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Saturday, June 23, 2012

Democrats claim 'witch hunt' in Fast and Furious investigation

As investigators continue to close in on the facts in the Fast and Furious scandal, Democrats are increasingly using what appears to be desperate measures in attempting to defend themselves from the growing fallout of the scandal. Those measures include charges of a personal vendetta against Attorney General Eric Holder, charges of conducting a "witch hunt" and falsely claiming that the program was implemented by Bush and ended under Obama.

Former House Speaker and U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., stated Friday that the reason Republicans are investigating Fast and Furious and citing Holder for contempt of Congress is to silence the one in the Justice Department who is attempting to stop "voter suppression."

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

Friday, June 22, 2012

ATF tells Alaska Congressman it broke no laws


In a breaking follow up to a previous story concerning possible violations of federal law by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) in Alaska, the ATF has written an official letter to an Alaska Congressman stating that it broke no laws.
U.S. Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, sent a letter to the ATF in April inquiring about reports that agents had visited numerous gun stores in the state asking that they turn over their "bound book" containing the names of customers and their purchases.
Government agencies are prevented by law from receiving or keeping such information unless it is part of an ongoing criminal investigation, and even then the requested information must be specific to the crime being investigated.

NRA to score vote on Holder contempt of Congress

The National Rifle Association (NRA) announced Wednesday that it will score the vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on the resolution to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over nearly 70,000 pages of documents related to the Fast and Furious scandal.

Holder turned over 80,000 pages to the Justice Department's own Inspector General, who is also investigating the scandal, but released only 8,000 pages of documents to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in its ongoing investigation implemented in 2011.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

The 2A News Roundup--Top Ten for Thursday, June 21, 2012

All guns and politics from the best gun rights and liberty bloggers on the Internet.

Kurt Hofmann writes that Chris Matthews has played the race card on Fast and Furious.

GunRights4US points to 20 most self-absorbed moments of Barack Obama.

WRSA says that a bad moon is on the rise. Yep. To say the least.

Billy Beck offers a one-sentence commentary on the Obama claim of executive privilege.

Roberta X notes that some claim that the violence in Chicago is a "race war." Hmmm. I agree with her, if they were to change a few key things, the problem would be solved, race or not.

Way Up North describes what the summer solstice is like "way up north" in Alaska.

Pamela Geller issues a call for the FBI to close those mosques that have been identified as havens for terrorists.

The New York Liberty Report has the scoop on an entity you've probably never heard of but has already gathered tons of info on you and everyone else!

Stand Up America reports dire news from Wall St. and the Stock Market indicating that Moody's will downgrade hundreds of banks....in the United States!

Days of our Trailers calls our attention to some partisan hacks writing about Fast and Furious over at HuffPo.

Fast and Furious rhetoric insensitive to whistleblowers and victims

Certain reporters in the mainstream media and progressive politicians in Washington have engaged in rhetoric that exhibits a marked insensitivity to the whistleblowers and victims in the Fast and Furious scandal.

In the aftermath of the vote yesterday by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress, certain mainstream reporters and progressive politicians went on a spree of hurling inflammatory statements at Republicans in the House and some of the reporters who broke the Fast and Furious story.

The hate spree has had the net effect of slamming and insulting the whistleblowers and victims who through no fault of their own found themselves caught up in a sordid scheme of illegal activity including gun and drug smuggling and murder, perpetrated by the Obama Justice Department and its agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Obama evokes memories of Watergate by invoking executive privilege

In a move that evokes memories of the Watergate scandal of 1974, President Obama today invoked executive privilege in the Fast and Furious scandal, placing off limits the subpoenaed documents the Justice Department had been ordered to submit to Congress.

The move gives at least some legal protection to Attorney General Eric Holder in his ongoing dispute with Congress over the documents. But executive privilege will not protect him from a citation of contempt of Congress or possible criminal charges.

Obama's move to invoke executive privilege is eerily reminiscent of the conflict between Congress and the Executive Branch during the Watergate scandal that destroyed the presidency of Richard M. Nixon.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

Prayers for David Codrea and his Family

David has relayed the news that his father passed away this morning.

We will want to remember in prayer David Codrea and his entire family during this time of grief.

David will be out of commission for a while, which is understandable. So, please hold off on comments at his blog.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

The 2A News Roundup--Top Ten for Tuesday, June 19, 2012

All guns and politics from the best gun rights and liberty bloggers on the Internet.

The War on Guns reports that Mike Vanderboegh is back in the hospital, and here he provides an update. Prayers for Mike are always appreciated.

Mike McCarville has news on Ron Paul's plans at the Republican National Convention. The candidate has given up on his chances at the nomination, but it's good to see he will use his power to influence Party principles to be set forth in the platform.

The New York Liberty Report has more on the Google-Obama axis to get personal information on citizens!

From Standing By: "Old gun grabbers never die, they just hide in the woodwork."

Blonde Sagacity provides cartoon editorial comment on the "Food Police."

The Smallest Minority posts the quote of the day on the importance of pulling your children OUT of the joke/unmitigated disaster called "the public school system."

Oleg Volk, photographer extraordinaire, always posts the most eye-grabbing photos involving firearms and the people who use them. This photo features a real beauty. The gun is pretty nice too. :)

Market Guru Karl Denninger comments on why Greece's actions this past Sunday did not and will not work.

Open Carry provides a plethora of updates on the movement in various states toward Constitutional carry.

Gun Owners of America provides the documents directly from the House Committee which delineate perjury, stonewalling, and support for gun control within the Holder Justice Department.

Supreme Court justices hint at healthcare ruling


In light of the pending ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court on the fate of ObamaCare, which is expected within days, Forbes writer Avik Roy yesterday stated that his sources have information concerning the ruling.
Roy further states that two Court justices have hinted at the outcome.
Sources with insider knowledge of the Court have told Roy that the justices have at the very least made a decision on the individual mandate. Anthony Kennedy has joined with the conservative justices to form a majority in striking down the mandate.
The thing that has not been decided is the extent of the ruling...

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

Musings After Midnight--A Dire Warning from the Ground

Good evening, dear reader. And welcome to another segment of "Musings After Midnight"--the title I have given to these blog posts that are written during sleepless nights. But since it is 3 a.m., perhaps I should say "good morning" instead of good evening.

Be that as it may, I decided I would write to you during these wee hours of insomnia not simply to have something to do (I have my TCM movies to watch and reruns of Without a Trace, CSI Miami, and Criminal Minds) but because there has been a distinct warning from the ground in the darkness.

And you must be told about it.

Animals have a good feel for the ground. For example, it was said that prior to the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami that ravaged Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand in 2004, the animals had already fled the coastal regions long before there was any inkling of disaster. Animals seem to have an extra sensitivity to certain movements and sounds that humans do not have, at least not consciously.

I believe that some humans are super sensitive to these things, not to the degree that the animals are but more sensitive than most people. I have never thought of myself as being that sort of person, but many have told me through the years that they sense an extra "something" in me that causes me to be extra sensitive to certain data that others miss, such as feelings, mental and emotional states, and the like. Some refer to this as intuitive or perceptive.

This has served me well in my previous work in mental health and addictions chaplaincy. Being able to sense feelings in another person or in a group of persons is one of the keys to successfully dealing with those who suffer from these conditions. And for those of us who happen to be compassionate, such knowledge can contribute to an empathetic response to those who need a connection with another human being during the loneliest and most troublesome times of their lives.

But such intuition is also highly valuable in politics. A person in my position, as a political reporter, must be able to know who to trust and who not to trust.

Sure, there are times I make mistakes in my assumptions. Feelings I have had about certain persons did not pan out at times. I am a flawed human being, and as such, there are times when I can be quite wrong. But when it comes to getting to the heart of an issue--the truth--by being able to cut through the chaff, the smoke, the bilge, the distractions and the diversionary tactics of those who wish to hide, I think my track record is among the best.

And this brings me to my point. Tonight I have been quite disturbed by what I am sensing as a result of "keeping my ear to the ground." I have been able to sleep quite well of late, much better than normal. But not tonight. And I don't think it is just a normal case of periodic insomnia. There is a warning I am picking up from the ground, just as those animals picked up a warning somehow in the days and hours prior to the Indonesian tsunami.

But in this case, there is no place to run. There is no place to hide. It is stand your ground and get set. Get prepared to defend your ground.

I have noticed over the last several weeks that increasingly the daily bombardment of major news concerning major change has reached a fever pitch. With each passing day so much is being hurled at us in the political, religious, and social realms that it is becoming too overwhelming for normal human beings to keep up. It is almost like the system is being deliberately overwhelmed, overloaded, and overburdened by an ominous force, an evil presence, that is intent not only to keep Americans in a state of perpetual information overload, leading to chaotic confusion, but to overwhelm the system of government to the extent that it collapses.

As I thought about these things this evening it occurred to me that I have heard and read about this phenomenon many times before.

Does Saul Alinsky ring a bell? How about Cloward-Piven?

A central theme that was common to the Leftwing extremists of the 1960s was that in order to bring about massive social, religious, and political change you had to so overwhelm the current system that it collapses under the weight. And once it collapses you have the perfect opportunity to quickly replace it with a Marxist system of some sort, whether it be Socialism or Communism, or some derivative of it.

Ever since the current Administration took office in 2009, the system has, indeed, been inundated with extraordinary stressors that have shaken it to its very foundation. In spite of a mountain of debt that most economists have admitted is unsustainable, Obama has contributed an additional $5 trillion on top of it within a mere three years. His ideologically-driven but highly impractical energy and environmental policies, coupled with a deadly policy toward jobs, the economy, and corporate taxes, have driven the jobless rate to the highest sustained level of unemployment since the Great Depression of the 1930s and an inflation rate in the costs of food, drugs, electricity, and clothing that is approaching the 13% rate of the Carter years (1976-1981).

On top of that, Obama and the Democrats rammed through the healthcare reform bill against the clear wishes of most Americans, in the dead of night, approving a bill in secret that was not written by Senators and Congressmen but by extremists in the Center for American Progress, ACORN, SEIU, and the Tides Foundation. The scumbags in Congress never even read the bill before passing it.

And I am hearing that the Supreme Court may well keep parts of this dreadful and unconscionable piece of legislation.

The pricetag for ObamaCare is at least a trillion bucks. Just wait till the taxes for it kick in in 2013--the year after the election.

And then there is the absolutely outrageous Executive Order Obama signed last week that immediately grants amnesty to 800,000 illegal aliens...bypassing Congress altogether. A President does not have that kind of power in the United States of America. The Constitution clearly states that only the LEGISLATIVE BRANCH--the Congress--has the power to write laws, NOT the Executive Branch--the presidency.

The Executive Order Obama signed essentially creates law out of thin air. This is a direct violation of Constitutional law.

Can you imagine what Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Adams, and Franklin would have done had a president in that era done such a thing? High crimes and misdemeanors, and treason, were so serious that those who dared commit them did so under the threat not only of being impeached but HANGED.

Added to all of this is the absolutely disastrous foreign policy implemented by this White House. Obama has managed to offend every single friend and ally that America has ever had, while befriending the most obnoxious and despicable fiends the world has ever known. The result? Israel is highly vulnerable in a vast ocean of extremist Muslim nations. A known terrorist organization--the Muslim Brotherhood--now controls Egypt. Russia is on the march unchecked, reasserting its power that it lost at the end of the Cold War. And China has been so empowered by a boneheaded, idiotic policy toward the ChiComs that even Leon Panetta admitted that the Communist giant is a major threat to U.S. security.

Meanwhile, Europe continues to self-destruct, and America is helping it. How? Our own government is trying to take us down the same path Europe took, which led to its present economic woes. And then, when the chickens come home to roost, and the piper must be paid, the banks bail them out, or the German government does so just as the U.S. government bailed out numerous large corporations that did not deserve to stay in business due to gross mismanagement.

It is an endless cycle toward economic doom. Spend yourself into oblivion with borrowed money, go into such debt that you have no more money to pay for the freebies, and then get somebody to bail you out--just like a bunch of very sick, demented drug addicts who are perpetually dependent on their enablers rather than learning how to become independent and standing on their own two feet.

Greece is not going to save Europe, no matter how they voted this past Sunday. Spain also teeters on the edge. So is Portugal. So is Italy. So is Ireland.

Are the European banks going to bail out everybody? How? And with what?

The problem with bailouts is that it rewards bad behavior. Thus, the actions that led to the disaster are reinforced and nobody learns a damn thing from their mistakes.

The world needs to face a cold, hard fact. Were it not for printing paper money out of thin air, at least 75% of what governments are able to do in their hallowed social programs would no longer be possible.

We are living in a house built on sinking sand. A palace of paper. A worthless bundle of printed "notes" that promise value but have nothing of real value to back them up.

When the jig is up on this house of cards, and make no mistake, my friend, there is always, always a day of reckoning sooner or later, then the world will discover there is no more money. And when there is no more money then it is bye bye to pensions, social security, bank accounts, and everything else people have been counting on to take them through old age.

No matter how much the Left talks about how essential it is to provide for the disadvantaged and such, when the money dries up, who will pay for it?

The answer is nobody. Everyone will be flat broke. It is then that reality sets in. Dreams are shattered. Untold suffering ensues. The rich, and the middle class, are thrown into abject poverty. And no government agency will come around to "help" because government has to get money from citizens to pay for this help. And when citizens have no money left, then there is nothing for government to confiscate through taxation. That means there is no more beloved "social safety net."

Do you think I am being too graphic, too much of an alarmist? Well, I disagree. I am being realistic--and honest. I am telling you things your politicians won't tell you. Nor will the mainstream media.

But you had best pay attention because I'm telling you that a major catastrophe of historic proportions is on the way, and it may be much, much worse than anything this country experienced in the Great Depression, two World Wars, and a Civil War combined...unless major changes are made soon in the course this country has taken.

The thing that really disturbs me, however, is the number of our fellow citizens who have been duped by the smooth-talking politicians with their sweet promises of utopia if we will but embrace "hope and change." The dumbed down educational system, which is run by Leftists who indoctrinate our children with Leftist propaganda, has produced millions upon millions of mindless zombies who parrot the party line of the Marxists who buy support through the promise of more freebies. 48% of the country today pays no taxes at all. That means that roughly half of the population lives off of the public dole in some manner.

How is it that citizens can expect to pay no taxes at all when they use services and goods that are paid for with the money government confiscates from citizens who DO pay taxes? You use roads and highways, don't you? You benefit from police protection, fire protection, military protection, and a myriad of other services government provides. So, tell me how it is acceptable for some citizens to avoid paying anything at all for these things?

Even those at the lowest rung of the income ladder can pay a dollar or two per payday for these things. But when half the population has come to expect others to carry their share of the load, a mindset is developed in which there is an expectation that politicians will continue to make it possible for them to get the freebies without paying a dime for them, and if those politicians don't perpetuate that scheme they will be voted out of office.

Thus, the standard becomes the lowest possible reason for casting a vote for a candidate, one that is based entirely upon who can do the most for "me" rather than who is best for the country as demonstrated by their commitment to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.

Let us never forget that over 50% of Americans who voted cast their vote for Barack Obama. Over half the country. Our fellow citizens whom we see day in and day out put that man in office. And many of them will do the same damn thing yet again in 2012, even after all we've learned about him.

This does not bode well for the future of the country. While Patriots were asleep at the wheel, the enemies of this country from within have been busy at work brainwashing, influencing, and persuading fellow citizens to swallow an ideology that is totally foreign to everything that made this country great. And we are on the brink of losing forever the Republic that the Founders gave us. If Obama wins reelection, and if he has enough support in Congress, then it's over. America is gone. The Constitution will be rendered entirely meaningless and powerless.

And make no mistake about it, my friends. If Obama is reelected, we've lost the Supreme Court for good as well, meaning that Obama will have free reign. One more Leftwing extremist on the Court will change its entire complexion. Obama will more than likely have the opportunity to appoint two or three new justices. That will put the final nail in the coffin for the country.

Frankly, I am worried about the election for several reasons. For one, I have lost trust in my fellow citizens. The things I hear coming out of people's mouths who should know better send cold chills up my spine. They are uninformed, fickle, easily swayed, and prone to a mob mentality. If the economy rebounds a bit, and gas prices continue to drop, and if enough of the recipients of amnesty for illegal aliens vote, then I can easily see a scenario where Obama could be reelected, in spite of his Marxism, his lies, his scandals, his ineptitude, and his extremism.

In addition, in a national emergency, which could very well happen at any time, citizens are prone to vote for stability. They will often return a known entity to office even if they don't like him that much, simply because they want at least some continuity in troubled times.

But there is another aspect of a national emergency that is even more ominous. In some cases the emergency is so dire that Martial law is imposed and elections are suspended. In that case, Obama would remain in office indefinitely.

And another factor that further complicates the issue is that Republicans appear to have chosen a candidate that is not particularly liked by most conservatives. It is still uncertain as to what some conservatives will do on election day. Are they so opposed to Romney that they will sit out the election or vote for a third party or a write-in candidate, even though by doing so they virtually insure Obama's reelection?

I have written at length about this issue before and related to you my dilemma. I believe that people should vote their conscience, no matter what. And some people I know cannot in good conscience vote for Romney. I struggle with the same issue. But I am at this point leaning toward voting for him because I believe that the most important issue in THIS election is getting rid of Barack Obama and ALL of his Democrat enablers in Congress. If the election involved someone other than a dangerous extremist, it would be very different. But this year, the election is ALL about ridding the government of Obama and his ilk, and thus, I don't think I can allow myself to do anything that could tip the election in his favor.

Thus, I am leaning toward voting for Romney if he becomes the chosen nominee at the Convention, but only because I want Obama to lose. I don't want to risk a third party pulling votes away from Romney and thus insuring an Obama victory. Once we get rid of Obama, we can then go to work on cleaning up the Republican Party and getting rid of the RINOS.

I know that Ron Paul is still in the race, and if he wins the nomination I will vote for him. I would prefer him over Romney, for sure. But, I don't see any way he can win. He simply does not have the delegates he needs.

But here is the bottom line, my friends, as I have attempted to explain to you the critical nature of what we face. The period of time we have now entered is a very dangerous period. Tyrants such as Obama and the big money behind him do not leave office without a fight. Back them into a corner and they turn brutal. Their actions have already resulted in the murders of a Border Patrol agent and an Ice agent in the Fast and Furious scandal. Hundreds of Mexicans who live just south of the border have also been murdered with the guns the cartels received from the ATF. They will not hesitate to kill ordinary citizens if we get in their way. They don't call Obama thug Rahm "Dead Fish" Emanuel "the godfather" for nothing. He got that designation for a reason.

We have already seen part of what Obama will do when his back is against the wall. When his poll numbers started to tank, he signed an illegal Executive Order granting amnesty to 800,000 illegals who will show their appreciation by voting for Obama and the Democrats.

What will happen next if his numbers continue to plummet?

Tyrants who become desperate will do ANYTHING.

However, looking at the much broader picture, there are any number of major catastrophes that could happen at any moment--the European economic crisis, Syria, Egypt, Iran, Russia, China, the collapse of the U.S. economic system due to the unsustainable debt load, gasoline shortages due to mounting tensions in the Middle East, Islamic terrorists who have already been confirmed to be operational at the southern border (and hence, the multiple beheadings that are NOT indicative of Mexican culture at all), or further encroachments on the rights of citizens and Constitutional law by a president who is consumed by his own self-importance.

So, what is the main source of the "warning from the ground" I picked up on during this sleepless night? Is it one of the scenarios I mentioned above? Or is it a combination of several if not all of them coming together at the same time?

That I cannot answer. All of the factors delineated above are equally serious and dangerous. All I know is that I heard distinct rumblings beneath the surface that caused me some alarm--enough to keep me awake.

I have learned not to ignore these warnings. And I have to admit that I am on edge. I thought you should know, not for my sake, but yours.

Monday, June 18, 2012

The 2A News Roundup--Top Ten for Monday, June 18, 2012

All guns and politics from the best gun rights and liberty bloggers on the Internet.

Mike Vanderboegh's original exclusive report on the latest in the Fast and Furious scandal, published today, is here.

Here is David Codrea's take on the Vanderboegh report.

WRSA provides a must-read on the eventual consequences of "swatting"--the practice of a few Leftwing nutcases to anonymously call the cops and report that SWAT teams are needed at the homes of conservative bloggers.

Brigid has some musings on the Second Amendment.

Stand Up America reports that Judicial Watch, the main government watchdog in D.C., has sued the Obama Administration to get info in the Fast and Furious scandal.

Way Up North provides graphics that answer the question, "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"

Days of our Trailers says that David Hardy has written a very important paper on McDonald v. Chicago, the landmark case that incorporated the Second Amendment right to arms.

Alphecca notes that TIME magazine is continuing with its attacks on gun rights.

Around O-Town issues a timely warning about the house of cards inherent in the Euro zone crisis. The vote in Greece yesterday will NOT fix the problem. Be sure to watch the video. It's like a genius speaking to a room full of stooges who have been lobotomized.

Pamela Geller publishes an article that most assuredly will cause many conservatives, including this one, to reconsider our support for National Review, the magazine founded by William F. Buckley, Jr. Bill would be surely turning over in his grave if he knew what the present cabal of writers were doing at the magazine!

Obama's media hit man linked to Fast and Furious

A name that most Americans have probably never heard is Denis McDonough, who serves as Deputy National Security Adviser for the President. But McDonough is perhaps one of the two or three most influential advisers on the Obama team, and he is now directly linked to the Fast and Furious scandal.

According to an exclusive report published today, McDonough's relationship with the President goes far beyond the political and professional. The two are close friends. McDonough is Obama's basketball buddy. And it is McDonough who has interjected himself as Obama's protector, a "media hit man" of sorts who will dress down reporters in a heartbeat if they veer off of the official Administration spin.

Investigative journalists have provided details on McDonough's background and work history in politics, but the information that makes McDonough relevant to the continually breaking news on the Fast and Furious scandal is his role in silencing complaints from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) about the "gunwalking" activity of the ATF and the FBI.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Report describes Russian move into Syria as 'Cold War II'

In a report today revealing a move by Russia to send arms to Syria and maneuver its navy into Syrian waters, a political research organization founded by former Fox News military analyst and retired Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely, U.S. Army, the events occurring presently in the Middle East and other parts of the world are described as the beginning of "Cold War II."

The original Cold War began after World War II. Communists in the former Soviet Union set about to spread their power by setting up numerous satellite nations under their control, including all of the countries of Eastern Europe...

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.