Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Barker's Newsbites: Wednesday, December 4, 2013


Howdy, folks!

Yep... another day of newsbiting - this makes two in a row!

(*GRIN*)

T - 4 days till lift-off... (Heading to India on Sunday!)

Busy... busy... busy...


6 comments:

William R. Barker said...

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/04/politics/reid-obamacare-staff/index.html

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, one of ObamaCare's architects and staunchest supporters, is also the only top congressional leader to exempt some of his staff from having to buy insurance through the law's new exchanges.

* ONE... MORE... TIME...

the only top congressional leader to exempt some of his staff from having to buy insurance through the law's new exchanges.

Reid is the exception among the other top congressional leaders. GOP House Speaker John Boehner, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell have all directed their staffs to join the exchange, their aides said.

In September, Reid told reporters, "Let's stop these really juvenile political games - the one dealing with health care for senators and House members and our staff. We are going to be part of exchanges, that's what the law says and we'll be part of that."

That's true. Reid and his personal staff will buy insurance through the exchange.

* WILL BUY INSURANCE WITH WHOSE MONEY...? THEIR'S OR THE TAXPAYER'S...? WILL THESE BASTARDS RETAIN THEIR GOVERNMENT "SUBSIDY MONEY" OR NOT? THEY'VE LAID THE GROUND WORK TO DO SO. AT THIS POINT I'M NO LONGER SURE WHAT'S HAPPENING.

But it's also true that the law lets lawmakers decide if their committee and leadership staffers hold on to their federal employee insurance plans, an option Reid has exercised.

* THIS IS BULLSHIT! NOTE... "THEIR" COMMITTEE STAFFERS... "THEIR" LEADERSHIP STAFFERS... (THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT REGULAR CIVIL SERVANTS; THEY'RE POLITICAL APPOINTEES LOYAL TO THEIR INDIVIDUAL POLITICAL MASTERS AS INDIVIDUALS!

"I'm sure that regular Americans who just lost their insurance will feel comforted to know that Senator Reid's staff gets to keep their government plan," a senior GOP Senate aide said.

And all four House and Senate leaders are required to relinquish their federal employee insurance plans next year and are choosing to enroll in the exchanges.

* FOLKS. THIS IS A JOKE. AGAIN... GOOGLE "Office of the Attending Physician" OR "Attending Physician of the United States Congress" THESE BASTARDS GET CONCIERGE MEDICINE FOR AROUND $50/MONTH!

William R. Barker said...

* TWO-PARTER... (Part 1 of 2)

http://freebeacon.com/china-threatens-japan-ahead-of-biden-trip/

China’s military ratcheted up tensions on Tuesday over its disputed East China Sea air defense zone by threatening military action against Japan and saying it would enforce new aircraft controls.

Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yangsheng accused Japan in a statement of “making trouble” and he warned Chinese military aircraft would enforce the newly imposed air defense identification zone, or ADIZ.

“Japan’s actions have seriously harmed China’s legitimate rights and security interests, and undermined the peace and stability in East Asia,” Geng said through the official Xinhua news agency. “China has to take necessary reactions.”

* AND OBAMA'S RESPONSE TO THIS THREAT AGAINST OUR ALLY JAPAN...???

On Capitol Hill, the senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee said the latest tensions highlight the administration’s “confusing and inconsistent messages” to Japan, a key ally.

The administration for months before China’s imposition of the air zone had said it was neutral in maritime disputes.

(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)

It then belatedly backed Japan, invoking defense commitments under the U.S.-Japan defense treaty.

(*STILL SHAKING MY HEAD*)

“In an obvious attempt to placate China, the United States is sacrificing the assurance to our allies in the region that we are a reliable and steadfast security partner,” Sen. James Inhofe (R., Okla.) said in a statement to the Free Beacon.

* YEP...

Inhofe noted that 2012 marked the 60th anniversary of the U.S.-Japan defense treaty.

“The belated invocation of our treaty obligation clearly falls well short of an appropriate response to this latest provocation by China that would be consistent with the spirit and intent of the treaty,” Inhofe said. “Unfortunately, this follows a pattern of fumbled reactions by the Obama administration in other regions of the world, especially in the Middle East and North Africa.”

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon also called the Chinese air zone “bullying” by China that risks a military miscalculation. “I am glad to see that China’s blatantly aggressive actions aren’t affecting how the U.S. military conducts operations in the region, and I’m pleased to hear that U.S. military flight operations are continuing as planned,” McKeon said in a statement. “It’s important the United States stand with its long-time treaty ally, Japan, against this kind of international bullying,” McKeon said. “I encourage Vice President Biden to call on Beijing to retract this antagonist claim during his visit there later this week.”

* WE SHALL SEE...

In Tokyo, Vice President Joe Biden took a noticeably milder tone on the dispute with China than Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

* OOPS...

* TO BE CONTINUED...

William R. Barker said...

* CONCLUDING... (Part 2 of 2)

There also are concerns China will further increase tensions by announcing another air defense zone over the disputed South China Sea. Chinese government spokesman in recent days have not ruled out an ADIZ over that area, where Vietnam, Philippines, and other states are challenging China’s maritime claims over most of the sea.

* NO ONE FEARS OBAMA. NO ONE TRUSTS OBAMA. (YEP... A GENERALIZATION... BUT BASICALLY TRUE. DOES ANYONE READING THIS HONESTLY BELIEVE THAT MOST WORLD LEADERS RESPECT BARACK OBAMA...??? CERTAINLY THE RUSSIANS DON'T. THE CHINESE DON'T. THE EGYPTIANS DON'T. THE ISRAELIS DON'T. NOW THE JAPANESE DON'T.)

U.S. officials who briefed reporters in Tokyo also sought to backtrack on reports that the administration has urged U.S. airlines to recognize the Chinese ADIZ by issuing pre-flight plans to the Chinese. The New York Times said the administration urged airlines to follow the rules, a move that appeared to undercut Japan’s position that its airlines should not submit pre-flight plans for paths over the East China Sea.

* "APPEARED TO UNDERCUT...?!?!"

One administration official said the Federal Aviation Administration did not direct airlines to follow Chinese flight rules but simply issued a guidance reiterating the long-standing practice that they respond to foreign notices to airmen.

* LAME...

Former State Department official John Tkacik said Biden stopped well short of condemning China’s imposition of the air zone and instead offered the more diplomatic “deeply concerned” formulation. “Japan is an ally, and China is at best, and adversary, and it is bad policy to attempt ‘neutrality’ when trying to reassure an ally,” Tkacik said in an email.

* YES... I'D SAY "BAD POLICY" IS PUTTING IT RATHER MILDLY. (OBAMA IS TOTALLY INCOMPETENT! THAT'S PUTTING IT MORE DIRECTLY! EITHER HE'S INCOMPETENT... OR... HE REALLY DOES SUPPORT COMMUNIST CHINA AGAINST OUR ALLY JAPAN.)

(*SHRUG*)

Other states in the region also have voiced worries over China’s East China Sea controls. Philippines Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said the Chinese air zone threatens freedom of flight. “China’s East Asia Sea ADIZ transforms the entire air zone into its domestic airspace, infringes on the right to freedom of flight in international airspace and compromises the safety of civil aviation and national security of affected states,” state-run Philippine News Agency quoted Hernandez as saying.

The South Korean government said its airlines would not provide flight plans to China, as Beijing is demanding. “The flight path from Korea to Southeast Asia passes through the air defense identification zone announced by China, but we have told civilian airlines not to provide their flight plans to China just as they have done in the past,” an official at the Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport said Dec. 2. “This route is approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization, and air defense identification zones have no standing in international law. It is our position that China cannot take any coercive action against civilian aircraft,” the official said, according to Hankyoreh Online.

* SO BOTH THE PHILIPPINES AND SOUTH KOREA HAVE BIGGER BALLS THAN OBAMA'S AMERIKA... GREAT... JUST GREAT...

Military sources in Taiwan said China’s next move in the East China Sea will be to challenge the middle line dividing China and Taiwan along the 100-mile wide Taiwan Strait.

William R. Barker said...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/dec/3/boehner-legalization-advocate-advise-immigration/?page=all#pagebreak

House Speaker John A. Boehner announced Tuesday that he has hired a longtime advocate of legalizing illegal immigrants to be an adviser...

(*BITING MY LIP*)

* PIECE... OF... SHIT...

Immigrant rights advocates cheered the move...

* I'M SURE THEY DID...

Those who want a crackdown on illegal immigration said the top Republican in the House has moved closer to embracing amnesty by hiring Rebecca Tallent, a former staffer for Sen. John McCain and fellow Arizona Republican Jim Kolbe.

* FOLKS... BOEHNER MUST GO!

“Tallent’s hiring suggests he really does still want to push an amnesty through the House, which to me suggests that the immigration hawks still have their work cut out for them,” said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies. “She is a professional amnesty advocate.”

(*SIGH*)

Ms. Tallent is leaving a job as immigration policy director for the Bipartisan Policy Center...

* THINK ABOUT THAT, FOLKS... WHAT SORT OF "BIPARTISAN POLICY CENTER" HAS A "PROFESSIONAL AMNESTY ADVOCATE" AS THEIR IMMIGRATION POLICY DIRECTOR? (NOT A TRULY BIPARTISAN ONE!)

...and will join Mr. Boehner’s staff Wednesday, putting her in the center of one of the thorniest issues in Congress.

* WHAT'S HER SALARY GONNA BE? WHAT'S IT GONNA COST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO "PUT HER ON THE PAYROLL?"

Mr. Boehner appeared to have nailed the door shut on immigration last month when he said he wouldn’t enter into negotiations on the Senate bill. But in a city where personnel moves are watched as key policy signals, both sides saw Ms. Tallent’s hiring as an indication of where Mr. Boehner wants the immigration debate to go.

* AGAIN... BOEHNER IS A PIECE... OF... SHIT...

Mr. Krikorian said he still thinks the chances of a final bill reaching Mr. Obama’s desk next year are slim but that Mr. Boehner’s hiring decision is worrisome. “Basically what that means is that the person who ran John McCain’s amnesty push last time is now running amnesty for Speaker Boehner,” he said.

William R. Barker said...

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/12/03/We-re-Not-Burning-Books-Yet

* BY SENATOR RAND PAUL

In the opening pages of Ray Bradbury’s famous novel Fahrenheit 451, protagonist Guy Montag asks: Wasn’t there a time when firemen used to put out fires? They laugh at him, rebuke him and say: Everybody knows firemen start fires.

Montag knew this. Montag’s father and his grandfather had been firemen. It had been his duty for many years to start fires. He knew it was his duty to burn books, but this day would be different.

Montag arrived on the scene to do his job but found a woman who wouldn’t leave. He complained that she had all of her books but still wouldn’t leave. Undeterred, Montag proceeds with the other firemen to douse her books — and her — with kerosene. The woman shouts out and goads them. She is indignant that they would touch her books at all, and she still wouldn’t leave. She says to them: “Play the man, Master Ridley; today we will light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, that it won’t be forgotten.”

They keep dousing her with kerosene and she says it again: “Play the man, Master Ridley. Today we will light such a candle.”

In the book, the reference is lost on the firemen who simply continue to do their job.

The reference is to 16th century figure Hugh Latimer, who literally became a human candle. He was burned at the stake in 1555 for heresy — opposing the state religion. He wanted to promote the idea that the Bible should be translated into English, which the state forbade.

In America today, we’re not yet burning people at the stake, fortunately. Nor are we burning books. But your government is interested in what books you read. They’re interested in what you say in your phone calls. They’re interested in what you write in your emails.

As we all now know from the National Security Agency (NSA) revelations last summer, such government surveillance of citizens has been going on for a while now.

In the Summer of 2012, I asked for a report on this subject and was given a classified briefing. I wanted to know to what extent your privacy was being invaded. To what extent government was reading your emails, listening to your phone conversations without a judge’s warrant. At the time, I couldn’t tell you the answer because it was classified. What I could say though, is that if the government says it is a few hundred incidents, it’s actually closer to a gazillion incidents.

A gazillion is a fictitious number. But it’s a very large number, and one that is closer to the actual number of the communications that are being looked at by the federal government on a daily, hourly, or even minute-to-minute basis.

We have been too lax in giving up our privacy.

We are trading our liberty for some sort of sense of ostensible security.

Look at how we travel now, the personal privacy and dignity we’ve lost, something the TSA might have reminded some Americans over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Harvard Law School professor Noah Feldman has asked, “The next time airport security tells you to put your hands over your head and hold that vulnerable position for seven seconds, ask yourself: Is this the posture of a free man?”

When we give up our dignity and basic freedoms that we’ve always enjoyed as Americans, we give the terrorists a victory they most certainly don’t deserve. We lose something too important to who we are as a People.

Our liberties are slipping away from us.

When Hugh Latimer said, let this be an episode that will not soon be forgotten — he became a human candle against tyranny and intolerance. Americans still have a torch that’s burning. The liberty torch is burning, figuratively or otherwise, in New York Harbor. We cannot continue to trade our freedoms for a false security.

We can never let that flame of liberty go out.

* I AGREE!

William R. Barker said...

http://www.infowars.com/tsa-expands-searches-of-parked-cars-at-airports/

TSA-approved warrantless searches...

* CONSTITUTION? WHAT CONSTITUTION!

...of vehicles parked outside airports...

* PARKED OUTSIDE OF AIRPORTS...!!!

...are being expanded, with a photograph taken at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport informing Thanksgiving travelers that all vehicles belonging to AmeriPark customers “will be searched by uniformed security.”

The policy, which first came to light earlier this summer after complaints from people who found notes inside their car which read, “your vehicle has been inspected under TSA regulations,” continues to cause confusion and stoke concern amongst privacy advocates.

* HOW'ABOUT CONSTITUTION ADVOCATES? HOW'BOUT RULE OF LAW ADVOCATES...?!?!

When the story first broke, the TSA was keen to deflect responsibility by explaining that although, “the plan is approved by the TSA, it is up to each airport authority and its state and local law enforcement partners to follow the plan that has been implemented.”

* TSA HAS NO AUTHORITY TO "APPROVE" SUCH PLANS! NO ONE HAS SUCH AUTHORITY ABSENT A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT...!!!

At some airports the searches are also being conducted with customers receiving no notification whatsoever. “I was inside paying my bill. I looked through the window and saw this gentleman looking through my trunk,” said Michelle Zevola, who used the Curbside Valet Service at Charlotte Douglas Airport. “He was moving things around, shining a flashlight, going through the compartments. I am so fine being searched at the airport. It’s about safety. But I am not fine with my personal property being searched without permission or notification,” added Zevola.

“There is no posted signage at the valet stand or around the airport that indicates cars left with curbside service will be searched. There is also no warning on the back of the valet ticket,” reported NBC Charlotte.

(Deputy Aviation Director Jack Christine admitted that the searches had been taking place for a year and half without any signage or notification.)

* IS THIS YOUR AMERICA, PEOPLE...???

The policy represents a clear violation of the 4th Amendment to the Constitution...

* WE NO LONGER LIVE UNDER THE CONSTITUTION... WE NO LONGER LIVE UNDER THE BILL OF RIGHTS... WE NO LONGER LIVE UNDER THE RULE OF LAW...

* AND, SADLY... I KNOW MOST OF YOU READING THIS JUST... DON'T... CARE...

* IT JUST DOESN'T BOTHER YOU...