Friday, July 08, 2016
Do we need a new government program to give us free cars?-----New Cars Are Too Expensive For The Typical Family, Says Study
New Cars Are Too Expensive For The Typical Family, Says Study - Slashdot:
"...A new analysis from Bankrate.com found that a median-income household in the U.S. could not afford the average price of a new vehicle in any of the 50 largest cities in the country, though cars are more affordable in some cities than others.
The average price of a new car or light truck in 2016 is about $34,000, according to Kelley Blue Book.
That's in part because new cars are loaded with helpful but expensive safety features like collision-avoidance systems.
Bankrate calculated an "affordable" purchase price for major cities, using median incomes from U.S. census data, and factoring in costs for sales taxes and insurance.
In San Jose, California -- the heart of Silicon Valley -- the median income is about $84,000, and an "affordable" new car purchase price is about $33,000 -- close to, but still below, the average new car price.
In lower-income cities, however, affordable purchase prices for a typical family are far below the average cost of a new car.
In Hartford, Connecticut, where the median income is about $29,000, an affordable purchase price is about $8,000 -- about a quarter of the average new-car price.
...The average loan amount topped $30,000, with the average term for a new-car loan in the 68-month range -- some stretch as long as seven years."
"...A new analysis from Bankrate.com found that a median-income household in the U.S. could not afford the average price of a new vehicle in any of the 50 largest cities in the country, though cars are more affordable in some cities than others.
The average price of a new car or light truck in 2016 is about $34,000, according to Kelley Blue Book.
That's in part because new cars are loaded with helpful but expensive safety features like collision-avoidance systems.Bankrate calculated an "affordable" purchase price for major cities, using median incomes from U.S. census data, and factoring in costs for sales taxes and insurance.
In San Jose, California -- the heart of Silicon Valley -- the median income is about $84,000, and an "affordable" new car purchase price is about $33,000 -- close to, but still below, the average new car price.
In lower-income cities, however, affordable purchase prices for a typical family are far below the average cost of a new car.
In Hartford, Connecticut, where the median income is about $29,000, an affordable purchase price is about $8,000 -- about a quarter of the average new-car price.
...The average loan amount topped $30,000, with the average term for a new-car loan in the 68-month range -- some stretch as long as seven years."
Congress Buys the Navy a $400 Million Pork Ship
Congress Buys the Navy a $400 Million Pork Ship - POLITICO Magazine
"...“The ship is not reliable,” the Pentagon’s operational test and evaluation director said in a report released in January, only the most recent such judgment it has made.
During 113 days of testing on one ship last year, some of the engines and water jets responsible for propelling the ship forward were out of commission for 45 days.
...But lawmakers on Capitol Hill—provoked or perhaps inspired by a steady stream of contractor donations and unusually determined Navy lobbying—are now on the verge of ordering the Pentagon to build more than Carter wanted.
...According to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonprofit spending watchdog based in Washington, D.C., the House bill passed on June 16 contains at least $6.7 billion worth of research and armaments that the Defense Department’s leaders did not request in their February budget proposal. That’s even higher than the $4.6 billion in unwanted expenditures that Congress approved last year, the group says.
The House bill, for example, includes
Read on!
"...“The ship is not reliable,” the Pentagon’s operational test and evaluation director said in a report released in January, only the most recent such judgment it has made.
During 113 days of testing on one ship last year, some of the engines and water jets responsible for propelling the ship forward were out of commission for 45 days.
...But lawmakers on Capitol Hill—provoked or perhaps inspired by a steady stream of contractor donations and unusually determined Navy lobbying—are now on the verge of ordering the Pentagon to build more than Carter wanted.
...According to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonprofit spending watchdog based in Washington, D.C., the House bill passed on June 16 contains at least $6.7 billion worth of research and armaments that the Defense Department’s leaders did not request in their February budget proposal. That’s even higher than the $4.6 billion in unwanted expenditures that Congress approved last year, the group says.
The House bill, for example, includes
- $1.5 billion for an unrequested modern “amphibious” warship for dual land and sea missions,
- $400 million for four unrequested C-40 aircraft to carry cargo and commanders, and
- $1 billion worth of unrequested National Guard equipment, a perennial pork-barrel favorite, the Taxpayers for Common Sense report said..."
Read on!
Obama & Co's Ugliest Spin: Uptick In ISIS Attacks Means We Got 'Em Right Where We Want 'Em
Obama & Co's Ugliest Spin: Uptick In ISIS Attacks Means We Got 'Em Right Where We Want 'Em:
"When it comes to watching innocent people slaughtered by Islamic State animals in the name of Allah, the Obama administration and its dutiful media minions can be downright cheerful.
Because when Muslim barbarians open fire in American nightclubs, leaving 49 dead, when suicide bombers blow themselves up in Turkish airports and take hostages in Bangladesh who are shot to death because they can’t recite Quranic verses, there’s a supposed upside Americans less attuned to the nuances of Obama-style internationalism might not appreciate.
The rampant violence of Islamic fanaticism spreading murder and mayhem across four continents in disparate attacks can mean only one thing to Secretary of State John Kerry & Co.: We’ve got ‘em right where we want ’em."
"When it comes to watching innocent people slaughtered by Islamic State animals in the name of Allah, the Obama administration and its dutiful media minions can be downright cheerful.
The rampant violence of Islamic fanaticism spreading murder and mayhem across four continents in disparate attacks can mean only one thing to Secretary of State John Kerry & Co.: We’ve got ‘em right where we want ’em."
All about MONEY!-----Obama Admin Effort With Companies To Bring In Refugees
Obama Admin Effort With Companies To Bring In Refugees | The Daily Caller:
"The White House announced last week that it is launching a “Call to Action” asking private businesses to help with the resettlement of refugees.
This could be done without regard to the government cap of 85,000 total refugees, including 10,000 Syrian refugees, in 2016.
Fifteen founding corporations have teamed up with the Obama administration on the effort.
These are: Accenture, Airbnb, Chobani, Coursera, Goldman Sachs, Google, HP, IBM, JPMorgan Chase & Co., LinkedIn, Microsoft, Mastercard, UPS, TripAdvisor, and Western Union.
...The three main facets of this private partnership program are: “education,” “employment,” and “enablement.”
...Through those two parts of the initiative refugees can be settled in the United States without limit as they wouldn’t fall under the purview of the government cap on refugee resettlement.
Through work and education visas refugees would not actually be considered as refugees for their immigration status.
...“These refugees will be coming outside the refugee resettlement program so they would not be counted under the government cap of 10,000.
These ‘alternative legal pathways or sponsorships’ will be under employment visas, training, student visas and scholarships, visiting scholars etc,” Nayla Rush, senior researcher at the Center for Immigration Studies, told The Daily Caller.
Rush added, “remember, the aim is to bring as many Syrian refugees as possible. 10,000 is the limit this [Fiscal Year] under the refugee resettlement program.
No limit to these ‘private sponsorships’, more importantly, to traceability.”
At a United Nations summit on September 20, Obama is going to push for “double the number of resettlement slots and alternative legal pathways for admission that are available to refugees, and increase the number of countries accepting significant numbers of refugees.”
"The White House announced last week that it is launching a “Call to Action” asking private businesses to help with the resettlement of refugees.
This could be done without regard to the government cap of 85,000 total refugees, including 10,000 Syrian refugees, in 2016.
Fifteen founding corporations have teamed up with the Obama administration on the effort.
These are: Accenture, Airbnb, Chobani, Coursera, Goldman Sachs, Google, HP, IBM, JPMorgan Chase & Co., LinkedIn, Microsoft, Mastercard, UPS, TripAdvisor, and Western Union.
...The three main facets of this private partnership program are: “education,” “employment,” and “enablement.”...Through those two parts of the initiative refugees can be settled in the United States without limit as they wouldn’t fall under the purview of the government cap on refugee resettlement.
Through work and education visas refugees would not actually be considered as refugees for their immigration status.
...“These refugees will be coming outside the refugee resettlement program so they would not be counted under the government cap of 10,000.
These ‘alternative legal pathways or sponsorships’ will be under employment visas, training, student visas and scholarships, visiting scholars etc,” Nayla Rush, senior researcher at the Center for Immigration Studies, told The Daily Caller.
Rush added, “remember, the aim is to bring as many Syrian refugees as possible. 10,000 is the limit this [Fiscal Year] under the refugee resettlement program.
No limit to these ‘private sponsorships’, more importantly, to traceability.”
At a United Nations summit on September 20, Obama is going to push for “double the number of resettlement slots and alternative legal pathways for admission that are available to refugees, and increase the number of countries accepting significant numbers of refugees.”
New Report: Evidence for Pre-K is Sketchy at Best
New Report: Evidence for Pre-K is Sketchy at Best | Intellectual Takeout:
"A couple months ago, the Brookings Institution came out with a paper questioning the evidence on pre-K’s effectiveness.
As author Dale Farran noted:
“The proposition that expanding pre-K will improve later achievement for children from low-income families is premature.
Premature as well is the presumption that solid research exists to guide the content and structure of pre-K programs.”
Farran’s observations were recently underscored by another report from the American Enterprise Institute.
In the report, authors Katharine Stevens and Elizabeth English take a look at the ten most commonly cited studies in the world of early childhood research.
The authors discover that while some early childhood programs do show positive results, those results are often for programs far different from the universal pre-K programs policy-makers are touting as a silver bullet.
Stevens and English also note that there is little evidence that short-term gains exhibited by some pre-K students – such as kindergarten success –translate into long-term gains.
But while there’s much to be desired in the area of preschool research, the authors note that there is one element which research consistently shows makes a difference in the lives of young children. That element is a novel thing known as… parents:
“The leading science and strongest research to date indicate that the clearest avenue to help disadvantaged children is not to send them to school a year earlier but to improve child care and support parents in better fulfilling their role as their children’s first teachers. Our current knowledge is insufficient to justify a large expansion of pre-K as the best path forward. And the growing pre-K push may well do more harm than good by diverting attention and scarce resources from other more effective approaches.”
Until we have more reliable evidence on the benefits of pre-K education, do we need to reconsider the rush to pull children out of their homes, away from their parents, and into the institutional environment of the education system?
"A couple months ago, the Brookings Institution came out with a paper questioning the evidence on pre-K’s effectiveness.
As author Dale Farran noted:
“The proposition that expanding pre-K will improve later achievement for children from low-income families is premature.
Premature as well is the presumption that solid research exists to guide the content and structure of pre-K programs.”
Farran’s observations were recently underscored by another report from the American Enterprise Institute.
In the report, authors Katharine Stevens and Elizabeth English take a look at the ten most commonly cited studies in the world of early childhood research.
The authors discover that while some early childhood programs do show positive results, those results are often for programs far different from the universal pre-K programs policy-makers are touting as a silver bullet.Stevens and English also note that there is little evidence that short-term gains exhibited by some pre-K students – such as kindergarten success –translate into long-term gains.
But while there’s much to be desired in the area of preschool research, the authors note that there is one element which research consistently shows makes a difference in the lives of young children. That element is a novel thing known as… parents:
“The leading science and strongest research to date indicate that the clearest avenue to help disadvantaged children is not to send them to school a year earlier but to improve child care and support parents in better fulfilling their role as their children’s first teachers. Our current knowledge is insufficient to justify a large expansion of pre-K as the best path forward. And the growing pre-K push may well do more harm than good by diverting attention and scarce resources from other more effective approaches.”
Until we have more reliable evidence on the benefits of pre-K education, do we need to reconsider the rush to pull children out of their homes, away from their parents, and into the institutional environment of the education system?
Stunning: Obama and Comey Clinton Email Comments Sound Eerily Similar
Stunning: Obama and Comey Clinton Email Comments Sound Eerily Similar | PJ Media:
Conservative talker Rush Limbaugh argued that the fix was always in to protect Hillary on EmailGate and presented a video montage comparing comments made by President Barack Obama in April regarding the investigation to the statement made by FBI Director James Comey during his press conference on Tuesday.
Conservative talker Rush Limbaugh argued that the fix was always in to protect Hillary on EmailGate and presented a video montage comparing comments made by President Barack Obama in April regarding the investigation to the statement made by FBI Director James Comey during his press conference on Tuesday.
So back on April 10th, Obama appears on Fox News Sunday. That doesn't happen very much. He was on with Chris Wallace, and he just happened to use -- as we've gone back and looked here -- exactly the same words that James Comey ended up using yesterday. There's an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal pointing this out on April the 11th by Cleta Mitchell: "President Obama chooses his words carefully, so it was startling on Sunday when he chose to opine on the Justice Department's investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server. All the more so in the way that he phrased his defense of the Democrat he wants to succeed him as President in January."
As you'll see, their rhetoric and phrasing are stunningly similar.
OBAMA: Hillary Clinton was an outstanding secretary of state. She would never intentionally put America in any kind of jeopardy.
COMEY: We did not find clear evidence that Secretary Clinton or her colleagues intended to violate laws.OBAMA: And she's acknowledged that there's uh, a carelessness in terms of managing emails.COMEY: There is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information.OBAMA: I do not talk to the attorney general about pending investigations. I do not talk to FBI directors about pending investigations.COMEY: I have not coordinated this statement or reviewed it in any way with the Department of Justice or any other part of the government.OBAMA: I guarantee that there is no political influence in any investigation conducted by the Justice Department or the FBI.COMEY: What I can assure the American people: Only facts matter, and the FBI found them here in an entirely apolitical and professional way.
Next page: Watch the video montage of Obama and Comey and see why Rush thinks the fix is in.
Rush is arguing that Obama's April and October comments on the email investigation, coupled with the Lynch/Bubba tarmac summit, may have influenced Comey.
So here's the president, very powerful, intimidating guy, Comey works for him, the president's been out there saying he didn't think Hillary did anything wrong. And Lynch meets with Bill Clinton. I mean, the message was sent to Comey in every possible way. Make no mistake that that's what this is all about. Make no mistake, Clinton getting on the plane with Loretta Lynch, all that's meant to send a signal to Comey..."
Comey: Hillary Clinton Gave Classified Info to Un-Cleared Lawyers
Comey: Hillary Clinton Gave Classified Info to Un-Cleared Lawyers
FBI director James Comey admitted to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Thursday that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had given classified information to her personal lawyers, among others, who lacked security clearance.
FBI director James Comey admitted to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Thursday that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had given classified information to her personal lawyers, among others, who lacked security clearance.
Comey was being questioned, late in the fifth hour of the hearing, by committee chair Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), after the FBI director had been pressed repeatedly about his claim that there was insufficient evidence of “intent” to prosecute Clinton.
Chaffetz zeroed in on the question of whether people without security clearance had access to her e-mails, which included not only her attorneys, but also the administrators of her private e-mail servers.
Chaffetz: Yes or no: were there, or were there not, classified emails that Hillary Clinton’s attorneys read?Comey: I don’t know whether they read them at the time.Chaffetz: Did Hillary Clinton give non-cleared people access to classified information?Comey: Yes. Yes.Chaffetz: What do you think her intent was?Comey: I think then it was to get good legal representation and to make the production to the State Department. I think it would be a very tall order in that circumstance — I don’t see the evidence there to make a case that she was acting with criminal intent in her engagement with her lawyers.Chaffetz: And I just — I guess I read, in criminal intent, as the idea that you allow somebody without a security clearance access to classified information. Everybody knows that, director. Everybody knows that.
Shortly beforehand, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) continued his attack on Comey’s use of “intent” as a legal standard, which Comey admitted was not in the federal statute, but was based on the past practice of the FBI and Department of Justice.
“You are reading a specific intent element into a gross negligence statute,” Gowdy said.
Senate Dems block votes on immigration issues, including sanctuary cities | Fox News
"“Sanctuary cities and the criminal aliens they harbor are a threat to the safety of the American people,” Cruz continued. “Yet, San Francisco and jurisdictions around the country still shelter illegal aliens, actively thwarting enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws.”"
It's all happened before 12/13/1995-----REV. AL'S CAUGHT ON PROTEST TAPE CALLED MART OWNER A 'WHITE INTERLOPER'
When the president splashes racial gasoline in all our
cities ya gotta expect a big fire gonna happen. BLM and its chief spokes
"man".
He just needed someone to light the match.
A despicable person.
REV. AL'S CAUGHT ON PROTEST TAPE CALLED MART OWNER A 'WHITE INTERLOPER' - NY Daily News: The Rev. Al Sharpton apparently referred to the Jewish owner of Freddy's Fashion M art as a "white interloper" in a rally three months before the Harlem massacre, newly revealed tapes show.
Speaking at a separate rally, Morris Powell, who later led the protest against the W. 125th St. store, specifically mentioned Freddy's, saying he would not let a "Jewish person" drive black businesses out of Harlem and vowed, "We are going to make that white cracker suffer.
" The tapes, recorded off radio station WWRL by the Jewish Action Alliance, were at odds with statements made by the men in the wake of Friday's massacre, in which seven innocent victims and the gunman-arsonist died.Sharpton, who also was video-taped meeting with protesters Dec. 2, has said he was a mediator in the dispute over a black church's plans to evict the black-owned Record Shack so Freddy's could expand. He also has said he was unaware of any racial or anti-Semitic statements made in the dispute, which he has characterized simply as an argument over a lease.
Powell has denied claims by clothing store owner Fred Harari and a black Freddy's employe killed in the massacre that he and other protesters made anti-Semitic remarks and threats in front of the clothing store.
Yet in a tape of a broadcast from a Sept. 9 rally, Sharpton said, "I want to make it clear to the radio and audience and to you here that we will not stand by and allow them to move this brother so that some white interloper can expand his business on 125th St.
" Sharpton does not name Freddy's but mentions the lease dispute and calls his audience's attention to "brother Sikhulu," referring to the Record Shack owner, Sikhulu Shange.
In a tape recorded at an Aug. 19 rally, Powell said, "We are not going to stand idly by and let a Jewish person come in black Harlem and methodically drive black people out of business up and down 125th St. If we stand for that, we will stand for anything.
" In a tape of a Sept. 23 broadcast rally, both men specifically call for a boycott and protest of Freddy's, according to the tapes.
..."According to affidavits filed by Harari and other store employes, the tragedy followed increasingly strident protests and death threats.
Freddy's manager Harry Latchana told police and the Daily News that on Dec. 7, the day before the massacre, Shange said, "Freddy's dead, and tomorrow I'm going to put a casket in front of the bus stop.
" Another employe, Steve Brodski, said in an affidavit that on Dec. 2 Shange and Powell called the church an "Uncle Tom, and they will burn with Freddy's.
' " "There is a systemic and methodical strategy to eliminate our people from doing business on 125th St.
It started with the vendors . . . Now they are going to the actual merchants . . . We are asking the black community to go down there and do what is necessary to let them know that we are not going to stand by and let them turn 125th St. over to outsiders . . . We should not under any circumstances sit by and allow this to happen without a major reaction and major protest from us . . . It is clear that there is the intention of the Giuliani administration to change the color of New York.
" -- The Rev. Al Sharpton
History for July 8
History for July 8 - On-This-Day.com
Jean La Fontaine 1621, Ferdinand von Zeppelin 1838, John D. Rockefeller 1839
Wolfgang Puck 1949, Kevin Bacon 1958, Toby Keith 1961
1099 - Christian soldiers on the First Crusade march around Jerusalem.
1865 - C.E. Barnes patented the machine gun.
1881 - Edward Berner, druggist in Two Rivers, WI, poured chocolate syrup on ice cream in a dish. To this time chocolate syrup had only been used for making ice-cream sodas.
1889 - The Wall Street Journal was first published.
1889 - John L. Sullivan defeated Jake Kilrain, in the last championship bare-knuckle fight. The fight lasted 75 rounds.
1963 - All Cuban-owned assets in the United States were frozen.
1969 - The U.S. Patent Office issued a patent for the game "Twister."
2010 - The Solar Impulse completed the first 24-hour flight by a solar powered plane.
Thursday, July 07, 2016
State Department Reopens Probe Into How Clinton, Top Aides Handled Classified Information | TheBlaze.com
State Department Reopens Probe Into How Clinton, Top Aides Handled Classified Information | TheBlaze.com:
"News of the State Department’s reopened investigation comes after a day of intense questioning aimed at FBI Director James Comey by the House Oversight Committee.
The hearing was held after Comey, who said Clinton was “extremely careless” in her handling of classified information during her time as secretary of state, decided not to recommend criminal charges for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee."
"News of the State Department’s reopened investigation comes after a day of intense questioning aimed at FBI Director James Comey by the House Oversight Committee.
The hearing was held after Comey, who said Clinton was “extremely careless” in her handling of classified information during her time as secretary of state, decided not to recommend criminal charges for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee."
Former Congressman Allen West: ‘Here’s Why I’m Delighted About the FBI’s Verdict’ on Clinton Emails | TheBlaze.com
Former Congressman Allen West: ‘Here’s Why I’m Delighted About the FBI’s Verdict’ on Clinton Emails | TheBlaze.com:
"“If you looked upon Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on that stage yesterday and cheered, the day after our 240th American Independence Day — you are no Patriot and citizen of this Republic,” West wrote, referring to President Obama’s decision to campaign with Clinton Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina, following the FBI’s announcement. “You are nothing more than, as Vladimir Lenin stated, a ‘useful idiot’ — and a supporter of liars.”
West concluded his post by thanking Comey.
“Thanks, Director Comey, you may have just become the one person who will end the corrupt reign of the Clinton Family, and terminate any chance for an honorable legacy for Barack Obama.”"
West concluded his post by thanking Comey.
“Thanks, Director Comey, you may have just become the one person who will end the corrupt reign of the Clinton Family, and terminate any chance for an honorable legacy for Barack Obama.”"
How corruption helped cause one of Baghdad’s deadliest attacks
How corruption helped cause one of Baghdad’s deadliest attacks - The Washington Post: "BAGHDAD — After more than 200 people were killed in a devastating Islamic State bomb attack in the Iraqi capital, Iraqis turned their anger toward a symbol of government corruption and the state’s failure to protect them: fake bomb detectors.
The wand-like devices, little more than an aerial attached to a plastic handle, are still widely in use at security checkpoints around the country even years after the British con man who sold them was arrested for fraud and the United Kingdom banned their export.
They are used at the entrances to embassies, compounds and government ministries.
They are used by security forces at checkpoints such as those on the shopping street at Karrada that was hit in the suicide bombing in the early hours of Sunday morning, and has been targeted numerous times in the past.
...As anger grew, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced Sunday night that all the country’s security forces should remove the handheld devices from checkpoints and that the Interior Ministry should reopen its investigation into the corrupt deals for the devices.
But they were still in use in Baghdad the following morning, and it's unclear when the move will be implemented.
“We haven’t received an order yet,” said Muqdad al-Timimi, a police officer at a checkpoint in northern Baghdad who was still using one of the devices. “
We know it doesn’t work, everybody knows it doesn’t work, and the man who made it is in prison now. But I don’t have any other choice.”
The device, known as the ADE-651, was sold to Iraq by James McCormick, a British man who was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a U.K. court in 2014 for fraud. He had been arrested in 2010 when export of the device was banned by the British government.
McCormick is thought to have made more than $80 million selling the devices in countries including Iraq.
McCormick’s company had claimed that the devices could detect contraband such as drugs and explosives from as far as a kilometer away.
The manual for the device had said that with the right “substance detection cards,” the devices could even detect elephants or $100 bills.
A BBC investigation in 2010 concluded that it was impossible that the device could detect anything at all.
It described it as a “glorified dousing rod.”
Sidney Alford, an explosives expert who advises the British military, described the sale of the ADE-651 as "absolutely immoral..."
The wand-like devices, little more than an aerial attached to a plastic handle, are still widely in use at security checkpoints around the country even years after the British con man who sold them was arrested for fraud and the United Kingdom banned their export.
They are used at the entrances to embassies, compounds and government ministries.
They are used by security forces at checkpoints such as those on the shopping street at Karrada that was hit in the suicide bombing in the early hours of Sunday morning, and has been targeted numerous times in the past.
...As anger grew, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced Sunday night that all the country’s security forces should remove the handheld devices from checkpoints and that the Interior Ministry should reopen its investigation into the corrupt deals for the devices.But they were still in use in Baghdad the following morning, and it's unclear when the move will be implemented.
“We haven’t received an order yet,” said Muqdad al-Timimi, a police officer at a checkpoint in northern Baghdad who was still using one of the devices. “
We know it doesn’t work, everybody knows it doesn’t work, and the man who made it is in prison now. But I don’t have any other choice.”
The device, known as the ADE-651, was sold to Iraq by James McCormick, a British man who was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a U.K. court in 2014 for fraud. He had been arrested in 2010 when export of the device was banned by the British government.
McCormick is thought to have made more than $80 million selling the devices in countries including Iraq.
McCormick’s company had claimed that the devices could detect contraband such as drugs and explosives from as far as a kilometer away.
The manual for the device had said that with the right “substance detection cards,” the devices could even detect elephants or $100 bills.
A BBC investigation in 2010 concluded that it was impossible that the device could detect anything at all.
It described it as a “glorified dousing rod.”
Sidney Alford, an explosives expert who advises the British military, described the sale of the ADE-651 as "absolutely immoral..."
Showers of Cash for Pentagon Contractors
Showers of Cash for Pentagon Contractors | Taxpayers for Common Sense:
"... if you’re a Pentagon contractor, you’re loving the fact that the House Appropriations Committee is causing showers of fresh cash to fall.
...Not counting programs the Congress merely added funding to, the House and Senate spent more than $4.6 billion on projects and programs for which the Pentagon requested nothing, zippo, and nada last year.
Fast forward to the House Appropriations Committee’s draft of the Fiscal Year 2017 Pentagon spending bill.
Upon further review, we’re sad to see the trend is sharply upward.
Just looking at the programs the Pentagon did not request at all – ones they couldn’t fit into their $585 billion combined request of base budget and war funding – and we can identify $6.7 billion in funding for programs the Administration doesn’t want (see below, and click for a close-up)..."
"... if you’re a Pentagon contractor, you’re loving the fact that the House Appropriations Committee is causing showers of fresh cash to fall.
Fast forward to the House Appropriations Committee’s draft of the Fiscal Year 2017 Pentagon spending bill.
Upon further review, we’re sad to see the trend is sharply upward.
Just looking at the programs the Pentagon did not request at all – ones they couldn’t fit into their $585 billion combined request of base budget and war funding – and we can identify $6.7 billion in funding for programs the Administration doesn’t want (see below, and click for a close-up)..."
Comey, Lynch Will Testify Before Congress on Decision Not to Charge Clinton in Email Case | Video | TheBlaze.com
Comey, Lynch Will Testify Before Congress on Decision Not to Charge Clinton in Email Case | Video | TheBlaze.com:
"House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Comey’s decision defies explanation and leaves many questions unanswered. He said the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee would be calling Comey to testify.
“The FBI should give us all of their findings,” Ryan told Fox News Channel’s “The Kelly File” on Tuesday. Ryan said Clinton is “competing for commander in chief here, so I think there’s a whole accounting that needs to happen.”"
“The FBI should give us all of their findings,” Ryan told Fox News Channel’s “The Kelly File” on Tuesday. Ryan said Clinton is “competing for commander in chief here, so I think there’s a whole accounting that needs to happen.”"
Clip-Air: How pod planes could change travel forever
Clip-Air: How pod planes could change travel forever - CNN.com:
"(CNN)Hypersonics, electric propulsion, triple deckers -- think you've seen everything when it comes to new aircraft concepts?
Well just hold on a second, here comes the pod plane.
It's yet another revolutionary aircraft design, this one created by Switzerland's Federal Polytechnic Institute, that aims to transform the way people and cargo travel.
While the concept might be boundary-pushing, the inspiration is mundane.
The humble shipping container.
...There's the flying component, including airframe, cockpit and engines.
Then there's the capsules, a number of detachable pods that can act as cabin or cargo hold, depending on the chosen configuration.
The airframe is based on a flying-wing concept, reminiscent of a stealth bomber. Some may even find some similarities to the X-48, an experimental pilotless aircraft developed for NASA a decade ago."
"(CNN)Hypersonics, electric propulsion, triple deckers -- think you've seen everything when it comes to new aircraft concepts?
Well just hold on a second, here comes the pod plane.
It's yet another revolutionary aircraft design, this one created by Switzerland's Federal Polytechnic Institute, that aims to transform the way people and cargo travel.
While the concept might be boundary-pushing, the inspiration is mundane.
The humble shipping container.
...There's the flying component, including airframe, cockpit and engines.
Then there's the capsules, a number of detachable pods that can act as cabin or cargo hold, depending on the chosen configuration.
The airframe is based on a flying-wing concept, reminiscent of a stealth bomber. Some may even find some similarities to the X-48, an experimental pilotless aircraft developed for NASA a decade ago."
‘Jason Bourne’ Star Matt Damon Dreams of Gun Confiscation in America: ‘I Wish That Could Happen in My Country’ | TheBlaze.com
‘Jason Bourne’ Star Matt Damon Dreams of Gun Confiscation in America: ‘I Wish That Could Happen in My Country’ | TheBlaze.com:
"Action movie actor Matt Damon spent his Fourth of July weekend in Australia, where he spoke to local media about the latest “Jason Bourne” film, as well as his views on gun control.
The “Bourne” franchise star expressed his desire that the United States would conduct a massive confiscation of firearms akin to the 1996 gun grab carried out by the Australian government."
"Action movie actor Matt Damon spent his Fourth of July weekend in Australia, where he spoke to local media about the latest “Jason Bourne” film, as well as his views on gun control.
The “Bourne” franchise star expressed his desire that the United States would conduct a massive confiscation of firearms akin to the 1996 gun grab carried out by the Australian government."
FBI Rewrites Federal Law to Let Hillary Off the Hook | National Review
FBI Rewrites Federal Law to Let Hillary Off the Hook | National Review:
"In essence, in order to give Mrs. Clinton a pass, the FBI rewrote the statute, inserting an intent element that Congress did not require. The added intent element, moreover, makes no sense: The point of having a statute that criminalizes gross negligence is to underscore that government officials have a special obligation to safeguard national defense secrets; when they fail to carry out that obligation due to gross negligence, they are guilty of serious wrongdoing. The lack of intent to harm our country is irrelevant. People never intend the bad things that happen due to gross negligence."
"In essence, in order to give Mrs. Clinton a pass, the FBI rewrote the statute, inserting an intent element that Congress did not require. The added intent element, moreover, makes no sense: The point of having a statute that criminalizes gross negligence is to underscore that government officials have a special obligation to safeguard national defense secrets; when they fail to carry out that obligation due to gross negligence, they are guilty of serious wrongdoing. The lack of intent to harm our country is irrelevant. People never intend the bad things that happen due to gross negligence."
JOURNALISM: PBS Slammed for ‘Fake’ Fireworks Footage: It used stock footage during ‘live’ broadca…
Instapundit » Blog Archive » JOURNALISM: PBS Slammed for ‘Fake’ Fireworks Footage: It used stock footage during ‘live’ broadca…:
Noticed something a bit off about PBS’ A Capitol Fourth broadcast Monday? So did hundreds of people who took to Facebook and Twitter, per NBC News. Though host Tom Bergeron initially laughed off concerns that the live concert and fireworks display over Washington would be rained out, per the Washington Post, the sky above the Capitol Building was foggy and overcast as the fireworks began.
That made seeing the show a bit difficult—so PBS intervened. Mingled with misty footage of fireworks over the Capitol building, with scaffolding clearly visible, was stock footage of fireworks from previous celebrations.
Viewers were quick to call out the “fraudulent” scheme—there was no disclaimer during the “live” broadcast—noting the stock footage showed a clear sky over the Capitol Building, and no scaffolding, per the Post. Afterward, the show admitted to showing “a combination of the best fireworks from this year and previous years” because of the poor conditions. “It was the patriotic thing to do,” reads a tweet from the Capitol Fourth account.
Life in the Obama/Clinton era:
When lying is the “patriotic thing to do.”
When lying is the “patriotic thing to do.”
Americans don't know how many stars are on the flag
VIDEO: Americans don't know how many stars are on the flag - The American MirrorThe American Mirror:
How many stars are on the American flag?
How many stars are on the American flag?
There are apparently a whole lot of Americans who don’t know.
Fifty-two was the most popular answer Mark Dice received as he was surveying Americans in San Diego.
But many people had absolutely no idea, and resorted to counting them one by one.
These Americans represent the broader public who are clueless about our history or the way our government is designed to operate.
EAGnews reported earlier this year:
A survey of recent U.S. college graduates shows nearly 10 percent think Judge Judy is on the Supreme Court...
“America will never be destroyed from the outside,” Abraham Lincoln once said. “If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
The Day the Rule of Law Died | PJ Media
The Day the Rule of Law Died | PJ Media:
"And so once again the leading crime family in America skates, thumbing its nose at the rule of law as an earnest but politically clueless FBI director stands before the nation to repeat the well-worn Clinton mantra of "insufficient evidence," and to attribute to Hillary another shopworn cliche that the Clintons habitually use in their defense: sloppiness.
In other words, it was a judgment call by James Comey. After laying out clear proof that Mrs. Clinton violated both the letter and the spirit of the law, he essentially punted by saying this is not the kind of case a reasonable prosecutor would make. Of course it isn't -- not if that prosecutor wants to both keep his job and stay above ground. As a moral failure, Comey even surpassed the supine John Roberts,"
"And so once again the leading crime family in America skates, thumbing its nose at the rule of law as an earnest but politically clueless FBI director stands before the nation to repeat the well-worn Clinton mantra of "insufficient evidence," and to attribute to Hillary another shopworn cliche that the Clintons habitually use in their defense: sloppiness.
In other words, it was a judgment call by James Comey. After laying out clear proof that Mrs. Clinton violated both the letter and the spirit of the law, he essentially punted by saying this is not the kind of case a reasonable prosecutor would make. Of course it isn't -- not if that prosecutor wants to both keep his job and stay above ground. As a moral failure, Comey even surpassed the supine John Roberts,"
UC Berkeley Student Columnist "Speaks Out" on the "White Devil"
UC Berkeley Student Columnist "Speaks Out" on the "White Devil"
• Maggie Lam calls her roommate “Becky” a “white devil” and who “smelled like a skinny white girl.”
A student at the prestigious University of California at Berkeley is drawing fierce criticism for her rage-filled, sexually explicit columns in the student newspaper — in which she denounces white people as “the white devil” among other racially charged attacks.
• Maggie Lam calls her roommate “Becky” a “white devil” and who “smelled like a skinny white girl.”
• She denounces “white, patriarchal rape culture.”
• She criticizes progressive white students as participating in a “white savior circle jerk.”
A student at the prestigious University of California at Berkeley is drawing fierce criticism for her rage-filled, sexually explicit columns in the student newspaper — in which she denounces white people as “the white devil” among other racially charged attacks.
In pieces for the Daily Californian titled “Speaking Out”, “Fucking White Boys,” and “Choosing Myself Over White People”, Maggie Lam says she’s seeking to “reclaim the “Asian-American narrative” surrounding the immigrant experience.
Mostly, however, she describes what it’s like to be a member of an oppressed minority subject to the demands of white, patriarchal rape culture on the famously liberal UC Berkeley campus..."
Mostly, however, she describes what it’s like to be a member of an oppressed minority subject to the demands of white, patriarchal rape culture on the famously liberal UC Berkeley campus..."
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