World News Korner

Courtesy of Talking Points Memo:

House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) issued a subpoena Friday for Secretary of State John Kerry to testify before his panel on May 21 over Benghazi.

Today I announced a subpoena requiring Secretary Kerry to testify at a public @GOPoversight hearing on May 21. #Benghazi
— Darrell Issa (@DarrellIssa) May 2, 2014

Issa made no suggestion that Kerry -- who was a senator during the 2012 attack on the American consulate in Benghazi -- was guilty of wrongdoing.

"State Dept's response to congressional investigation of #Benghazi has shown a disturbing disregard for its legal obligations to Congress," the GOP chairman wrote on Twitter.

He continued, deploying the hashtag #Benghazi in a series of follow-up tweets: "Compliance with a subpoena for documents is not a game. The State Dept has failed to meet its legal obligations. ... Secretary Kerry must answer questions about the State Dept's response to the congressional investigation. Yesterday, BGen Lovell testified that the State Dept never asked military forces to go save Americans in #Benghazi during the attack."

Here is the letter that Issa sent to Kerry here. In it Issa suggests that he is thinking of charging the State Department with a criminal offense.

No, seriously.

Of course as most of know John Kerry was not the Secretary of State during the Benghazi attack, and it is abundantly clear that the real focus of this inquiry is the previous SOS, and future presidential candidate.

Issa is not alone in launching this assault.

Courtesy of TPM:

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) intends to form a select committee to investigate the 2012 Benghazi attacks, he announced Friday.

"[T]he House will vote to establish a new select committee to investigate the attack, provide the necessary accountability, and ensure justice is finally served," the Speaker said in a statement.

It is beyond clear that his new memo has reinvigorated the Republican scandal manufacturing faction, and even though it had virtually nothing to do with Benghazi it was the lifeline that the Right Wing had been praying for.

In fact so focused are the conservatives on Benghazi that Fox News is uninterested in covering much of anything else:

Fox News stopped airing President Barack Obama's joint press conference Friday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel because, the network said, reporters weren't asking him about Benghazi.

The topic has animated the conservative news network, and especially so Friday because Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) had just announced the House will vote to establish a select committee to investigate the Obama administration's response to the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate that left four Americans dead.


When cutting away from the news conference, Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner was quite blunt about the fact that Benghazi was all Fox wanted to discuss at that moment.

"If in fact somebody throws him a question on this topic, we'll go back to that joint news conference with Angela Merkel and you could hear the translation points. We're going to move on here with what is breaking," Faulkner said.

The president wasn't asked about Benghazi, and the network didn't return to the joint press conference with the two U.S. and German leaders.

This memo is really nothing. But then the Republicans don't have anything else.

With the health care numbers going through the roof, and the economy on the mend, what other basket does the Right Wing really have to put all of their eggs into?

So I have a feeling that from now until November it will be "Benghazi! Benghazi! Benghazi!"

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President Obama signs the Campus Sexual Assault Presidential Memorandum

Courtesy of Feminspire:

As the perfect cap to Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the task force President Barack Obama created in January to work toward ending sexual assault on college campuses released its first report this week.

The 20-page document echoes many of the concerns women’s rights advocates have pressed the importance of for years. The horror stories from victims who are forced to see their attackers on campus on a daily basis, who were told by administrators they were to blame for the actions of their rapist because they were drinking or because of what they were wearing, aren’t exceptional. And while the words might never be written in an executive decision, Obama made it clear that it’s time for higher education to get its shit together, and fast.

For a 90-day project, the report is surprisingly thorough. For once, our government shut up and listened, and if the path outlined in the report is to be followed, there could be significant results on college campuses’ conduct within the next school year.

Here is a sampling of what the report lays out:

The task force will work to provide colleges with materials for effective trauma response, training for college conduct systems to investigate and properly sanction offenders, and guidelines for local law enforcement and campus police to work together for better security and prosecution.

Colleges WILL be held accountable:

Student’s rights need to be at the forefront of any college conduct process, and the way colleges treat their students will be monitored.

If students suffer, so will schools, in the form of federal funding. It’s No More Mr. Nice Government, and if anything kicks schools into gear, it’s the threat of budget cuts.

And schools will have trained staff to specifically deal with sexual assault:

The report makes it clear that sexual assault perpetrators are no longer to be treated on the same grounds as students who plagiarize or drink underage. And reporting sexual assault is no longer to be on the same level as reporting a stolen laptop.

Sexual assault victims need extensive aftercare to cope with the immediate and continuing effects of trauma. Schools will have to train responders and physical and mental health staff to be advocates and provide support systems.

Then there is this PSA:

I have to say that when James Bond tells you that one sexual assault is too many, while sitting at a table with a face that looks like it just returned from beating the shit out of a room full of frat boys, that is something that a lot of young men are going to hear loud and clear.

I come from an era when snapping bra straps and slapping girls on the ass was considered playful flirting, but those days are long gone. And even at our most misogynistic it was NEVER considered okay to have sex with a girl too drunk to know any better or force ourselves on a girl pleading with us to stop.

That did happen once to a female friend of mine, and it got handled.

I won't screw up your day by describing what happened to that POS but I will tell you that in a just world that would be the fate of EVERY person who took advantage of a young woman, or man, just because they were unable to defend themselves.

I look forward to the day when this kind of task force is no longer necessary and parents universally teach their sons that nothing that you take from another person against their will has value.

Until that day I am very glad that we have the President that we have, and that he is responding the way that he is.

Certainly a hell of a lot better than a certain Governor of Alaska recently responded to a similar problem with the National Guard.

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Courtesy of TMZ:

Life's not always fair if you're part of the "Duck Dynasty" brood. We've learned they've been invited to the Alaska State Fair ... but there are already cries of boycott.

The Robertsons were hired to do a town hall of sorts, telling stories about their lives and their beliefs. But those beliefs include Phil's views on homosexuality ... including his observation that a man's anus is no match for a woman's vagina ... and therefore the boycott.

We're told there's a groundswell from people who want to either get the Fair to cancel the gig or -- if necessary -- disrupt the gig.

State Fair officials tell us ... they don't endorse all of Phil's views ... but they believe his core value is family ... something near and dear to Alaskans ... so the appearance WON'T be cancelled.

Yeah you know I think the Robertson clan might want to watch their P's and Q's while visiting Alaska.

First off Alaskans do not take well to phonies.

The REAL Robertson family

Second, we have a rather proud gay community up here who would dearly love to disrupt this event and make national headlines while doing so.

And third it might be worth noting that while the rest of the country was still trying to get a handle on Sarah Palin, we ran her ass out of office.

So we have no problem playing hardball.

You know, now that I think about it, perhaps August 30th would be the best day to go to the fair.

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Courtesy of HHS:

Enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace surged to eight million at the end of the first enrollment period, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today. The final enrollment reporting period spans from October 1, 2013, to March 31, 2014, and includes “in line” and other enrollment activity (such as people enrolling due to a change in life circumstance) reported through Saturday, April 19, 2014.

Importantly, 2.2 million (28 percent) of those who selected a Marketplace plan were young adults ages 18 to 34 — a number that grows to 2.7 million when counting ages 0 to 34, the report found. The report also shows, for the first time, the race and ethnicity of the 69 percent of enrollees in the Federally-facilitated Marketplaces who voluntarily reported this information.

HHS also announced today that more than 4.8 million additional individuals enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP through the end of March 2014, compared to enrollment before the Marketplace opened last October.

“More than eight million Americans signed up through the Marketplace, exceeding expectations and demonstrating brisk demand for quality, affordable coverage,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “In addition, over 4.8 million more people have been covered by states through Medicaid and CHIP programs, around 3 million more Americans under 26 are covered under their parents’ plans, and recent estimates show that an additional 5 million people have purchased coverage outside of the Marketplace in Affordable Care Act-compliant plans. Together we are ensuring that health coverage is more accessible than ever before, which is important for families, for businesses and for the nation’s health and wellbeing.”

Let's see 8 million signed up through the marketplace, 4.8 million enrolled in Medicaid thanks to the Affordable Care Act expansion, and 5 million more have signed up for coverage with Obamacare compliant plans.

Yep that's 17.8 million alright.

So what do the Republicans do in the face of these staggering numbers?

Benghazi! Benghazi! Benghazi!

What else?

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As you all know recently on IM there has been some discussion of the fact that nobody had seen Sarah's oldest unplanned child lately.

There was even some talk that old warrior body had been dealing with some substance abuse problems. (You know actually I might have mentioned that, come to think of it.)

Well now all of the sudden, and surely simply due to coincidence that has NOTHING to do with things said on this blog, Track has emerged from the shadows.

Okay this is close enough now just take the damn picture!Okay you can cancel that APB on Track Palin. Somebody dusted him off and had him pose for a picture.

And here is what Palin had her ghostwriter post about this photo, and few others that accompanied it:
Here's a peek into our spectacular day yesterday with Sportsman Channel as we enjoyed "Gettin' a Little Mud on the Tires!" The honorable Dakota Meyer joined us in Alaska to get our Red, Wild & Blue on! Dakota is our Medal of Honor Recipient who has never stopped serving our amazing America. It's a pleasure to highlight him in an upcoming “Amazing America” episode. He's one tough and talented hardcore outdoorsman, and you'll be inspired as you get to know this Marine even better, watching him behind the wheel on rugged ATV treks, swapping hunting stories with my dad, working with my son Track to put floats on Todd's plane (the lake ice went out early!) and getting his fill of snowmachine wrenching in the shop with Track and Todd – we're trying to talk him into becoming an Iron Dogger! (Iron Dogger? I don't really think that's a word.) Another great sport joining us was Mario Lopez from Extra! Adorable, athletic, such a good sport bogging through some wilderness on ATVs; he’s patriotic and the most energetic reporter we've had the pleasure to work with! Really, it was a great spring day with exemplary Americans who love to get outside and live life vibrantly. Thank you, Dakota; thank you, Mario; and always a big thank you to Sportsman Channel for giving us uplifting family fun on that great network! “Amazing America” airs on Thursday nights at 8pm E/P on Sportsman Channel.

- Sarah Palin

As you can see Todd and Track look totally comfortable in each others presence, as if they spend hours a day together simply discussing how blessed they are to be married/related to the effervescent Sarah Palin.

From everything I hear Track refuses to allow Palin to use him or his image, unless he gets compensated in some way. So I think it is a safe bet to assume that there was an exchange of money that took place before that picture was snapped.

Palin also posted this to prove that she still has it and that her "milkshake brings all the boys to the yard."

You know that and the opportunity to attract ratings.

I don't know, old sour milkshakes just don't do it for me. I'm guessing my gag reflex would kick in.




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Courtesy of UPI:

In a debate held by right-wing organization The Family Leader last Friday, four Iowa (Senate candidates) revealed their litmus test for federal judge contenders.

"As long as they have a biblical worldview," said Republican candidate Matt Whitaker, "then they'll be a good judge. And if they have a secular worldview -- I'm going to be very concerned about how they judge."

Erik Erickson, editor-in-chief of restate.com, a conservative political blog, moderated the forum.

When Erickson asked candidates what they look for in potential nominees, Whitaker replied, "What I'd like to see are their worldview, what informs them, how do they live their lives, are they people of faith?"

Three out of the four hopefuls vowed to block appointees who didn’t share their views, citing a “biblical view of justice” as the chief criteria for the appointment of federal judges.

Does anybody else remember when an understanding of the Constitution and a respect for the law were the most important prerequisites for being appointed a judge in this country?

Of course Sarah Palin's favorite Iowa Senate hopeful was right there flogging the Bible with the rest of them:

Joni Ernst, who is currently a state senator, agreed, adding that federal judges should understand that the Constitution and all of our laws “did come from God” and that senators should “make sure that any decisions that they have made in the past are decisions that fit within that criteria.”

Perhaps they were all confused as to the difference between a United States Senator and Baptist minister.

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Courtesy of Time:

Former President George W. Bush gave his younger brother Jeb his endorsement Thursday should he decide to run for the White House in 2016.

“I hope Jeb runs,” Bush told CNN. “I think he would be a great president. I have no clue what’s on his mind and we will talk when he’s ready. I noticed he’s moving around the country quite a bit.”

“Hey Jeb, if you need some advice, give me a call,” Bush said.

As far as I'm concerned that pretty much takes Jeb out of the race.

As Americans we are still struggling with an economy that was virtually destroyed by President Bush, many of us know soldiers that either died or were traumatized during their participation in the war that he lied them into, and we are watching the Supreme Court justices that he selected completely undermine many of the policies and values that we once held dear.

I cannot IMAGINE that there are too many American citizens willing to use their vote to elect the brother of the man who may go down in history as the worst president in ever!

And the idea that anybody seeking to sit in the White House would seek his counsel, should automatically remove them from contention.

So I would suggest that W just sank his brother's political aspirations with a simple handful of words.

Which is appropriate, since many of his most egregious crimes against our country, started with a handful of poorly communicated words.

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