Photo Credit: BetterBizIdeasStephen Rakes, a former South Boston man who had waited decades for a chance to testify against James “Whitey” Bulger, was found dead in the Mill Street area in Lincoln on Wednesday, authorities said today.
The cause of death is being determined by the state medical examiner’s office. An autopsy found no signs of trauma on the body; toxicology tests are underway and generally take several weeks to complete, authorities said this afternoon.
The case is being investigated by State Police and Lincoln police, according to a statement released by Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan.
District attorney’s spokeswoman Stephanie Chelf Guyotte said the prosecutor’s office is conducting a “death investigation.’’
Steve Davis, the brother of alleged Bulger murder victim Debra Davis, said he became close friends with Rakes. He said Rakes was physically fit, swimming year-round in the bay outside the L Street annex in South Boston.
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2013-07-19 04:40:202016-04-11 11:18:56Key Witness in Whitey Bulger Trial Found Dead, Without Wallet or Phone, Under Overpass (+video)
FOX News reporter Carl Cameron told Bill O’Reilly tonight that on Thursday House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) has information that will move the IRS scandal up into the White House.
“What he said to me today was make sure to watch tomorrow’s hearing because he’s going to present the evidence to prove it…. That he can get it right up all the way into the White House before it was all revealed.”
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2013-07-18 03:13:512016-04-11 11:18:57Fox News Says Rep. Issa Will Reveal White House Connection to IRS Scandal at Today’s Hearing (+video)
Photo Credit: Daily CallerBy Katie McHugh. Former president Jimmy Carter condemned the effect U.S. intelligence programs had on U.S. moral authority in the wake of NSA revelations brought to light by leaker Edward Snowden, Der Spiegel reports.
“America has no functioning democracy,” Carter said at a meeting of The Atlantic Bridge in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday.
Carter also claimed there was currently no reason for him to be “optimistic” about Egypt’s internal conflicts and mused whether the standards The Carter Center applies to foreign elections could be fulfilled by U.S. elections, which he believes are plagued by confusing campaign rules and a lack of restrictions on free speech in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling.
The former president continued that democratic developments — fueled by sites such as Facebook and Twitter — might be damaged by the NSA revelations, essentially strangling emerging democratic revolutions in the cradle by casting doubt on the social media juggernauts’ independent credibility. Read more from this story HERE.
By Hadas Gold. The jury made the “right decision” in the George Zimmerman murder trial, former President Jimmy Carter said Tuesday.
“I think the jury made the right decision based on the evidence presented, because the prosecution inadvertently set the standard so high that the jury had to be convinced that it was a deliberate act by Zimmerman that he was not at all defending himself, and so forth,” Carter told Atlanta news channel WXIA. “It’s not a moral question, it’s a legal question and the American law requires that the jury listens to the evidence presented.”
Carter said he agrees with President Barack Obama and accepts the jury’s decision. “So President Obama said he thought – it was — he regretted the decision, but he had to accept the results of the jury decision,” Carter said. Read more from this story HERE.
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2013-07-18 03:09:432016-04-11 11:18:58Jimmy Carter: ‘America No Longer Has a Functioning Democracy’ (+video)
By Wall Street Journal. We’re starting to understand why Lois Lerner took the Fifth about her role in the IRS targeting of conservative groups. The testimony of at least three more employees in the IRS Washington office is now making clear that Ms. Lerner and other Washington IRS officials had a direct hand in slow rolling the tax-exempt applications of conservative groups in an election season.
The House Oversight Committee holds another hearing Thursday that will showcase some of these witnesses. According to Washington IRS tax law specialist Carter Hull, his supervisor Ronald Shoemaker and Manager of Exempt Organizations Technical Michael Seto, tea party applications were intentionally singled out for extra layers of review and put through an unusual process.
Mr. Hull told House investigators that normally his judgment about applications would have been enough to approve or deny their tax-exempt status. Instead of sending those applications through the normal channel, however, conservative applications were sent through Ms. Lerner’s office for review, and also directed to the IRS chief counsel. That process was highly unusual and created a vetting system in which applications were interminably delayed.
According to Mr. Hull, starting in April 2010, he was told by a supervisor to give extra attention to some tea party applications as a trial run for how the agency might handle such cases going forward. As part of that process, he was instructed to send the applications through Ms. Lerner’s office and the office of IRS Chief Counsel William Wilkins for additional scrutiny.
Once he delivered them, however, the process stalled… Read more from this story HERE.
Photo Credit: Fox NewsHow high did it go? Republicans to step up pressure on IRS at scandal hearing
By Fox News. House Republicans plan to ratchet up scrutiny of the IRS during a hearing Thursday morning where agency workers are expected to discuss the involvement of high-level officials in slowing down applications from Tea Party groups.
For the first time, the House oversight committee has invited two key agency officials to testify. Republican leaders of the committee claimed Wednesday that one of them recently revealed that the IRS chief counsel’s office — led by a political appointee — played a role, along with embattled IRS official Lois Lerner, in scrutinizing conservative groups. Read more from this story HERE.
Photo Credit: Daily CallerIRS lawyer says scandal was overseen by D.C., names names
By Patrick Howley. Top IRS officials in Washington, D.C. planned and oversaw the agency’s improper targeting of conservative groups, according to the 72-year old retiring IRS lawyer who will testify Thursday before the House Oversight Committee.
Retiring IRS lawyer Carter C. Hull implicated the IRS Chief Counsel’s office, headed by Obama appointee William J. Wilkins, and Lois Lerner, the embattled head of the IRS’ exempt organizations office, in the IRS targeting scandal and made clear that the targeting started in Washington, according to leaked interviews that Hull granted to the Oversight Committee in advance of Thursday’s hearing.
Treasury Inspector General J. Russell George will return to Republican chairman Darrell Issa’s committee Thursday along with two central characters in the IRS saga: Hull and Cincinnati-based IRS employee Elizabeth Hofacre, who previously gave Hull’s name to congressional investigators, fingering him as her Washington-based supervisor. Read more from this story HERE.
By Bob Unruh. The IRS, which has been in trouble for weeks now for targeting conservative, Christian and Jewish organizations seeking tax-exempt status with invasive and probably illegal questions, still is stalling, charges a legal team in the battle.
The federal tax agency had offered an “expedited review” if the groups would agree to “an arbitrary 60/40 standard” requiring them to devote 60 percent of their time and expenditures to activities promoting social welfare and limit their political activity to 40 percent or less.
“The IRS created this standard out of thin air in an effort to placate Americans who have been unlawfully and unconstitutionally targeted by the IRS because of their political beliefs,” said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice.
“This so-called solution is deeply flawed and does nothing to address and correct the real problem at the IRS: a pervasive and systematic assault on conservative organizations. The IRS remains an agency incapable of self-governance or self-correction. Our federal lawsuit is moving forward to stop this abusive targeting scheme and to hold those responsible for this disturbing conduct accountable,” he said.
The IRS discrimination has been well-documented. One IRS official pleaded the Fifth and declined to respond to questions from Congress, but others in the agency have admitted to cases cited by conservative groups who were told, for example, they had to reveal the content of members’ prayers or make promises about what they would or would not say. Read more from this story HERE.
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2013-07-18 03:06:142016-04-11 11:18:58Now We Know Why Ms. Lerner Took the Fifth: the Tax Exempt Applications Literally Went Through Her Office (+video)
Photo Credit: ABC15Rolling Stone Boston bomber suspect photo stirs online controversy; CVS, Walgreens drop the issue
By Tracy Jarrett. Rolling Stone magazine sparked a heated social media debate Wednesday after releasing a cover image promoting an upcoming profile of alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
The Twitter and Facebook firestorm resulted in calls for boycotts and drugstore chains Walgreens and CVS announcing they would not carry the issue in their stores. Together, the pharmacies have more than 15,000 locations nationwide.
“As a company with deep roots in New England and a strong presence in Boston, we believe this is the right decision out of respect for the victims of the attack and their loved ones,” a statement from CVS said. CVS is headquartered in Woonsocket, R.I. Tedeschi Foods, a New England-based grocery chain with 200 outlets, also announced Wednesday that it would not carry the issue of the magazine.
The cover, released online as a preview to Friday’s edition with an in-depth article chronicling Tsarnaev’s life leading up to the Boston Marathon bombing, features a “selfie” — or self-taken photo– by Tsarnaev with the teen’s hair falling across his face. Read more from this story HERE.
In a statement, the magazine said its thoughts were “always with” the bombing victims and their families.
“The cover story we are publishing this week falls within the traditions of journalism and Rolling Stone’s long-standing commitment to serious and thoughtful coverage of the most important political and cultural issues of our day,” it said. “The fact that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is young, and in the same age group as many of our readers, makes it all the more important for us to examine the complexities of this issue and gain a more complete understanding of how a tragedy like this happens.”
While primarily a music magazine, the journal also has forged a reputation for hard-hitting pieces on national affairs, politics and popular culture. For example, journalist Michael Hastings wrote a 2010 profile of Gen. Stanley McChrystal that led to the officer’s abrupt retirement. In his profile, Hastings quoted McChrystal and his staff criticizing and mocking key administration officials.
Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple said Rolling Stone should be out defending its article, because it’s “a pretty easy thing to defend.”
“What you have here is a story about a guy who was very integrated and well-balanced, by all accounts, member of our society until something happened,” Wemple said. “We don’t know precisely what happend and that was the whole point of this Rolling Stone story — to account for how he slid off the rails.”
Ex-Obama NSC spokesman the latest to criticize Rolling Stone bomber cover
By Jonathan Easley. President Obama’s former National Security Council spokesman is the latest to question Rolling Stone’s cover of the Boston Marathon suspect.
Tommy Vietor, the former spokesman, said he thought the Rolling Stone magazine cover glamorized Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is suspected of plotting and carrying out the bombing earlier this year that killed three people.
The cover photo shows an image of an angelic looking Tsarnaev, who is starting straight ahead. Read more from this story HERE.
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2013-07-18 03:05:082016-04-11 11:18:59Rolling Stone Criticized for Putting “Rock Star” Photo of Boston Bombing Suspect on its Front Cover (+video)
Photo Credit: White HouseA Vancouver man who fired a shotgun to chase away alleged car prowlers pleaded not guilty Wednesday and cited Vice President Joe Biden as the reason he did this…
Barton reportedly admitted to deputies that he fired his weapon while chasing away people who he thought were breaking into his vehicles at 5804 NE 124th St. in the early morning hours Monday.
Deputies are investigating whether a large teen party that got out of control at a neighbor’s home may have been linked to the shooting. However, at this point, deputies have said there was no evidence of prowlers on Barton’s property.
Outside the courtroom Wednesday, Barton cited the vice president in defense of his actions.
“I did what Joe Biden told me to do,” Barton told KOIN. “I went outside and fired my shotgun in the air.”
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2013-07-18 03:04:522016-04-11 11:18:59Washington Man Charged with Shooting Shotgun, Says Vice President Biden Told Him To (+video)
Photo Credit: APBy John Nolte. This is a catastrophic failure for the media and left. After fifteen months of lies, race-baiting, manufacturing evidence, and shrill melodrama — a Rasmussen poll released Wednesday shows that only 34% of Americans disagree with the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the killing of teenager Trayvon Martin. A large plurality of 48% agree with the verdict.
This poll might also explain why Barack Obama released a responsible and unifying statement after the reading of the verdict Saturday night. The always-polling and hyper-political White House probably knew that the public was in sharp disagreement with those demanding Zimmerman’s head.
The president’s post-verdict statement was out of character for a president who more than once has chosen to enflame tensions, rather than unify. After all, it was Obama who helped launch the Zimmerman trial into the racially-charged stratosphere with his divisive statement about Trayvon looking like his son. Read more from this story HERE.
Photo Credit: MediaiteLarry Elder Schools Piers Morgan on Violence in Black Community
By Jason Howerton. CNN host Piers Morgan on Wednesday made good on his offer to have conservative personality Larry Elder on his show to debate the George Zimmerman trial, Rachel Jeantel and race relations in the United States. The exchange was just as confrontational and explosive as you might expect.
Elder told Morgan that his interview with Zimmerman trial witness Rachel Jeantel was terrible as he “condescendingly” tried to convince her that she was a “victim.”
“This is a young lady who didn’t apply herself, a 19 year old who is still in high school. Instead of saying, ‘Young lady, take this as an opportunity to take stock of your life,’ you treated her like she was a victim. And that’s how you’re doing this whole thing about race and racism,” Elder said.
He went on to point out that there were 7,000 murders last year of black people, almost all of which were committed by blacks. Elder also said there have been 480 blacks killed in Chicago alone and 75 percent of the cases have gone unsolved.
“Where are the cameras, where are the shows?” Elder asked Morgan. “It’s outrageous to act as if black America should fear some non-black guy stalking some black kid at night. The likelihood of a black person being killed by a non-black person is extremely remote, which is why this became a big national issue in the first place.” Read more from this story HERE.
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2013-07-18 03:02:002016-04-11 11:18:59Media Fail: only 34% Disagree With Zimmerman Verdict (+video)
Photo Credit: ATLAH.orgDr. James David Manning, the notoriously controversial chief pastor at the ATLAH World Missionary Church in New York City, recently delivered a bold and controversial message to his congregants about the black community’s perception of the George Zimmerman trial. He urged his mostly black congregation to stop viewing the world through their “black eyes” and start looking at it through the “blood of Jesus.”
If they did that, the pastor explained, there would be no denying that the verdict in the Zimmerman was the correct one. He also told those who are convinced that Zimmerman is guilty that they only believe that because they are black.
“You are focusing on the fact that Trayvon Martin is black and you believe that George Zimmerman is white, he isn’t. His father is baptist, his mother, she’s from Peru. He’s Latin. A mix of Latin and White,” Manning said. “Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson and all that crowd jumped the gun, they thought he was white, but he isn’t.”
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2013-07-18 02:59:582016-04-11 11:19:00Controversial Black Pastor Confronts Congregants Who Think Zimmerman is Guilty (+video)
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Wednesday offered an endorsement for a proposal to grant citizenship to children who were brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents.
“This is about basic fairness,” Boehner said one week after convening a two-hour meeting to discuss immigration with his conference.
“These children were brought here of no accord of their own, and frankly they’re in a very difficult position,” he said. “And I think many of our members believe that this issue needs to be addressed.”
Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) are crafting a bill to deal with children brought to the U.S. illegally. They have said it will differ from the Dream Act in the Senate, which would grant citizenship to children brought to the U.S. illegally who meet certain requirements.
The Judiciary Committee plans to hold an initial hearing on the issue next week.
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2013-07-18 02:54:172016-04-11 11:19:00Stymied by Tea Party on Main Bill, Boehner Now Shifts to Backing Amnesty for Minors (+video)
