Obama's America

[steamboat1]

http://www.realclearmarkets.com/article ... 00343.html

Now The Gibson Guitar Raids Make Sense

The inexplicable raid nearly two years ago on a guitar maker for using allegedly illegal wood that its competitors also used was another targeting by this administration of its political enemies.

On Aug. 24, 2011, federal agents executed four search warrants on Gibson Guitar Corp. facilities in Nashville and Memphis, Tenn., and seized several pallets of wood, electronic files and guitars. One of the top makers of acoustic and electric guitars, including the iconic Les Paul introduced in 1952, Gibson was accused of using wood illegally obtained in violation of the century-old Lacey Act, which outlaws trafficking in flora and fauna the harvesting of which had broken foreign laws.

In one raid, the feds hauled away ebony fingerboards, alleging they violated Madagascar law. Gibson responded by obtaining the sworn word of the African island's government that no law had been broken.

In another raid, the feds found materials imported from India, claiming they too moved across the globe in violation of Indian law. Gibson's response was that the feds had simply misinterpreted Indian law.

Interestingly, one of Gibson's leading competitors is C.F. Martin & Co. According to C.F. Martin's catalog, several of their guitars contain "East Indian Rosewood," which is the exact same wood in at least 10 of Gibson's guitars. So why were they not also raided and their inventory of foreign wood seized?

Grossly underreported at the time was the fact that Gibson's chief executive, Henry Juszkiewicz, contributed to Republican politicians. Recent donations have included $2,000 to Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and $1,500 to Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.

By contrast, Chris Martin IV, the Martin & Co. CEO, is a long-time Democratic supporter, with $35,400 in contributions to Democratic candidates and the Democratic National Committee over the past couple of election cycles.

"We feel that Gibson was inappropriately targeted," Juszkiewicz said at the time, adding the matter "could have been addressed with a simple contact (from) a caring human being representing the government. Instead, the government used violent and hostile means."

That includes what Gibson described as "two hostile raids on its factories by agents carrying weapons and attired in SWAT gear where employees were forced out of the premises, production was shut down, goods were seized as contraband and threats were made that would have forced the business to close."

Gibson, fearing a bankrupting legal battle, settled and agreed to pay a $300,000 penalty to the U.S. Government. It also agreed to make a "community service payment" of $50,000 to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation - to be used on research projects or tree-conservation activities.

The feds in return agreed to let Gibson resume importing wood while they sought "clarification" from India.

The feds say they acted to save the environment from greedy plunderers. America is a trivial importer of rosewood from Madagascar and India. Ninety-five percent of it goes to China, where it is used to make luxury items like $800,000 beds. So putting Gibson out of business wasn't going to do a whole lot to save their forests.

Juszkiewicz' claim that his company was "inappropriately targeted" is eerily similar to the claims by Tea Party, conservative, pro-life and religious groups that they were targeted by the IRS for special scrutiny because they sought to exercise their First Amendment rights to band together in vocal opposition to the administration's policies and the out-of-control growth of government and its power.

The Gibson Guitar raid, the IRS intimidation of Tea Party groups and the fraudulently obtained warrant naming Fox News reporter James Rosen as an "aider, abettor, co-conspirator" in stealing government secrets are but a few examples of the abuse of power by the Obama administration to intimidate those on its enemies list.

[shortski]

Just a coincidence. Nothing to see here move along move along.....nothing to see here at all.

How long will it be before the fatality of the Kool-Aid kicks in because it's realy becoming clear this is a widespread Pratice of the Obama administration.

Keep the faith. It will all come out eventually.

[Dr. NO]

I want to know at what point or how many illegal operations will some of the Democrat Congressmen say enough is enough and leave the rat infested ship? I know they don't want to admit that their chosen one and his band are worse criminals and crooks than Nixon but reality is. (maybe they don't understand what the meaning of "is" is.)

Let's see:
Fast and Furious (killed Mexicans and US citizens including a boarder patrol officer)
Bengazi (Killed an American Ambassador and 3 others while telling our troops to stand down and then LIED about it)
IRS (This one is still growing out of control. Yeah, the head of the IRS was a Bush appointee but who holds the reigns on the IRS?)
AP and other Wire Taps (Holder went to the judges 3 times to get ONE warrant. How many taps did he sign off on without a judge?)

I still say it is time to convict these criminals and let the Marines in Fort Leavenworth, KS make their stay enjoyable.

[madhatter]

Dem Senator Durbin: Not Sure Bloggers Should Be Protected By First Amendment

http://www.ijreview.com/2013/05/55065-d ... amendment/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Durbin: "But here is the bottom line – the media shield law, which I am prepared to support, and I know Sen. Graham supports, still leaves an unanswered question, which I have raised many times: What is a journalist today in 2013?

We know it’s someone that works for Fox or AP, but does it include a blogger? Does it include someone who is tweeting? Are these people journalists and entitled to constitutional protection. We need to ask 21st century questions about a provision that was written over 200 years ago.”"

article:

"Memo to Sen. Durbin: The First Amendment of the United States Constitution prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances.

All Americans are protected under the First Amendment, not just journalists. Like it or not, Senator, I have the same right to freedom of speech as a blogger that you – and the liberal media lapdogs – do.

It’s a bit scary to learn that a United States Senator doesn’t believe the First Amendment applies equally to all Americans. Go figure."

UNBEF@CKINGLIEVABLE!!!! This is what the country is well on its way to becoming, a place where Constitutional rights don't apply to the opposition...

[Dr. NO]

WH & DHS targeting Veterans as terrorist, denying them their rights and incarcerating them in Psychiatric units to show they are not to be trusted.

http://www.mrconservative.com/2013/05/1 ... istration/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"Since President Obama stepped into office, the DHS has issued several reports about a “wave of terrorism” by Republicans – these reports have targeted all levels of conservatives from off-duty cops to Tea Party members. Vigilant Eagle is merely an unjust expression of these partisan preferences within the DHS.

"Brandon Raub, a Marine vet, was arrested last year by FBI and Secret Service agents. He was then held for a week at a psychiatric facility… All because the vet complained about the government in blogs and on Facebook."

[shortski]

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism ... m=facebook" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Agents from the Department of Homeland Security posing as national “police” were deployed across the country this week to monitor and intimidate Tea Party activists, who were peacefully protesting the Obama administration and its abuse of the IRS to target conservative groups. The apparently unlawful spying and bullying has drawn outrage from analysts, experts, and commentators from across the political spectrum worried that the federal government is going off the rails.

From California to Florida and everywhere in between, armed DHS functionaries — part of the so-called “Federal Protective Service” (FPS) — intimidated and spied on peaceful activists, according to protesters in attendance. News reports were filled with pictures and videos of large Homeland Security trucks that said “police” in giant letters, along with armed DHS personnel dressed in “police” outfits. At a rally in Los Angeles, a DHS helicopter was even spotted flying overhead as federal “police” ordered protesters to get off of government property.

More than a few attendees at the rallies expressed fears about being spied on by authorities in the future — or even being targeted by the IRS. Some analysts said the federal show of force was probably an effort by the administration to intimidate Americans into remaining silent, while others speculated that the U.S. government was hoping to provoke a reaction out of the protesters that could be used to demonize activists concerned about lawless federal activities.

Among the most serious concerns cited by critics — aside from federal spying and intimidation of citizens exercising rights guaranteed under the First Amendment — were the giant letters reading “police” emblazoned on DHS vehicles and personnel. Of course, the Constitution does not grant the U.S. government any power to establish a national police force or anything even remotely resembling one.

[madhatter]

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism ... m=facebook



Agents from the Department of Homeland Security posing as national “police” were deployed across the country this week to monitor and intimidate Tea Party activists, who were peacefully protesting the Obama administration and its abuse of the IRS to target conservative groups. The apparently unlawful spying and bullying has drawn outrage from analysts, experts, and commentators from across the political spectrum worried that the federal government is going off the rails.

From California to Florida and everywhere in between, armed DHS functionaries — part of the so-called “Federal Protective Service” (FPS) — intimidated and spied on peaceful activists, according to protesters in attendance. News reports were filled with pictures and videos of large Homeland Security trucks that said “police” in giant letters, along with armed DHS personnel dressed in “police” outfits. At a rally in Los Angeles, a DHS helicopter was even spotted flying overhead as federal “police” ordered protesters to get off of government property.

More than a few attendees at the rallies expressed fears about being spied on by authorities in the future — or even being targeted by the IRS. Some analysts said the federal show of force was probably an effort by the administration to intimidate Americans into remaining silent, while others speculated that the U.S. government was hoping to provoke a reaction out of the protesters that could be used to demonize activists concerned about lawless federal activities.

Among the most serious concerns cited by critics — aside from federal spying and intimidation of citizens exercising rights guaranteed under the First Amendment — were the giant letters reading “police” emblazoned on DHS vehicles and personnel. Of course, the Constitution does not grant the U.S. government any power to establish a national police force or anything even remotely resembling one.

poor breitbart suffering that completely natural and untimely heart attack just when he was about to release some dirt on Obama. Talk about bizarre coincidence...</sarc>

[madhatter]

Once The Obama Narrative Implodes, Reality Breaks Throughfor some anyway

http://www.forbes.com/sites/billfrezza/ ... s-through/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"That it has taken a trifecta of scandals to awaken the minions of the press to their duty speaks volumes on how successfully prevailing narratives define what the public useful idiotsaccepts as truth. Only the dogged pursuit of the Benghazi, IRS, and AP stories by alternative media forced the legacy press to stop averting its eyes. As the administration’s incoherent responses continue to undermine its own credibility, now is a good time to step back and look at the big picture."

Ya know all that stuff some of you kzoners deemed tin foil hat stuff last fall? Doing your own due diligence is always the best bet. Following the "official" narrative rarely is.

To cap it all off, the cognitive dissonance created by clashing narratives that the president is simultaneously so wise and powerful he can and should rule by executive action, yet has no knowledge or control of his subordinate agencies, has made Universe-maintenance-as-usual an impossible task.

[XtremeJibber2001]

Ya know all that stuff some of you kzoners deemed tin foil hat stuff last fall? Doing your own due diligence is always the best bet. Following the "official" narrative rarely is.[/color]

Who was saying Benghazi was tin foil hat stuff last fall? The AP and IRS scandals weren't in any media last fall.

[madhatter]

Ya know all that stuff some of you kzoners deemed tin foil hat stuff last fall? Doing your own due diligence is always the best bet. Following the "official" narrative rarely is.[/color]

Who was saying Benghazi was tin foil hat stuff last fall? The AP and IRS scandals weren't in any media last fall.

it was pretty widespread propagandist lefty cr@p that benghazi was a right wing conspiracy that didn't exist, the video WAS the cause of it , and obama clearly said it was terror on day one. It was also pretty well noted that the right was complaining of , collusion between media and the dems, that the republican message was continually being distorted, mis reported etc and that there was a culture of demonization and persecution of any and all republican backers. The president and and democratic members of congress were openly pushing the IRS and others to persecute right wing groups. Candy crowley a supposedly unbiased debate moderator injected on the presidents behalf when he was on the ropes and no one on the left found it to be a problem in the least bit. Open reports of collaborated voter fraud including video of it were also posted. Even still obama and the left continue to attack anyone ( foxnews) who dares to report anything negative on them. Now we find out that not only were many of the allegations true, but there were much deeper and widespread transgressions also.

In the above and many other instances ANY mention about it at all was met with abject dismissal by the leftwing kzone pundits as right wing nutjobs and or racists desperate to attack the president. The same thing that is going on now with any criticism of the economy. Useful idiots are programmed to ignore reality in favor of their ideology to such an extent that they are completely unaware of their actions. This same willful ignorance empowers them to make the pathetic ad hominem attacks on the opposition and feel justified in doing so. It's the good hate ya know...

[madhatter]

Report: DOJ requires employees to verbally affirm homosexuality

A brochure emailed to Department of Justice employees requiring them to verbally affirm homosexuality regardless of their personal beliefs has sparked accusations of religious intolerance and viewpoint discrimination, Todd Starnes reported at Fox News Tuesday.

According to the brochure, employees are required to verbally affirm homosexuality and place pro-gay stickers in their offices.

“Don’t judge or remain silent,” the brochure says. “Silence will be interpreted as disapproval.”

Instead of traditional terms like husband or wife, workers are instructed to use “inclusive” words like partner or significant other. Phrases like "gay lifestyle" or "sexual preference" are forbidden.


At least the DOJ is spending its time money and resources on the most pressing issues facing the country...

[madhatter]

Conservative Media Predicted Obama’s First-Amendment Scandals

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/34 ... nley-kurtz" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Obama administration’s free-speech scandals of today were repeatedly and accurately predicted by conservative pundits during the 2008 election.


Let’s consider some examples of the many unheeded warnings that free speech would be endangered should Barack Obama become president. The initial threat to launch criminal prosecutions over the Ayers ad set off a flurry of brief but pointed predictions. Michelle Malkin, one of the first and most energetic to cover these controversies, warned, “The Obama campaign is giving a glimpse of the future for conservative free speech.” Over at Hot Air, Ed Morrissey suggested that ”bullying people through the Department of Justice as a candidate will cause reasonable people to wonder what will happen if Obama gets elected.” The editors of National Review decried ”a desperate call for the Justice Department to muzzle political speech through the prospect of a criminal investigation – a demand that provides a disturbing sneak peak into what life would be like under an Obama Justice Department.”

Meanwhile, five years before controversies over the AP, James Rosen, and Sharyl Attkisson, Ed Morrissey suggested that, for their own sake, national media ought to stop ignoring Obama’s assaults on the press: “Maybe other journalists should take heed. If Obama becomes president and they commit the crime of Journalism in the First Degree, how will these same people react with the full weight of the federal government behind them? If they stoop to character assassination now, what will they do when they have much more powerful tools at their disposal?”


anyone with even a remote inkling of interest knew that this is the chicago/obama way. Everyone else considered it tin foil hat, the universally accepted write off of anything contrary to their leftist utopian ( idiot) ideals.

[madhatter]

http://www.ijreview.com/2013/05/55851-w ... nt-did-it/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[madhatter]

Barack Obama's Record-Setting Presidency

http://www.ijreview.com/2013/06/56580-b ... sidency/2/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;







cuz of bush though I'm sure...

[Guy in Shorts]

Tuned into MSNBC to get their position on events. Learned that if you are against Obamacare you are a racist. Never realized that I now am painted with the racist paintbrush.