Iran Says Warships Headed Close to US Borders for First Time

/8 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: Free Beacon By Associated Press.

Iranian warships dispatched to the Atlantic Ocean will travel close to U.S. maritime borders for the first time, a senior Iranian naval commander said Saturday.

The commander of Iran’s Northern Navy Fleet, Admiral Afshin Rezayee Haddad, said the vessels have already entered the Atlantic Ocean via waters near South Africa, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Read more from this story HERE.

______________________________________________________________

Tehran sending ‘message’ as warships approach US

By JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERS.

Iranian naval fleets were on their way across the Atlantic Ocean and headed toward the US, the Fars news agency reported on Saturday.

“Iran’s military fleet is approaching the United States’ maritime borders, and this move has a message,” Adm. Afshin Rezayee Haddad of Iran’s Northern Navy Fleet was quoted as saying.

According to Fars, Iran had first warned the US of its plans to deploy its naval forces along US marine borders “in the next few years” in September 2012.

Then, Iran’s Navy Commander R.-Adm. Habibollah Sayyari said the move would counter US presence in its waters in the Persian Gulf.

Fars first reported on an Iranian Navy fleet of warships making its way across the Atlantic Ocean in January 2014. At the time, they reported that the ships would sail for at least three months.

Read more from this story HERE.

Should this Senator be Awarded ‘Lie of the Year’?

/6 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: SenateDemocratsIn an interview with Bill O’Reilly last Sunday, Barack Obama doubled down on the IRS cover-up, claiming that there was not so much as “a smidgen of corruption” in the rogue agency’s clear political profiling of conservative groups.

Nothing could be further from the truth. How do I know this? Because just a few months ago, IRS officials apologized, and the President himself called the behavior “outrageous and unacceptable.”

Now we’re supposed to believe those who demand answers are acting out in bad faith and fabricating “phony scandals.” All this has prompted some to suggest that the Mr. Obama should be in the running for his second consecutive “Lie of the Year” award.

If you recall, the “Lie of the Year” last year was “if you like your health plan, you can keep it.” Problem is, Barack Obama should have had to share the award with Democrat Senator Mark Begich, because he sold Alaskans the same bill of goods.

Turns out Mr. Begich has not been honest about his voting record in Washington, D.C. either. After spending the last year telling Alaskans he was “as independent as Alaska,” Congressional Quarterly reported this week that the junior senator voted with Barack Obama 97% of the time in 2013. Now that’s what I call a whopper!

But that’s not all. A new report from the Congressional Budget Office is now projecting total jobs lost due to the passage of Obamacare to reach 2.5 million, according to Forbes online. This stands in stark contrast to Mark Begich’s 2009 claim that Obamacare would be good for small business.

Mark Begich could have saved Alaska from the train wreck we call Obamacare, but instead chose to hand his 60th and deciding vote over to Harry Reid and the Democrat Majority.

It’s time to send a clear and unequivocal message to the Washington elites. Obamacare must go. Whether it’s by repeal or through defunding, it’s time to kill Obamacare and put America back to work.

I can’t do this alone. But together, we can make a difference.

In the fight,

Joe Miller, candidate
United States Senate

China Decries U.S. Comments on South China Sea as ‘Not Constructive’

/1 Comment/in , /by

Photo Credit: REUTERS/DAVID GRAYChina has accused the United States of undermining peace and development in the Asia-Pacific after a senior U.S. official said concern was mounting over China’s claims in the South China Sea.

“These actions are not constructive”, Hong Lei, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, said in a statement issued late on Saturday.

“We urge the U.S. to hold a rational and fair attitude, so as to have a constructive role in the peace and development of the region, and not the opposite,” Lei said.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Danny Russel told a congressional testimony on Wednesday the United States had “growing concerns” that China’s maritime claims were an effort to gain creeping control of oceans in the region.

Read more from this story HERE.

Alaska: Your Legislators Need to Hear From You!

/3 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: dmcdevitDear Friend —

The Alaska Legislature is now in full swing, and all the big government lobbyists are working the hallways. I was there last week in Juneau trying to make sure us taxpayers have a voice. Your legislators need to hear from you right now… The Senate will soon vote on SJR 9, a much-needed bill to give you the right to vote for School Choice. SJR 9 would let voters decide to rid Alaska’s Constitution of its flawed Blaine Amendment, a provision that denies Alaska parents School Choice.

The Blaine Amendment prevents Alaska from implementing any form of parental choice over their child’s education. Many studies show that Parental Choice improves public schools as well as private schools…. and that it saves taxpayers millions of dollars as well. You can read my recent op/ed commentary on School Choice that recently appeared in the Anchorage Daily News…. Just go HERE to read it on our new Americans For Prosperity – Alaska website.

Americans For Prosperity – Alaska has set up an Activist Alert email system to make it easy for you to contact your legislators. All you have to do is click here to send an email to Alaska Senators, urging them to support SJR 9. So, please go HERE now to make your voice heard on behalf of parental educational freedom, increased accountability to improve public schools, and saving taxpayers millions of dollars through increased school efficiency and competition.

This is just the beginning of our work at the Alaska Legislature. We will be monitoring bills there closely and providing you easy access to email key legislators when bills come up for vote in committee or on the House or Senate floor.

We need to multiply our efforts as well. That’s why we’re asking you to forward this email to your like-minded friends, family, and neighbors. They can find out about AFP-Alaska and sign up to be on our Activist Alert email list by visiting our webpage HERE.

Thank you for your devotion to the fight for freedom and limited government.

Sincerely,

Joe Balyeat
State Director for School Choice Projects
AFP-Alaska

P.S. Don’t forget to go HERE to send your email to all Alaska Senators urging their support for SJR 9 – to give all Alaskans their right to vote for parental choice and educational freedom.

Tech Fears Shadow Campaign to Seize Global Control of Internet

/1 Comment/in , /by

Photo Credit: Getty ImagesFearing a power grab for control of the Internet, members of the tech industry are pleading with Congress to pay attention to the domain name expansion that is underway at a little-known nonprofit.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), led by its CEO Fadi Chehade, last year began rolling out thousands of alternatives to the traditional .com ending used by most websites. New endings using the Latin alphabet, such as .clothing and .singles, became available in January, and hundreds of others are on the way.

ICANN says it is focused on making the Internet more broadly available and has prioritized creating domain names in languages such as Chinese, Arabic and Cyrillic.

But critics say the nonprofit betrayed broader ambitions last year when it endorsed a statement calling for the globalization of ICANN and other domain name technical work that is currently managed by the United States.

By signing the statement, Chehade put “a target on ICANN’s back,” said Steve DelBianco, executive director of NetChoice.

Read more from this story HERE.

‘A Part of Me Died With You’: Mom’s Moving Apology Letter to the Baby She Aborted Comes Under Scrutiny (+video)

/3 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: Hannah Rose Allen via FacebookHannah Rose Allen, the woman who authored a letter of remorse and apology to Luke, the baby she aborted, has come under scrutiny over allegations of plagiarism after her note was published and covered on various news sites over the past few days.

The contents of her letter, which has some similarities to another note written by a woman named Carla Stream about her own past abortion experience, are now being questioned.

In a post on her Facebook page Saturday, Allen admitted to “copying a few … sentences and ideas” from Stream’s letter, noting that she is “genuinely sorry” for what she described as a “hurtful blunder.” Allen’s complete statement is below:

“While I was in the midst of writing a long letter of love, from my grieving mother’s heart, to Luke Shiloh in February 2013, I Googled “letters to aborted babies” and came across a sweet letter written to “Aubrey” in 2008 from her grieving mother, Carla Stream (https://outcrywisconsin.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-girl.html?m=1).

The letter deeply resonated with me because I had felt and expressed some of the same words about my beloved baby that she wrote in her brief letter to her beloved baby. I realize now that I crossed the line of simply being inspired by her letter to the point of actually copying a few of her sentences and ideas. I want to apologize for making such an unwise choice. Even though I shared some of her thoughts and feelings, I should have clearly expressed them in my own words, rather than using someone else’s. I am genuinely sorry for my hurtful blunder. I think it would be best for my letter to be removed from the news sources where it’s been shared, and I will post my original letter on my personal blog.”

Allen also published a blog post offering similar sentiment, expounding upon the scenario.

Read more from this story HERE.

Guess Who’s Calling for Taxpayer-Financed Campaigns

/3 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: AP/Susan WalshJonathan Soros, son of progressive billionaire investor George Soros, is among a group of 60 wealthy Democratic donors who signed a letter to members of Congress calling for taxpayer-financed political campaigns.

“We urge you to fix today’s broken campaign finance laws. Nothing less than our democracy is at stake,” the letter said. “We who sign this letter raise and give substantial sums for elections. The influence that people like us have will be curtailed by the changes we seek, but our democracy must return to the First Amendment principle that all Americans, not just the wealthy, must have their voices heard.”

Some of the other signatories include Craigslist founder Craig Newmark; Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen; Democratic mega-bundler Naomi Aberly, who raised $500,000 for President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign; tech executive David DesJardins, who gave about $1 million to Democratic campaigns in 2012; and businessman Arnold Hiatt, Politico reported.

The letter was coordinated by three pro-public financing groups: Public Campaign Action Fund, Voices for Progress and the Jonathan Soros-founded Friends of Democracy, and correlates with the introduction of the “Government by the People Act” in the House, sponsored by Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.).

Read more from this story HERE.

American Sage Kotsenburg Wins First Gold Medal at Sochi Olympics in Slopestyle

/0 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: APSage Kotsenburg of the United States won the first gold medal of the 2014 Olympics on Saturday, soaring to victory in the men’s snowboarding slopestyle final.

Kotsenburg had a score of 93.50 to edge Staale Sandbech of Norway. Mark McMorris of Canada, who barely made the finals, took bronze.

Canadian Max Parrot, who topped qualifying on Thursday, missed the podium. He washed out at the end of his first run and his second run wasn’t quite crisp enough. Parrot finished fifth.

Kotsenburg needed to navigate the semifinals early Saturday but seemed to find his stride. He placed second in the semifinals then rolled with a medal on the line. The 20-year-old clasped his hands over his head in disbelief after his score was revealed.

The laid-back kid from Couer d’Alene, Idaho — nicknamed “second-run Sage” because of his tendency to come through at the last minute — didn’t waste time putting together the run of his life. He tamed the treacherous course that chased away teammate Shaun White earlier in the week and sent several other contenders to the medical tent.

Read more from this story HERE.

Eric Holder to Accord More Recognition to Same-Sex Couples

/2 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: APAttorney General Eric Holder plans to announce added recognition for same-sex married couples Saturday, vowing to treat same-sex spouses just like opposite-sex spouses in court proceedings, prison visitation and law-enforcement benefit programs even in states that don’t recognize same-sex marriages, a Justice Department official said.

In a speech to a gay rights group in New York, Holder will promise that Justice Department lawyers will respect spousal privilege for same-sex couples in court proceedings and that officials will award full benefits to same-sex spouses of police officers and other public safety personnel killed in the line of duty.

“In every courthouse, in every proceeding, and in every place where a member of the Department of Justice stands on behalf of the United States — they will strive to ensure that same-sex marriages receive the same privileges, protections, and rights as opposite-sex marriages under federal law,” Holder is to tell a Human Rights Campaign dinner, according to excerpts of his speech released in advance.

“The department will recognize that same-sex spouses of individuals involved in civil and criminal cases should have the same legal rights as all other married couples – including the right to decline to give testimony that might incriminate their spouse. The government will not object to an individual in a same-sex marriage invoking this right on the ground that the marriage is not recognized in the state where the couple lives,” Holder plans to say.

Read more from this story HERE.

California Elementary School Parents Warned About Pass-Out Game

/1 Comment/in , /by

Parents at a Roseville school were warned about a dangerous game students are playing that sent one student to the hospital.

The urgent message from the principal at George Sargeant Elementary School came after paramedics were called when a student passed out in class.

The principal says that student was playing something called the pass-out game. It’s where students see how long they can hold their breath.

In this case, it went too far.

“Several students then told me some of the fourth- and fifth-graders had been playing the pass-out game for the last several months,” the message said.

Read more from this story HERE.