Collision Course: Russian Jet Nearly Collides with U.S. Surveillance Aircraft in ‘Reckless’ Intercept in Asia

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Photo Credit: Air Force A Russian Su-27 jet flew dangerously close to a U.S. reconnaissance plane over the Pacific northeast recently in an aerial clash not seen since the Cold War.

An Air Force RC-135 electronic intelligence jet was flying a surveillance run some 60 miles off the Russian Far East coast, north of Japan, on April 23 when the incident occurred, according to defense officials familiar with the incident.

The Su-27 flew to follow the RC-135, and at one point rolled sideways to reveal its air-to-air missile before flying within 100 feet of the cockpit in an attempt to unnerve the crew.

The showdown was video-recorded by the aircrew.

Pentagon spokesman Col. Steven Warren said the Su-27 intercepted the RC-135U as it conducted a routine surveillance mission in international airspace over the Sea of Okhotsk during the afternoon of April 23.

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Baker Forced to Make Gay Wedding Cakes, Undergo Sensitivity Training, After Losing Lawsuit

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Photo Credit: AP / Brennan LinsleyA family owned bakery has been ordered to make wedding cakes for gay couples and guarantee that its staff be given comprehensive training on Colorado’s anti-discrimination laws after the state’s Civil Rights Commission determined the Christian baker violated the law by refusing to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.

Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, in Lakewood, Colorado was directed to change his store policies immediately and force his staff to attend the training sessions. For the next two years, Phillips will also be required to submit quarterly reports to the commission to confirm that he has not turned away customers based on their sexual orientation.

Think of it as reverse conversion therapy (or straight man’s rehab) so that the state can mandate diversity through conformity.

The plight of Jack Phillips and his family is something I write about in my new book, “God Less America.” His story of religious persecution is one of many that I document.

Nicolle Martin, an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom, called the ruling Orwellian and said they are considering an appeal.

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Alaska Volcano Erupts with New Intensity, Prompting ‘Red’ Alert

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Photo Credit: REUTERS / PAUL HORN / ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAMEAn Alaska volcano that has been spewing ash and lava for years began erupting with new intensity this week, pushing a plume of smoke and ash as high as 24,000 feet (7,315 meters) and prompting scientists to issue their highest volcanic alert in five years, authorities said on Tuesday.

But the intense action at the Pavlof Volcano, located in an uninhabited region nearly 600 miles (966 km) southwest of Anchorage, has so far not disrupted any regional air traffic, thanks to favorable weather that has made it easier for flights to navigate around the affected area.

Still, the eruption was intense enough for Alaska Volcano Observatory scientists to issue their first red alert warning since 2009, when the state’s Mount Redoubt had a series of eruptions that spewed ash 50,000 feet (15,240 meters).

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Fort Hood Sergeant Accused Of Setting Up Prostitution Ring With Female Soldiers

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Photo Credit: Drew Anthony Smith / Getty A Fort Hood sergeant is scheduled to appear in military court to answer allegations that he set up a prostitution ring with cash-strapped female soldiers.

Sgt. 1st Class Gregory McQueen is accused of pandering and several other offenses. McQueen was a low-level coordinator in Fort Hood’s sexual assault and harassment program — at a time when the military’s response to assault cases has been severely criticized.

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Attorney: Girl Charged in Stabbing is Mentally Ill

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Photo Credit: MSNA 12-year-old girl accused of plotting to kill a friend to curry favor with a fictional character she read stories about online shows signs of mental illness and should be in a hospital, her defense attorney said Tuesday.

The girl and another 12-year-old have been charged as adults with first-degree attempted homicide in a stabbing that nearly killed another child the same age. The two girls told investigators they plotted for months to kill their friend because a character called Slenderman required them to kill someone before they could become his “proxy.”

Both girls are being held at a juvenile detention center. Anthony Cotton, the attorney for one girl, said a judge rejected his request Monday to have the girl transferred to a mental health facility, but he will renew that request when she returns to court next week.

“From what I know, we’ve got a young girl here who has no previous criminal record at all, and if the record is accurate, probably suffers from very serious mental health issues,” said Cotton, who planned to meet with the girl later Tuesday.

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VA Hospital Axed Veteran Programs While Approving $1 Million In Bonuses

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Photo Credit: REUTERS / Larry DowningThe Memphis Veteran Administration (VA) Medical Center approved over $1 million in bonuses months before closing a therapeutic aquatic pool citing a lack of funds.

The Memphis VA Medical Center handed out $1,005,644 in bonuses for its approximately 2,000 employees in fiscal year 2010, according to data provided to The Daily Caller by Sandra Glover, the communications officer for Veteran Integrated Services Network (VISN) 9, which includes the Memphis VA Medical Center. Glover told TheDC that cost factored into the decision to close the therapeutic aquatic pool in July 2011.

In a statement prepared for TheDC, Glover said that bonuses and capital improvement projects come from separate pools of money, and that the VA outsources aquatic care to veterans at VA expense.

“The Memphis VA Medical Center is committed to honoring veterans with safe, high quality, accessible care earned through their service to the country,” the statement reads. “By law, funds for specific purposes cannot be used for anything other than what they’ve been appropriated for. It is a management decision to consider the cost benefit of maintaining programs and services within the organization.”

“No veteran has been denied services as a result of the closure of the therapeutic pool closure,” the statement continued. “Any patient that requires aqua therapy as a result of their plan of care will be referred to an accredited aqua therapy program in the private sector at VA expense.”

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Joe Miller Slams Obama for ‘White Flag Diplomacy’ and Another Lawless Act

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Photo Credit: REUTERS / Kevin LamarqueFairbanks, Alaska. June 2, 2014 – Joe Miller today weighed in on the President’s latest foreign policy fiasco, stating that the release of five top Taliban commanders was tantamount to surrender and further endangers our soldiers and US interests around the globe. He identified it as yet another lawless act by the Obama Administration.

“It’s outrageous,” Miller said. “It is becoming increasingly evident that Barack Obama’s incompetence in dealing with national security issues is imperiling the country, and if it’s not a competency issue, we’ve got even bigger problems. But one thing is certain, ‘white flag diplomacy’ only emboldens our enemies and endangers Americans abroad, especially US service men and women.”

As more information emerges, other disturbing questions are being raised including whether the President even acted within the parameters of the law by failing to notify Congress of his intentions to release the five dangerous extremists in exchange for American POW Bowe Bergdahl, who disappeared under questionable circumstances.

Miller concluded, “When seen within a larger pattern of lawless acts, this incident is beyond troubling. This President has little regard for the law, to say nothing of his aptitude for decision-making as it relates to our national security. Congress must hold him accountable. This incident is yet another reason the President should be impeached.”

Joe Miller is a husband, father, combat veteran, and advocate of Constitutional liberty who believes in individual rights, private property, free markets and the sanctity of human life.

Obama Sprinting to Finish Line to ‘Transform’ America

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Photo Credit: TownHall It obviously doesn’t bother President Obama a whit to usurp congressional power to impose more draconian environmental regulations — and probably not much more to do so in an election year, even when his action will hurt Democrats.

What’s he going to do now, you ask?

Well, his Environmental Protection Agency, in deference to and collusion with Obama’s war on domestic energy producers, has unveiled a proposed rule to mandate power plants to cut U.S. carbon dioxide emissions 30 percent by 2030 from levels 25 years earlier.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the rule would affect hundreds of fossil-fuel power plants and hit America’s 600 coal-fired power plants the hardest. The rule, says the Journal, “is a major element of (Obama’s) attempt to secure a second-term legacy.”

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What Voter Fraud? Study Finds More Than 35K Incidents of ‘Double Voting’ In North Carolina In 2012

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Photo Credit: IJ Review Opponents of Voter ID laws may continue to say that voter fraud is not real, or that you are more likely to be taken by a UFO than to find voter fraud, but unfortunately for them, facts don’t lie.

The North Carolina Board of Elections has found that there were 35,570 instances of “double voting” in the state in 2012, according to National Review. These voters shared the same first and last names and dates of birth with people who voted in other states in the same election.

Another 765 North Carolinians shared the same names and last four digits of their Social Security number with voters elsewhere.

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Executive Power Grab: Obama to Announce New Plans Forcing Electricity Rates to Skyrocket (+video)

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Photo Credit: TownHall When President Obama ran for office in 2008, he promised he’d implement new policies that would force electricity rate to “necessarily” skyrocket.

Here we are six years later and President Obama is set to announce new, major regulations on power plants in the name of climate change. The New York Timesis calling it the boldest move ever made by a president to address the issue.

The Obama administration is set to announce a rule Monday to limit carbon emissions in thousands of fossil-fuel burning plants across the country, a cornerstone of President Obama’s climate-change agenda and his first-term promise to reduce such emissions by 17 percent by 2020.

The Environmental Protection Agency will ask existing plants to cut pollution by 30 percent by 2030, according to people familiar with the proposal who shared the details with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, since they have not been officially released.

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