Blog: The sleeper case that could bust open the IRS scandals

Blog: The sleeper case that could bust open the IRS scandals:

In the absence of a special prosecutor, the best opportunity for piercing the veil of secrecy and evasion that surrounds the IRS handling of groups perceived as enemies of the Obama administration lies in civil litigation.  

The National Organization for Marriage has just obtained a $50,000 settlement from the IRS for its criminal release of confidential donor information to an opposition group. 

But so far Eric Holder’s Justice Department is not pursuing inquiries into who feloniously released that information.

The absence of any official judicial inquiry into the inner workings of the IRS processes is why it is so important to note that yesterday saw the beginning of the discovery phase in the lawsuit by Z-Street a pro-Israel organization that was toldits application for tax exempt status was being delayed because:

…these cases are being sent to a special unit in the DC office to determine whether the organization’s activities contradict the Administration’s public policies.

Obama asks Congress for $500 million to arm Syrian rebels

Obama asks Congress for $500 million to arm Syrian rebels | Circa News:
Pres. Obama on June 26 asked Congress for $500 million to arm and train Syrian rebels that have passed security screenings as part of an ongoing covert U.S. intelligence initiative in Syria. 
The request is bundled into a $65.8 billion foreign operations proposal.

This Is a ‘Cheat Sheet’ Found at the Border to Coach Illegals on How to Stay in the U.S. | TheBlaze.com

This Is a ‘Cheat Sheet’ Found at the Border to Coach Illegals on How to Stay in the U.S. | TheBlaze.com:
 "One federal law enforcement official dubbed them “illegal alien cheat sheets.”
A copy of one sheet obtained by TheBlaze lists a series of questions that U.S. authorities will consider in granting someone an immigration hearing.
“It’s proof they are told what to say,” a Department of Homeland Security official told TheBlaze. Often times, the sheets get “destroyed or thrown away before illegal aliens are apprehended.”

Yes, there is a BIG difference between GOPers and democrooks-------Dems block GOP bills to verify status, block tax credits to illegal immigrants

Dems block GOP bills to verify status, block tax credits to illegal immigrants | TheBlaze.com:
"Senate Democrats blocked Republicans on Thursday from passing two bills that would require companies to verify the legal status of people before they hire them, and stop the government from handing out child tax credits to illegal immigrants. 
 Sessions tried to get approval for the two bills after saying illegal immigration is swamping the U.S., which is leading to reduce wages for Americans and higher costs as these immigrants start improperly receiving federal tax benefits."

Is it something in the cheese? There's Dahmer and now a murder-cop.Former West Allis officer charged with hiding bodies in suitcases

Former West Allis officer charged with hiding bodies in suitcases:
"A former West Allis police officer was charged Thursday with two felonies for hiding two women's bodies — one for more than a year — that were found in suitcases along a road in the Town of Geneva.
....He eventually tossed the suitcases in high grass alongside N. Como Road during the first week of June, police said, and a highway worker cutting grass found the suitcases June 5.
 Zelich, who has been linked to a sadomasochistic web forum, met the first woman — police have not released her name and she is referred to as Jane Doe in court documents — through online dating in 2012, seeing her in person in late 2012 or early 2013 in Kenosha County, the complaint says.
Zelich told investigators he caused the woman's death, put her in a suitcase and hid her body at his home in West Allis, later moving her body in his vehicle in 2014, according to a criminal complaint."

Dude, that's my lunch!-------Electric Forest 2014: Suspected pot brownies scattered across U.S. 31 during minor traffic snafu

Electric Forest 2014: Suspected pot brownies scattered across U.S. 31 during minor traffic snafu | MLive.com: "MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP, MI -- A group of New Yorkers heading to the Electric Forest music festival Thursday morning, June 26, lost some edible cargo on U.S. 31 when 20 suspected pot brownies scattered across a portion of the highway.
The 20 or so brownies, individually wrapped in aluminum foil, were being kicked off the highway into a ditch by law enforcement officials to allow traffic to flow north on U.S. 31.
......Police said a male from New York who was with two other males and two females in a white sport utility vehicle had turned around to go back for the brownies when their luggage blew off the back of the vehicle.
When the group arrived to the scene to retrieve the brownies and the luggage, law enforcement was already there cleaning up the mess, said Muskegon Township Police Chief Ken Sanford.

Proud to be an American? You’re probably not a true liberal

Proud to be an American? You’re probably not a true liberal. - The Washington Post:
Michelle Obama took some heat in 2008 for saying that, "for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country..."
As it turns out, that sentiment isn't all that unusual on the far left of American politics.
According to a new Pew Research Center study, only 40 percent of consistently liberal Americans say they often feel proud to be Americans.
The other 60 percent say that doesn't describe them.

13 Funniest Laundry Signs

13 Funniest Laundry Signs - ODDEE:

"Allegedly took place in Alberta in the dead of winter. The smiley face band-aid holding it up is a great addition."

How Low Will the GOP Establishment Go to Beat the Tea Party? This Low

How Low Will the GOP Establishment Go to Beat the Tea Party? This Low:
Robocalls were made encouraging people, black people, to ‘say no to the Tea Party’ and telling people, “if we do nothing, Tea Party candidate Chris McDaniel wins and causes even more problems for President Obama.” Democrats were sending mailers encouraging their fellow Democrats to “crossover” and vote for Cochran. And, to top it off, Cochran and  his cronies hired a Democrat operative to help ‘Get out the (Democrat) Vote’ for him! "

Soooo, the folks who showcased their business expertise with healthcare ought to run the banks too? What could possibly go wrong-----UM, Elon University researchers say federal government, not banks, should handle student loans

U-M, Elon University researchers say federal government, not banks, should handle student loans | MLive.com: "Seven out of 10 people who graduated from a four-year college last year did so with student loan debt, according to The Institute for College Access and Success' Project on Student Debt.
The average debt was more than $29,000 per grad.
Also, more than 40 million Americans owe a total of $1.2 trillion in student loan debt, which accounts nearly 7 percent of the $17.6 trillion national debt.
Two researchers from the University of Michigan and Elon University believe they've found the solution to the rising student debt crisis: let the federal government, rather than private banks, handle student loans."

Global Warming Study Ridiculed After Temperatures DROP

Global Warming Study Ridiculed After Temperatures DROP

A UK Met Office study that predicted temperatures would rise by up to half a degree centigrade over the past 10 years faces ridicule after it was revealed that temperatures actually dropped over that period.

The peer-reviewed study by Doug M. Smith et al, entitled “Improved Surface Temperature Prediction for the Coming Decade from a Global Climate Model” – and which featured in the journal Science – also incorrectly predicted that several years over the past decade would see record heat.

The paper says:

“…predict further warming during the coming decade, with the year 2014 predicted to be 0.30° ± 0.21°C [5 to 95% confidence interval (CI)] warmer than the observed value for 2004. Furthermore, at least half of the years after 2009 are predicted to be warmer than 1998, the warmest year currently on record.”

However, now we are able to analyse the data on how temperatures really changed, we can see that there was actually a cooling of 0.014 degrees over the past 10 years, which is below even the lowest estimate.

Also, not a single year was warmer than 1998, despite the paper predicting that at least three years would be.

Excessive Force? Dozens of Cops Dispatched to Shutdown ‘Illegal’ Lemonade Stand

Excessive Force? Dozens of Cops Dispatched to Shutdown ‘Illegal’ Lemonade Stand | The Free Thought Project:
But seriously folks, at what point did America cross the threshold into the world of ridiculousness?
Deploying dozens of police officers to shut down a lemonade stand is laughable.
But it is also Orwellian.
Obviously these people were conducting their lemonade stand as an act of civil disobedience, but that does not justify the police action.
Has the state gotten so large that it must control all forms of human exchange no matter how small?
What’s next, will we have to file for a permit to have children?
Or request a permit to even seek out a spouse?"

Shep Smith Calls Out State Dept. Official on the Air: ‘You Can Smile About It All You Want’ | Video | TheBlaze.com

Shep Smith Calls Out State Dept. Official on the Air: ‘You Can Smile About It All You Want’ | Video | TheBlaze.com:
"Fox News host Shepard Smith called out State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf on Tuesday after she smiled and dismissed his point about Americans’ “fear” that things could escalate in Iraq and U.S. troops could get dragged back into combat."

Michigan: Obamacare Premium Hikes Up To 20 Percent

Michigan: Obamacare Premium Hikes Up To 20 Percent | The Daily Caller:
"Health insurance premiums are shooting up for most Michigan residents that purchase their own coverage in the first year after Obamacare, state insurers have reported.
All insurers in the state are hiking their premiums, from 2.7 percent up to 21.6 percent. Michigan’s largest insurers, Blue Care Network and Blue Cross Blue Shield, are hiking premiums by an average of 9.3 percent and 9.7 percent in 2015 for a whopping three-quarters of Michigan residents that purchase their coverage on or off the state’s Obamacare exchange.
Blue Cross executive Terry Burke said the hikes are needed to account for ever-rising health care costs and uncertainty related to the Obamacare expansion bringing in sicker-than-average patients.
“We’ve got a big influx of people and we don’t know what their claims conditions are,” Burke told the South Bend Tribune. 
“The actuaries are concerned about that risk mix.”"

History for June 27

History for June 27 - On-This-Day.com:

Ramadan at sighting of new moon crescent.

National HIV Testing Day

 

Birth anniversary of Mildred Hill (1859-1916), schoolteacher and composer of the melody to “Happy Birthday To You”—the most often sung song in the world.

 

Birth anniversary of Helen Keller (1880-1968).

 

Happy Birthday! Svetlana Kuznetsova, Tobey Maguire, H. Ross Perot

1693 - "The Ladies' Mercury" was published by John Dunton in London. It was the first women's magazine and contained a "question and answer" column that became known as a "problem page." 


1787 - Edward Gibbon completed "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." It was published the following May. 


1885 - Chichester Bell and Charles S. Tainter applied for a patent for the gramophone. It was granted on May 4, 1886. 


1893 - The New York stock market crashed. By the end of the year 600 banks and 74 railroads had gone out of business. 


1942 - The FBI announced the capture of eight Nazi saboteurs who had been put ashore from a submarine on New York's Long Island. 


1964 - Ernest Borgnine and Ethel Merman were married. It only lasted 38 days. 


1967 - Two hundred people were arrested during a race riot in Buffalo, NY. 


1973 - Former White House counsel John W. Dean told the Senate Watergate Committee about an "enemies list" that was kept by the Nixon White House. 


1985 - Route 66 was officially removed from the United States Highway System. 


2002 - In the U.S., the Securities and Exchange Commission required companies with annual sales of more than $1.2 billion to submit sworn statements backing up the accuracy of their financial reports. 

Democrats Just Blocked Ted Cruz’s Proposed Next Step in the IRS Scandal | TheBlaze.com

Democrats Just Blocked Ted Cruz’s Proposed Next Step in the IRS Scandal | TheBlaze.com:
"Cruz excoriated the IRS on the Senate for purposefully targeting conservative groups, and then working to cover up the scandal by refusing to testify and claiming key emails have been lost. Cruz also said Attorney General Eric Holder has refused to call for a special prosecutor, and that Congress must act to create one to ensure an impartial criminal investigation."
Cruz also said that the IRS paid a $50,000 fine after admitting it gave away confidential taxpayer information to the political opponents of the National Organization for Marriage. “That is textbook abuse of power,” he said.

He concluded by saying the Obama administration has used the IRS for political purposes in ways that Richard Nixon only imagined.

Another Government Agency Says It Lost Emails Subpoenaed by Congress | TheBlaze.com

Another Government Agency Says It Lost Emails Subpoenaed by Congress | TheBlaze.com:
"Just hours after Congress shellacked the IRS over emails allegedly lost after a hard drive crash, the Environmental Protection Agency says it’s having its own computer issues and may have also lost emails that Congress is seeking."

Mon dieu!----French Joblessness Soars To Record High; Rises For 36th Month In A Row

French Joblessness Soars To Record High; Rises For 36th Month In A Row | Zero Hedge:

"More Hollande 'broken promises' as French joblessness reaches a new record high.
Aside from the idiotic month when officials forgot to send text messages, this is the 36th month in a row of worsening employment in France.
That must explain why, along with a collapsing PMI, French bond risk remains near record lows..."

6.9 million multiple voters in 28 states, report finds

6.9 million multiple voters in 28 states, report finds « Watchdog.org:
RICHMOND, Va. — Some 6.9 million Americans are registered to vote in two or more states, according to a report obtained by Watchdog.org.
“Our nation’s voter rolls are a mess,” says Catherine Engelbrecht, president of the election-watch group True The Vote.
“Sensible approaches to roll maintenance are fought tooth and nail by radical special interests who can use the duplicity in the system to their advantage,” she said.
The latest interstate voter cross check tallied 6,951,484 overlapping voter registrations, and they’re just the tip of the iceberg.
The cross-check program involves only 28 states and does not include the three largest: California, Texas and Florida.
“Duplicate registration is an open invitation to voting fraud,” said Clara Belle Wheeler, a member of the Election Board in Albemarle County, Va.
“This ability to vote more than once dilutes the legal votes and changes the results of elections.”

The Dire Warning Representatives of Immigration and Border Officials Just Gave to Congress | TheBlaze.com

The Dire Warning Representatives of Immigration and Border Officials Just Gave to Congress | TheBlaze.com:
“Over the last four years, our union has repeatedly advised Congress and America that the administration’s immigration policies are failing in the field,” said Chris Crane, president of the union who represents Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, in his prepared testimony to the committee.
Crane said his group has told ICE for years that the administration’s policies are failing, and he said things will only get worse if things don’t change. “If the administration continues with its current policies, it can expect the current crisis to further escalate, and crises in other areas to potentially emerge,” he said.
Crane’s comments are a slap to the Obama administration, which has continued to insist that its support for amnesty-style immigration changes are not the cause of the border rush.
In 2011, just 6,500 unaccompanied children came across the border. But in the same Judiciary hearing, officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ICE said by mid-June of this year, 52,000 have been apprehended, more than double the 24,000 seen all last year."

Hospitals Spy on Your Purchases to Spot Bad Habits

Hospitals Spy on Your Purchases to Spot Bad Habits - Bloomberg:
"You may soon get a call from your doctor if you’ve let your gym membership lapse, made a habit of picking up candy bars at the check-out counter or begin shopping at plus-sized stores.
That’s because some hospitals are starting to use detailed consumer data to create profiles on current and potential patients to identify those most likely to get sick, so the hospitals can intervene before they do.
Information compiled by data brokers from public records and credit card transactions can reveal where a person shops, the food they buy, and whether they smoke. 
The largest hospital chain in the Carolinas is plugging data for 2 million people into algorithms designed to identify high-risk patients, while Pennsylvania’s biggest system uses household and demographic data.
Patients and their advocates, meanwhile, say they’re concerned that big data’s expansion into medical care will hurt the doctor-patient relationship and threaten privacy."

America Should Be Outraged When You See What This Whistleblower Was Forced To Do At This VA Hospital

America Should Be Outraged When You See What This Whistleblower Was Forced To Do At This VA Hospital:
"The scheduling clerk at the Veterans Administration office in Phoenix has come forward with evidence admitting that she’s being told to hide the deaths of veterans, and that it’s still happening.
“Someone is trying to hide the number of U.S. veterans who died here waiting for care.”
She claims that someone above her has been changing the record back, and then the vet is suddenly listed as alive.
Beginning early in 2013, she said, “I was told by managers to take requests for new appointments from veterans seeking care, and hide them.”

“They went into a desk drawer.”

City Council in Hot Water for Bigotry and Discrimination After Banning Event Because it Was Sponsored By Chick-Fil-A

City Council in Hot Water for Bigotry and Discrimination After Banning Event Because it Was Sponsored By Chick-Fil-A | LibertyNEWS.com:
"The Canadian city of Nanaimo’s city council is caught in a circle of embarrassment as it tucks its tail and reverses a horrible policy it recently passed.
The policy banned an event sponsored by U.S. based Chick-Fil-A because of the owners belief that homosexuality is sin and gay marriage should not be allowed. 
The city council went so far as to label the view as hate and passed a rule banning any events sponsored by the company.
It couldn’t be more obvious that this is blatant discrimination against Christianity and religious views, and the community backlash made it clear the city wasn’t happy with the decision.
The city council has now reversed the policy and is backing away from its discrimination."

Crime KILLS cities--------Police respond to reports of armed subjects, large crowd at Muskegon intersection

Police respond to reports of armed subjects, large crowd at Muskegon intersection | MLive.com:
"The Catherine Avenue home where the males were located had the words "AFFA LADA" in wooden letters on the outside and appeared to be vacant.
A man in the crowd said the lettering represents a local motorcycle group.
He didn't elaborate."

Revealed: The Lois Lerner Emails That Weren’t Lost | TheBlaze.com

Revealed: The Lois Lerner Emails That Weren’t Lost | TheBlaze.com:
"House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) said Wednesday that former IRS official Lois Lerner suggested investigating Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) before she was forced to leave her position due to the IRS targeting scandal.
According to documents unearthed by Camp, Lerner received an invitation to speak at an event that was intended for Grassley."

7 Photos Show How Detroit Hollowed Out During the Highway Age

7 Photos Show How Detroit Hollowed Out During the Highway Age | Streetsblog USA:
"While searching for images of highway interchanges in urban areas, I came across these historic aerial photos of Detroit on a message board, showing how the city fabric has slowly eroded. It’s a remarkable record of a process that has scarred many other American cities."

What could possibly go wrong?--------2 new downtown Muskegon townhouses to be built with city loan

2 new downtown Muskegon townhouses to be built with city loan | MLive.com:
"MUSKEGON, MI -- In an effort to jumpstart downtown residential development, the city of Muskegon has finalized a $500,000 loan for the construction of two more "Heritage Square" townhouses on Clay Avenue. 
The city commission on Tuesday, June 24 approved the loan to Gary Post's Heritage Square Development, which has built and sold four townhouses on Clay between First and Second streets.
The money to fund the loan is from the city's economic development fund.
 The loan fits in with the city commission's action plan that calls for efforts to spur additional residential development downtown, said Muskegon City Manager Frank Peterson.
 "We want to get these (residential developments) unstalled," Peterson said. "
This was small enough where we could have an effect on it.""

Oregon Obamacare Employees Now Getting Cushy Bonuses

Oregon Obamacare Employees Now Getting Cushy Bonuses | The Daily Caller:
Now that Oregon’s Obamacare exchange has entirely given up on fixing or running its own Obamacare website, the state exchange is handing out hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer funding as bonuses to employees that stick around until the federal government takes over.

...Thirty-eight employees will be awarded bonuses worth one to three months pay to convince them to stay on with the exchange through the next nine months. 
All remaining 163 employees will be eligible for a bonus worth two weeks of government pay if they remain at the exchange through March 15.
...Hamstreet expects the bonuses to cost another $650,000 of federal taxpayer funding.
....The state-run exchange was awarded $305 million of federal taxpayer funding to create its state-run exchange, which it abandoned in April, and has so far spent over $250 million.
The exchange never launched a functional website which was able to enroll customers online, a problem which the state blames on its contractor Oracle.

Ken Braun: Detroit-area bus subsidies need repairing as much as road funding does

Ken Braun: Detroit-area bus subsidies need repairing as much as road funding does | MLive.com
A $1 billion road-funding proposal to patch up Michigan’s pothole-infested pavement has been put on ice for the summer because state lawmakers won’t put up the votes to hike the gasoline tax.
Opponents argue politicians should clean up sloppy spending elsewhere in the state budget before hitting motorists up for more.
One place to start is to ask whether all Michigan mass transit riders are paying their fair share.
A big chunk of funding for Michigan’s big city bus systems comes from fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees paid by those of us who drive on the roads.
The Detroit Department of Transportation alone received $47.6 million from state taxpayers for operating revenue in 2012 (the last year of reporting in the Federal Transit Administration’s database.) 
Yet, DDOT bus riders actually benefiting from the service paid just $23 million in fares.

No Joke: Anti-Gun Leftist Takes Aim At Cartoons

No Joke: Anti-Gun Leftist Takes Aim At Cartoons:
"For Mark Joseph Stern, it is apparently not enough to enact strict gun control legislation in an effort to curb violence by making sure criminals are the only armed Americans.
In a recent Slate article, the writer lamented the ostensibly improper existence of exaggerated gun use in children’s entertainment of bygone eras."

Panera and Chili’s Turn to Tablets to Streamline Service

Panera and Chili’s Turn to Tablets to Streamline Service - NYTimes.com:
BRAINTREE, Mass. — An idea came to Ronald M. Shaich, the chief executive of Panera Bread, as he was driving his children to school about four years ago:
What if everyone could order lunch the way he did?
...They had to go to another line, and if they wanted any kind of espresso drink, we sent them to a fourth line.”
So, the corporate chieftain who once declared that “the food business is not a technology business” has spent $42 million to update Panera. 
“The goal is to eliminate friction points so that customers have a better experience,” Mr. Shaich said, “because if they have a better experience, it will help our business.”

TROOPATHON: Tune in to the LIVE Broadcast from the Reagan Library to Help Support the Troops

TROOPATHON: Tune in to the LIVE Broadcast from the Reagan Library to Help Support the Troops:
"Since its beginning 7 years ago, Troopathon has raised over $4.5 million for care packages for our brave men and women in harm’s way. These care packages are much appreciated by the troops and countless political pundits and celebrities have joined the efforts over the years to promote this day-long event.
 The event is broadcast at www.troopathon.org and is being hosted by Stephen K. Bannon, Executive Chairman of Breitbart News Network and joined by actor and dedicated patriot Gary Sinise."

VIDEO: Veteran Told to Pay Fine, Ditch Flag or Risk Losing His Home

VIDEO: Veteran Told to Pay Fine, Ditch Flag or Risk Losing His Home:
"A Florida veteran is at risk of losing his home. It’s not due to failure to pay his mortgage or because of any violation of the law by him. No, Larry Murphree is being threatened with foreclosure of his home by the Sweetwater HOA because of a small American flag that he displays in his flowerpot."