The Department of Veterans Affairs continues to retaliate against whistleblowers despite repeated pledges to stop punishing those who speak up, a group of employees said Tuesday. One called the department’s office of inspector general a “joke.”
VA whistleblowers from across the country told a Senate committee that the department has failed to hold supervisors accountable more than a year after a scandal that broke over chronic delays for veterans seeking medical care and falsified records covering up the waits.
Shea Wilkes, a mental health social worker at the Shreveport, Louisiana, VA hospital, said agency leaders are “more interested in perpetuating their own careers than caring for our veterans.”
Wilkes, who helped organize a group known as “VA Truth Tellers,” said “years of cronyism and lack of accountability have allowed at least two generations of poor, incompetent leaders to plant themselves within the system,” harming medical treatment for veterans. The informal watchdog group includes more than 40 whistleblowers from VA facilities in a dozen states.
“Until we are able to protect whistleblowers and potential whistleblowers, the true depth of the corruption within the VA will not be known,” Wilkes said, calling the VA’s office of inspector general a “joke.” The office has not had a permanent leader since December 2013. (Read more from “Whistleblowers: VA Inspector General a ‘Joke'” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-09-23 03:56:312015-09-23 03:56:31Whistleblowers: VA Inspector General a ‘Joke’
After controversy about comments surrounding the nursing profession, The View wrapped up an already rough week by apologizing and dedicating a special segment to them.
The segment consisted of several medical professionals discussing the ins and outs of the medical profession. They also talk about their important role during times of national crisis, like Hurricane Katrina and the September 11th attacks . . .
Unfortunately, these whackos still couldn’t hold their tongues when the camera’s were off.
Nicole Arbour, a comedian, was backstage at The View when she overheard the horrendous comments made by the hosts . . .
“Backstage, I heard the girls being like, ‘Oh yeah, our nurse jokes didn’t go over well so we have to apologize because they’re tweeting us too much. When the cameras weren’t rolling, Michelle was like ‘Yeah, that’s not a real profession. They want to be doctors.”
(Read more from “The View Hosts Thought They Were off Camera, What They Got Caught Saying Is Disturbing” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00kathleenhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngkathleen2015-09-23 03:56:172015-09-23 03:56:17The View Hosts Thought They Were off Camera, What They Got Caught Saying Is Disturbing [+video]
By Eric Bradner, John King, Dana Bash and Jeff Zeleny. Scott Walker announced Monday he is dropping out of the GOP presidential race.
The Wisconsin governor entered the primary in July as a front-runner in Iowa and a darling of both the conservative base and powerful donors after winning battles against public unions in his left-leaning home state. But that promising start was quickly dashed after poor debate performances dried up support from donors.
“Today, I believe that I am being called to lead by helping to clear the field in this race so that a positive, conservative message can rise to the top of the field. With this in mind, I will suspend my campaign immediately,” Walker said at a news conference in Madison, Wisconsin.
He encouraged other trailing Republican candidates to follow his path.
“I encourage other Republican presidential candidates to consider doing the same so that the voters can focus on a limited number of candidates who can offer a positive, conservative alternative to the current front-runner,” said Walker, referencing businessman Donald Trump. “This is fundamentally important to the future of our party, and, more important, the future of the country.” (Read more from “Here’s the Latest Candidate to Drop out of the Run for Presidency” HERE)
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Scott Walker’s Own Limitations Did Him In
By Byron York. It’s easy to say Scott Walker dropped out of the Republican presidential race because he ran out of money. But he ran out of money because of his own limitations as a candidate — limitations that have been in plain sight for quite a while.
Walker surprised the political world in late January when he delivered a wow-’em speech at an Iowa Republican gathering. The GOP activists there already respected Walker for his record as governor of Wisconsin, but most expected a lackluster, even boring presentation from a man who had not, up to that point, set the campaign trail on fire.
What they got was a strong and stirring speech that made a lot of Republicans in the crowd immediately rethink their assessment of Walker. If he could combine a great record with a dynamic candidacy — well, Scott Walker could be The Man.
Walker shot up in the polls. But signs of trouble quickly followed.
There had always been talk that Walker, as a Midwestern governor, wasn’t well versed, or even very versed at all, in foreign policy. That turned out to be true, and obvious to all when he cited his command of the Wisconsin National Guard as national security experience and argued that Ronald Reagan’s 1981 firing of the air traffic controllers was “the most significant foreign policy decision of my lifetime.” (Read more from this story HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-09-22 01:46:062015-09-22 01:46:06Here’s the Latest Candidate to Drop out of the Run for Presidency [+video]
By Fox News. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson said Monday that he “absolutely” stood by his comments about not supporting a Muslim president, while also clarifying that he was referring to Muslims who had not rejected Islamic Sharia law.
“We don’t put people at the head of our country whose faith might interfere with them carrying out the duties of the Constitution,” the retired neurosurgeon told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “If you’re a Christian and you’re running for president and you want to make this [country] into a theocracy, I’m not going to support you. I’m not going to advocate you being the president.”
“Now, if someone has a Muslim background, and they’re willing to reject those tenets and to accept the way of life that we have, and clearly will swear to place our Constitution above their religion, then of course they will be considered infidels and heretics, but at least I would then be quite willing to support them,” Carson added.
Carson came under heavy criticism for his initial remarks, which were broadcast on NBC’s “Meet The Press” Sunday. Carson, a devout Christian, told moderator Chuck Todd a president’s faith should matter to voters if it runs counter to the values and principles of America. In response to a follow-up question about whether he would support a Muslim candidate for president, Carson said, “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation,” Carson said. “I absolutely would not agree with that.”
Carson also doubled down on his comments in a statement posted on Facebook late Monday, in which he fired back at his fellow Republican candidates who criticized him. (Read more from “Carson: I Stand by the Comments About Muslim President” HERE)
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Cruz: Carson’s Stance on Muslim Presidents Unconstitutional
By Mark Hensch. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is criticizing GOP rival Ben Carson for saying that a Muslim should not be president of the United States.
At a campaign stop in Des Moines, Iowa, on Sunday evening, Cruz said religious convictions should have no bearing on one’s fitness for the Oval Office.
“You know, the Constitution specifies there shall be no religious test for public office and I am constitutionalist,” he said, according to The Des Moines Register.
“My view, listen. The president’s faith is between him and God,” the 2016 Republican White House hopeful added of President Obama. “What I’m going to focus on is his public policy record.”
Carson sparked controversy by declaring on Sunday that Islam has no place in a potential White House administration.
“I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation,” he said in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” (Read more from this story HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-09-22 01:45:182015-09-22 01:45:18Carson: I Stand by the Comments About Muslim President
Almost half of Americans, 49%, say the federal government poses “an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens,” similar to what was found in previous surveys conducted over the last five years. When this question was first asked in 2003, less than a third of Americans held this attitude.
The latest results are from Gallup’s Sept. 9-13 Governance poll. The lower percentage of Americans agreeing in 2003 that the federal government posed an immediate threat likely reflected the more positive attitudes about government evident after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The percentage gradually increased to 44% by 2006, and then reached the 46% to 49% range in four surveys conducted since 2010.
The remarkable finding about these attitudes is how much they reflect apparent antipathy toward the party controlling the White House, rather than being a purely fundamental or fixed philosophical attitude about government.
Republican agreement with the “immediate threat” statement has been higher during the Obama administration than was Democratic agreement during the Bush administration, thus accounting for the overall rise in agreement across all national adults. (Read more from “This Many People in the U.S. Believe the Government Is an Immediate Threat” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-09-22 01:43:042015-09-22 01:43:04This Many People in the U.S. Believe the Government Is an Immediate Threat
The Defense Department is facing mounting criticism for its handling of child abuse allegations involving Afghan commanders, including revived claims that U.S. soldiers were instructed to look the other way when Afghan troops and officers were sexually abusing boys.
As first reported by Fox News, the Army is under scrutiny for moving to kick out Green Beret Sgt. 1st Class Charles Martland, after he got in trouble for shoving an Afghan police commander accused of raping a boy.
This was followed by The New York Times reporting Monday that American soldiers were told to ignore such sexual abuse, even in cases where Afghan allies were abusing boys on military bases.
The White House said Monday that the U.S. is “deeply concerned” about the safety of Afghan boys, when asked about the claims, but referred questions on DOD policy to the Pentagon.
Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters on Monday that the practices described in the Times article were “abhorrent” and pushed back on the notion that military members were told not to report instances of child rape. (Read more from “Defense Department Under Fire for Handling of Child Abuse Claims in Afghanistan” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-09-22 01:42:322015-09-22 01:42:32Defense Department Under Fire for Handling of Child Abuse Claims in Afghanistan
Only one in every five migrants claiming asylum in Europe is from Syria.
The EU logged 213,000 arrivals in April, May and June but only 44,000 of them were fleeing the Syrian civil war.
Campaigners and left-wing MPs have suggested the vast majority of migrants are from the war-torn state, accusing the Government of doing too little to help them.
‘This exposes the lie peddled in some quarters that vast numbers of those reaching Europe are from Syria,’ said David Davies, Tory MP for Monmouth. ‘Most people who are escaping the war will go to camps in Lebanon or Jordan.
‘Many of those who have opted to risk their lives to come to Europe have done so for economic reasons.’ (Read more from “Four out of Five Migrants Are NOT From Syria” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-09-22 01:40:582015-09-22 01:40:58Four out of Five Migrants Are NOT From Syria
Russia has started flying drone aircraft on surveillance missions in Syria, U.S. officials said on Monday, in what appeared to be Moscow’s first military air operations there since staging a rapid buildup at a Syrian air base.
The beginning of Russian drone flights underscored the risks of U.S.-led coalition planes and Russian aircraft operating within Syria’s limited airspace, without agreeing on coordination or objectives in Syria’s civil war.
The former Cold War foes have a common adversary in Islamic State militants in Syria. But Washington opposes Moscow’s support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, seeing him as a driving force in the four-and-a-half year-long civil war.
The Pentagon declined comment at a news briefing when asked about the Reuters report on Russian drones, saying it could not discuss intelligence matters. But it said the U.S. Department of Defense was “keenly aware” of what was happening on the ground in Syria . . .
One U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the number of fixed-wing, piloted Russian aircraft stationed at the air base near Latakia, an Assad stronghold, had also grown dramatically in recent days. (Read more from “Russia Starting Syria Drone Surveillance Missions” HERE)
Thousands of Christians are being persecuted by the Islamic State (ISIS) who use churches as torture chambers where Christians are forced to convert to Islam or are killed, a faith-based human rights group said.
According to the report released by the Christian Freedom International, Christians are being singled out in ISIS-controlled areas in Iraq, where they face the option of either converting to Islam or get slaughtered by ISIS.
The report published inExpress.co.uk, noted that a Christian is killed every five minutes in Iraq by ISIS and other terror groups. “Islamic State Militants in Iraq are using Christian churches as torture chambers where they force Christians to either convert to Islam or die, ” Jim Jacobson, the president of the faith-based human rights group said.
Since taking over large swathes of area in Syria and Iraq, ISIS, a Sunni group, has repeatedly targeted minorities in the region. Earlier this month, ISIS captured Qaryatain and within days after taking over the Syria city, it destroyed an ancient Catholic church andthrew away the remains of a revered saint. (Read more from “Here’s Where ISIS Horrifically Tortures Christians Till They Convert to Islam or Die” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-09-22 01:39:192015-09-22 01:39:19Here’s Where ISIS Horrifically Tortures Christians Till They Convert to Islam or Die
The biggest policy fight simmering in the upcoming budget bill is the debate over continued funding for Planned Parenthood in light of the gruesome videos exposing their trail of blood at the expense of taxpayers. But conservatives must not forget the other trail of blood – the one connecting the White House directly to the deaths of numerous American citizens at the hands of violent illegal aliens.
That is the trail created by Obama’s impeachable offense from last November when he unilaterally abolished the Secure Communities program, one of the most effective law enforcement programs in the field, which facilitated coordination between local law enforcement to share information through the universal fingerprint database on illegal aliens held in their prisons. Although the courts halted Obama’s issuance of work permits and Social Security cards to illegal aliens, he was not challenged on his illegal cancelling of the Secure Communities program.
Now, Obama is prohibiting ICE agents from putting out detainers on most criminal aliens, and the tragic results are self-evident. We’ve witnessed a torrent of cases where illegal aliens were arrested multiple times for violent crimes only to be released without an ICE detainer and set free into our communities to kill innocent Americans. Recent data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), an arm of Syracuse University, now shows that Obama can declare mission accomplished – at the expense of the sovereignty and security of the American people:
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued 7,993 detainers during April 2015, according to the latest data available from the agency. This is 30 percent fewer than the 11,355 detainers ICE issued in October 2014 — the month prior to the November 20, 2014 announcement of a new DHS policy restricting detainer use and discontinuing its Secure Communities (SC) program.
Overall, ICE detainers declined 73% from the peak in March 2011 before the first round of amnesties was fully implemented.
These disturbing numbers follow the release of an unclassified Drug Enforcement Administration report showing the expansion of major drug cartels in U.S. cities. The Washington Times also reported that 20% of all illegal aliens caught at the border last year had criminal records. It’s pretty safe to say that with such a prevalence of violent individuals coming over the border, there are likely more that have not been caught. Think of all the violent drug cartel members who will roam free as a result of this policy.
Fox News has also done an analysis of illegal immigrant crime data, and while noting that the federal government has done their best to obscure the information, here is what they discovered:
Illegal aliens account for 13.6% of all offenders sentenced for crimes committed in the U.S., even though they only represent 3.5% of the population.
Illegals account for 12% of murder sentences, 20% of kidnapping sentences, and 16% of drug trafficking sentences.
There are 2.1 million illegal and legal immigrants convicted of crimes, but 1.2 million criminal aliens remain at large in the U.S.
Obama has replaced the Secure Communities program with the Priority Enforcement Program (PEP) as a cover to turn a blind eye to all criminal aliens under the guise of “prioritizing” the worst offenders. As the House Judiciary Committee has found, the PEP program ignores even the most dangerous criminal aliens unless they have already been convicted, not just arrested and housed in a local jail or state prison. Even those detainers are issued on a “voluntary” basis, in other words, ratifying the sanctuary city policies of states like California.
Consequently, the issue of sanctuary cities per se has now become irrelevant because it is downstream from the broader problem of the sanctuary nation that Obama has put into place. Appallingly, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson had the nerve to feign outrage over San Francisco’s policies when he is implementing those same priorities nationwide. It is unconscionable for Republicans to fund DHS without defunding the PEP ‘amnesty for murderers program’ and conditioning that funding to the reinstatement of Secure Communities.
How many more Americans will die simply because this president refuses to obey the law? (For more from the author of “Obama’s Sanctuary Nation” please click HERE)
The Department of Veterans Affairs continues to retaliate against whistleblowers despite repeated pledges to stop punishing those who speak up, a group of employees said Tuesday. One called the department’s office of inspector general a “joke.”
