Questions continue to surround an activist group’s undercover video that purports to show a Planned Parenthood physician admitting that her organization is involved in illegally selling fetal parts.
While activists have doubled down, Planned Parenthood responded on Tuesday by dismissing the allegation and claiming that its clinics simply help women who wish to donate the tissue of aborted fetuses to scientific research. On the other hand, Snopes.com, a fact-checking website, labeled the claim against Planned Parenthood by the Center for Medical Progress, a pro-life group, as “undetermined” based on the evidence.
Clearly, discussion and debate continue, though at least two bioethicists have expressed some concerns about what’s observed in the footage.
Dr. Dennis Sullivan, director of the Center for Bioethics at Cedarville University Cedarville, Ohio, told TheBlaze on Wednesday that comments in the controversial video from Dr. Deborah Nucatola, Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s senior director of medical services, do not definitively show that the organization is selling fetal parts, adding that the dynamic is a complicated one.
“The issue really settles around the legality of what can be done with the tissue [taken during] a legal procedure,” Sullivan said. “What is legal is that human fetal tissue can be donated with the request of the woman who’s undergoing the procedure.” (Read more from “Bioethicist Reveals Biggest Concerns Over Undercover Planned Parenthood Footage” HERE)
Authorities were scouring the area around a remote mountainous campground in Idaho Thursday for any sign of a 2-year-old boy who disappeared from the site nearly one week ago.
The parents of 2-year-old Deorr Kunz told police their son wandered away last Friday from the family’s campsite near the Timber Creek Reservoir in Leodore, Idaho.
Authorities received a 911 call at approximately 2:30 p.m. Friday from the child’s mother, Jessica Mitchell, of Idaho Falls, who said the boy had been missing for about an hour.
In an interview Monday with EastIdahoNews.com, the child’s parents said they believe Deorr was abducted, though Mitchell noted they did not see any other campers near their site at the time of his disappearance.
“We didn’t see people around us, we didn’t hear anybody,” Mitchell told the website. (Read more from “Was He Abducted?: Desperate Search for Young Boy Missing From Camp” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-17 02:46:172016-04-11 10:58:49Was He Abducted? Desperate Search for Young Boy Missing From Camp
On May 7, just minutes before passing the Corker-Cardin Iran bill, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) smugly and deceitfully noted the following: “It was in the 1990s that Congress started to impose sanctions against Iran for its Nuclear weapons program. Only Congress can remove those sanctions or permanently change it.”
Cardin was smiling that day because he knew his bill would be sold to the public as a mandate for congressional approval of the impending Iran treaty – antithetical to what the bill actually accomplished. He knew that, in fact, this bill would de facto require two-thirds of both houses to disapprove of the treaty in order to prevent Obama from lifting sanctions. He also knew that Democrats would never deliver the requisite votes to disapprove of the deal and he would certainly never fight for that outcome. In other words, sanctions would be lifted unilaterally by Obama, not by two-thirds of the Senate affirmatively ratifying the deal, in contravention to the Treaty Clause of the Constitution.
Now, Obama is violating even the pathetic terms of the Corker-Cardin bill by preventing Congress from even mustering the two-thirds opposition to the deal. Ben Cardin is nowhere to be seen.
Foreign Policy magazine is reporting that UN Ambassador Samantha Power plans to submit a 14-page draft resolution to the UN Security Council as early as next week for approval of the Iran deal.
You might be thinking, what happened to the 60-day period of congressional review, pursuant to the Corker Cardin bill, when Obama was to be restricted from lifting sanctions? Can’t Congress at least be afforded the 60 days to attempt to muster the 67 votes needed to disapprove of the deal?
No chance. Obama is reneging on the very essence of the agreement and the bill he signed into law in May – an agreement that to begin with, violates the Senate’s treaty powers. By taking this deal straight to the Security Council for approval, although the implementation of the deal will not take effect until later this year, Congress would be in violation of international law by rejecting this treaty – if they miraculously mustered the votes in September.
Secretary of State John Kerry blatantly and brazenly admitted that they have double-crossed Congress:
“If Congress were to veto the deal, Congress — the United States of America — would be in noncompliance with this agreement and contrary to all of the other countries in the world. I don’t think that’s going to happen,” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters Tuesday.
Where is Ben Cardin and his merry band of faux pro-Israel Democrats now?
Appallingly, the text of the Iran deal takes into account Iran’s parliament for approval of some aspects of the enforcement measures but completely ignores the U.S. Senate.
At this point, conservatives must train their fire on Ben Cardin and expose him for the fraud that he is. As the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, he has placed party loyalty over his own stated views on Iran and emphatic promises he made to win support for his unconstitutional bill.
Conservatives must also hold up all nominees and budget bills until Obama agrees to back off his intent to violate the terms of his own unconstitutional agreement with Congress. Sen. Ted Cruz (TX) is promising to hold up the State Department reauthorization bill as well.
The behavior of some Jewish Democrats in Congress led by Ben Cardin as it relates to this Iran issue is truly indefensible and transparently insidious. They have played both sides of the fence for too long. This is their Waterloo. Not only does this deal endanger America and reward those who murdered over a thousand U.S. troops, it represents an urgent and existential threat to Israel. This deal even contains a provision (page 142) obligating the five western powers to help Iran with their nuclear program and prevent any “sabotage” of their nuclear security – clearly a warning to Israel.
For Ben Cardin and his fellow liberals, the time for choosing is now. (“Did Obama Just Break the Law on His Own Iran Deal?”, originally posted HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-17 01:45:002016-04-11 10:58:49Did Obama Just Break the Law on His Own Iran Deal?
The national database of sex offenders is missing one crucial sub-element of society — illegal immigrants.
CNN’s John Walsh fought for years to get a national database of sex offenders — like the one who kidnapped and murdered his son, Adam Walsh.
The result was the National Sex Offender Public Registry.
There’s only one problem. The registry only lists the names of offenders who are U.S. citizens — it doesn’t include people who are living here illegally . . .
“How can a country, that can put a Mars Rover on Mars to send back pictures of ice crystals at a cost of $44 billion not be able to track convicted offenders, especially sex offenders — especially illegal alien sex offenders,” Walsh asked CNN host Erin Burnett. (Read more from “Is Trump Right? Guess Which Rapists Don’t Appear on National Sex Offender Registry” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-16 03:56:552016-04-11 10:58:50Is Trump Right? Guess Which Rapists Don’t Appear on National Sex Offender Registry
A tenured California professor is the latest academic to be accused of re-writing their personal history when claiming Cherokee heritage.
Andrea Smith, an associate professor at the University of California Riverside and a noted scholar in Native American studies, has been called out by critics who say she, like former Harvard Law professor Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D- Mass., and Ward Churchill, a former University of Colorado professor who infamously likened 9/11 victims to Nazis, used the phony claims to enhance her faculty pedigree.
“Wannabes like Andrea use the myths of Cherokees hiding in the hills, passing for white or being saved by righteous whites, to perpetuate their lies,” said David Cornsilk, a Cherokee genealogist who researched Smith’s lineage and found no evidence of Cherokee bloodlines.
Cornsilk, 56, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation who has been employed as a tribal enrollment researcher, wrote in Indian Country Today that Cherokees are generally very well documented, and debunking bogus claims is easy. Although Cornsilk refused to speak to FoxNews.com, in his article, he lamented “two centuries of non-Cherokees trying to lay claim to our lands and treasury, if not by force, then by subterfuge.”
Smith, who did not return requests for comment, issued a statement saying her belief was based on “what I knew to be true, ” and that she has been “and will always be Cherokee,” although she seemed to base her claim to the heritage on her own work and perceptions, rather than her ancestry. (Read more from “Ancestry.Con: College Professor’s Claims of Indian Heritage Debunked” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-16 03:56:402016-04-11 10:58:50Ancestry.Con: College Professor’s Claims of Indian Heritage Debunked
The White House dispatched Vice President Joe Biden to Capitol Hill Wednesday to sell Democrats on the newly announced Iran nuclear deal, as several influential members voiced reservations about giving it their seal of approval in a vital vote this fall.
Biden was meeting first with House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, though the tougher lift may be on the Senate side. In the aftermath of the deal announcement in Vienna, senior Democratic senators made clear they were withholding judgment.
“We’re basically legitimizing Iran’s nuclear program,” Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., told Fox News, voicing concerns about what Tehran gets in return, including the likely lifting of an arms embargo and leverage over the timing of certain nuclear inspections.
“At the end of the day, the challenge here is that 10 to 12 years from now, does Iran have a pathway towards a full industrial-sized nuclear program and the possibility of breaking out to a weapon? And if so, all you’ve done is delayed the question of Iran’s nuclear ambitions.”
Menendez is a leading skeptic but plenty more are staying on the sidelines and could face more pressure from constituents during the August recess. (Read more from “Democrats Divided: Biden Dispatched to Hill to Twist Arms on Iran Deal” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-16 03:56:302016-04-11 10:58:50Democrats Divided: Biden Dispatched to Hill to Twist Arms on Iran Deal
Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen urged lawmakers to tread lightly when it comes to overhauling the central bank, warning that proposed changes could undermine its ability to support the economy.
In prepared testimony, Yellen will tout the Fed’s own efforts to boost its transparency as a way to discourage lawmakers from pushing their own proposals to bring the Fed under stricter oversight.
“Efforts to further increase transparency, no matter how well intentioned, must avoid unintended consequences that could undermine the Federal Reserve’s ability to make policy in the long-run best interest of American families and businesses,” she said.
Yellen’s testimony Wednesday before the House Financial Services Committee will come one day after that panel held a hearing in which Republicans blasted the Fed as being unaccountable.
While Yellen will argue in her testimony that Fed tweaks could subject the central bank to political pressure and make it less effective, GOP lawmakers have argued the Fed holds up its political independence as a way to avoid scrutiny. (Read more from “Mind Your Own Business!: Federal Reserve Chair Warns Congress to Be Wary of Fed Reforms” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-16 03:56:182016-04-11 10:58:50Mind Your Own Business! Federal Reserve Chair Warns Congress
It’s almost as if every week the GOP-controlled Congress passes more legislation to increase spending with gimmicks for offsets. Today, the House plans to bail out the failed Highway Trust Fund, which should have been devolved to the states long ago, with offsets that can only be described as intangible, and to the extent they are actualized, they will represent tax increases. I’m sure many of you had this in mind when voting for Republican candidates in 2014.
After completion of the Interstate Highway System in 1992, it would have been more efficient for the federal government to return responsibility for highways and bridges – along with the revenue from the federal gas tax – to the states. The federal system, which costs roughly $52 billion per year, only brings in about $34 billion -$39 billion in annual revenue from the gas tax. As a result, the trust fund has received $65 billion in bailout funds since 2008.
The reason the trust fund continues to lose money is because so much of the funds are diverted for special interest projects or wasted by the inefficient process of having Washington lobbyists divvy up a vital function that is inextricably dependent on the diverse geographical needs of 50 states. For example, according to the Heritage Foundation, Davis Bacon prevailing wage mandates jack up the cost of construction projects by 22%. Mass transit accounts for 15% of the cost, even though the gas tax was supposed to be a pay-as-you-go tax for those who use highways and bridges, not the holy grail of urban politics.
In addition, the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), which diverts gas tax funds for bike paths and highway beautification projects, sucks up over $800 million per year. The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program is a slush fund of mandates from environmental regulations to social engineering projects that cost several billions. Taken as a whole, these wasteful programs and federal laws account for most, if not all, of the funding gap in the Highway Trust Fund.
Finally, the paralysis, waste, and fraud that is associated with the lobbyist-driven federal transportation policy should prompt any sane lawmaker to support returning transportation policy to the states where the cost and benefit of each project could be measured fairly and efficiently.
Yet, given that both parties are stuck on stupid, they plan to spend another $8.1 billion bailing out the trust fund until December 18 – without any reforms. The reason they chose that date is because members are willing to pass anything in order to go home for Christmas. The impending doom of a highway funding lapse could then be used as a catch-all bill that will contain a number of odious provisions and more spending.
The bill before the House today (H.R. 3038), is being sold as legislation that is fully offset and budget neutral. So which other government program is being eliminated or cut as a result of this bill, you might ask? None.
For starters, this is another case of Congress offsetting a four-month expenditure with “savings” spread out over 10 years. But it gets worse. The biggest offset— $3.1 billion worth— comes from TSA travel fees…from the years 2024-2026! Under current law, the TSA is prevented from spending that revenue through 2024 and must use it for savings. This bill extends that accounting until 2026. You try paying for an immediate expenditure with potential revenue from 9-11 years from now!
The remaining $5 billion in offsets originates from what the political class refers to as “increased tax compliance.” In the real world that either means illusory and intangible savings or (if aggressively enforced) a straight up tax increase. The bulk of this projected revenue would come from empowering the IRS to force banks to document more information from borrowers, more aggressively reassess tax returns with alleged misrepresentation of property value, and squeeze out more revenue from the death tax. Suddenly Republicans are all in favor of the death tax and empowering the IRS.
Furthermore, in the absence of any serious reforms, such as devolution or refocusing the core priorities of the trust fund, Congress should at least offset the cost of this temporary patch by enforcing tax compliance of federal workers. Let the federal employees lead by example. According to an IRS report from last year, federal employees collectively owed $3.3 billion in unpaid taxes. How come this offset is never proposed for the endless list of bills increasing spending?
What is so offensive about their desire to spend more money and find more tax revenue is that the Treasury is bringing in more revenue than ever before. Due to surging revenues from a booming Wall Street, the Treasury has received $2.4 trillion in tax revenue for the first three quarters in FY 2015 and is projected to end the fiscal year with $3.1 trillion.
It’s quite evident that not only are Republicans and Democrats – many of who rail against wasteful spending – inexorably opposed to reducing the size of government, they can’t even subsist on record-high revenue. We already know that there are no social conservatives left in Washington. Where are the fiscal conservatives? (“GOP Declares: “My Way for the Failed Highway Fund”, originally posted HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-16 03:55:552016-04-11 10:58:51Where are the Fiscal Conservatives? GOP Bailing Out Failed Highway Fund
Major Garrett: As you well know, there are four Americans in Iran – three held on trumped up charges according to your administration, one, whereabouts unknown. Can you tell the country, sir, why you are content, with all of the fanfare around this [nuclear] deal to leave the conscience of this nation, the strength of this nation, unaccounted for, in relation to these four Americans?
And last week, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said under no circumstances should there be any relief for Iran in terms of ballistic missiles or conventional weapons. It was perceived that that was a last-minute capitulation in these negotiations, making the Pentagon feel you’ve left the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff hung out to dry. Could you comment?
President Obama: I’ve got to give you credit, Major, for how you craft those questions. The notion that I am content, as I celebrate with American citizens languishing in Iranian jails – Major, that’s nonsense. And you should know better. I’ve met with the families of some of those folks. Nobody’s content, and our diplomats and our teams are working diligently to try to get them out. (Read more from “Obama Questioned on American Hostages in Iran” HERE)
(Read more from “Obama Questioned on American Hostages in Iran” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-16 03:55:482016-04-11 10:58:51Obama Questioned on American Hostages in Iran [+video]
Park Service and America’s majestic national parks as racist because way too many white people visit them.
[Writing for the New York Times, Glenn] Nelson argues that race plays a huge role in determining which people visit national parks. He is distressed, he says, because too few members of racial minorities are among the nearly 300 million people who visit America’s many conservation areas annually.
People who are defined as not white make up 37 percent of the U.S. population. However, just 22 percent of the people who visited national parks were minority members according to a recent survey.
Nelson mentions the plight of a 58-year-old black woman who hates mosquitos and is very sensibly afraid of “bears, cougars and wolves.” He also expresses deep concern about a 29-year-old black man who has no desire whatsoever to visit national parks and a 51-year-old black woman who wants to visit a national park but can’t find anyone to go with her. . .
Nelson, “the son of a Japanese mother,” also wrote that in his childhood he and some friends were concerned that they would see “a ‘Whites Only’ sign at the entrance” of Mount Rainier National Park or that they could die by “being lynched” or in an attack “while collecting firewood after the sun went down.” (Read more from “Now America’s National Parks Are Racist” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-15 03:52:562016-04-11 10:58:52Now America’s National Parks Are Racist
