trumpets when anciently they blew trumpets for 10 days till the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. Leviticus 23:24-27. In 2008, the stock market crashed for 10 days.

Ruhling believes that if the earthquake occurs with martial law being set up, Christians should evacuate according to the warning by Christ about military "standing where it ought not" in Mark 13:14.

Readers may visit Ruhling's website for more information at http://MayJudgmentDay.com.

Profile:

Dr. Richard Ruhling is the author of 'Apocalypse 2013: How To Survive The Fall Of America' available at his website below and Kindle. ‘The Bridegroom Comes’ and ‘Why You Shouldn’t Ask Your Doctor - Choices That Can Save Your Life’, are also available on his websites and Amazon.

Dr. Ruhling is available for media interview and can be reached using the information below, or by email at ruhling7@juno.com.

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IRS official Lerner speedily approved exemption for Obama brother’s ‘charity’

Politics

5:06 PM 05/14/2013



Charles C. Johnson





Lois Lerner, the senior IRS official at the center of the decision to target tea party groups for burdensome tax scrutiny, signed paperwork granting tax-exempt status to the Barack H. Obama Foundation, a shady charity headed by the president’s half-brother that operated illegally for years.

According to the organization’s filings, Lerner approved the foundation’s tax status within a month of filing, an unprecedented timeline that stands in stark contrast to conservative organizations that have been waiting for more than three years, in some cases, for approval.

Lerner also appears to have broken with the norms of tax-exemption approval by granting retroactive tax-exempt status to Malik Obama’s organization.


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Is Sebelius shaking down health-care execs to finance Obamacare?


Geoffrey Cowley, @geoffreycowley




U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius speaks during the opening plenary of the National Health Policy Conference organized by The AcademyHealth February 4, 2013 in Washington, DC. Sebelius spoke on the Obama Administration’s health policy priorities. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Health care reform may be President Obama’s signature legislative achievement, but it’s still a work in progress. The Affordable Care Act’s most ambitious provisions—the expansion of Medicaid , the rollout of 50 state-based insurance exchanges, the enforcement of a law requiring everyone to find coverage—are all set to kick in on January 1. The deadlines would be daunting even in a friendly political environment, but the path is now littered with landmines.

A small one exploded last weekend, after the Washington Post reported that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was soliciting private donations to help implement Obamacare. Congressional Republicans have forced the administration to go begging by rejecting its funding requests. But the same Republicans pounced when the HHS effort came to light—and the critics’ predictable questions have left the administration on its heels.

At issue is whether Sebelius has requested donations from industries her agency regulates—a practice that would be ethically improper and possibly illegal. The Post story forcefully asserted that she has. Under the headline “Sebelius turns to health executives to finance Obamacare,” the paper reported that she had spent the past three months hitting up insurance, hospital and pharmaceutical officials for “large financial donations” to help the government shepherd consumers into the nation’s new health system. The claim was attributed to an anonymous HHS official and an unnamed “industry person familiar with the secretary’s activities.”

The paper quoted agency spokesman Jason Young denying that Sebelius had “solicited funds from industries that HHS regulates.” But the charge set off a flurry of news coverage and righteous outrage. “To solicit funds from health-care executives to help pay for the implementation of the President’s $2.6 trillion health spending law is absurd,” Sen. Orrin Hatch said in a statement. “I will be seeking more information from the administration about these actions to help better understand whether there are conflicts of interest and if it violated federal law.”

Lamar Alexander, the senior Republican on the Senate health committee, went further, likening the secretary’s fundraising effort to the Iran-Contra scandal, in which Reagan administration officials secretly sold arms to Iran and funneled the proceeds to right-wing insurgents in Nicaragua. “Secretary Sebelius’ fundraising . . . should be fully investigated by Congress,” he told reporters in Nashville on Saturday.

Will these charges stick? Is a cabinet secretary really shaking down the very industries she regulates? HHS acknowledges that she has asked them to help raise public awareness. The agency also confirms that she has asked business leaders from outside the health sector to help finance groups like Enroll America, a nonprofit foundation set up to educate consumers about the new health care law. Those activities are all kosher under the Public Health Service Act.

But Young, the HHS spokesman, still disputes the central premise of the Washington Post story and all the criticism it has sparked. “The secretary has made no fundraising request to entities regulated by HHS,” he says. “We’ve worked with a wide range of stakeholders. But when it comes to fundraising, we ask only non-regulated entities”—that is, no one from the health-care industry.

If that’s true, HHS could quickly clear the air by releasing a log of the calls Sebelius has made. Young says the agency is busy preparing one and will release it shortly.

This scandal-plagued administration should hope it vindicates her, but the congressional Republicans calling for her head should reflect on their own role in the affair. After failing repeatedly to repeal or overturn Obamacare, they’re now working to thwart its implementation: that’s why Sibelius is begging business leaders for the funds to secure the nation’s health. The richest country in the world should be able to do better.


Source
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President Obama’s disastrous political week





Posted by Chris Cillizza on May 14, 2013 at 12:06 pm


It’s only Tuesday. But President Obama is already in the midst of one of the worst weeks, politically speaking, of his presidency — besieged by an burgeoning scandal at the Internal Revenue Service, revelations that the Justice Department secretly obtained phone records of reporters at the Associated Press and ongoing Republican criticism over the terrorist attack in Benghazi last fall.




President Obama, looking unhappy — and for good reason. Photo by Jonathan Ernst.



Any one of those stories would be enough to knock an Administration back on its heels. All three — and with the IRS and AP stories coming in rapid succession over the past 96 hours — threaten to permanently derail Obama’s plans to fortify his presidential legacy in the first 18 months of his second term.

The problems are both practical and symbolic. They have both short term and long term political consequences. And almost none of it portends well for President Obama and his Administration.

The practical problems are obvious. Congress is already ramping up its investigative operation; Politico reported this morning that approximately one-third of all House committees are looking into some aspect of the Obama Administration. (Sidebar: Welcome to the perils of the party out of the White House controlling one of the chambers of Congress!)

With Congress tied up in investigating the IRS, the AP and Benghazi — and with the national media covering all three — the time for Obama’s legislative priorities (climate change etc.) are significantly reduced. Can Congress walk and chew gum at the same time? Sure. But they don’t usually do it — particularly when one party sees significant political advantage in not walking to instead focus all of their time on chewing gum.

The symbolic problems are less readily apparent but potentially far more damaging in the long term.

Remember that President Obama was elected in 2008 in no small part because of his pledge to be the anti-George W. Bush. That is, prizing competence over all in governance and putting a premium on transparency. And both of those pillars are undermined by developments in the past four days.

There’s simply no escaping the fact that the IRS’ targeting of conservative groups (without any similar flagging of liberal groups) happened on President Obama’s watch. That he learned of the scandal from news reports on Friday despite the fact that senior officials at the IRS were aware of it as far back as 2011 makes it worse, not better as it relates to Obama’s pledge to restore competence across all aspects of the government.

Then there is the AP phone records story. While the Justice Department will defend their actions as necessary to ensure leaks don’t endanger national security and American lives — the phone records they obtained were tied to a failed terrorist attack last year — the idea of an arm of government secretly grabbing phone records from reporters is, literally, the opposite of transparency.

The cumulative weight of the series of stories, of course, is, potentially, the most dangerous thing of all for the Obama Administration. Group Benghazi, the IRS and the AP into a single narrative and it reads something like this: The government knows better than you. As a result, the government can do whatever it likes.

“This is Big Brother come to life and a witch hunt to prevent Americans from exercising their First Amendment rights,” Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker wrote in a letter to President Obama on Tuesday morning.

While Jindal and Walker were referencing the IRS scandal in particular, their quote could also speak to the broader problem the Obama Administration is facing right now. The idea of a government run amok, believing in its infallibility and broadly-defined right to do what it wants when it wants is a dangerous one for this President (or any president).

The rapidity of news cycles and the short attention span of the public (and its government) means that what today looks like a series of mountains that Obama might not be able to climb could well look wind up looking a lot more like molehills six months from now.

But, the timing of the revelations coupled with the fact that each of them not only plays into a broader storyline about this presidency but also threatens to undermine key promises made by Obama when he was elected make this week a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad one for him.

Source
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Eric Holder on hot seat as he juggles twin scandals




Holder called the original AP story that sparked the probe 'a very, very serious leak.' | AP PhotoClose
By REID J. EPSTEIN and JOSH GERSTEIN | 5/14/13 11:22 PM EDT


U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday that he’d recused himself from the national security leak investigation in which prosecutors obtained the phone records of Associated Press journalists — but that he’s already started a fresh inquiry into the IRS scrutiny of conservative political groups.

The comments were the first from Holder or the Justice Department on the twin Obama administration scandals that have burst through in recent days. And they come as the Justice Department, and Holder himself, find themselves under increasing pressure.  Continue Reading



Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/eric-holder-scandals-91377.html#ixzz2TKXiigi8

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