Friday, August 30, 2013

An Accidental War | National Review Online

An Accidental War | National Review Online: "In the unimprovable formulation of an unnamed official speaking to the Los Angeles Times, the White House is carefully calibrating a military action “just muscular enough not to get mocked.”

That would make a great caption for a Vanity Fair photo shoot of Obama gamboling in the surf at Martha’s Vineyard, but as a military strategy it’s not exactly Alexander the Great or the Duke of Wellington. And it’s trickier than it sounds: I’m sure Miley’s choreographer assured her she was “just muscular enough not to get mocked,” and one wouldn’t want to see the United States reduced to twerking arrhythmically to no avail in front of an unimpressed Bashar Assad’s Robin Thicke. Okay, okay, that metaphor’s as thinly stretched as Miley’s talent, so what does unmockable musculature boil down to? From the New York Times: “A wide range of officials characterize the action under consideration as ‘limited,’ perhaps lasting no more than a day or two.”"

'via Blog this'

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Cafe Hayek — where orders emerge

Cafe Hayek — where orders emerge: "But it’s hard to stop the market forces that are still pushing schools to reward the best athletes. So they compete in other ways (fancy dorms, weight rooms and so on) and fans compete under the table which is why there are constant recruiting scandals. Those scandals make people think that college sports is a cesspool. But the stink comes from the attempt to pretend that these are student-athletes like any other, attending school and playing a little football on the side."

'via Blog this'

The Political Economy of Health Care «

The Political Economy of Health Care «: "For a federal government to spend $3.5 trillion per year and still find itself with this health care crisis is so much more inexcusable than arguing that “society is so rich that we should trade off some efficiency for some equity.” What the heck are we doing with $3.5 trillion (or $6 trillion if you add all levels of government)? The US government (all levels) has 20% more resources itself than the next largest economy in the world does yet it cannot take care of health care for the poor and chronically infirm? Where on the list of priorities must this really be? Is it ahead of mohair subsidies, sugar subsidies, windmill subsidies, funding for education schools, and so on? What kind of bizarre world am I living in? And I am being asked to sacrifice a little more just to see that we’ll get it right this time?"

'via Blog this'

I think I've posted this before, but it's a classic. It makes me sad that The Unbroken Window is on blogging hiatus.

Opinion: Degrading the dream - Rich Lowry - POLITICO.com

Opinion: Degrading the dream - Rich Lowry - POLITICO.com: "And he hadn’t even witnessed the full course of the civil rights movement. If the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington is a time for taking stock, the score is clear. The Dream was a glorious triumph, changing America forever and making it more just. The contemporary civil rights movement, partly as a consequence, is an intellectually exhausted disgrace.

It is the victim of its own success. No longer confronted by a system of American apartheid and incapable of simply saying, “We won,” it subsists largely on imagined slights and manufactured controversies unrelated to the welfare of real people."

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Remember When Conscience Was Cool? | National Review Online

Remember When Conscience Was Cool? | National Review Online: "Just this month, a same-sex couple filed a complaint against a baker in Oregon simply for running her business according to her values and beliefs. For the baker, her religious beliefs inform her position that marriage is between a man and a woman. So rather than compromise her beliefs, she opted to be true to herself and her faith and decline to participate in the celebration of a same-sex wedding."

'via Blog this'

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Congress should veto Obama’s war

Congress should veto Obama’s war: "But, then, perhaps Obama’s contempt is justified.

For consider Congress’ broad assent to news that Obama has decided to attack Syria, a nation that has not attacked us and against which Congress has never authorized a war.

Why is Obama making plans to launch cruise missiles on Syria?"

'via Blog this'

Monday, August 26, 2013

Conglomerate Blog: Business, Law, Economics & Society

Conglomerate Blog: Business, Law, Economics & Society: "That being said, the Cars/Planes story lines don't overlap.  Lightning McQueen and Mater are not here.  But, some very minor characters reappear (Brent Mustangberger, e.g.), and the "extras" are the same.  The Planes world is the same as Cars world; it is a post-human world in which motor vehicles populate the earth.  (have you seen this intriguing yet forced explanation of how all the Pixar movies fit together into a timeline between Brave and the post-human world of Cars?)"

'via Blog this'

A Comment on Faith and Sin

I posted the following comment here:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeterson/2013/08/all-who-disagree-with-me-are-vile-sinners.html

Sometimes participants on one side of a debate sloppily and erroneously believe that all of the people on the other side of the debate hold the same positions on all issues pertaining to the questions under debate. I think that may be happening here to you. Because, while it is not your position, I do think many Mormons believe the only reason people leave the church is because they are sinners.


A story I remember from a BYU religion class illustrates this. A Church leader (I think Elder McConkie, but don't quote me on this) came across a group traveling in a car bearing an ex-Mormon bumper sticker at a gas stations. The interaction ended with the leader asking the ex-Mormons, in essence, which of the commandments they didn't want to keep? The takeaway (at least as I understood it) was that people leave the church because of a desire to justify personal sin.
I don't think this is right. In fact, I'm sure causation runs in the other direction in some instances--that is people reject the doctrine first for intellectual reasons, and violate the commandments next as a result of having rejected the doctrine and the Church.
But there's a certain logic to that position. If we are on Earth to test our adherence to the commandments, we need to know with some certainty what the commandments are, otherwise the test is meaningless. Members who are convinced the Church is true through spiritual experiences assume that others must have had similar spiritual confirmation, and are exercising their agency to reject that truth. If that's not the case then how can the test-taker be held accountable for failing to follow rules he never knew existed?

Amber alert canceled for 2-year-old | kens5.com San Antonio

Amber alert canceled for 2-year-old | kens5.com San Antonio: "HOUSTON -- The search for a missing Texas toddler, last seen in Eagle Pass, is over.

Police found Edu Alejandro Cruz-Rodriguez safe in Houston, just after 3 a.m.Saturday. An Amber alert was issued for the boy Friday at 7 p.m."

'via Blog this'

I wonder if Amber alerts on the whole help. I never used to get/pay attention to Amber alerts. Now I get quite a few of them directly to my phone. I'm sure they increase the odds of catching a criminal on the run. But they also increase the notoriety the perpetrator receives for committing the crime. For some criminals, I think that is a big part of their motivation.


The Simulacrum of Self-Government | National Review Online

The Simulacrum of Self-Government | National Review Online: "Say what you like about George III, but the Tea Act was about tea. The so-called comprehensive immigration reform is so comprehensive it includes special deals for Nevada casinos and the recategorization of the Alaskan fish-processing industry as a “cultural exchange” program, because the more leaping salmon we have the harder it is for Mexicans to get across the Bering Strait. While we’re bringing millions of Undocumented-Americans “out of the shadows,” why don’t we try bringing Washington’s decadent and diseased law-making out of the shadows?"

'via Blog this'

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

White House spokesman 'not familiar with' Chris Lane murder | The Daily Caller

White House spokesman 'not familiar with' Chris Lane murder | The Daily Caller: "Henry pressed Earnest, noting that the President spoke about slain teen Trayvon Martin in the Rose Garden and in the briefing room.

“Why hasn’t [the president] spoken out about this? In this case, you said there was a judicial proceeding. There was one in the Trayvon Martin case. He spoke out extensively on that one,” Henry said."

'via Blog this'

White House spokesman 'not familiar with' Chris Lane murder | The Daily Caller

White House spokesman 'not familiar with' Chris Lane murder | The Daily Caller: "“This sounds like a pretty tragic case. I wouldn’t want to get ahead of the legal process here and it’s clear that law enforcement officials are involved and are investigating,” Earnest said. "

'via Blog this'

Fear of getting ahead of the legal process didn't stop Obama from commenting on the Trayvon Martin case. But then, if Obama had a son, he wouldn't look like Chris Lane. So maybe Obama only keeps track of, and comments on, cases when the victim looks like him.

Is Climate Change Causing Climate Models to Fail?

Is Climate Change Causing Climate Models to Fail?: "“Climate change has made it increasingly difficult to predict climate change,” says Dr. Manyard Michael, the lead scientist behind the study. “The current 16 year pause in global warming illustrates just how serious this situation has been; if not for climate change, we now know that we would have been able to accurately predict the current break in warming and clearly show that climate change is actually accelerating faster than forecast – not stopping as climate change is making it appear to those outside of the climate science community.” Dr. Michael also noted that they stumbled on this important finding almost by accident. “We just happened to notice that the higher carbon dioxide concentrations climbed, the more we had to adjust the data to get the results we knew to be right, and the more we adjusted the data, the bigger the error in the models. It’s a very strong positive feedback.”"

'via Blog this'

Is Climate Change Causing Climate Models to Fail?

Is Climate Change Causing Climate Models to Fail?: "A groundbreaking new study has shown that climate change is the underlying cause of increasingly frequent and severe climate model failures. Researchers at Pennsylvania State Community College have discovered a critical link between atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration and general circulation model errors."

'via Blog this'

If You Can't Save Them All, Don't You Dare Bother | National Review Online

If You Can't Save Them All, Don't You Dare Bother | National Review Online: "”if the law can’t rescue every child from a failing school, then it shouldn’t be allowed to rescue any child.”"

'via Blog this'

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Stroke victim unable to feel sadness - Telegraph

Stroke victim unable to feel sadness - Telegraph: "Malcolm Myatt, 68, who spent 19 weeks in hospital and lost the feeling in his left side, was told by doctors that the stroke had hit the frontal lobe of his brain, which controls the emotions.
He has since noticed a number of changes, including to his short term memory, but believes that the loss of sadness from his emotional repertoire is a positive."

'via Blog this'

Instapundit » Blog Archive » I NOTICE THAT AMERICAN MEDIA DON’T SEEM TO BE SHOWING PICTURES OR MENTIONING RACE: Three teens accu…

Instapundit » Blog Archive » I NOTICE THAT AMERICAN MEDIA DON’T SEEM TO BE SHOWING PICTURES OR MENTIONING RACE: Three teens accu…: "I NOTICE THAT AMERICAN MEDIA DON’T SEEM TO BE SHOWING PICTURES OR MENTIONING RACE: Three teens accused of murder of baseball player Chris Lane identified."

'via Blog this'

Black advocates claim that whites' prejudice causes them to irrationally fear black youth, and as a result, black youth are unfairly criminally profiled. Thus, a disproportionate number of blacks end up in prison.

Law-and-order types claim that more blacks are arrested because blacks commit a disproportionate amount of crime.

Is there a numbers-based way to resolve this dispute?

We can't just look at convictions, because, if the system is racist, we would expect more black convictions.

Maybe we could look at the reported race of the perpetrator of a crime? That still leaves open the possibility that the people reporting criminal behavior are racists or, for some other reason, disproportionately report black criminal activity.


Friday, August 16, 2013

TaxProf Blog

TaxProf Blog: "
Law school
Median  starting salary
Average student debt
Salary-to-debt ratio U.S. News rank
Texas $155,000 $86,312 1.796 15
N. Carolina $117,500 $74,485 1.577 31
BYU $84,500 $56,112 1.506 44"

'via Blog this'

Frankly I'm surprised BYU isn't number one. And part of that is because I'm surprised that BYU students have that much debt. We escaped with less than half the average debt, but I guess Leigh and I both worked during those years.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

missions

missions: "Our son Jeffrey was born in Logan on 18 Sept. 1947. I learned about it when a cable (international telegram) from Kathryn arrived in my mail! (Mail arrived every two weeks by a scheduled N.Z. airplane that wended through various island groups to a final stop in Rarotonga; the plane then turned around and went back after a two-hour stopover. That was the only way for visitors or mail to come in or leave, except for the irregular little boat I arrived on. We had visits from or mission presidents from New Zealand only four times in my two years on Rarotonga. We four missionaries were pretty much on our own, which was generally an advantage.)"

'via Blog this'

missions

missions: "Meanwhile a beautiful 20-year-old woman moved in with her sister next door to my parents’ house. She was Kathryn Richards who would become my wife for 43 years before her death. After a few months, we decided we should marry. Her realistic view was that she might not be around when I came home in two and one-half years and neither of us liked that prospect. On Nov. 22, 1946, we were married in the Salt Lake Temple. The Church had not faced enough situations like ours to have a policy about married veterans going or not going on missions, so we simply told our bishops our plans and proceeded. Mine might have been puzzled about what to say or do, but he decided to just let any problem that it caused find its own solution."

'via Blog this'

father

father: "Yet through it all I was broadly sympathetic to his situation. He had got himself into dilemmas he could not resolve. With no education and no social network to lend useful assistance (because of his tobacco habit he was not involved in the Church until late in his life when he would attend Sunday School to hear a particularly alert and sympathetic teacher, but he was never “against” it), and in a small, rather parochial town with limited opportunities to advance, he was simply stuck with making do with what came to hand. I have said before that he was “a peasant.” I mean no disrespect for him or peasants by that. He and they alike simply played the hand that was dealt them. But to his credit he learned over time that his children had to get educated to escape the traps he found himself in.

I cannot say that I learned much from Dad, certainly not about how to deal with family. That was all new territory for me in relation to my own family, and no doubt I made blunders in that regard as I explored the unknown territory of raising kids. But my father hung in there and did the best he could given the limitations under which he labored. I think there is a lesson for all of us in that."

'via Blog this'

father

father: "It ought to be obvious that my recollection of my father is not of a very warm human being. It is impossible for me to think of him in relation to the modern concept of “a role model.” I recall only a single time when he picked me up and carried me (walking back from visiting mother’s nephew a few blocks away), let alone receiving a hug. He was mostly withdrawn—he would frequently go outside to “look after the cow” or such, but really just to get away from facing uncomfortable responsibilities he could do nothing about. I never once engaged him in a serious conversation, in fact the possibility never even occurred to me. Although hanging around occasionally when acquaintances—mostly old Bear Lakers--would pay visits, I heard some of his (somewhat narrow) opinions; he could think clearly enough. I very much doubt that he ever read a book, although he did read an occasional newspaper."

'via Blog this'

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Occupied! | According To Hoyt

Occupied! | According To Hoyt: "We’ve talked about this before, but in fact, I don’t think there has ever been a country like ours, where our elites are deliberately taught – in our best schools – to hate and despise everything that we are, everything that makes us unique.  I don’t think there has ever been another country where our elites are taught to be ashamed to call themselves by our national name."

'via Blog this'

EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty

EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty: "In other words, even though women who seek an abortion feel like a child will ruin their lives, that's not how they end up feeling if they complete their pregnancies.  At all.  The average woman who says, "A baby would ruin my life!" eventually sings a totally different tune.  A shocking result!"

'via Blog this'

Monday, August 12, 2013

Missouri Fair clown draws criticism for Obama mask

Missouri Fair clown draws criticism for Obama mask: ""It was the usual until the very end at bull riding," he said. "As they were bringing the bulls into the chute and prepping them ... they bring out what looks like a dummy. The announcer says 'Here's our Obama dummy, or our dummy of Obama.

"They mentioned the president's name, I don't know, 100 times. It was sickening," Beam said. "It was feeling like some kind of Klan rally you'd see on TV.""

'via Blog this'

I think all this stuff is in poor taste. But the general atmosphere at the rodeo, and with rodeo clowns particularly, is one of sophomoric hijinx.

Also, I remember clearly when Pearl Jam--probably before a much bigger audience--abused an effigy of President Bush.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/884067/posts

"Incensed fans walked out of Pearl Jam's concert Tuesday after lead singer Eddie Vedder impaled a mask of President Bush on a microphone stand, then slammed it to the stage.

Most of Vedder's antiwar remarks earlier in the Pepsi Center show were greeted with mixed cheers and scattered boos. But dozens of angry fans walked out during the encore because of the macabre display with the Bush mask, which he wore for the song Bushleaguer, a Bush- taunting song from the band's latest album, Riot Act."

Even Slate acknowledged that burning Bush in effigy was a popular past-time back in the 00's.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2010/08/in_the_line_of_ire.html

"George W. Bush was routinely hanged and burned in effigy in the United States, including during the famous "Pants on Fire Tour" led by Ben and Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen, who hit the road with a 12-foot tall effigy of Bush."

So I find it hard to get really worked up about it.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

War is Not the Answer

Siting here watching The Lion, the Witch and the Waredrobe. Someone should tell Aslan war is not the answer.

Friday, August 9, 2013

MSNBC's Finney: Cruz 'Using Our Own Liberal Doctrine Against Us' with Ivy-League Credentials | National Review Online

MSNBC's Finney: Cruz 'Using Our Own Liberal Doctrine Against Us' with Ivy-League Credentials | National Review Online: "“He is actually using our own liberal doctrine against us,” Finney said on Thursday. “Because we’re all sitting here saying, ‘Well, he went to Harvard, and he went to Princeton — he’s got all these credentials, how could he be crazy?’”"

'via Blog this'

Thursday, August 8, 2013

The Volokh Conspiracy

The Volokh Conspiracy: "Prisoner at the bar, you have been convicted before me of what the law regards as a very grave and serious offence: that of going through the marriage ceremony a second time while your wife was still alive.

You plead in mitigation of your conduct that she was given to dissipation and drunkenness, that she proved herself a curse to your household while she remained mistress of it, and that she had latterly deserted you; but I am not permitted to recognise any such plea. You had entered into a solemn arrangement to take her for better, for worse, and if you infinitely got more of the latter, as you appear to have done, it was your duty patiently to submit."

'via Blog this'

Ender's Game Official Trailer #2 (2013) - Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford Movie HD - YouTube

Ender's Game Official Trailer #2 (2013) - Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford Movie HD - YouTube: "SPOILER ALERT: Ender defeats the aliens ♥ All of the so called simulations where actually LEGIT battles. YOUR WELCOME. Payback for being forced to read the book t(-.-t)"

'via Blog this'

George F. Will: Rick Snyder, the one who would reinvent Detroit - The Washington Post

George F. Will: Rick Snyder, the one who would reinvent Detroit - The Washington Post: "The weeds, says Gov. Rick Snyder, were so tall you could not see the sidewalks, or even the playground equipment. Concealed in the underbrush were some old tires. And a boat. And, he notes with an accountant’s punctiliousness about presenting a complete record, they also found “a body.”"

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Instapundit

Instapundit: "#WARONMEN: Girls commit dating violence as often as boys, studies show. “More girls – 43 percent – than boys – 28 percent – reported committing an act of physical dating violence, said researchers who are presenting their findings beginning Wednesday at the American Psychological Association’s annual meeting.”"

'via Blog this'

We don't generally worry about women beating men, because men are conceived of as being more violent. But it could be that women slap men as often or more often than men punch women, its just that because men are stronger, the injury is more severe when men act violently.


"And the folks that stifle analysis and reality by saying this symbolism matters, I think, put themselves in a terrible bind when they say that symbolism is important. Why? Well, what are they to think about companies like British Petroleum which spent tens of millions of dollars on an ad campaign touting its green credentials all the while spending virtually nothing on green energy (well less than 1/2 percent of its spending) and who owns most of the rights to Prudhoe Bay drilling? If after all the symbolism matters, them please do tell me on what grounds any “E”nvironmentalist can say that BP or any oil company is bad? They all “want” to be green. They all say they care about the planet. How is that in any way different than slapping a LEED tag on a building that is not actually green?"

'via Blog this'
"And the folks that stifle analysis and reality by saying this symbolism matters, I think, put themselves in a terrible bind when they say that symbolism is important. Why? Well, what are they to think about companies like British Petroleum which spent tens of millions of dollars on an ad campaign touting its green credentials all the while spending virtually nothing on green energy (well less than 1/2 percent of its spending) and who owns most of the rights to Prudhoe Bay drilling? If after all the symbolism matters, them please do tell me on what grounds any “E”nvironmentalist can say that BP or any oil company is bad? They all “want” to be green. They all say they care about the planet. How is that in any way different than slapping a LEED tag on a building that is not actually green?"

'via Blog this'
"Saw some better ones but the camera was not with me. For a long time we’ve been trying to focus people’s attention here at TUW on separating intentions from outcomes, on not getting caught up in emotion and to use the tools of logic and reason, and of course this has been to no avail. Symbolism is all that really matters.

The act of slapping a LEED plaque on a building matters, not whether it actually conserves resources. Sticking a pretty logo on a recycling bin matters because it shows you care, because it shows you are doing your part, that you put people and the planet over profits."

'via Blog this'

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

#MormonConspiracy

It occurred to me yesterday that one avenue of inquiry anti-Mormons should peruse is whether Mormonism is really a garment manufacturer's conspiracy to create a monopoly over the underwear market.

Or a conspiracy to boost demand for green jello.

Or a lawyer's conspiracy to increase personal injury claims due to trampoline accidents.

If you can think of other possible lines of fruitful inquiry, I'd love to hear about them in the comments.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Religion and the American Republic > Publications > National Affairs

Religion and the American Republic > Publications > National Affairs: "The longer John Adams lived, the shorter grew his creed, which in the end was Unitarianism. Thomas Jefferson wrote ringing words about the Creator who endowed us with rights, but Jefferson was a placid utilitarian when he urged a nephew to inquire into the veracity of Christianity, saying laconically: "If it ends in a belief that there is no God, you will find incitements to virtue in the comforts and pleasantness you feel in its exercise, and the love of others which it will procure you.""

'via Blog this'

Religion and the American Republic > Publications > National Affairs

Religion and the American Republic > Publications > National Affairs: "Regarding the empirical question: I believe that religion has been, and can still be, supremely important and helpful to the flourishing of our democracy. I do not, however, believe it is necessary for good citizenship. Regarding the question of our government's logic, I do not think the idea of natural rights requires a religious foundation, or even that the founders uniformly thought it did. It is, however, indubitably the case that natural rights are especially firmly grounded when they are grounded in religious doctrine."

'via Blog this'

Obama’s Watergates | National Review Online

Obama’s Watergates | National Review Online: "Remember, between when the Nixon operatives drew up their initial plans to commit illegal acts in early 1972 and when the media furor over cover-ups and lying forced Nixon out of office in late summer 1974, the time elapsed was over 30 months — a period as long as or longer than the gestation of the present scandals. Recall also that no one died in Watergate; that the IRS resisted, not abetted, calls to go after critics of the president; and that Attorney General John Mitchell did not lie under oath to Congress. Scandals wax and wane, but until the truth is told, they never quite end."

'via Blog this'

ABC newsman Don Ennis says he’s no longer a woman after transgender ‘misdiagnosis’ - NYPOST.com

ABC newsman Don Ennis says he’s no longer a woman after transgender ‘misdiagnosis’ - NYPOST.com: "He thought he was a woman trapped in a man’s body — but it turns out he’s “just another boring straight guy.”"

'via Blog this'

The Campaign to Wish Away the IRS Scandal | The Weekly Standard

The Campaign to Wish Away the IRS Scandal | The Weekly Standard: " In fact, according to this NPR report on the House Ways and Means Committee's analysis of the issue:

When the IRS sent groups letters asking for further information, conservative groups were asked more questions — on average, three times more. All of the groups with "progressive" in their name were ultimately approved, while only 46 percent of conservative groups won approval. Others are still waiting for an answer or gave up.

There are more detailed numbers at the link in the form of, yes, a graph breaking down how conservatives were disproportionately targeted."

'via Blog this'

Friday, August 2, 2013

George F. Will: Detroit’s death by democracy - The Washington Post

George F. Will: Detroit’s death by democracy - The Washington Post: "But Detroit failed long ago. And not even Washington, whose recklessness is almost limitless, is oblivious to the minefield of moral hazard it would stride into if it rescued this city and, then inevitably, others that are buckling beneath the weight of their cumulative follies. It is axiomatic: When there is no penalty for failure, failures proliferate."

'via Blog this'

The Attack in Benghazi: Worth Investigating After All - Conor Friedersdorf - The Atlantic

The Attack in Benghazi: Worth Investigating After All - Conor Friedersdorf - The Atlantic: "Suddenly it is imperative that Congress investigate details surrounding the attack that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens. I've never felt that way before. But Drew Griffin's scoop* changed my mind. "

'via Blog this'

Lol!

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Exclusive: Dozens of CIA operatives on the ground during Benghazi attack – The Lead with Jake Tapper - CNN.com Blogs

Exclusive: Dozens of CIA operatives on the ground during Benghazi attack – The Lead with Jake Tapper - CNN.com Blogs: "Since January, some CIA operatives involved in the agency's missions in Libya, have been subjected to frequent, even monthly polygraph examinations, according to a source with deep inside knowledge of the agency's workings.

The goal of the questioning, according to sources, is to find out if anyone is talking to the media or Congress.

It is being described as pure intimidation, with the threat that any unauthorized CIA employee who leaks information could face the end of his or her career."

'via Blog this'

Exclusive: Dozens of CIA operatives on the ground during Benghazi attack – The Lead with Jake Tapper - CNN.com Blogs

Exclusive: Dozens of CIA operatives on the ground during Benghazi attack – The Lead with Jake Tapper - CNN.com Blogs: "Sources now tell CNN dozens of people working for the CIA were on the ground that night, and that the agency is going to great lengths to make sure whatever it was doing, remains a secret.

CNN has learned the CIA is involved in what one source calls an unprecedented attempt to keep the spy agency's Benghazi secrets from ever leaking out."

'via Blog this'

New Developments In IRS Scandal Are Forcing Media Coverage - Investors.com

New Developments In IRS Scandal Are Forcing Media Coverage - Investors.com: "Lew, Carney and Obama himself act like people worried about a threat lying a little farther under investigators' shovels. And they should be considering the suspicious timeline of Obama-appointed IRS chief counsel William Wilkins visiting the president on April 23 last year; IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman visiting the White House the next day; and Wilkins' office sending the IRS "guidance" on the Tea Party the day after that."

'via Blog this'