Mark Levin: "We Don't Live Under Barack Obama! We Live Under a Constitutional Republic!.."

Mark Levin Show
October 3, 2013

Peter Schiff Warns Yellen’s Nomination Means Any QE Taper Expectations Are “Delusional”

Zero Hedge
Oct 10, 2013

Submitted by Peter Schiff via Euro Pacific Capital,

Image: Janet Yellen.

Now that Janet Yellen has been named to lead the Federal Reserve the global financial markets should factor out any possibility that the Fed will diminish their Quantitative easing program anytime during her tenure. In fact, financial forecasts should assume that not only is a taper off the table, but that the QE program is now more likely to be perpetuated and expanded.

Unlike her predecessors, Janet Yellen has never had a youthful dalliance with hawkish monetary ideas. Before taking charge of the Fed both Alan Greenspan, and to a lesser extent Ben Bernanke, had advocated for the benefits of a strong currency and low inflation and had warned of the dangers of overly accommodative policy and unnecessary stimulus. (Both largely abandoned these ideals once they took the reins of power, but their urge to stimulate may have been restrained by a vestigial bias against the excesses of Keynesianism). Janet Yellen, who has been on the liberal/dovish end of the monetary spectrum for her entire professional career, has no such baggage. As a result, we can expect her to never waver in her belief that stimulus is the answer to every economic question.

The Federal Reserve was originally charged with the single mandate of maintaining price stability. In recent decades that mission evolved into a dual mandate of seeking price stability and full employment. I believe that a Yellen led Fed will return once again to a single mandate, but now it will focus only on employment. Based on her clear beliefs in the ability of dovish monetary policy to relive human suffering she will be inclined to dig in her heels into the ongoing QE program more than anyone else President Obama may have appointed. This is terrible news for the U.S. dollar and the U.S. economy.

For now at least the crisis in Washington has squelched any immediate discussion of a taper in the remaining months of 2013. Any predictions that a Yellen-led Fed will somehow show more resolve towards responsibility in 2014 or 2015 should be looked at as delusional.

Government Shutdown =Police State Amerika

SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS!!!
Mark Matheny
October 10, 2013

It certainly looks like the Obama administration is using this "Shutdown" as another opportunity to transform our country into a tyrannical police state. The President and especially the Democratic Party are hell-bent on destroying the Constitution and the spirit of Liberty and Individuality in our great country.

Find Additional Current Events Podcasts with Mark Matheny on BlogTalkRadio

Obama’s Fascist Heart

Examiner
October 7, 2013

Let’s start with my somewhat lengthy definition of fascism, adapted from Jonah Goldberg, and which is found in his wonderful book, “Liberal Fascism”. (http://www.amazon.com/Liberal-Fascism-American-Mussolini-Politics/dp/076... )

"Fascism assumes that society as a whole is a scientific organism, predictable, controlled and manageable, upon which one great and scientifically enlightened leader or group of leaders are able to impose the "will of the people", which it portrays itself as representing. It is the antithesis of Western traditional liberalism, and is the absolute enemy of liberty. It is the logical spawn of the ideology of Progressivism, i.e. the false belief that science can create a human utopia on Earth. Generally relying on a "youth movement" and/or labor movement to gain power, fascism sees all facets of society as political, and that therefore any conduct by the state through its enlightened leaders to improve society is justified. In order to gain power and incite the “movement” to action, it many times blames a scapegoat ethnic or political group for society’s ills, such as the Jews, Tea Partiers, etc. Every aspect and detail of life becomes the state's responsibility. Fascism becomes a state religion, i.e. it becomes the religion of the state and seeks to eventually replace or incorporate all true religion. Eventually, if it completes its seizure of power, nothing and no one is permitted to present an opposing position, it has then become totalitarian."

Obama's recent vindictive behavior in relation to the partial shut-down of the government reveals his fascist heart. To Obama, and all fascists, the ends justify the means: In this case, the means being punishing innocent heroes and Americans by closing walk-through national monuments that have no need for staffing such as the World War II Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial, closing roads or ocean accesshttp://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/10/05/Feds-Try-to-Close-the... and any other method that he can pull off; to achieve the ends: Saving the socialist Obamacare that America hates.http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/nbc-police-remove-vietnam-war-vetera...

If anyone still really believes it is Obama's purpose to enforce the law as the Chief Executive, it might be wise to question why he is enforcing only the parts of the law that he chooses to, and ignoring or granting exemptions for the remainder. http://reason.com/blog/2013/08/13/if-obamacare-is-the-law-of-the-land-then Of course, Obama has been consistent with his policy of ignoring congress when it suits him to impose his Progressive ideology, such as his end-run around congress with the implementation of the onerous EPA regulations against coal, as well as granting amnesty in violation of federal law to specific groups of illegals.

American Presidents have no such discretion. Obama is not some county prosecutor exercising prosecutorial discretion, he is the elected Chief Executive of the United states and is strictly bound by the Constitution to execute (and obey) the laws passed by congress. Obama is violating the constitution by his selective enforcement. He is absolutely obligated to enforce the laws, and do so equally. President Andrew Johnson was impeached as a result of his refusal to enforce the Tenure in Office Act of 1867.

Obama’s elitist fascist heart tells him that he knows what is best for all Americans, much better than they know themselves, or their elected representatives in congress know. Since he believes in his own unfailing correctness as all progressives believe, and is far above the teeming masses of us “bitter clingers”, it is only right, in his superior mind, to use any method possible, legal or illegal, constitutional or unconstitutional, to impose his will on Americans FOR OUR OWN GOOD.

If this means setting up a gun smuggling operation to the Mexican drug cartels to falsely prove that these cartels are using American guns, to give impetus to his gun control schemes, no problem, hence “Fast & Furious”. If it means censoring the truth about this scheme, no problem. The ATF is ordered by Obama to stop the publication of a book about it by a former ATF agent. See:http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/10/07/atf-tries-to-block-fast-and-f...

When constitutional conservative groups apply for tax exemptions with the IRS to advance their rights to free speech and assembly by forming groups for this purpose, Obama orders his IRS henchmen to stall their applications and investigate the groups. http://criticalnarrative.blogspot.com/2013/05/obama-irs-attempted-to-sta...

Meanwhile, the NSA is gathering lists of all computer emails and cell phone calls of all Americans.

The message of Obamacare, Obama’s crowning Progressive achievement, is that the government will be better at managing the health care of Americans than the American people themselves. Unfortunately, this purposely ignores history, it ignores the fact that no large government program has ever achieved what it was supposed to achieve without massive debt and corruption, and it ignores the experience of the Post office which is again facing a massive debt, this time of 6 billion dollars, and it ignores the corruptibility of human nature which prevents these government programs from working in a way even approximating the utopian dreams of the progressives. See the following link for the CBS 60 Minutes program from yesterday about the gaming of the Social Security Disability system: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504803_162-57606236-10391709/what-happens-wh...

Progressivism naturally moves in the direction of fascism. Woodrow Wilson moved in this direction, as did the American Communist movement of the 1920’s and 1930’s, but was stopped by the strong inclination and tradition of the American people to democracy and classical liberalism. This natural directional movement of progressive ideology was displayed in history in the 20th Century by the twin fascisms of Marxism and Nazism, both of which tried to use "scientific socialism" to create the "new man", and it is being displayed again by Barrack Obama as he ignores and destroys the democratic institutions that have made our country great. It’s time to start talking impeachment.

Government Shutdown =Police State Amerika

SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS!!!
Mark Matheny
October 10, 2013

It certainly looks like the Obama administration is using this "Shutdown" as another opportunity to transform our country into a tyrannical police state. The President and especially the Democratic Party are hell-bent on destroying the Constitution and the spirit of Liberty and Individuality in our great country.



Here are just a few examples of some of their abuse of power:

A senior citizen group is held by Rangers at Yellow Stone National Park due to the "shutdown":

One of the most unconscionable incidents of shutdown enforcement involved a group of senior citizens on a tour of the nation’s landmarks. The group pulled into Yellowstone National Guard just before the shutdown took effect and, according to one tourist, the vacation quickly devolved into a confusing, frightening experience.“It was like they brought out the armed forces,” said Pat Vaillancort, explaining the group was locked inside a hotel for several hours under the authority of park rangers with firearms.Many on the tour, including some from foreign countries, believed they were under arrest, she added.

Here is an instance where "Emperor" Obama bans Military personnel from community volunteer projects:

On Monday, the U.S. Defense Department issued a directive to active duty personnel, stating they are to immediately "cease community relations outreach throughout the current lapse of appropriations."The order applies to all branches of the military.In the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area, dozens of local charities are adopted by the crews of various U.S. Navy ships, annually. Those crew members typically clean and repair public parks, perform maintenance duties at homeless shelters and distribute goods for local food banks.

 Here is yet another instance of this growing police State. The Grand Canyon National Park is now under a 24 hr constant patrol!  :

The marvelous Grand Canyon National Park, which is considered one of the “Seven Natural Wonders of the World,” has been closed for over a week now due to the government shutdown. Locals, whose livelihood’s depend on the revenue generated from the National Park, have had enough and are speaking out through organized protests.Yesterday, a group of 100 residents, business owners and international tourists gathered for a march in protest of the National Park closing. A local food bank assisted the protest by providing more than 600 food boxes for workers that have lost wages during the financial fiasco.[...]A total of 21 citations have been issued to people for entering the Grand Canyon, all of which require a federal court appearance, even if the charges are dropped. As if it couldn’t get any more outrageous, the National Park has ramped up security and is currently monitoring the park around the clock!Park officials have been ordered to patrol the Grand Canyon 24 hours a day, seven days a week, a measure that’s obviously not cheap. 

Police have arrested Vietnam Veterans for simply wanting to visit the Vietnam Memorial- the memorial dedicated to them and those who fell in defense of our country.:

Police arrested numerous Vietnam veterans during a vigil at a war memorial in New York City last night after the protesters refused to adhere to a 10pm curfew.

Go to this link to see our Veterans being humiliated at the hands of the "Amerikan Gestapo" who now work for the offshore Banks who are looting our country as we speak!!!

As a Veteran, I am outraged at this!! It is one thing to tax us.... It is another thing to degrade and humiliate our service men and women who have fought for our freedom! It is time for All Americans who love this country to speak out! It is time to stand with our troops and demand that our government stop this madness!

If a shutdown wasn't bad enough, it is even worse that the Gangster Government would deliberately block access to Military Memorials in order to make the shutdown seem worse than what it really is:

It is a tactic that President Obama has used before, in collusion with Democratic leaders in the House and Senate, during the sequester: Make the cuts as painful as possible on the American people and blame nonexistent Republican obstinacy, which is then dutifully reported as truth by the mainstream media.
And now he's doing it again during the current partial government shutdown. Only, some of the people he is trying to hurt the most are the very Americans who guaranteed, with their lives, the safety and survival of this great nation: World War II veterans.
That's right. Thanks to Obama's promise to veto House-passed legislation that would provide funds to keep the nation's World War II Memorial open during the current partial shutdown, vets are being turned away from the very memorial built in their honor.

According a Park Ranger, the Obama administration has told the Rangers and Park officials to make life as difficult as possible for those trying to enter the Memorials:

 “It’s a cheap way to deal with the situation,” an angry Park Service ranger in Washington says of the harassment. “We’ve been told to make life as difficult for people as we can. It’s disgusting.”

This is Dictatorship type behavior people! I have talked about how Obama would "think to change times and laws" and here it is right in your face! He is a Fascist Dictator! If you haven't heard my radio shows on this subject, please listen to the links below, and if you have heard them, then listen again in light of what is happening:

*Obama's Code Name By Secret Service - "Renegade" or "NIMROD"

*Evolution of an Obama Dictatorship -WE'RE HIT!!! RADIO

*Barack Obama - "Lightning from the High Places"

*Obama's First Visit to Israel as President

 Here is the definition of Fascism my friends. See if you think the Tyrant in office fits this cookie cutter?:

"Fascism assumes that society as a whole is a scientific organism, predictable, controlled and manageable, upon which one great and scientifically enlightened leader or group of leaders are able to impose the "will of the people", which it portrays itself as representing. It is the antithesis of Western traditional liberalism, and is the absolute enemy of liberty. It is the logical spawn of the ideology of Progressivism, i.e. the false belief that science can create a human utopia on Earth. Generally relying on a "youth movement" and/or labor movement to gain power, fascism sees all facets of society as political, and that therefore any conduct by the state through its enlightened leaders to improve society is justified. In order to gain power and incite the “movement” to action, it many times blames a scapegoat ethnic or political group for society’s ills, such as the Jews, Tea Partiers, etc. Every aspect and detail of life becomes the state's responsibility. Fascism becomes a state religion, i.e. it becomes the religion of the state and seeks to eventually replace or incorporate all true religion. Eventually, if it completes its seizure of power, nothing and no one is permitted to present an opposing position, it has then become totalitarian."

While the administration blocks the Veterans from the Memorials they have earned through blood, sweat and tears, the Illegal aliens here in the country get a welcome mat to trod on the National Mall!:

 A week after World War II veterans struggled to gain access to a memorial on the National Mall due to the government's partial shutdown, thousands of people pushing for a new immigration law have been cleared by the government to proceed with a concert and rally Tuesday on the Mall.The march, dubbed the "Camino Americano", or "American Road," is hosted by groups including the Service Employees International Union and Casa de Maryland. The rally will feature speeches by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other members of Congress. Another highlight will be a concert by the Mexican band Los Tigres del Norte.The concert is the punctuation mark on a series of demonstrations that included more than 100 rallies around the country on Saturday to push Congress to adopt an immigration law that would allow the nation's 12 million undocumented immigrants the ability to apply for U.S. citizenship.After seeing a group of veterans forced to move aside barriers to access the World War II Memorial last week, some are upset over what they see as the Obama administration giving preferential treatment to a group pushing for one his biggest legislative priorities.

Nancy Pelosi was even there thanking the President for allowing this event/rally to take place!

When is enough going to be enough?

This shutdown is a big charade being played by both parties!

I doubt whether there will be any de-funding of Obamacare, and I am sure they will once again raise the Debt ceiling.....

Abraham Lincoln predicted in his time that our country would fall into the hands of  Central Bankers who would ultimately enslave us:

“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands, and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war.” –Abraham Lincoln - In a letter written to William Elkin

 Lincoln understood which forces were playing out this sinister plot upon our country:

“This war would never have been possible without the sinister influence of the Jesuits. We owe it to Popery that we now see our land reddened with the blood of her noblest sons. Though there were great differences of opinion between the South and North, on the question of slavery, neither Jeff Davis nor any one of the leading men of the Confederacy would have dared to attack the North, had they not relied on the promise of the Jesuits, that, under the mask of Democracy, the money and the arms of the Roman Catholics, even the arms of France, were at their disposal if they would attack us.” Charles Chiniquy, Fifty Years in the Church of Rome, The Wickliffe Press, Protestant Truth Society, Wickliffe Avenue, 104 Hendon Lane, Finchley, London, N3., 1885, p. 388.   

 He wasn't the only one who understood the danger of the Jesuit Society of Jesus, and their goal to destroy Protestantism and America's Constitution. John Adams understood this as well:

"My history of the Jesuits is not elequently written, but it is supported by unquestionable authorities, [and] is very particular and very horrible. Their restoration [in 1814 by Pope Pius VII] is indeed a step toward darkness, cruelty, despotism, [and] death. ... I do not like the appearance of the Jesuits. If ever there was a body of men who merited eternal damnation on earth and in hell, it is this Society of [Ignatius De] Loyola".

Still not convinced? Well Marquis De LaFayette (1757 - 1834) served as a General Under George Washington during the Revolutionary War, and he stated of the Jesuits:

"It is my opinion that if the Liberties of this country, The United States of America are destroyed, it will be by the subtlety of the Roman Catholic Jesuit priests, for they are [the] most crafty, dangerous enemies to civil and religious Liberty. They have instigated most of the wars of Europe."

We can see this same destruction taking place in the White House now. Some of the key players are, Nancy Pelosi - Roman Catholic, John Boehner -Roman Catholic, Marco Rubio - Roman Catholic, Paul Ryan- Roman Catholic, and there are yet others. 7 of the 9 Supreme Court Justices are Roman Catholic.

The GOP pretends to fight the onslaught of tyrannical legislation such as Obamacare, but behind the scenes are told by Catholic Bishops to shutdown the government!:

When House Republicans shut down the government last Tuesday, they did so with the blessing of Catholic bishops. One week prior to the shutdown, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote a letter to the GOP House. The letter asked them to hold America hostage until Democrats kill birth control rules set by the White House. The rules require insurance companies to include birth control coverage for all employees, regardless of the religious beliefs of employers.

At least Americans are starting to wake up to this tyranny and now are reacting to it! Thank you to all the truckers, Bikers, Oathkeepers, Veterans and every other Patriotic group who is willing to stand up and to declare to Washington their transgressions!!!

 The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
-Attributed to Edmund Burke

Call to Action: Oath Keepers Urged to Support WWII Veterans at Memorials

WWII Heroes Getting Ready to Jump in Behind Enemy Lines. Time for One More Jump!

Stewart Rhodes
OathKeepers.org
Oct. 9, 2013

Calling all Oath Keepers (and any other veterans) to back up our World War II veterans at the Washington DC area memorials, such as the World War II memorial, the Iwo Jima memorial, Arlington Cemetary, the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, and anywhere else that that the Honor Flights go. Go there and put yourselves under the command of the WWII vets. If they want the barricades down, they should come down, come hell or high water. No WWII vet should be denied access the the Iwo Jima memorial, the WWII memorial, or to any other memorial they want to visit. For many of them, on those Honor Flights, this will be THEIR LAST TRIP to go and pay their respects to their brothers who did not make it back. It is intolerable to let Obama block their access for his petty partisan manipulations over the govt “shutdown.”

The WWII veterans who have taken down the barricades at the Iwo Jima memorial, and have ignored them at the World War II memorial, did exactly what needs to be done. We need to help them, and protect them. Go there and be their “arms and legs” to get done WHATEVER they want done. And go there with the conviction that you are not under the command of the police, not under the command of the Park Service, and not under the command of Obama. You are under the command of the World War II veterans, and only the World War II veterans. Your mission is to assist the WWII vets in doing WHATEVER they want to do.

There are already thousands of American veterans converging on Washington DC this weekend for this very purpose. You need to be there to help them, if at all possible. If you can go, you must go.

Last year, I had the privilege of escorting WWII Airborne veteran Warren Bodecker from Montana on an Honor Flight to DC, with a plane load of other WWII veterans from Montana. It was a life changing experience to see these true American heroes make the pilgrimage to the World War II Memorial in Washington DC, knowing that for many of them it will their last trip. They stood against fascism, against arbitrary, totalitarian government over there – they defeated the foreign enemies of the Constitution. will we suffer them to be oppressed and tyrannized by fascists – by the DOMESTIC enemies of the Constitution here? Forbid it almighty God.

After returning from his Honor Flight, Warren Bodeker gave a speech where he said that he had done four combat jumps as a paratrooper in WWII, with one of them being a jump behind enemy lines to liberate the POWs at Los Banos prison camp in the Philippines, who were marked for death by the Japanese Army. He told us that he wanted to do ONE MORE JUMP BEHIND ENEMY LINES, INTO WASHINGTON DC, against the domestic enemies of our Constitution. Renn understands the reality of where we are as a country, and he is saddened and sickened by what he sees happening to the country he loves.

Like so many of his brothers, he realizes now how they had not paid enough attention to the domestic enemies of the Constitution, and he understands that unless we stand now, then all that his brothers sacrificed, all their blood, sweat, and tears, will have been for nothing. We cannot let that happen.

Let’s take a stand with them, and support them in leading the way, one last time, to show their fellow Americans what it means to be an American. Let them set the example of resistance to nonsensical, arbitrary, and illegitimate oppression. Help them set the example as they make one more “jump” behind enemy lines.

Go to DC and back them up, this weekend, next week, and as long as it takes.

For the Republic,

Stewart Rhodes

Founder of Oath Keepers

Obama Agrees To Negotiate With Congress

The Western Center for Journalism
October 9, 2013

Barack Obama is backing away from his prior refusal to seek a compromise with Congress, indicating he will meet with lawmakers Thursday in an effort to end the ongoing federal government shutdown.

House Republicans, who have received the brunt of Obama’s vitriol throughout the stalemate, are invited to meet with the president to discuss funding and reopening the government. This decision stands in contrast to his repeated insistence he will accept nothing less than a “clean” spending bill — one that does not target the increasingly contentious ObamaCare law.

This move, which came around the same time as polling results showed his approval rating at a dismal 37 percent, indicates that Obama might be ready to concede at least some of the GOP’s points. That assumption might be overly optimistic, however, given his supreme reticence to acquiesce.

In actuality, Obama is likely focused on his demand for another debt limit increase. With a deadline fast approaching, he cannot afford to be saddled with a shutdown while making the case for giving the government even more money.

Read the entire article

Search Engine Manipulation. Google and YouTube Suppress Controversial 9/11 Truth?

Global Research
October 5, 2013

With polls consistently showing that approximately 50% of Canadians and Americans doubt the official story of 9/11, the feat of keeping the lid on a public debate for over 12 years has been nothing short of miraculous.

This article presents a simple case study showing that this miracle is being performed with the assistance of Google and YouTube search engine interference

On September 8, 2013, the popular Russia Today “Truthseeker” program, with over a million subscribers on YouTube,[1] published a 13-minute newscast entitled “The Truthseeker: 9/11 and Operation Gladio (E23).”

Below the video frame ran the caption:

Bigger than Watergate’: US ‘regular’ meetings with Al-Qaeda’s leader; documented White House ‘false flag terrorism’ moving people ‘like sheep’; the father of Twin Towers victim tell us why he backs this month’s 9/11 campaign on Times Square and around the world; & the protests calendar for September.

This paragraph was followed by a list of interviewees, including four people representing three scholarly research organizations:  Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth,[2] the 9/11 Consensus Panel,[3] and The Journal of 9/11 Studies.[4]

The “Truthseeker” video immediately started to gain popularity on YouTube, reaching 131,000 views in the first three days.[5](The history of the viewing statistics may be seen by clicking on the little graphic symbol under the video frame, and to the right)

Truthseeker posted its program to YouTube on Sept. 8.  Russia Today tweeted the YouTube link to its 546,000 followers and to the interviewer, Daniel Bushell, that day:

RT ‏@RT_com 8 Sep

The Truthseeker: 9/11 and operation Gladio (E23) http://youtu.be/vka7Da6e9LY @DanielBushellRT

A MOXNEWS copy of the same newscast was also posted September 8 under the title “Russia Today News Declares 9/11 An Inside Job False Flag Attack!” which in turn started to escalate, with over 80,000 views in the first few days.[6]

Other uploads of the program also appeared, with less traffic, bringing the early viewing total to over a quarter of a million people.

Read the entire article

James Woods: 'I Don't Expect to Work Again' in Hollywood After Criticizing Obama

The Hollywood Reporter
October 8, 2013

The actor has been critical of Democrats and the president and presumes his political opinions will cost him jobs.

After repeatedly criticizing President Barack Obama, actor James Woods suggested in a tweet late Tuesday that his politics may cost him work in Hollywood.

Woods has been critical of Obama before but in the past few days seems particularly incensed at the president’s handling of the partial government shutdown. He tweeted, for example: “This President is a true abomination. To have barricaded the WW2 vets, but allow illegal aliens privilege...” The tweet linked to a USA Today article.

On other occasions, Woods retweeted photos, articles and more about the shutdown, the attack on the American embassy in Benghazi, Libya, problems with Obamacare and the growing national debt. When linking to a New York Times story about a plan to allow noncitizens to monitor polling places in California, he joked that “dead democrats can vote multilingually now.”

Read the entire article

Catholic Bishops Wanted Government Shutdown, Asked House Republicans To Hold Nation Hostage Over Birth Control Mandate

Addicting Info
October 8, 2013

America’s Catholic Bishops wrote a letter urging House Republicans to shut down the government, unless Obamacare denies birth control coverage to women. Photo of Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan from Wikipedia. Dolan is also the archbishop of New York and the President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

When House Republicans shut down the government last Tuesday, they did so with the blessing of Catholic bishops. One week prior to the shutdown, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote a letter to the GOP House. The letter asked them to hold America hostage until Democrats kill birth control rules set by the White House. The rules require insurance companies to include birth control coverage for all employees, regardless of the religious beliefs of employers.

Catholic bishops want House GOP to hold America hostage over birth control

This didn’t sit well with Catholic bishops and conservative Christians, who want the right to deny their female employees contraception. So as part of their ongoing temper tantrum over women having access to birth control, the bishops sent a letter  to House Republicans urging them to shut the government down until they get their way on contraception coverage.

“[W]e have already urged you to enact the Health Care Conscience Rights Act (H.R. 940/S. 1204), the letter declared. “As Congress considers a Continuing Resolution and debt ceiling bill in the days to come, we reaffirm the vital importance of incorporating the policy of this bill into such ‘must-pass’ legislation.”

Read the entire article 

Jesse Ventura Calls For “American Revolution” Against The “Corrupt System”

Zero Hedge
October 6, 2013

The irony of Jesse Ventura calling for a new “American Revolution” in a conversation with Brit Piers Morgan is not lost on us but the former Governor of Minnesota asks some awkwardly open questions in this ‘colorful’ interview.

Ventura asked if the government’s shut down, “That should mean we shouldn’t have to pay any taxes, right?” He called for another American revolution to push back against the “corrupt system” created by Democrats and Republicans in Washington. He told Morgan the two-party system has legalized “bribery” for access, suggesting he’s fed up enough to actually run for president in 2016. Ventura called both parties “gangs,” and Morgan admitted he had to agree, adding that they’re “overpaid, underworked children!” The discussion then veers from Obamacare, Ventura’s run for President, and the JFK conspiracy.

NYT reporter: Obama admin “most closed, control-freak administration I’ve ever covered”

Hot Air
October 5, 2013

Remember when the media rushed to talk about transparency in the Barack Obama “Hope and Change” era? Good times, good times.  Leonard Downie, who once worked as the executive editor of the Washington Post and wrote a novel about Washington corruption and the Iraq War, finds a bigger and non-fictional problem in the successor to George W. Bush.  Downie gives the Post a preview of his report from the Committee to Protect Journalists which outlines the Obama war on reporters and their sources:

“A memo went out from the chief of staff a year ago to White House employees and the intelligence agencies that told people to freeze and retain any e-mail, and presumably phone logs, of communications with me,” Sanger said. As a result, longtime sources no longer talk to him. “They tell me: ‘David, I love you, but don’t e-mail me. Let’s don’t chat until this blows over.’ ”

Sanger, who has worked for the Times in Washington for two decades, said, “This is most closed, control-freak administration I’ve ever covered.”

Many leak investigations include lie-detector tests for government officials with access to the information at issue. “Reporters are interviewing sources through intermediaries now,” Barr told me, “so the sources can truthfully answer on polygraphs that they didn’t talk to reporters.”

The investigations have been “a kind of slap in the face” for reporters and their sources, said Smith of the Center for Public Integrity. “It means you have to use extraordinary measures for contacts with officials speaking without authorization.”

Amusingly, Downie posits this question at the end of the essay:

Will Obama recognize that all this threatens his often-stated but unfulfilled goal of making government more transparent and accountable? None of the Washington news media veterans I talked to were optimistic.

“Whenever I’m asked what is the most manipulative and secretive administration I’ve covered, I always say it’s the one in office now,” Bob Schieffer, CBS News anchor and chief Washington correspondent, told me. “Every administration learns from the previous administration. They become more secretive and put tighter clamps on information. This administration exercises more control than George W. Bush’s did, and his before that.”

Does it even occur to Downie that Obama’s claim to deliver “the most transparent administration ever” (not just incrementally more transparent than before) was simply a load of hogwash? Apparently not — because if Downie and the rest of the Obama-fawning media had to acknowledge that possibility, then they would have to ask themselves why Obama would deliberately set out to make his administration the least transparent ever, as Schieffer acknowledges.