http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=Belief Sun, 19 May 2013 02:44:18 -0400 Liveleak http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/u/u/ll2/logo.gif http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=Belief Sat, 18 May 2013 15:12:45 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8fc_1368904009 Detroit Iron May 17, 2013 4:11 PM WASHINGTON (KMOX) - Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-MO, issued a video statement Friday in response to reports that the Internal Revenue Service unfairly targeted conservative nonprofit groups. "I'm mad. It is un-American, it is wrong, and we have to make sure that this gets fixed," Missouri's senior senator said. "There's a reason Lady Justice wears a blindfold in America. That is because in America, we don't apply the law based on who you are, who you know, or what you believe. We apply the law equally." McCaskill went on to say that the targeting of one group based on political beliefs "infuriates" her. "We should not only fire the head of the IRS, which has occurred, but we've got to go down the line and find every single person who had anything to do with this and make sure that they are removed from the IRS and the word goes out that this is unacceptable," she said. "It is un-American, it is wrong, and it cannot occur again." McCaskill concluded by saying many groups claim to be charities while doing political work and that it is a problem which needs to be fixed "but not in a way that highlights one belief over another." http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2013/05/17/mccaskill-calls-for-firing-of-all-involved-in-irs-targeting-scandal/ http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8fc_1368904009 Detroit Iron McCaskill Calls For Firing Of All Involved In IRS Targeting Scandal Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-MO, Internal Revenue Service Sat, 18 May 2013 10:52:43 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=918_1368887990 krash I'm not racist, hateful, or prejudice towards any religion or a person's decision of lack thereof. I believe everyone is entitled to their own beliefs. However, when one belief begins to disregard the laws of the country and/or city that it's residing within, and making life difficult for the other's living among them, I believe the people in charge of the city's law enforcement needs to take a stand. Unfortunately "political correctness" has run amuck on our generation's watch and everyone is so damn afraid of being outed as some sort of bigot for taking a stand for what is right for everyone, and not just one particular group of people. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=918_1368887990 krash Muslims illegal takeover streets of Paris muslim, islam, sharia law, paris, france, political correctness Fri, 17 May 2013 14:44:55 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=26c_1368816143 th1sf8te More than one in 10 under 25s in the UK now describe themselves as Muslim A fresh analysis of the 2011 census has shown that Christian faith in the UK is declining rapidly amongst the British-born population, whilst belief in Islam has dramatically increased. A report published by the Office for National Statistics revealed that the percentage of people following a Christian faith dropped from 71.7 per cent in 2001 to 59.3 per cent in 2011. More than one in 10 under 25s in the UK now describe themselves as Muslim. Figures for Christianity were boosted however by the 1.2 million foreign-born Christians residing in the UK, such as Polish Catholics and evangelicals from countries such as Nigeria. Meanwhile, the percentage of the people who have no religion rose from 14.8 per cent to a quarter of the population. This fluctuation is being attributed to both ageing Christians, a quarter of which are aged 65 and above and younger Muslims, half of which are under 25. Rising levels of immigration across England and Wales over the last decade are also believed to have contributed, with the 2011 census showing 600,000 more foreign-born followers of an Islamic faith. Christianity is still the most prevalent faith in England and Wales and has 33.2 million followers, but such a rapid decline could suggest that it may lose its place as the most popular religion amongst Britons within the decade. A spokesperson for the Church of England said that despite the analysis, the UK was still a "faithful nation." "Christianity was the largest religious group in England and Wales with 33.2 million people - 59 per cent of the population. The second largest group was Islam with 2.7 million people - 5 per cent of the population. Combined with other religions, these figures show that as a nation we are overwhelming a faithful nation." Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the National Secular Society said that young people may perceive Christianity as unattractive because it "lacks relevance to their lives". Keith added: "They particularly dislike the church's failure to treat women equally and its obsessional war against homosexuality. Most young Catholics despair at their church's attitude to contraception and abortion. "Because the young are abandoning the churches, congregations will continue to dwindle and age. Christian Research projects Anglican and Catholic church attendance in Britain will drop below 200,000 jointly by 2050." http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=26c_1368816143 th1sf8te Census figures show Christianity in sharp decline whilst <span class="highlight">belief</span> in Islam dramatically increases Census figures show Christianity in sharp decline whilst belief in Islam dramatically increases Sat, 18 May 2013 00:23:12 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=01d_1368850647 Detroit Iron by Charles C. Johnson The Department of Homeland Security, which under Secretary Janet Napolitano has shown a keen interest in monitoring and warning about outspoken conservatives, takes a very different approach in monitoring political Islamists, according to a 2011 memo on protecting the free speech rights of pro-Shariah Muslim supremacists. In a checklist obtained by The Daily Caller entitled "Countering Violent Extremism Dos and Don'ts" the DHS's Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties notifies local and national law enforcement officials that it is Obama administration policy to consider specifically Islamic criticism of the American system of government legitimate. This policy stands in stark contrast to the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis' 2009 memo "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment" , which warned of the dangers posed by pro-life advocates, critics of same-sex marriage and groups concerned with abiding by the U.S. Constitution, among others. The advice of the Dos and Don'ts list is far more conciliatory. "Don't use training that equates radical thought, religious expression, freedom to protest, or other constitutionally-protected activity, including disliking the U.S. government without being violent," the manual's authors write in a section on training being "sensitive to constitutional values." The manual, which was produced by an inter-agency working group from DHS and the National Counterterrorism Center, advises, "Trainers who equate the desire for Sharia law with criminal activity violate basic tenets of the First Amendment." The Homeland Security document also seems to discount evidence unearthed by the Justice Department about the aims of some mainstream Muslim organizations, warning law enforcement not to rely on "unsubstantiated theories" and "conspiracies," such as the belief that "many mainstream Muslim organizations have terrorist ties" or are "fronts for Islamic political organizations whose true desire is to establish Sharia law in America." The checklist also advised against using moderate Muslim "trainers who are self-professed 'Muslim reformers'" because they "may further an interest group agenda instead of delivering generally accepted, unbiased information." The manual advises trainees not to assume Muslim Americans are "using democratic processes, like litigation and free speech, to subvert democracy and install Sharia law." In fact, the Justice Department proved that some very prominent Muslim organizations do have terror ties in a 2009 case and that they share the Muslim Brotherhood's goal of Shariah law. "The government has produced ample evidence to establish the associations of CAIR , ISNA , NAIT , with the Islamic Association for Palestine, and with Hamas," U.S. District Court Judge Jorge Solis said in the July 1, 2009 ruling. Tim Clemente, a former FBI agent who hunted Anwar Al-Awlaki and who has worked with Muslims to help stop terrorist plots, told The Daily Caller the government overdoes its sensitivity. Clemente says that the Muslim community "needs a realization, not necessarily a reformation," that only it can stop terrorist attacks. "Muslims are the ones that should notice this and should nip it in the bud," Clemente told TheDC. "When you see the guy radicalizing and yelling at an imam, do more. Take it to the next level. Don't go turning a blind eye." "While it is true that the vast majority of Muslims, especially in America, will never ever be radicalized, the greatest percentage of those that will commit terrorist acts happen to Muslim," continued Clemente, who was critical of DHS's 2009 report on rightwing groups. Although the two reports originated from different wings of Napolitano's vast Homeland Security bureaucracy, the contrast in their deference to constitutional rights and presumption of innocence is striking. The "Rightwing Extremism" report warned that the economic recession, Barack Obama's election, and the "return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating" might lead to a rise in white-power domestic terrorist activity - a threat that, unlike the threat posted by radical Islam, has failed to materialize in the four years since the report was issued. The 2009 report also defined "rightwing extremism in the United States" as including not just racist or hate groups, but also those who reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority and who "are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration." The 2009 report's authors conceded that DHS "has no specific information that domestic rightwing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence." Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/17/homeland-security-guidelines-advise-deference-to-pro-sharia-muslim-supremacists/#ixzz2TcAgsAMr http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=01d_1368850647 Detroit Iron Homeland Security guidelines advise deference to pro-Shariah Muslim supremacists Department of Homeland Security, Free speech, Islamists, Janet Napolitano, political correctness Fri, 17 May 2013 11:45:31 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=3e4_1368805313 Salamander This is a recent (2007) very fun expose on some of the various kinds of crazy which exist in our world masquerading as intelligent thought. From Wikipedia: "The Enemies of Reason is a two-part television documentary, written and presented by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, in which he seeks to expose "those areas of belief that exist without scientific proof, yet manage to hold the nation under their spell", including mediumship, acupuncture and psychokinesis." "The documentary was first broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK, styled as a loose successor to Dawkins' documentary of the previous year, The Root of All Evil?, as seen through the incorporation of brief clips from said documentary during the introduction of the first part by Dawkins. The first part aired 13 August 2007 and the second on 20 August 2007." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Enemies_of_Reason http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=3e4_1368805313 Salamander Enemies of Reason - Richard Dawkins (full video: hour and a half) reason, religion, science Thu, 16 May 2013 20:46:56 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=9f1_1368751417 Gorilla Biscuit My foresay: This is my response to the recent viral video of the asshat claiming police illegally entered his home and got tased in Cotati, California. How many times have there been domestic calls where the cops arrive, the people tell them everything is OK, and later find out someone was seriously injured or killed? All BS aside, I am sure a victim of domestic violence would agree that the police need to make sure it is all OK, no matter how asinine the call may be by making sure there are no visible injuries and satisfaction violence has not occurred, and will not continue once they leave. Be objective and ask yourselves, what would have happened if the cops just walked away in this scenario? In this case, probably nothing, but how were the police to know? Something to consider is the guy in this video is an Army reservist, and any incidents of domestic violence can get him chaptered out and considered a violation of any clearance he has in the military. I know, because I was in the US Army, and every unit (I was in) harped on the issue and raised awareness because you cannot use a firearm or weapon if convicted of domestic violence. Arguments between all couples happen, and if they had just shown the cops that no violence occurred, at most, both parties would have been encouraged to separate from each other and cool off. The police have a moral and legal obligation to make sure everyone (him included) is not the victim of domestic violence. Call me cynical, but I don't trust someone that tells me I can't come in after a concerned citizen calls in a violent complaint. Keep that in mind because the police did not magically appear in a group of 4. After all, the police are meant to protect and serve and had they disregarded the issue (as the police previously did in Ohio regarding the Amanda Berry case where they were called out for women seen walking on leashes and they did not look further, then these officers would have been held to the fire even longer for not doing anything. Just my 2 cents. - Gorilla Biscuit A video of Cotati police officers entering a home and using a Taser on a resident went viral this week, prompting questions about the officers' tactics and whether a citizen must open the door for police. The video, which was filmed May 10, shows officers responding to a report of a domestic disturbance at an apartment on Marsh Way, Chief Michael Parish said. An officer investigating the 3:48 p.m. call from a concerned citizen heard a man yelling and a woman sobbing in the backyard, Parish said. He called for backup. What followed was an encounter in part captured on video with resident James Wood's cellphone. It shows Wood, his wife and their roommate refusing to let police inside and stating there was no domestic violence issue. The officers kicked in the door and deployed at least one round of Taser darts on Wood after the man moved toward an officer grabbing his wife's arm. The video spread rapidly on the Internet, where the original YouTube video had been viewed more than 120,000 times by Wednesday evening and reposted dozens of times on YouTube and other social networking sites. "People say: Why didn't you just open the door?" said James Wood, 33, an Army reservist. "They wouldn't tell me why they were there. They wanted to use force, they wanted to use intimidation, they wanted to flash their guns and intimidate me, a free man, into submitting." Parish said his officers have an obligation to thoroughly investigate all reports of domestic disturbances. "The officers simply cannot walk away from a domestic disturbance call without ensuring that all parties are safe and secure," Parish said. Still, Parish said his department will launch an administrative review of the call, including the use of force, to determine if the officers acted appropriately. Wood and his wife, Jennifer, 29, said they had been arguing in the backyard that day about whether to spend their tax refund on fixing their car or buying a new one. Their roommate, James Helton, 32, was inside, putting the couple's 2-year-old daughter down for a nap when the officers knocked. The Woods' son was playing outside with a friend and his parent. Helton said he went to the back door to tell the Woods police were at the door. Officers said they heard Helton lock the door and decline their request to speak with him. James Wood and Helton said that police had their guns drawn when they came to their front window. "We had our hands up against the glass. We were more than happy to talk through the glass, or he can have dispatch call our cellphones," Helton said. "(An officer) became agitated and said, 'No you're going to do what I tell you to do.' " Officers said there was too much glare on the window to see inside, Parish said. Wood said he refused to open the door because the officers didn't explain why they were there and because he felt the law protected his right to keep unwanted people out of his home. "If you want to arrest me, you haven't told me why, but you want me to let you into my house brandishing firearms?" Wood said in an interview Wednesday. "I have a Fourth Amendment right: If you don't have a search warrant or probable cause, I'm not opening that door." Parish said the officers had announced they were there to investigate a domestic disturbance call. The officers continued ordering them to open the door and come outside to talk, and the individuals inside continued to refuse. "They could plainly see I was not in distress," Jennifer Wood said. "I honestly did not want them inside my home." James Wood pulled out his cellphone and announced that he was recording the officers, holding his military ID in one hand, his phone in the other. At that point, according to Wood, the officers put away their guns and instead held Tasers. "I was afraid we might get shot," he recalled. "The only thing I could think of is, 'I need to document this right now.' " As the video rolled, Wood told the officers there was one child inside and another playing in the yard. In response to an inaudible comment from the officers he said: "You're coming inside without a warrant, probable cause, you're going to kick my door down?" "Why are you guys not coming out?" an officer said. "Because we don't live in a police state, sir," Helton said. "Can you do us a favor, all get down on the ground and put your hands behind your back?" an officer said. "We can't record if our hands are behind our back," Helton said. "We need documentation of this violation of our civil rights." The officers appear to kick a door down and enter the home with weapons drawn. Jennifer Wood is partially shown standing with her hands up, but she had not complied with commands to get onto the ground. An officer grabbed her arm, and her husband said: "You have no right to be in here, you have no right to be here, do not touch her, do not touch her, you are assaulting her." The officer deployed Taser darts at Wood, and his wife screamed. The video ends. The Woods and Helton said they were pushed to the ground and handcuffed. Parish said the officers said Jennifer Wood appeared to be "taking direction from James supporting the officer's belief that she was a domestic violence victim." Wood was arrested on suspicion of resisting/obstructing officers and booked into the Sonoma County Jail, later released on bail. Jennifer Wood and Helton were cited for the same charge but not booked into jail. The Woods and Helton said they believed strongly they were not required by law to open the door, and they felt the officers' use of force was unnecessary. Although people do not always have to open the door for police, in this case they did, according to Parish. The officers were investigating a domestic disturbance, which he said qualifies as an exigent circumstance, or an emergency situation, in which they do not need a warrant, Parish said. "If the officers would have walked away and something happened, then the Police Department would have been criticized for not performing their duties," Parish said. Parish said the administrative review had not yet begun and will involve interviewing all parties involved. However, he defended what he observed of his officers' behavior. "It was a poor choice on their (the residents') behalf not to cooperate with law enforcement," Parish said. "My officers were very professional and very calm, and I'm proud of their performance." Cotati Mayor Mark Landman said he asked the chief to issue a statement about the video but would not comment on the incident while it is under investigation. Source: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130515/MULTIMEDIA/130519717/1033/news?Title=Video-of-Cotati-police-using-stun-gun-on-man-goes-viral You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=9f1_1368751417 Gorilla Biscuit New information of Viral Video of Cotati Police Using Stun Gun On Resident Cotati Police Wed, 15 May 2013 11:01:39 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=24d_1368629390 Big_Bang Critical thinking is reflective reasoning about beliefs and actions. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is always true, sometimes true, partly true, or false. It is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. It is a part of formal education and is increasingly significant as students progress through university to graduate education. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=24d_1368629390 Big_Bang Evolution Is Only A Theory Evolution, critical thinking, stupid people, Forrest Gump Tue, 14 May 2013 09:12:14 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=9f6_1368536416 Detroit Iron The White House spokesman founders in front of a newly curious press corps. MAY 14, 2013 4:00 AM By Charles C. W. Cooke Thank you for that question," White House spokesman Jay Carney said feebly when, early in Friday's press conference, the issue of Benghazi was raised. And then he reflexively tried to recruit the questioner to his side. Look, Carney insisted, those darned Republicans are involved in an "ongoing attempt to politicize a tragedy that took four American lives." We're not going to fall into their trap and ask questions of the administration, are we? We're not like those other outlets that are engaged in a "pattern of spreading misinformation." Right, guys?Evidently, Carney had not yet realized that things had changed. What had been a fringe story had by now gone mainstream: The New Yorker had written that new evidence "seriously undermines the White House's credibility on this issue"; ABC News's Jonathan Karl had averred that developments "directly contradict what White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said . . . in November"; Thursday's Morning Joe panel had agreed that the news was troubling for the White House; and George Will was gearing up to go onto the Sunday shows and complain that the nation had been "systematically misled." Newly intrigued, the assembled press corps ignored Carney's ploy; so, too, his flippant, Obamaesque insistence that "efforts to re-fight the political battles of the past are not looked on kindly by the American people." Benghazi might well have "happened a long time ago," as Carney hilariously assured the media on May 1, but the fourth estate was now interested.Cutting short the dismissal, Jim Acosta of CNN inquired of Carney why the State Department had removed Anshar al-Sharia's name from the CIA's story, and what the discovery of this edit has done to the credibility of the White House. "References to that group are removed from the conversation and don't make their way into the talking points," Acosta argued. "That is not a stylistic edit. That is not a single adjustment as you said back in November. That is a major, dramatic change to the information." "I appreciate the question and the opportunity," Carney said, twitching slightly and starting to go red. But apparently he didn't appreciate it enough to answer it. Nor to take the opportunity to admit that his prior claim that "the CIA drafted these talking points and redrafted" them - and that only "stylistic and non-substantive" changes were made from outside - was demonstrably false. At the fork in the road, Carney once again chose the well-worn low way. Acosta was visibly unimpressed. Here it became clear that we were in it for the long haul. "Let me just follow up on this once and for all," he eventually asked. "Do you promise once and for all?" pleaded Carney. "Maybe not ," Acosta shot back. "You are comfortable with the way you characterized this back in November? That this was a single adjustment?" "I do. I do stand by it," Carney replied. "Jay, you told us that the only changes were stylistic," asserted ABC's Jonathan Karl, who earlier in the day had mainstreamed the yeoman's work of The Weekly Standard 's Stephen F. Hayes. (Hayes had blown the lid off the talking-points deception almost a week before, to little public thanks.) "Is it a 'stylistic' change to take out all references to previous terror threats in Benghazi?" Karl asked. "I appreciate the question again ," Carney answered, closing his eyes and twitching a little. "I accept that 'stylistic' might not precisely describe a change of one word to another . . . " Bristling, Karl interrupted, observing that the original talking points referred to al-Qaeda and to Anshar al-Sharia and had "extensive discussion of the previous threats of terrorist attacks in Benghazi." A new set of talking points, "based on input from the State department" was written, Karl added. It featured none of those things. "Do you deny that?" he jabbed. "I've answered this question several times now," Carney pretended. "I'm happy to answer it again if you'll let me?" he continued. Looking anything but happy to answer it, Carney started to list the branches of government involved in the draft. Then he moved back to blaming Republicans for creating a "distraction." Frequently, Carney attempted to assure the press that the government's talking points had been carefully put together in order to make "concretely for sure" that no mistakes were made. After all, he insisted, we weren't sure who did it, so the aim was "limiting the talking points to what we knew, as opposed to speculation about what may or may not have been, in the end, relevant to what happened in Benghazi." The message: Better "not include things we could not be sure of." Like blaming protests on a YouTube video, perhaps? The only thing that was inaccurate about his previous assertions, Carney insisted, was his claim that there were anti-video demonstrations outside the Benghazi compound on September 11 last year. Besides, he continued, Republicans are wrong to accuse the White House of "playing down an act of terror and an attack on the embassy," because "the president himself" took to the Rose Garden on September 12 and told the country that the attack was an "act of terror."This was quite an astonishing thing for Carney to repeat, not just because the CBS transcript is available to anyone who cares to look it up but also because Carney himself claimed on September 14 that the attack "was a response to a YouTube video." Worse, five days after that, he told the press: Our belief based on the information we have is it was the video that caused the unrest in Cairo, and the video and the unrest in Cairo that helped - that precipitated some of the unrest in Benghazi and elsewhere. What other factors were involved is a matter of investigation. This line was repeated at least once by Hillary Clinton, many times by Susan Rice, and, on September 26, by President Obama in his speech to the United Nations. We are thus supposed to believe that the government was so " about the integrity of the investigation," to use Carney's peculiar words, that it removed all the suspects from public discussion while simultaneously blaming the attack on a video. Among their many claimed sins, Republicans also drew Carney's ire for "leaking" information "for political reasons." "That's their prerogative," he sniffed. But this disgust at leaks struck a false note, given that the White House had held a secret meeting just a few minutes earlier in which it passed - "for political reasons"? - unattributable information to reporters. Just a few minutes before Carney's on-air press conference, Politico 's Dylan Byers reported : The White House held a "deep background" briefing with reporters on Friday afternoon to discuss recent revelations about the Benghazi investigation, sources familiar with the meeting tell POLITICO. . . . I asked Earnest to explain the meaning of "deep background," as defined by the White House, for my readers. He emails: "Deep background means that the info presented by the briefers can be used in reporting but the briefers can't be quoted." At times, Carney veered into abject nonsense: The effort is always to, in that circumstance, and with an ongoing investigation and a lot of information, some of it accurate, some of it not, about what had happened and who was responsible, to provide information for members of Congress and others in the administration, for example, who might speak publicly about it that was based on only what the intelligence community could say for sure it thought it knew. Glad we got that cleared up, then. Until those damnable journalists got involved, May 10 had been billed by the White House as "Health Care Day" - a happy occasion on which the virtues of Obamacare were to be extolled. It was not to be. Six months late, curiosity about Benghazi finally intruded on the president's parade. "A throne," Napoleon held, "is only a bench covered with velvet." If the president is to ride this one out, Jay Carney is going to have to start nailing that velvet back down. - Charles C. W. Cooke is an editorial associate at National Review . http://www.nationalreview.com/article/348217/jay-carney%E2%80%99s-waterloo/page/0/1 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=9f6_1368536416 Detroit Iron Jay Carney's Waterloo ojay carney Tue, 14 May 2013 08:02:09 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=151_1368532510 Detroit Iron Senator slams administration on Benghazi, IRS, AP phone tap scandals Paul Joseph Watson Infowars.com May 14, 2013 Senator Rand Paul responded to the barrage of scandals to hit the Obama administration, from Benghazi, to the IRS targeting conservatives, to the Justice Department spying on Associated Press reporters, by accusing President Obama of being "drunk on power." Scoffing at an upcoming House Committee on Ways &amp; Means inquiry into the how the IRS targeted those who mentioned the Constitution, the bill of rights, or even making "America a better place to live," Kentucky Senator Paul said he would introduce a resolution today calling for the IRS agents involved to be fired for abusing their power in targeting people for their political activities. "The President says he's going to do something if they're guilty, well it sounds like there's already been an investigation and no one's been fired," Paul told Fox News' Sean Hannity. "I'm afraid he's going to do about as much as he did after Benghazi," he added, noting that those involved in the botched security operation still work for the State Department. Accusing Obama of engaging in "faux outrage" over the IRS scandal, Paul said the President was "using the power of his government to investigate his enemies, he's tapping the phones of the press, and it turns out last year he signed legislation that allows him to detain an American without a trial and send them to Guantanamo Bay." "This sounds like a President somewhat drunk on power, not cautious about how he uses power," added Paul. The Senator also responded to criticism over his claim that Obama is working "anti-American globalists plot against our Constitution," a quote that was characterized by the Washington Post as "black helicopter stuff." "The one thing they can't get away from is that there is a UN Small Arms Treaty, we're not making it up, President Obama has sounded and acted in the UN as if he's supportive, it is moving forward and we are trying to drum up support and publicity for people to say look we do not want to have Americans obey rules of the United Nations, it goes against our sovereignty, it goes against our Constitution," said Paul, adding that he would continue to push the issue. With the White House already reeling from its complicity in the Benghazi cover-up and the IRS controversy, it emerged last night that the so-called "most transparent administration" in history had, via the US Department of Justice, "secretly obtained two months of telephone records of reporters and editors for The Associated Press in what the news cooperative's top executive called a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into how news organizations gather the news." Although the government refuses to divulge why it sought the records, which included 20 separate telephone lines assigned to AP and its journalists in April and May of 2012, speculation suggests the move was a reprisal against a May 7, 2012 AP story which disclosed details of a CIA operation in Yemen to disrupt an airliner bomb plot, a story which was initially delayed at the request of government officials. "There can be no possible justification for such an overbroad collection of the telephone communications of The Associated Press and its reporters," said AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt in a letter to Attorney General Holder. "These records potentially reveal communications with confidential sources across all of the newsgathering activities undertaken by the AP during a two-month period, provide a road map to AP's newsgathering operations, and disclose information about AP's activities and operations that the government has no conceivable right to know. We regard this action by the Department of Justice as a serious interference with AP's constitutional rights to gather and report the news." After the Justice Department responded by claiming it valued "the freedom of the press" and was "always careful and deliberative" in its actions, House Oversight Committee chairman Darrell Issa reacted by remarking, "This is obviously disturbing. Coming within a week of revelations that the White House lied to the American people about the Benghazi attacks and the IRS targeted conservative Americans for their political beliefs, Americans should take notice that top Obama Administration officials increasingly see themselves as above the law and emboldened by the belief that they don't have to answer to anyone. I will work with my fellow House Chairmen on an appropriate response to Obama Administration officials." http://www.infowars.com/rand-paul-ap-phone-spying-proves-obama-is-drunk-on-power/ http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=151_1368532510 Detroit Iron Rand Paul: AP Phone Spying Proves Obama is "Drunk on Power" Rand Paul, AP News, Obama Mon, 13 May 2013 17:43:35 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=31f_1368480714 euronymus In a SPIEGEL interview, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi discusses the civil war in Syria, his government's "condemnation" of chemical weapons and his belief that Tehran is in a strong position to initiate negotiations for a settlement between the opposition and government in Damascus. Ali Akbar Salehi looks exhausted. In the last 48 hours, the Iranian foreign minister had a lengthy meeting in Jordan with King Abdullah II before flying to beleaguered Damascus to discuss the situation in Syria with President Bashar Assad. He had hardly returned to Tehran when he accompanied his own president on a campaign trip within Iran, which is in the middle of an election campaign. Still, Salehi found the time to meet with two SPIEGEL editors in Tehran last Thursday. Israel had bombed targets in Damascus only 10 days earlier. The power struggle in Syria has been escalating since the beginning of the year, and chemical weapons may have been used. Iran, Assad's large ally, is playing a key role, both openly and behind the scenes. After two conferences on Syria last year, Salehi is now planning another meeting with the aim of putting an end to the bloodshed. Moscow Plays for Time Moscow and Washington have the same goal and have announced an international summit on the Syrian crisis. The Russians, however, have been doing everything possible to support the Assad regime. In addition to supplying weapons and ammunition, Moscow has troops stationed at its naval basis in the Syrian port city of Tartus and in air defense positions. In reality, Moscow appears to be playing for time, primarily to prevent United States President Barack Obama from intervening militarily. Because poison gas was allegedly used against civilians, Obama could be forced to do just that, even though he doesn't want to be drawn into the war. As the Wall Street Journal reported, Obama's current preference is for a negotiated solution rather than to overthrow Assad. The American president wants to preserve the government apparatus in Syria to avoid total chaos. While the West is noting with concern the strengthening of Sunni fanatics among the rebels in Syria, Alawites, who are fighting for Assad, are calling for a campaign against their Muslim adversaries. The Shiite Hezbollah from Lebanon is also involved, with thousands of its men already positioned in Syria. According to Western intelligence information SPIEGEL has obtained, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian Revolutionary Guard General Qasem Soleimani decided in early March to move their liaison office from Damascus to Tehran as quickly as possible. They also aim to send more fighters to Assad's aid. Salehi, 64, is a key figure in the Middle East and one of the few Iranian politicians to enjoy the trust of many powerful figures in the region while at the same time having an appreciation for the West. A nuclear physicist, Salehi is seen as relatively open-minded. He earned his PhD at the elite Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and he is more familiar with the Iranian nuclear program than most. Most of all Salehi, like few other members of the government, has the full support of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final word on all key policy issues in Tehran. Interview transcript: SPIEGEL : Mr. Foreign Minister, you have just returned from Damascus, where you spoke with President Bashar Assad. Israeli fighter jets bombed several targets there 10 days ago. How did Assad react to the Israeli attacks? Salehi : He was unimpressed by the military strike. The man I met with is extremely determined and sticking to his course. I had the same impression six months ago, but this time the president seemed even more resolute. Those who believe that Bashar Assad is becoming fickle or that his government is collapsing are suffering from an illusion. The president is pleased with the progress his military is making. He says that his military leaders have the upper hand. SPIEGEL : That contradicts all the information we have. Instead, the rebels appear to be advancing. Salehi : I don't believe that Assad is portraying the situation unrealistically. When the conflict began two years ago, many said that his government couldn't last long. And now? He's still there. Don't underestimate Bashar Assad. SPIEGEL : What is your assessment of Assad's restrained reaction to Israel's air strikes? Salehi : It isn't a sign of weakness. The president responded levelheadedly. The next time Syria will strike back, he told me. SPIEGEL : Assad is threatening war with Israel? Salehi : The president said that his people are literally urging him to defend himself, fiercely and immediately. The situation will escalate if the other side doesn't hold back and continues to bomb the Syrians' military and research facilities. SPIEGEL : That's Assad's version. According to information obtained by Western intelligence services, the attack targeted weapons transports bound for the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which is aligned with the Syrian regime. Salehi : You know, you can claim everything is a Hezbollah facility in an attempt to justify intervening in Syria's internal affairs. SPIEGEL : But you certainly aren't denying that Iran supplies Hezbollah with weapons, some of which are transported through Syria. Salehi : But they don't even need that. Hezbollah leader Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah said recently that he is very well supplied and has no need (for weapons). Independent from that, Hezbollah is engaged in a resistance that we support. And the Syrians have little need for our help. President Assad has a large army with hundreds of thousands of men under arms. Over the decades, his government has armed itself against its ruthless enemy, Israel, and he doesn't need a few guns from here or there. SPIEGEL : Western intelligence agencies say that Iran already has a plan B for the event that Damascus can no longer serve as a hub for Iranian arms shipments to Hezbollah: an airlift between Tehran and Beirut. Salehi : I'm tired of constantly having to deny accusations that are completely absurd. If anyone is making such claims, he should provide proof. SPIEGEL : Then how do you explain the Israeli attacks? Salehi : It was a coordinated campaign between the rebels, who are losing ground, and the Zionist regime. The Israelis came to the aid of the rebels by attacking the Syrian army. It wasn't about their positions or Hezbollah arms depots. I received reports that a rebel commander even publicly expressed his gratitude for the Israeli support. SPIEGEL : Actually, isn't Assad under more pressure than the armed opposition? Salehi : This president has the situation completely under control. He is very well informed about everything that is going on. Bashar Assad believes in victory and will resolutely pursue his path. SPIEGEL : Does he seriously believe that he can survive this conflict? Salehi : I wasn't under the impression that Damascus is under siege. The city seems vibrant and clean, the streets are crowded, there are traffic jams and people are going to work. On our approach to the airport, I saw farmers working in their fields in the surrounding countryside. Even I was astonished by how normal it looked. SPIEGEL : Your description is a far cry from what our colleagues are reporting from there. They say that the rebels are already in the city's suburbs. Salehi : I have a different analysis. According to our information, the population does not support the armed portion of the opposition. People are increasingly realizing that many of the insurgents are mercenaries, controlled by foreign powers ... SPIEGEL : ... do you mean Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries? Salehi : As foreign minister, I can't name any names. But there are countries that support these mercenaries. A few months ago, there may have been some sympathy for these rebels among a portion of Syrians, but that has now changed. The people have awakened and now oppose them. SPIEGEL : You are condemned to optimism. Your government can't afford an overthrow of the Assad regime. Salehi : Damascus is indeed an important partner for us, one that we don't want to lose. But some countries make it too easy for themselves. They believe that by striking Syria they'll weaken us. In that sense, the struggle for Syria is partly a proxy war. And we admire the Syrian government for putting up such impressive resistance. SPIEGEL : But the threat is growing for the entire region. Salehi : There will be serious consequences if Israel doesn't exercise restraint. You can burn down an entire forest with a single match. However, an expansion of the conflict would be extremely dangerous for the Zionists, which is why they'll think carefully about what they do. SPIEGEL : Does the Assad regime enjoy your unconditional support, even if it uses chemical weapons in the civil war? Salehi : We too were the target of many poison gas attacks in the eight-year war with Iraq. We condemn chemical weapons. SPIEGEL : Then you would have to drop your support for Assad, if there is evidence that he is using chemical weapons. Salehi : We are decidedly opposed to weapons of mass destruction of all kinds. SPIEGEL : But the regime has huge stockpiles. And there are indications that poison gas, albeit in very small amounts, was used in Syria. Salehi : But not by the president's troops. It was the Syrian government that brought the victims of poison gas attacks to the attention of the United Nations. I am convinced that the foreign mercenaries were the culprits. Nevertheless, I wrote a letter to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and urged him to investigate these horrific incidents. We have called upon the UN to send inspectors. SPIEGEL : Civilians were among the alleged victims. Why would the rebels do something like that? Salehi : So that Assad can be blamed as the culprit. And perhaps to see how the United States responds. President Barack Obama has said that the Syrian government's use of chemical weapons is his red line. The rebels want to draw America into the war. SPIEGEL : You draw the same red line as America, "the Great Satan" -- an odd alliance. Salehi : It's a question of one of our fundamental principles: We will never tolerate the use of weapons of mass destruction, no matter who uses them. If others share our principles, we welcome it, no matter who they are. SPIEGEL : Moscow and Washington want to prepare an international conference on Syria. Will you participate? Salehi : We haven't received an invitation yet. But of course we would attend. We are a power factor in the region. We could initiate negotiations between the opposition and the government in Syria. But the conflict can only be resolved if everyone seeks a solution without restrictions. For us, this means that the end of Assad cannot be a precondition of talks. SPIEGEL : So what solutions does Tehran propose? Salehi : We aren't acting on our own, but instead are in constant contact with our friends in Cairo. The Egyptians have a plan, and even if we don't agree with them on all the details, we do support their proposals. SPIEGEL : Is a new Cairo-Tehran axis taking shape? Salehi : We are expanding our relationship and hope that Egypt will be able to achieve a great deal in the Arab world with its political influence. We share three demands on Syria: There should be no foreign intervention, the country's integrity and sovereignty must be preserved, and the government and opposition should form a shared interim leadership. This leadership must lead the country into a new era. There is no other alternative. SPIEGEL : Do you also envision a solution for another major conflict, the dispute over Iran's nuclear program? Salehi : We have a right to the civilian use of nuclear energy. Our entire nation wants us to defend this right. SPIEGEL : President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly provoked the West. Will Iran be more accommodating toward the global community after it elects a new president on June 14? Salehi : There will be strictly no compromises on this issue, regardless of the new president's political stripe. Nevertheless, I hope that we will be able to find more common ground in the next rounds of negotiations, and come up with a solution that benefits both sides. Source: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/interview-with-iranian-foreign-minister-salehi-on-syria-a-899315-2.html http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=31f_1368480714 euronymus Salehi: &quot;We Condemn Chemical Weapons&quot; Syria, Iran, Hezbollah, al, Assad, Salehi, weapons, chemical, Israel Mon, 13 May 2013 11:56:48 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=938_1368460241 Big_Bang "The belief that a cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree." http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=938_1368460241 Big_Bang Christian Delusions Revealed Christian, Republicans, Redneck, atheist Mon, 13 May 2013 07:43:46 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=235_1368445086 Zurm With Dubai emerging as a major stopover point for long haul journeys, five hundred flights a month will deliver over one million of us to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the next year. Dubai is being promoted as a luxury high-class paradise in the desert, but the reality is brutally different, as Australian Alicia Gali discovered. Gali took a job in the UAE with one of the world's biggest hotel chains, Starwood. What happened next makes this story a must-watch for every Australian planning on travelling through the region. Gali was using her laptop in the hotel's staff bar when her drink was spiked. She awoke to a nightmare beyond belief: she had been savagely raped by three of her colleagues. Alone and frightened, she took herself to hospital. What Alicia didn't know is that under the UAE's strict sharia laws, if the perpetrator does not confess, a rape cannot be convicted without four adult Muslim male witnesses. She was charged with having illicit sex outside marriage, and thrown in a filthy jail cell for eight months. Now, finally home and struggling to move on with her life, Alicia breaks her silence for the first time on television to reporter Ross Coulthart. "What happened in June 2008 to Alicia Gali, a former employee of Le M'eridien Al Aqah hotel, was deplorable. While the hotel worked diligently on Ms. Gali's behalf, the authorities investigated and prosecuted Ms. Gali under the local laws. Additionally, the men involved were also prosecuted and each served prison terms before being deported. As for Ms. Gali's lawsuit against the hotel, we disagree with the allegations. The hotel management provided support and assistance to Ms. Gali and her family throughout that time, including assisting with medical support and the investigation, liaising with her representative Australian embassy and coordinating and arranging affairs with her family in Australia. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=235_1368445086 Zurm Australian woman raped by Muslim gang, then jailed for having sex outside of marriage Australian,woman,raped,Muslim,gang,jailed,sex,outside,marriage