And Then There Were Three: Pro-Amnesty, Establishment Field Grows With Rubio Jumping In

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. . .Friday’s news turns up the dial on his effort and tells us a few things about the race in general, and Rubio’s 2016 perceptions in particular.

First, Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney aren’t clearing the field. Bush has moved aggressively, announcing an exploratory committee and forming super PACs, while Romney’s evinced surprising interest in a race. That hasn’t scared off other candidates who might compete with them for the establishment and business wings of the GOP, however. Rubio’s moving. Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin has scheduled trips to the early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire.

Second, Rubio’s looking to President Obama for inspiration. Not in any ideological or policy sense, but in terms of baseline experience. Obama won the White House as a first-term Senate backbencher. If he could do it, why can’t Rubio? Many political strategists think voters might be looking for a governor with executive experience as their presidential choice in 2016, but political strategists say lots of stuff. Some of it is wrong.

Finally, the real divisions in the Republican primary field this time might be generational. Rubio isn’t a party outsider. He’s not a tea party favorite. He doesn’t have a support base among evangelicals, or Wall Street’s nod. But he hasn’t run for president twice before, like Mitt Romney. Or even once before, like Gov. Rick Perry of Texas. None of his relatives have been president, like Jeb Bush’s brother and Dad.

But if it turns out GOP primary voters are tired of the same-old, then Rubio can present himself as a fresh hat in the ring. (Read more about Rubio jumping in HERE)

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Woman Gives IRS Scammers Taste of Their Own Medicine (+video)

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They claim they are IRS agents threatening you with arrest or court action if you don’t send them money immediately for back taxes. It’s a phone scam that’s been sweeping the nation. But when the scammers targeted Rachel Fitzsimmons of Denver, she fought back.

“I wanted to give them a taste of their own medicine,” said Fitzsimmons, a sales and marketingprofessional.

When the scammers left her voicemail messages on consecutive days this month, telling her they were filing a lawsuit against her for failing to pay her taxes, Fitzsimmons said, “I was really scared. I never had someone say they were filing a lawsuit against me, especially the IRS.”

But after a little research, Fitzsimmons realized it was nothing more than a scam which the U.S. government says has swindled nearly 3,000 people out of $14 million so far. The scammers typically alter their caller ID number to make it appear they are calling from an IRS office and pose as IRS agents offering up badge numbers and identification numbers.

So Fitzsimmons called back and recorded the entire conversation then put it on YouTube, hoping it would help others avoid falling for the scam. (Read more about the woman who fought back against IRS scammers HERE)

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[Page 3] Canadian Stupidity Over Alaska’s Prince Rupert Ferry Terminal Stoking Tensions

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The Prince Rupert community financially benefits from all the mid-summer tourist traffic along with year-around service to their port. The historic friendship and good community relationships between Prince Rupert and Ketchikan include annual activities by the RCMP from Prince Rupert when the Mounties attend and march in the annual Fourth of July parade in Ketchikan and a host of other cooperative international exchanges. Overall, having a functioning Alaska Marine Highway System ferry facility in Prince Rupert has been a mutually beneficial relationship for both nations. For that matter, it was the United States that solely built and funded the Alaska-Canada Highway that Canadians enjoy today, and many tourists use to explore the countryside of British Columbia and Yukon Territory from Alaska.


Other issues to consider are international legal standards that apply to Alaska Marine Highway System vessels transiting international borders. All vessels engaged in international maritime trade and entering into Canadian ports must conform to the “Safety of Life at Sea” Convention adopted by the United States of American and Canada, among other maritime countries. These legal requirements are in addition to the typical legal statutes enforced by the United States Coast Guard that add a significant amount of cost to the procurement and maintenance of a vessel engaged in international trade. Under normal ferry operations, these additional international requirements could be reasonably argued as unnecessary. In order to operate to and from the Port of Prince Rupert, the Alaska Marine Highway System maintains three ships and crews with the international rating. They are the M/V, Kennicott, the M/V Taku, and the M/V Matanuska. All the other vessels in the fleet do not have these provisions and operate well without the additional international endorsement. Nor do the British Columbia ferries operate with the expensive international SOLAS amenities.

Given the gloomy financial prospects of the State of Alaska, and the sharp diminishment in oil revenues, all of the Alaska Marine Highway System operations need to be reexamined. All ideas should be reviewed including whether the long-term interests of Alaska would be best served by moving the Prince Rupert facility back to Hyder, Alaska. From that point, a smaller, cheaper, non-SOLAS ferry could permanently resolve this issue, effectively ending any future negative incursions of the Canadian authorities when it comes to how Alaska and the United States Government utilize their resources.

As it stands presently, if The Harper Administration along with B.C. Premier Christy Clark would like to dictate procurement policy to the Alaska Marine Highway System, they collectively are well within their means to allocate more than half the total cost, about 7.5 million US dollars, of the project to relieve the requirement of the “Buy American” provision. This would also end any need for future wasteful litigation costs. It was reported in CBC News that according to Edward Whalen, The President of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, that the local impact would be as follows, “American workers and materials to build the terminal in Prince Rupert could mean the potential loss of $80 million to the B.C. economy when taking into the ‘four-times multiplier’ into [sic] account.” If his posturing is correct and ignoring any potential conflicts of interest in his statement, Canada stands to gain almost ten times the economic benefit of contributing half the costs. The Canadian province would benefit by more than five times by building the facility solely utilizing Provincial funds.

Additionally, it is highly probable that Canadians will obtain and perform the work of rebuilding the terminal anyways. The Harper Administration’s selective enforcement of the “Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act” will almost certainly only harm a Canadian contractor trying to make a living in tough economic times. A penalty that specifically calls for, according to Canadian sources, over a one hundred thousand dollar fine and five years of incarceration. The enforceability of Canadian demands under this act is also questionable, as this particular Canadian Law was not intended for use in this type of situation. This particular farcical policy embarked upon by the Prime Minister’s cabinet is as absolutely lopsided, and totally oblivious to the major financial contributions to Canada that not only come from the State of Alaska, but the United States as a whole.

On the balance, Prince Rupert gains substantially from Alaska Marine Highway System and associated transportation services. Prime Minister Harper would be well advised to find a mutually agreeable solution to this issue. In the end this is appears to be a very odd demonstration of force that is straining longstanding relations between two old allies over an issue that has nothing to do with genuine economics. We need to work together to resolve this issue or else Alaska should just get on with building a new ferry terminal in Hyder, Alaska as a substitute and as an alternative for Canadian intransigence. (To return to Page 1 of this story about the Prince Rupert Ferry Terminal, click HERE)

[Page 2] Canadian Stupidity Over Alaska’s Prince Rupert Ferry Terminal Stoking Tensions

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Since 1963, the Alaska Marine Highway System has operated out of Prince Rupert, BC. As the sole user of that particular facility, a fifty-year lease that ended in 2013, and was subsequently renewed. The initial lease provisions required that the Prince Rupert Port Authority was to maintain the terminal facility. In Alaskan Legislative Committee notes dating back to January, 2009 the Alaska Marine Highway System responded to questions regarding the total purchase of the facility noting that the Alaska ferry authority believed the Port Authority of Prince Rupert was not fulfilling the obligations of their contract. The Alaska House Transportation Sub-Committee notes indicate:

The lease requires Prince Rupert to provide dock maintenance, he [Mr. Beedle – the Alaska Marine Highway System Director] advised. However, due to financial constraints the maintenance has not been performed although the Prince Rupert authorities maintain the dock is safe. He acknowledged that Prince Rupert eventually spent $1 million dollars to repair the dock, but ‘this is kind of a band-aid for a three to five year timeline.’ He opined that Prince Rupert does not want to be in the dock business or to finance rebuilding the dock.

In May of 2014, the engineering firm CH2MHILL performed an environmental assessment of the Port Facility in Prince Rupert for the State of Alaska and concluded:

…structural upgrades were completed in 2005… The Terminal is now approaching 50 years of service with significant wear on all parts of the marine facilities. Although the Terminal has had a series of repairs and modifications, it is in poor condition and has reached the end of useful life. Wholesale terminal replacement with modern steel and concrete structures and a new lift system similar to other AMHS ferry terminals is now warranted

The findings by CH2MHill with regard to the Prince Rupert, BC terminal facility seem to support the contention that the Port Authority and City of Prince Rupert were likely in complete abrogation of their contractual obligations long before the State of Alaska took it upon itself to formulate plans to demolish and replace the facility.

The circumstances surrounding the Prince Rupert ferry terminal replacement appears to be the result of the Canadian Government’s decision to ignore their original commitments, and remains as a hallmark of their initial obligations. The conclusion now seems obvious that the need to repair and replace the dock is the direct result of decades of neglect that the local government in their malfeasance failed to perform.

As a result of unjust treatment on the part of select segments of the Canadian populous and some Canadian politicians, Alaskans may be entering a new era of renewed hostilities that are precipitated by a distant Ottawa government. It appears that certain Canadian politicians would rather score some cheap political points thousands of miles away and make illogical statements about Canadian steel and concrete rather than addressing the needs of the local communities they are required to serve. The interference of the Canadian government in a rather trivial ferry terminal facility that they have no vested financial commitment towards is astonishing and not based on tangible harm to the local economy.

The State of Alaska and the United States federal government have been cooperative in all their actions regarding the Prince Rupert ferry terminal leading up to this latest breach of trust by Canadian authorities. In particular, the emphatic statement by Canada’s International Trade Minister, Ed Fast, that a 15 million dollar ferry terminal replacement on about an acre of property will be, “An affront to Canadian Sovereignty.”

As a matter of fact, a 15 million dollar project, solely financed and built for the benefit of Canadian infrastructure with United States tax dollars is a very good deal for our Canadian neighbors and will do much to enhance the economy of the Prince Rupert area. The deal is all the more advantageous and obviously beneficial considering that the Prince Rupert Port Authority all but abandoned that facility a decade ago. (Read page 3 of this story about the Prince Rupert Ferry terminal issue HERE)

Establishment Conspiracy Brewing: Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush to Meet in Utah

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Photo Credit: NY Times
Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney are scheduled to meet privately this week in Utah, raising the possibility that the two former governors will find a way to avoid competing presidential campaigns that would split the Republican establishment next year, two prominent party members said Wednesday night.

The meeting was planned before Mr. Romney’s surprise announcement two weeks ago to donors in New York that he was considering a third run for the White House.

Mr. Bush proposed the meeting, according to one of the party members familiar with the planning, who did not want to be quoted by name in discussing a secret meeting.

The original idea was for Mr. Bush, who announced his presidential ambitions in December, to show his respect for Mr. Romney, the Republican Party’s 2012 nominee. The meeting stayed on both men’s calendars even as Mr. Romney took steps to test the presidential waters, moves that could make the meeting awkward. (Read more about Romney and Bush going to meet in Utah HERE)

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Yet Another SOTU Fraud Revealed: Obama’s State of the Union Guest

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Photo Credit: Free BeaconThe woman whose story of economic recovery was showcased by President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address is a former Democratic campaign staffer and has been used by Obama for political events in the past.

Rebekah Erler has been presented by the White House as a woman who was discovered by the president after she wrote to him last March about her economic hardships. She was showcased in the speech as proof that middle class Americans are coming forward to say that Obama’s policies are working.

Unmentioned in the White House bio of Erler is that she is a former Democratic campaign operative, working as a field organizer for Sen. Patty Murray (D., Wash.).

This also wasn’t the first time the White House used the former Democratic campaign staffer as a political prop. Obama spent a “day in the life” of Erler in June so that he could have “an opportunity to communicate directly with the people he’s working for every day” . . .

Obama used Erler as an example that the economy is getting better. (Read more about the State of the Union guest HERE)

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Federal Insanity: NIH Spent $432,000 Studying Gay Hook Up Apps Like Grindr

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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has spent nearly a half a million dollars studying gay hookup apps such as Grindr.

The government awarded $432,000 to Columbia University to interview gay men who use GPS dating apps and determine whether it increases their likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behavior.

“Smartphone technologies have provided a new venue for sexual partnering among men who have sex with men (MSM),” the grant for the project states. “Indeed, there are a rapidly growing number of smartphone applications designed to facilitate sexual partnering among MSM.”

The project argues that dating apps that use the Global Positioning System, or GPS, has “accelerated” the rate that gay men can find sexual partners, compared to online.

“Furthermore, given the expediency with which men are able to arrange sexual encounters using these applications, there is cause to question if, when, and how sexual negotiation and serostatus disclosure occurs,” the grant said. “The overall study goal is to understand how sexual risk behaviors among MSM may be facilitated by the nature of GPS-enabled smartphone applications, the way they are used, and the process by which sexual partnering occurs via smartphone applications.” (Read more about the Fed’s waste of money on studying gay hook up apps HERE)

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President Vows to ‘Protect Abortion’

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By Charlie Spiering. In a statement recognizing the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, President Obama vowed to protect the right to abortion in America — even as thousands of pro-life activists marched in Washington D.C. to protest the Supreme Court’s decision.

“I am deeply committed to protecting this core constitutional right,” he said, criticizing Republicans for passing a bill earlier today in the House to block taxpayer funding for abortions.

Obama asserted that the bill would “intrude on women’s reproductive freedom and access to health care,” and his administration issued a veto threat of the bill. (Read more about the vow to protect abortion HERE)

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House Passes Bill to Block Abortions from Obamacare

By Sean Lengell and Paige Winfield Cunningham. The House on Thursday passed legislation along partisan lines that would block abortion coverage from plans offered by the federal government’s healthcare.gov, one day after Republican leaders pulled a stricter anti-abortion measure from the floor.

Republicans initially had planned to hold a vote on a measure that called for banning abortions past 20 weeks of pregnancy on Thursday, the same day as the annual March for Life attended by thousands of anti-abortion activists. But leadership pulled it after a number of female Republican lawmakers incited a last-minute revolt against one part of the measure.

The “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” which passed 242-179, was identical to a bill that cleared the Republican-run House last year but died in the then-Democratic controlled Senate. Only three Democrats supported the measure, with Rep. Richard Hanna of Indiana the lone Republican to reject it. (Read more from this story HERE)

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How Obama Answered a Question on the Po-Po

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By Fred Lucas. President Barack Obama said police officers need to be aware of their “biases” when it comes to black men and vowed to put “federal muscle” behind improving police practices and training.

During a series of interviews with YouTube personalities Thursday, one of the interviewers, GloZell Green, said she “cut all the hoods” off of her husband’s hoodies because, “I’m afraid when he goes outside, that somebody might shoot and kill him.”

“And it’s not, like, regular folks. It’s the po-po,” she said. “How can we bridge the gap between black, African-American males and white cops?”

“First of all, we always have to remind ourselves that the overwhelming majority of police officers, they are doing a really tough job and they’re doing it well,” Obama said. “What we also know is that there are still biases in our society, that in split-second situations when people have to make quick decisions, that studies have shown African-American males are seen as more threatening, which puts them in a more vulnerable position. Young African-American males are typically seen as older than they are.” (Read more from “How Obama Answered a Question on the Po-Po” HERE)

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Teen Busted for Threatening Police with Emojis

By Dana Sauchelli. A Brooklyn teen was arrested Sunday for making threats against police — using emojis on social media, sources said.

The District Attorney’s cyber-unit issued a warrant to arrest Osiris Aristy, 17, at his home on Wyckoff Avenue near Himrod Street in Bushwick after flagging the “terroristic threats” on his Facebook page, law enforcement sources said.

One threat appeared on Jan. 15 around 10:10 p.m. stating, “’N—- run up on me, he gunna get blown down,’ followed by an emoji of a police officer and three guns pointing at the officer, according to a criminal court complaint.

About an hour later he posted, “F**k the 83, 104, 79, 98, 73 PCTKKK,” the complaint states. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Obama Admin. Bribed Iran to Stay in Nuke Talks With $11.9 Billion in Payments

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By Adam Kredo. The Obama administration on Wednesday paid $490 million in cash assets to Iran and will have released a total of $11.9 billion to the Islamic Republic by the time nuclear talks are scheduled to end in June, according to figures provided by the State Department.

Today’s $490 million release, the third such payment of this amount since Dec. 10, was agreed to by the Obama administration under the parameters of another extension in negotiations over Tehran’s contested nuclear program that was inked in November.

Iran will receive a total of $4.9 billion in unfrozen cash assets via 10 separate payments by the United States through June 22, when talks with Iran are scheduled to end with a final agreement aimed at curbing the country’s nuclear work, according to a State Department official.

Iran received $4.2 billion in similar payments under the 2013 interim agreement with the United States and was then given another $2.8 billion by the Obama administration last year in a bid to keep Iran committed to the talks through November, when negotiators parted ways without reaching an agreement.

Iran will have received a total of $11.9 billion in cash assets by the end of June if current releases continue on pace as scheduled. (Read more about from “Obama Admin. Bribed Iran” HERE)

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Saudi Arabia’s King Dies

By BBC. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz was the fifth of his brothers to take the throne and became king in 2005, reports Caroline Hawley

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has died, royal officials have announced, weeks after he was admitted to hospital.

King Abdullah, who was said to be aged about 90, had been suffering from a lung infection.

A statement early on Friday said his 79-year-old half brother, Salman, had become king.

Abdullah came to the throne in 2005 but had suffered frequent bouts of ill health in recent years. (Read more about Saudi Arabia’s king dying HERE)

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