Video: Sarah Palin Hammers Susan Rice, Jay Carney, Obama

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Sarah Palin appeared on the last “On the Record” to break down simply and aggressively the Obama administration’s missteps, especially its lack of transparency.

Palin also discusses the impending “fiscal cliff” and Newt Gingrich’s recent criticism of Obama’s approach to the impending deadline.

She also criticizes the use of the term “fiscal cliff,” stating that the United States has already gone over the cliff, long ago. The only question is “how hard are we going to thump” at the bottom of the cliff:

Family Research Council: ‘We are Losing a Moral Standard in the Military’

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Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said former CIA Director David Petraeus’ recent resignation due to an extramarital affair “has opened the Pandora’s Box” for the Obama administration when it comes to standards of morality in the military.

“I think we should be very concerned about what’s happening in the military. General Petraeus isn’t the only one. We’ve seen other general officers that are currently either under investigation or have been disciplined for similar behavior, and I think we should be concerned when we are losing a moral standard in the military,” Perkins told CNSNews.com.

Perkins said immoral behavior in the military can damage military effectiveness, which is why military personnel can be prosecuted for having affairs.

His comments came in a recent interview CNSNews.com, in response to the question: “Do you see this issue as something that [Defense Secretary] Leon Panetta is going to have to deal with in the next four years?”

Perkins responded: “Unfortunately, I think this administration has opened the Pandora’s Box as it pertains to standards of morality in the military. They have pushed open homosexuality, it’s going to be hard to differentiate between different types of sexual behavior, and so it’s almost ‘anything goes’ in the military.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Brain-Lock Inside the Beltway: the GOP agonizes about the anti-tax pledge and Democrats do nothing.

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photo credit: gage skidmore

It’s at times like this I’m ashamed to admit I live inside the Beltway.

Well, that’s probably not specific enough, since I’m usually ashamed to admit I live inside the Beltway.

Still, the second you try to explain the stupidity of this “fiscal cliff” fiasco to a normal person, it makes William F. Buckley’s famous declaration that he’d rather be governed by the first few hundred people listed in the Boston phone book than by the faculty of Harvard seem all the more reasonable.

While there are some responsible politicians and policymakers in Washington, if you look at the whole place collectively, Uncle Sam starts to look like a junkie. The logic of addiction dictates that you make a deal that allows you to avoid all of your problems now and enjoy a quick high in exchange for a painful confrontation with reality down the road.

Almost exactly a year ago, during the famed debt-ceiling negotiations, Speaker of the House John Boehner boasted that he’d forced tough concessions from the Democrats, achieving the first real cut in government spending in ages. He claimed his “real, enforceable cut” amounted to $7 billion for fiscal year 2012. The Congressional Budget Office objected, saying the real savings were closer to $1 billion.

Read more from this article HERE.

AAA Says Certain Ethanol Fuel Can Damage Cars, Asks EPA to Remove From Pumps

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The recently approved use of E15 fuel made from blending gasoline and ethanol could damage vehicles and void warranties says the American Automobile Association (AAA), which is urging the federal government to ban it from the market.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the fuel earlier this summer, but AAA says only five percent of vehicles on the road are approved by the manufacturers to use the special blend they say causes significant problems such as accelerated engine wear and failure, fuel-system damage and false “check engine” warning lights.

The auto club conducted a recent survey it says identifies confusion among consumers as to which vehicles can use the fuel — 95 percent of those surveyed had never heard of E15, which contains 15 percent ethanol.

“It is clear that millions of Americans are unfamiliar with E15, which means there is a strong possibility that many motorists may improperly fill up using this gasoline and damage their vehicle,” said Robert Darbelnet, AAA president. “Bringing E15 to the market without adequate safeguards does not responsibly meet the needs of consumers.”

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), former chairman of the House Science Committee, said the findings confirm concerns on Capitol Hill that the fuel can damage cars.

Read more from this story HERE.

Sen. Reid’s Website Scrubbed of 2005 Comments Opposing Filibuster Reform

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photo credit: brian finifter

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced earlier this month that he may take the unusual step of using a simple majority vote to limit filibusters. Yes, Sen. Reid may take steps to limit filibusters, the one recourse parties in the minority have to hold up legislation they oppose.

“Minority parties in the Senate use filibusters — parliamentary delays — to slow or kill legislation. They can only be ended by 60 votes — a margin neither party can achieve without some cooperation from the other side,” the Associated Press notes.

Democrats accuse Republicans of abusing filibusters while Republicans say they have no choice because Reid blocks them from presenting amendments. The Nevada senator, in turn, says Republicans use too much time pushing amendments that “make political statements or that are designed to derail bills,” the AP notes.

“Reid’s plan would forbid the use of filibusters when a bill is initially being brought to the Senate floor for debate and require filibustering senators to actually be on the Senate floor, a long-abandoned practice,” the report adds.

Huh. That’s funny. You know, as Buzzfeed’s Andrew Kaczynski reminds us, there was a time (2005, to be specific) when Sen. Reid totally loved the filibuster and defended it from attempts to reform it:

Read more from this story HERE.

Muslim Brotherhood ‘Paying Gangs to Go Out and Rape Women and Beat Men Protesting in Egypt’ As Thousands of Demonstrators Pour On To The Streets

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Egypt’s ruling party is paying gangs of thugs to sexually assault women protesting in Cairo’s Tahrir Square against President Mohamed Morsi, activists said.

They also said the Muslim Brotherhood is paying gangs to beat up men who are taking part in the latest round of protests, which followed a decree by President Morsi to give himself sweeping new powers.

It comes as the Muslim Brotherhood co-ordinated a demonstration today in support of President Mohamed Morsi, who is rushing through a constitution to try to defuse opposition fury over his newly expanded powers.

Just 24 hours earlier around 200,000 people gathered in Tahrir Square, the heart of last year’s revolution which toppled President Hosni Mubarak, yesterday to protest against a new draft constitution.

Large marches from around Cairo flowed into the square, chanting ‘Constitution: Void!’ and The people want to bring down the regime.’

But amid the calls for democracy a sinister threat has emerged.

Magda Adly, the director of the Nadeem Centre for Human Rights, said that under Mubarak, the Government paid thugs to beat male protestors and sexually assault women.

‘This is still happening now,’ she told The Times. ‘I believe thugs are being paid money to do this … the Muslim Brotherhood have the same political approaches as Mubarak,’ she said.

Read more from this story HERE.

Debt Talks Could Redefine US Senate Races

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photo credit: donkeyhotey

Republican senators could find themselves with primary challenges in 2014 depending on how they handle the debt talks, a conservative group is threatening.

“The fiscal cliff negotiations and debt ceiling negotiations are going to define the primaries a lot better afterwards,” Club for Growth President Chris Chocola told The Hill.

The deep-pocketed, fiscally conservative group has been the biggest outside player in GOP primaries in recent years. They were a major factor in helping Sen.-elect Ted Cruz (R-Texas) win his primary, and gave Indiana Secretary of State Richard Mourdock (R) a big boost in his victory over Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.).

Chocola emphasized that he has “no idea” who the Club will target next year, and said much depends “on what happens with the fiscal cliff and debt ceiling” as well as previous votes.

“If Republicans vote for something that raises taxes, doesn’t do any entitlement reform or spending cuts, does nothing to actually address our fiscal challenges every one of them is going to have a problem and we’re the least of their problems, they’ll have primaries everywhere,” he warned. “This is an important test for all Republicans: Whether they go along and accomplish nothing or stand up and try to solve our problems.”

Read more from this story HERE.

North Korea Says It Will Launch a Long-range Rocket Between Dec. 10 and Dec. 22

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea is gearing up to fire a long-range rocket this month in a defiant move expected to raise the stakes of a global standoff over its missile and nuclear programs.

The North’s announcement Saturday that it would launch the rocket between Dec. 10 and Dec. 22 came as President Barack Obama prepares for his second term and as South Korea holds presidential elections Dec. 19.

It would be North Korea’s second launch attempt under leader Kim Jong Un, who took power following his father Kim Jong Il’s death nearly a year ago. Some analysts have expressed skepticism that North Korea has corrected whatever caused the embarrassing misfire of its last rocket eight months ago. That launch earned the country widespread international condemnation.

A spokesman for North Korea’s Korean Committee for Space Technology, however, said scientists have “analyzed the mistakes” made in the failed April launch and improved the precision of its Unha rocket and Kwangmyongsong satellite, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

The statement said the launch was a request of late leader Kim Jong Il. He died on Dec. 17, 2011, and North Koreans are expected to mark that date this year with some fanfare. The space agency said the rocket would be mounted with a polar-orbiting Earth observation satellite, and maintained its right to develop a peaceful space program.

Read more from this story HERE.

Eligibility Challenge Returns to Haunt Florida

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A lawsuit challenging Barack Obama’s presence on the 2012 presidential election ballot because of questions over his constitutional eligibility that was thrown out by a judge who earlier determined it wasn’t timely has returned to haunt election officials in the state with a request that the Obama victory results be quashed.

“Defendant Barack Hussein Obama is a direct threat to the safety and security of the United States, and its Constitution, which plaintiff must protect and defend by oath,” according to the complaint, which was delivered to Secretary of State Ken Detzner today.

The case earlier this year was dismissed by Circuit Judge Terry Lewis, who said Obama’s eligibility could not be challenged at that time because under Florida election law, technically, Obama hadn’t been nominated to the position.

As WND reported, Michael Voeltz, who identifies himself as “a registered member of the Democratic Party, voter and taxpayer in Broward County,” had challenged Obama’s eligibility, arguing that the “natural born citizen” clause was rightly understood in historical context to mean a child not only born in the U.S., but born to two American-citizen parents, so as not to have divided loyalties. Obama, however, readily admits to being born a dual citizen because of his father’s British citizenship.

In his decision then, Lewis noted that the United States Supreme Court has concluded that “every person born in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, becomes at once a citizen of the United States.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Confirmed: Turkey Trading Gold for Iranian Oil

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Over the last six months, Iran has evaded U.S. sanctions by importing Turkish gold to pay for billions of dollars worth of energy sales to Turkey.

Turkey’s deputy prime minister has described what amounts to a gold-for-oil barter system.

“Why did, all of the sudden, Turkey’s gold exports, especially gold bullion, go up?” Ali Babacan asked while speaking before a parliamentary budget commission this month. The official transcript of his statements was published by a Turkish government website Wednesday.

“An important part of that is Iran,” he said. “When Turkey buys Iranian oil, we pay for it in Turkish lira. … However, it is not possible for Iran to take that money as dollars into its own country due to international restrictions, the U.S.A.’s sanctions. Therefore, when Iran cannot take this money back as currency, they withdraw Turkish lira and buy gold from our market. They take the gold back to their own country.”

According to Turkish government statistics, Iran has imported billions of dollars worth of gold from Turkey since it was ejected from the SWIFT international electronic banking system in March.

Read more from this story HERE.