Campaign Treasurer's Arrest Leaves California Democrats Scrambling

California Democrat officeholders and party officials have been left frantic and scrambling since the arrest of prominent Democrat campaign financier Kinde Durkee last month. [BREAKING: I can't seem to find my world's tiniest violin; I think it's in the shop for its 20,000 sad sad song tune-up- NANESB!]

Durkee was arrested at her Burbank, CA offices on September 3rd by the FBI on charges of mail fraud. Durkee allegedly used funds raised from Democrat party donors to pay her own mortgage, travel expenses and American Express credit card bill.

Since the arrest, donors and candidates are trying to assess the full extent of the losses while attempting to raise money to replenish funds misappropriated by Kinder or frozen by the state's Fair Political Practices Commission. Complicating matters is that Durkee co-mingled money from the nearly 400 different accounts she controlled at First California Bank, making it difficult to determine exactly how much funding each campaign had available.

In late September, multimillionaire Senator Dianne Feinstein filed suit against both Durkee and First California Bank, alleging fraud and estimating her campaign's losses to be in the neighborhood of $5 million (much of that self-funded). In the meantime, much to the chagrin of statewide Democrat Party officials, First California has reportedly turned over the accounts under Durkee's control to a California court to determine who exactly has claim to what.

The bank angered clients when it handed over control of the 398 bank accounts associated with Durkee to a California state court on September 23, recusing itself from sorting out how much of the recovered money should be doled out to whom.

"In yet another attempt to escape liability for the fiasco that they helped create, First California Bank has turned most of the accounts that Durkee controlled over to the courts," the Los Angeles County Democratic Party said.

Hmm....Perhaps we touched on another reason why Congressman Dennis Cardoza (D- CA18) announced that he had decided not to run for another term this week.

Let me be honest- I can't say that this story makes me sad, because it doesn't. Not in the least. I grew up in a very blue state controlled by Democrats and aside from a stint in the US Army, I've spent the majority of my adult life in another dark blue state largely controlled by Democrats. The way the democrats have engaged in class warfare and the politics of envy and avarice while simultaneously representing the wealthiest ZIP codes in the United States would be laughable at face value if they didn't keep getting elected by the same cadre of vapid, wealthy elitists who whine endlessly that wealthy people like Rupert Murdoch or the Koch Brothers are bad for America.

All of a sudden, this Durkee decides to help herself to their millions and out come the lawyers and sob stories when in reality, Durkee pretty much personified the end result of what passes for economic policy from the Democrat party these days- find an entity with lots and money and help yourself to it while convincing them you're doing them some sort of service.

FBI Investigating Death Threats Against Illinois Congressman Bobby Schilling

The FBI along with local and U.S. Capitol Police are investigating an online threat made against western Illinois congressman Bobby Schilling this week.

Schilling learned of the threat against him in an email alert Tuesday night, according to his spokeswoman, Andrea Pivarunas. Sherriff’s deputies reportedly responded to the congressman’s district home, and have passed the matter on to the FBI and Capitol Police.

“After receiving a very concerning email alert Tuesday evening, Rep. Schilling and his family are taking recommended precautions while the situation is investigated by relevant authorities,” wrote Pivarunas in an email to The Hill.



“He is grateful for the professionalism of local law enforcement in responding to this situation,” she added.



The email threat against Schilling states, "I will pay $75,000 for ASSASSINATING Illinois Congresswoman (sic) Bobby Schilling and any US Congressman, US Senator and FBI, CIA and NSA DIRECTORS and their FAMILY MEMBERS regardless of their age,” according to local news reports.



In late September, a Google user offered up to $100,000 for killing the president and his immediate family, as well as George W. Bush, several members of his administration and Congress, The New York Times reported Thursday.

“KILL the MASS MURDERERS, TERRORISTS, SADISTS, PERVERTS and PSYCHOPATHS George Bush, [Donald] Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Dick Cheney, FBI director Robert Mueller III, NSA Director Keith Alexander, CIA Director David Patraeus, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and National Intelligence director Dennis Blair,” according to the posting obtained by the Hill.

The messages were posted by Google user FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer, and contain language parallel to that of the threat made against Schilling. Other messages included in the user’s profile include threats against FBI, CIA and NSA agents, as well as a $75,000 reward to assassinate Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.).

Schilling, a former pizzeria owner who enjoyed backing from the Tea Party during the 2010 midterms is a freshman who's western Illinois district includes the Rock Island Arsenal, the Illinois part of the Quad Cities and part of the state capitol of Springfield.

On Thursday, Schilling announced on his Congressional that he would be visiting towns in the district via his 'Mobile Office' starting in November.

US Air Force General Claims He Was Pressured to Alter Testimony About White House Backed Sattelite Communications Network

The Commander of the United States Air Force Space Command told House members that he was pressured to change prepared testimony before Congress to benefit a communications company that had a major Democrat donor as one of its main investors.

Republicans have raised questions about whether the project pursued by the company, LightSquared, is being unduly expedited by the Obama administration, which has pushed for national wireless network upgrades.

The Virginia-based satellite and broadband communications company has plans to build a nationwide, next-generation, 4G phone network that many, including Shelton, think would seriously hinder the effectiveness of high-precision GPS receiver systems, a product used most commonly by the United States military.

General William Shelton testified before Congress last week that interference with the military's GPS satellite system due to activity from LightSquared's proposed satelite-based 4G and wireless communications network could not be mitigated.

He did testify that testing done by various agencies responsible for military GPS positioning "demonstrated empirically that the LightSquared signals interfere with all of the types of receivers in the test."

He added that mitigation would not be possible because redesigning the equipment to filter out interference from LightSquared "would involve substantial financial cost and likely degrade the accuracy of high performance receivers, which is critical to many key GPS users."

Military training that relies on precision GPS, such as dropping ordnance, potentially could cease to exist in the United States. Many farmers who also rely on the systems would also be affected. It's estimated this system is used by as many as 1 million people.

The Federal Aviation Administration has also expressed worry about the LightSquared project. The FAA is in the process of moving from a radar based positioning system to a required GPS system for all aircraft, and it has “serious concerns” about how LightSquared may interfere with that, according to FAA spokesman Laura Brown.

Since the General's testemony, another witness has come forward to claim that he was pressured to modify his testimony to rflect more favorable on LightSquared.

General Shelton's allegations come less than a month after heavily subsidised solar panel manufacturer Solyndra shut down, leaving taxpayers on the hook for $500 million in loan guarantees.

The Obama Administration reportedly pressured regulators from the Department of Energy to expedite loans to Solyndra, sat in on company meetings and touted the solar company's activities as an indication that the 2009 Stimulus was working as intended, with President Obama visiting the company's Fremont, CA facilities in May 2010.

Virginia, East Coast Rocked By Magnitude 5.8 Quake

Tremors from a magnitude 5.9 earthquake on Tuesday afternoon in Virginia prompted evacuations in the Pentagon and Capitol building and was felt as far away as Ohio and Toronto.

The quake rocked Virginia just before 1:55 p.m. [E.T.], and authorities said the epicenter appeared to be in Louisa County, about 40 miles northwest of Richmond. The epicenter is not far from Dominion Virginia Power's North Anna nuclear plant, where the earthquake knocked out power, but the utility manually shut down both nuclear units without incident.



"We did lose on-site power, but all the diesel generators are up and running," Dominion spokesman Richard Zuercher said 30 minutes after the quake. "Everything appears to be operating just fine."



The quake- the largest in Virginia since May 5, 1897, according to the U.S. Geological Survey- shook buildings and employees were ordered outside across Richmond and other cities in Virginia. Within minutes, Richmond police began receiving calls about possible property damage.

So far, there have been no reports of any casualties or injuries, but there are scattered reports of some structural damage around Mineral, VA and 90 miles to the north in the Washington D.C. area.



The town of Culpepper, VA was placed under a state of emergency and the local jail evacuated immediately after the Tuesday afternoon quake.



To the north, the National Parks Service began shutting down monuments across Washington D.C. as a precaution.



The central spire on Washington D.C.'s National Cathedral- the highest point in the District of Columbia- was damaged in the quake, with cross shaped finial stones being knocked off the top of three out of the four spires and one leaning inward.



Both the Pentagon and US Capitol Building were briefly evacuated- Congress is in recess for the summer, but staffers were still present at the Capitol building.



In Washington D.C.'s Union Station, the quake reportedly knocked down some ceiling tiles in the main concourse, although there was no reports of any injuries. Amtrak was operating trains between Baltimore and Washington D.C. at a restricted speed while commuter railways MARC and Virginia Railway Express briefly suspended operations as track, structures and wiring leading in and out of Union Station were inspected for damage.



Further south, the two main rail carriers operating closer to the epicenter- CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern- restricted freight trains to operating speeds of 10-15 MPH while tracks, bridges, tunnels and signals were being inspected for damage by Maintenance of Way personnel.



Airports throughout the Mid Atlantic region suspended flights on Tuesday afternoon. Dulles Airport, Reagan National, BWI, Atlantic City, Newark, Philadelphia and New York's JFK were among the international airports that had suspended flights with flights resuming by Tuesday night in the New York area. The quake reportedly registered as strong as 5.4 on the Richter scale in New York state.



The Mineral quake comes not even 24 hours after the USGS reported a magnitude 5.3 earthquake at 11:46 PM Mountain Time outside of Trinidad, CO on Monday night. Records indicate it was the strongest quake in Colorado in over a century, although there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. Geologists have indicated that the Colorado and Virginia quakes are unrelated.

Reports: Acting ATF Director May Resign Over Fast & Furious Program; WaPo Covers For Obama Administration

Kenneth Melson, the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is expected to step down in the next couple of days in the wake of controversy and damning testimony from field agents before a Congressional oversight committee.

In the operation, straw buyers were allowed to purchase illegally large numbers of weapons, some of which ended up in the hands of cartels in Mexico.

Attorney General Eric Holder will meet Tuesday with Andrew Traver, head of the ATF field office in Chicago, about possibly becoming the agency's acting director, according to senior federal law enforcement sources, who are familiar with the details of the controversy.

The Justice Department refused comment. White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters he had no new information on the issue.

The operation has come under intense criticism since the December killing of a U.S. Border Patrol officer.

Operation Fast and Furious was "a colossal failure of leadership," Peter Forcelli, a supervisor at the bureau's Phoenix field office, said recently.

The program focused on following people who legally bought weapons that were then transferred to criminals and destined for Mexico. But instead of intercepting the weapons when they switched hands, Operation Fast and Furious called for ATF agents to let the guns "walk" and wait for them to surface in Mexico, according to a report by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

The idea was that once the weapons in Mexico were traced back to the straw purchasers, the entire arms smuggling network could be brought down. Instead, the report argues, letting the weapons slip into the wrong hands was a deadly miscalculation that resulted in preventable deaths, including that of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.

Terry was killed last year north of the Mexican border in Arizona after confronting bandits believed to be preying on illegal immigrants. Two weapons found near the scene of the killing were traced to Fast and Furious.

"I was flabbergasted. I couldn't believe it at first," Terry's mother, Josephine, said when she learned the ATF may have let some of the guns used in the attack slip through its fingers. Terry's relatives said they want all those involved in his killing and who helped put the weapons in their hands to be prosecuted.

"We ask that if a government official made a wrong decision, that they admit their error and take responsibility for his or her actions," Robert Heyer, Terry's cousin and family spokesman, said in a hearing last week by the House panel.

Reportedly, the Obama Administration is tapping former Chicago ATF Chicago branch head Andrew Traver to head the agency should Melson resign. Traver appeared in a misleading 2009 segment on a Chicago NBC affiliate's report on gang warfare implying that gangs were arming themselves with military style weapons purchased from retail outlets. Traver also reportedly supported Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's recent efforts to make public the name of Firearms Owner Identification Card (FOID) holders to the press available on request.

The successful nomination or appointment of Andrew Traver to the head of the ATF would basically be rewarding the Department of Justice and Obama Administration for this clusterfuck known as Fast & Furious.

In what can only be described as a pathetic, flailing attempt at damage control on behalf of the Obama administration, the Washington Post began circulating reports on Tuesday evening that House Oversight Committee chair Darrell Issa had already been briefed on Fast & Furious as far back as April 2010.

At the briefing last year, bureau officials laid out for Issa and other members of Congress from both parties details of several ATF investigations, including Fast and Furious, the sources said. For that program, the briefing covered how many guns had been bought by “straw purchasers,’’ the types of guns and how much money had been spent, said one source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the briefing was not public.

“All of the things [Issa] has been screaming about, he was briefed on,’’ said one source familiar with the session.

Wow...so even if I were to take the WaPo's VERY convenient anonymous source at face value that there was a private briefing for members of both parties regarding Fast & Furious, according to the WaPo, they discussed the number and types of guns purchased by 'straw buyers' and how much money was spent. I wonder if THE ATF INTENTIONALLY ALLOWING THE WEAPONS TO BE FORWARDED TO MEXICAN CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS came up in that same briefing.....which took place when the Democrats had a supermajority in the House of Representatives and were focusing on things like 0bamacare, cap and trade or card check.

Probably not- I'd like to think that if that was explicitly mentioned to members of Congress in that aforementioned briefing the WaPo assures us took place, that members of both parties would've demanded answers and hearings into exactly what the hell the ATF was doing right then and there.

But that's just me.

ATF Gunrinning Operation to Mexican Cartels- AKA 'Fast & Furious'- Comes Under Congressional Scrutiny This Week

Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry- slain in December 2010. Weapons from ATF's Operation Fast & Furious Were recovered at the crime scene along the Arizona/Mexico Border

Earlier this week, certain politicians and media outlets that support gun control were frantically out there trying to establish the 70% myth [i.e. the narrative that '70% of the weapons recovered in Mexico' come from America, which curiously is down from 90% in a few short months- NANESB!] just days ahead of the House Committee on oversight and Government Reform hearings into the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms operation Fast & Furious.

As predicted, this is one of the downside of the Anthony Weiner fiasco- probably the most important Congressional hearings in three decades is usurped by the media circus surrounding the former Congressman from Queens. Outside of CBS News' Sheryl Atkinson, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms poorly-conceived Operation FAst & Furious didn't get alot of coverage in the mainstream media- let alone the Congressional inquiry.

The full committee hearings got underway at Capitol Hill on Wednesday with testimony from Brian Terry's family, 6 months to the day after the Border Patrol was shot and killed by Mexican smugglers armed with AK-variant rifles acquired by straw purchasers who were under surveillance as part of the ATF operation. Yet instead of interdicting the guns before they could be moved across the Mexican border, field agents were ordered the allow the guns to 'walk'. Two of the guns found at the scene of Terry's murder were part of thousands the ATF allegedly allowed gun traffickers to purchase.

The ATF called it letting "guns walk" -- a tactic they hoped would lead to them to drug kingpins. Agents who disagreed with the strategy blew the whistle.

"To walk a single gun is in my opinion an idiotic move," said ATF senior special agent Pete Forcelli. "We weren't giving guns to people who were hunting bear. We were giving guns to people who were killing other humans."

After Terry's murder, ATF quickly rounded up gun trafficking suspects they'd watched for a year. That's when the first reports of gunwalking began to surface. Asked if they were true at the time, ATF Phoenix chief Bill Newell told reporters "hell no" -- surprising those who worked for him.

"I was appalled, because it was a blatant lie," Forcelli said. Newell didn't respond to interview requests.

Also under attack: the Justice Department which oversees the ATF. Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich says the agency is cooperating with Congress, but Rep. Darryl Issa says information is being withheld.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," Issa said at the hearing Wednesday holding up a blacked-out sheet of paper. "The pages go on like this forever. You've given us black paper instead of white paper. How dare you make an opening statement of 'cooperation.'"

Issa pressed Weich on who in Washington authorized the program -- and received no answer.

"There was serious profound disagreement about strategy -- but the common goal was to stop gun trafficking to Mexico," Weich said. "Some of the testimony provided today is of great concern. That is why the attorney general asked the inspector general to look into it."

When Brian Terry was gunned down last December, he'd already mailed Christmas gifts.

"The gifts that Brian had picked out with such thought and care began to arrive in the mail that same week," recalled Terry's cousin Robert Heyer, a Secret Service agent. "With each delivery, we felt the indescribable pain of Brian's death."

Terry's family wants someone to accept responsibility. The Department of Justice inspector general is investigating -- and any gunwalking that was taking place has been halted.

Perhaps to nobody's surprise, the Democrats on the Oversight Committee attempted to make the hearings about gun control rather than any sort of accountability from the Department of Justice or ATF. On top of apologizing to Assistant Attorney General Ronald Wiech after Committee Chair Darrel Issa (R- CA49) berated the Justice Department official for turning over pages of redacted documents in response to a subpoena, Representative Elijah Cummings (D- MD7) has proposed setting up a separate minority-led hearing with witnesses of his choosing. In doing so, the Democrats have demonstrated that they are deliberately ignoring the fact that even if the entire United States had strict gun control laws reminiscent of Chicago or Washington D.C. there's still the fact that it was a government agency that facilitated the acquisition of at least 2000 weapons to Mexican criminals. On top of that, US Diplomatic cables released by wikileaks indicate that the overwhelming number of weapons seized in Mexico- including explosives, grenades and anti-tank weapons- are actually procured by cartels from poorly-guarded military armouries in Central America before being smuggled into Mexico.

[I know I've asked this before, but it bears repeating- the Los Zetas organization is mostly comprised of former soldiers from the Mexican army, including Special Forces. Now, keeping in mind their connections to not only the black market, but the international arms market- why should I believe for a second that they are shopping for guns at Cabela's or Wal Mart?- NANESB!]

Weapons allowed across the border under Fast & Furious (or Rapido y Furiosa in the Mexican press) continue to turn up throughout Mexico- in April, Mexican police raided a house in Ciudad Juarez that turned up a half dozen Romanian-made AK-variant rifles that were traced back to the ill-conceived ATF operation [the raid also turned up dozens of grenades and three anti-aircraft machine guns, which probably weren't purchased from American gun stores- NANESB!] .

In May, Mexican soldiers came under fire and a Mexican Air Force helicopter was forced to make a crash landing during an anti-narcotics operation in Michoacan- weapons seized from there were also traced back to Fast & Furious.

Some of the preliminary findings of the Committee include:

● Agents expected to interdict weapons, yet were told to stand down and “just surveil.” Agents therefore did not act. They watched straw purchasers buy hundreds of weapons illegally and transfer those weapons to unknown third parties and stash houses.

● ATF agents complained about the strategy of allowing guns to walk in Operation Fast and Furious. Leadership ignored their concerns. Instead, supervisors told the agents to “get with the program” because senior ATF officials had sanctioned the operation.

● Agents knew that given the large numbers of weapons being trafficked to Mexico, tragic results were a near certainty.

● Operation Fast and Furious contributed to the increasing violence and deaths in Mexico. This result was regarded with giddy optimism by ATF supervisors hoping that guns recovered at crime scenes in Mexico would provide the nexus to straw purchasers in Phoenix.

That last finding is sure to anger Mexico, which has so far been muted in its criticism. In a March 2010 memo, ATF says it allowed gun smugglers to buy 359 guns while 958 people died in Mexico the same month. Internally, the agency was “trumpeting up the violence that was occurring as a result of an ATF sanctioned program

A full PDF file of the Committee's reports can be found HERE

Prior to the hearings and Agent Terry's murder, a number of gun stores in Arizona, Texas and New Mexico went to the ATF with their concerns about suspicious transactions and concerns that the guns could be used against Border Patrol agents and other lawmen. However, the ATF assured dealers that the suspected straw purchasers and the guns purchased were being 'continually monitored'. More disturbingly is that the ATF reportedly didn't even bother contacting Mexican law enforcement (however compromised, corrupt or ineffective) or military to let them know that criminals were trafficking weapons from the USA to their jurisdiction- not even after Fast & Furious guns were recovered at crime scenes south of the border.

So in a nutshell, you had the supervisors in the ATF facilitating the sale of guns to Mexican cartels through proxies to prove that Mexican cartels were getting firearms from American stores.

[Cross posted on Pundit Press]

Weinerpalooza Update- Embattled Congressman Steps Down: Whiny Progressives, Late Night Talk Show Joke Writers Hardest Hit

In what could only be described as the most bizarre press conference since the June 7th presser, New York Democrat congressman Anthony Wiener announced his resignation amid jeers and taunts of "Goodbye, Pervert!".

The announcement comes after mounting pressure from Democrats over the weekend and more embarrassing pictures of the Congressman surfaced.

Exotic Dancer, Porn Star Ginger Lee and Congressional Facebook Friend Ginger Lee

Heading into the weekend, Congressman Weiner's office said that the representative would 'seek treatment' while taking a leave of absence [didn't know that being an insufferable douchebag was a treatable condition- NANESB!] but hinted that he was going to stay and fight to keep his job- even if he wound up stripped of his committee assignments by other Congressional Dems.

It was also revealed that one of Rep. Wiener's Facebook Friends- porn starlet Ginger Lee- that the Congressman asked her to lie and attempted to coach her on questions she'd likely face from the media.

Honestly, I'm not sure how I should feel about this. I think alot of people (myself included) knew Congressman Weiner was a vindictive, loathsome, petty, loudmouth little douchewaffle who was not above using his office to go after those he didn't like long before pictures of him feeling himself up in the Congressional gym or in drag began circulating online. While I am glad to see him go, I feel that it's never too late for those in the MSM (who coddled and encouraged Weiner in his most petulant moments) to rehabilitate his image or give him the opportunity to land on his feet like Elliot Spitzer.

And whether he stayed or went, the sad fact is that the media and Democrats are able to successfully deflect attention from other, far more serious issues before them with the Weiner sideshow- issues that clearly show a failure of leadership on a number of levels. You don't think the Justice Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms knowingly allowing weapons to fall into the hands of Mexican cartels is a bigger story than a New York Congresscritter sticking his iPhone down his trousers and hitting 'SEND'?

But the reactions of his supporters (who at first insisted the charges against the Congressman were fabricated) has been something to behold.

Plus there is also tremendous benefit in having him around as the face of the Democrats heading into the 2012 elections. Think about it- you wouldn't want this guy anywhere near your 17 year old daughter or niece, but somehow he can be trusted to vote on legislation that could very well affect many aspects of our day to day lives?

I would say 'Good Riddance, Weiner'. However, the progressives- particularly in the media- seem to have this ingrained tendency to reward such conduct. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Weiner lands on his feet at some point in the not too distant future with his own show on MSNBC or Al Gore's Current network.

As the World Weiner Turns Roasts; A Weiner Bun in the Oven? Delaware Police Interview Underage Girl in Contact w/Congressman

Well, it's been quite the week for New York Congressman Anthony Weiner, the Democrat representing the 9th Congressional district that includes parts of Brooklyn and Queens.

After his bizarre press conference in which he was upstaged by conservative publisher Andrew Breitbart before confessing to sending sexually explicit texts and pictures to followers on social networking sites on Monday, it was learned that his wife of 10 months, Huma Abedin, is pregnant [she was also noticeably absent from the press conference as well- NANESB!].

There have been bipartisan calls for the disgraced Queens congressman to step down, and news of Huma's pregnancy would give the shrill congressman the opportunity to resign and honestly (for a change) cite family concerns, but Weiner had indicated he intends to ride this scandal out.

Also during Monday's press conference was a reporter asking whether or not Weiner was in communication with any underage girls. Instead of a categorical denial, Weiner curiously gave an answer along the lines of 'Not to the best of my knowledge'. Among the known recipients of Weiner's 'sexts' [including some reportedly unsolicited images] include porn starlet Ginger Lee, a 26 year old single mother in Texas, 21- year old Seattle college student Genette Nicole Cordova and 40 year old Las Vegas blackjack dealer Lisa Weiss.

Now, a review of some of Weiner's communications that were made public (along with some of his followers) seems to indicate that he was in contact with underage girls via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter and possible talking dirty to them as well.

At first glance, this has all the makings of some ribald and salacious tabloid gossip, but it's apparently being taken seriously by police in New Castle, DE where two officers from the New Castle County police department appeared at the home of a 17 year old High School Junior to interview her regarding direct online communications she had with Rep. Weiner.

Sources close the student said the girl followed Weiner on Twitter after seeing him speak during a school trip to Washington on April 1. Weiner, after signing on to follow the girl's Twitter feed, direct-messaged the girl on April 13, the sources said, though it is not clear what other communication the two may have had between or after those dates.

A Fox News reporter was at the girl's home when police arrived. The girls name hasn't been released yet due to her being a minor.

[Hat tip- Ace of Spades; Patterico's Pontifications]

Oklahoma Congressman Dan Boren Won't Seek Re-Election

In a surprise move, Representative Dan Boren (D- OK2) announced that he would not be running for re-election in 2012 in a news conference earlier this week. The four-term Democrat represents a district that covers the eastern end of the Sooner state and stretches from the Kansas state line all the way south to the Texas state line. Boren cited the increased fundraising and campaigning demands associated with running for office as part of the reason behind stepping down and denied that he had immediate plans for run for either Senator or Governor.

Boren was one of the few 'Blue Dog' democrats able to retain their seats in the 2010 mid-term elections, which saw the Democrats lose the most seats in the House of Representatives since the FDR Administration. The Muskogee-based Democrat won re-election by a 56% margin in 2010, and declined to endorse Barack Obama in 2008. The only Democrat in Oklahoma's congressional delegation, Boren expressed his opposition to both cap and trade and 0bamacare as far back as 2009.

While the GOP had been making inroads into Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional district over the past decade, Boren was still expected to win should he have decided to run. Early indications are that the 2nd district will remain largely unmodified ahead of redistricting. Many observers feel that this means the GOP can pick up the district in the 2012 elections.

The Cook Political report had put the district into the 'Leaning Republican' category shortly after Boren's announcement. This time last year, the analyst had Oklahoma's 2nd District as 'Solid Democrat'

Weinerpalooza- Summer Kicks off With Epic Weiner Roast

Glenn Foden/Townhall.com

Wow- so much schadenfreude in this one, I'm not sure where to start.

Apparently at some point over the Memorial Day weekend, an alert Twitter user had discovered that Congressman Anthony Weiner (D- NY9) sent a message from his official account that contained a blurry snapshot of what appeared to a closeup of somebody in their underwear with an erection. The image was apparently intended for a Seattle-area coed identified as Genette Nicole Cordova who followed Weiner's twitter account [on top of everything else, the image was apparently sent to Cordova unsolicited- NANESB!].

I'll spare NANESB readers the widely circulated image of Weiner's namesake and instead post an image of the attractive college student Wiener had sent the picture to via Twitter.


The strident and bombastic liberal Congressman representing parts of Queens and Brooklyn immediately denied any wrongdoing and followed up his claims of innocence with what would have to be categorized as the world's most perplexing series of damage-control interviews with a normally adoring and compliant media.

Even by the most objective standards, Weiner's behavior was bizarre, vague, combative and evasive when faced with simple and direct questions as to whether or not it was his crotch in the picture or whether or not his account was hacked (which would require the involvement of the FBI if that were the case) as he had earlier claimed. Liberal bloggers and groups such as the Daily Kos, Media Matters and Little Green Footballs unquestioningly and reflexively swallowed Weiner's version of events, with the latter fabricating some bizzaro-world CSI-style forensic proof that Weiner's Twitter account had definitively been hacked, implying that certain conservative bloggers and pundits had arranged exactly such a scenario.

Things took an even more bizarre turn on Monday when Congressman Weiner announced a press conference for 4PM ET in New York. However, while the assembled media was waiting for the Congressman to appear, conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart took to the podium to announce that more women who had been 'sexted' by Congressman Weiner had come forward with even racier pictures. During a 10 minute back and forth with reporters, Breitbart demanded an apology from the Congressman and the various media outlets and bloggers who had claimed Breitbart himself was behind the hacking.

Weiner's appearance at his own press conference was basically an afterthought, but he tearfully confessed to sending sexually explicit messages and photos to various women both before and after his marriage to Huma Abedin in addition to lying about his account being hacked before apologizing to his wife, Breitbart and his constituents [altho' it seemed more like he was sorry he got caught more than anything else- NANESB!].

However, he also said at the press conference that he didn't intend to resign even though House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Damascus) formally requested an ethics probe of Weiner's conduct [which means we'll likely be seing more of the words 'Weiner' and 'probe' together in the same sentence in the foreseeable future- NANESB!].

While Weiner's Congressional seat may be relatively safe for the near-term, the scandal has all but assured that Weiner's mayoral ambitions will remain unfulfilled. But that's only as long as there's a seat for him to hold on to- the State of New York is set to lose three congressional seats through redistricting before 2012. There's an outside chance that Wiener's district could be one of the ones that ceases to exist.

That said, there's a case to be made that both Democrats and Republicans might benefit from Weiner remaining in office. The Democrats might rally around him on general principle, or he could serve as a distraction for their abysmal handling of the deficit, jobs, entitlement reform, the budget and the economy. Heading into the 2012 election cycle, Republicans could benefit from the skeevy, loudmouth, obnoxious and duplicitous Congressman continuing to serve- protected thanks in large part to his party's elite- being held up as an example of the prototypical democrat.

To be honest, I thought the Congressman was a vile, contemptible human being long before it was known that he was texting images of his junk to girls 25 years his junior. Among the more recent examples was his pom-pom shaking for 0bamacare back in 2009 before requesting a waiver from the Department of Health & Human Services for all five boroughs of New York City earlier this year- a move that many saw as an indicator for his preparing to run for mayor of New York City.

Weiner is also infamous for racking up in excess of $2000 worth of parking tickets in Washington D.C.- a fine he only recently paid off when New York City media outlets caught wind of the story. With the scrutiny he's come under because of 'Weinergate', it also was learned that the Congressman apparently hasn't renewed his vehicle's registration since 2007.

Aside from the execrable Weiner, I must also confess that I'm enjoying seeing the Congressman's unthinking defenders in the progressive blogosphere fall flat on their face after a week of furious spinning, over the top conspiracy theories and baseless accusations. To quote Ace of Spades, its as though some of them have decided to 'double down on the stupid and wrong' if not try and change the topic altogether.

Stick around, though. This summer's just getting started and that's the best time of the year for a good old-fashioned Weiner roast.

[Hat tip- Ace of Spades, Big Government, Leg-gal In-sur-rec-tion, Lonely Conservative, Diary of Daedalus]

Waiver Mania! HHS Awards Over 200 Obamacare Waivers Including High-End Businesses in Congresswoman Pelosi's District, Entire State of Nevada

Pelosi getting pointers on governing from Bashr Al Assad, circa 2007

Still taking what's been described by some as a 'victory lap in a clown car' over the successful raid on Bin Laden's Pakistani compound, the Administration quietly announced on Friday that the Department of Health & Human Services had granted more than 200 additional waivers for HR 3590, also known as Obamacare.

The Obama administration approved 204 new waivers to Democrats’ healthcare reform law over the past month, bringing the total to 1,372.

The waivers are temporary and only apply to one provision of the law, which requires health plans to offer at least $750,000 worth of annual medical benefits before leaving patients to fend for themselves. Still, Republicans have assailed the waivers as a sign of both favoritism and of major problems with the law.

“The fact that over 1,000 waivers have been granted is a tacit admission that the healthcare law is fundamentally flawed,” Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said in March. Upton is one of three House committee chairmen who has used new oversight powers to investigate the annual limit waivers.

Of the 204 new waivers issued by HHS, at least 38 went to upscale San Francisco resturants, hotels and nightclubs in Congresswoman Pelosi's disctrict. According to the Daily Caller, this is in addition to 27 new waivers for healthcare or drug companies and 31 waivers for unions in San Francisco.

Also given a partial waiver from 0bamacare- the entire state of Nevada after it appeared as though implementation would force insurance companies doing business in the Silver State to pull up stakes and leave.

Interestingly, while Harry Reid was an ardent backer of 0bamacare in the US Senate, his son Rory Reid was running for governor of Nevada last year. Rory had claimed that the healthcare legislation could end up hurting Nevada during a gubernatorial debate in October 2010.

Waivers, Requests for Exemptions Mark 1-Year Anniversary of 0bamacare Being Signed Into Law.

Today marks the one year anniversary of President Obama signing HR 3590- better known as 0bamacare- into law after months of contentious public debate and last minute wrangling. [I don't know about you, but I for one was tired of stepping around all the corpses of people without adequate healthcare who collapsed and died in the middle of the sidewalk- NANESB!]

The bill passed the US Senate on Christmas Eve and squeaked through the House of Representatives by a 217-212 margin in March 2010 after a bloc of reportedly pro-life Democrats caved in exchange for a worthless piece of paper in the form of an executive order.

By and large, the Democrats who voted for 0bamacare found themselves out of a job when voters went to the polls in November 2010. Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been issuing a steadily increasing number of waivers- many of them going to unions, school districts or municipalities. The Lonely Conservative is reporting that the number now exceeds 1000 waivers (including the State of Maine) with more to come.

In addition to the waivers, a number of Federal judges have declared parts of the law or the entire thing unconstitutional. More than half the states in the union are actively seeking to block implementation of 0bamacare.

Perhaps the most glaring example of unmitigated chutzpah comes from Conressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY 9)- who reportedly has is interested in running for mayor of New York City. Weiner was one of 0bamacare's most strident and obnoxious cheerleaders in the debate leading up to it's passage in Congress. However, one year later Congressman Weiner is having second thoughts saying that his office was looking into whether or not a waiver for New York City would be feasible.

Hmm....a waiver? Interesting. Why not some slight modifications to this otherwise flawless gem you were pom-pom shaking for, Congressman Weiner [heh heh.....I said....ah, nevermind- NANESB!]. Unless you were for the bill (as a Congressman) before you were against the bill (as a Mayoral candidate).

Perhaps by this time next year, Congress can completely cut off funding for this thing, or like cap & trade, this monstrosity will languish thanks to legal challenges and key provisions being blocked or de-funded. I suspect this very issue will be an albatross around the neck of the Democrats who voted for this and are running for re-election in 2012.

Oregon Congressman David Wu- Certifiable?

I've got Tigers blood, baby!

The easiest thing in the world would probably make snarky comments about Democrats, liberals and mental illness until the cows came home, but apparently the conduct of Representative David Wu (D-OR 1) has raised concern from Oregonians and his staff.

According to The Oregonian, Wu's staffers first became alarmed when the congressman delivered a rambling 19-minute speech to Washington County Democrats on Oct. 27. Two days later, Wu reportedly convinced an employee at Portland International Airport to let him through security in order to meet his children, who were arriving from Washington; Wu proceeded to solicit votes from passengers at the gate.

Early the next morning, according to the Oregonian report, Wu sent odd emails to several of his staffers, including one with a picture of himself dressed as a tiger for Halloween. Wu acknowledged Tuesday that he sent the emails, which he called "very, very unprofessional."

Wu's erratic behavior was reportedly behind a number of his campaign and congressional staffers quitting. However, Wu was reportedly exhibiting such behavior well before election day, and perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this story is not Wu's condition, but the fact that his campaign and congressional office decided to conceal the depth of the problem from his constituents- and then jumping ship after the election.

Despite the loss of staff and editorials from newspapers in his district calling for him to step down, Wu insists he'll remain in office and run for another term in 2012.

Quick question- does anybody know what procedures would be in place in Oregon if Wu were to step down? Would there be a special election or could the governor appoint somebody? Are there provisions for a recall? [I'm not up to date on much of this because apparently Oregon isn't as addicted to special Congressional elections as New York is- NANESB!]

[hat tip- Jammie Wearing Fool, Lars Larson]

Congressman Chris Lee (R NY-26) Crashes and Burns at Ludicrous Speed

That didn't take long. Seriously.

Gawker.com discovered some shirtless pictures Congressman Chris Lee of New York's 26th District sent of himself to a woman he met on craigslist (while the married Congressman described himself as a 'divorced lobbyist') and broke the story at about 2:30 PM Eastern time on Tuesday. By 5:00 PM that day, the Congressman from the district that went between the southwestern suburbs of Rochester to the eastern Suburbs of Buffalo had submitted his resignation.

A married congressman abruptly quit Congress Wednesday after revelations that he had sent flirtatious messages and a bare-chested photograph of himself to another woman on a prominent Internet site.

Republican Representative Chris Lee, 46, issued a statement apologizing for his actions, but did not directly mention an Internet report about his communications on the popular Craigslist Web site with a woman who was not his wife.

He was serving his second two-year term in the House of Representatives, representing a district in western New York state.

And you know what that means- Special election time! Although Gov. Cuomo has yet to set a date, this would make the it the 4th special election for a U.S. House seat in upstate NY since 2009.

The Lonely Conservative- who seems to be perpetually flanked by Congressional districts with a special election- has more on some of the early GOP favorites for NY 26 (and there are plenty!). One thing mentioned was that the sheer number of candidates willing to step into the breech on the Republican side seems to indicate an enthusiasm gap and lack of confidence that the Democrats can take this one back.

NY State Senator George Maziarz (R- Niagara County) had been mentioned as a possibility, but that would mean that the Republicans would relinquish their majority in the state Senate in Albany prior to redistricting and NY State Senate majority leader Dean Skelos (R- Rockville Centre)has put the kibosh on any speculation that Maziarz is running for the vacant seat.

For the Democrat side of the aisle, the only candidate I can think of off the top of my head is Matt Zeller who had unsuccessfully campaigned against Corning, NY mayor Tom Reed for the US House seat in NY-29 left vacant by Congressman Erik Massa's abrupt resignation following allegations of inappropriate conduct towards male staffers last year. By some accounts, Zeller actually listed his residence with family in the Rochester, NY area (outside the NY-29 boundaries) but basically camped out at the Monroe County Democrat Party headquarters while running for the vacant seat in the 29th disrict.

State of the Union and Obama's Sputnik Moment

Truth be told, I was only able to tune in for the last 10 minutes or so of the President' State of the Union Address, so I'm not sure what the two of them had in common besides crashing and burning in Wisconsin.

Oh wait....am I not supposed to use language like that in this new epoch of hypercivility?

Well anywhoo, my first response was to the State of the Union was 'My God- He's Still Talking?'. Like I said- I didn't tune in until the final 10 minutes and that only happened because I had assumed the speech was over and done with. And to be perfectly honest, I was listening on XM- the final moments of the address was only made tolerable by intermittent commentary from Cam and Company.

Apparently I had missed the first 45 minutes of vapid platitudes, contrived calls for bipartisanship, token nods towards American exceptionalism and contradictions galore. Since this was radio, I didn't get to actually see the 'high school dance' mentality of the Republican congressmen and senator mingling with their Democrat counterparts. Probably just as well, as that was a pretty stupid and pointless exercise. If the final 10 minutes were any indication, the speech seemed to be more about crowing about what the highly unpopular lame duck Congress was able to cram through last month than learning anything from the election results in November. The president also seemed to be taking credit for this month's referendum in South Sudan, which in fact was a key component of a 2005 ceasefire brokered by the USA. C'mon, progressives and Democrats...think back to 2005 when we had an unemployment rate that maxed out at 5.4%- who was in the White House again?

There were no huge surprises after the speech- Congressman Paul Ryan (R- WI, 1st District) delivered a pretty good rebuttal regarding the size and scope of government. President Obama's insipid media cheerleaders- many of whom he met with for lunch before the State of the Union- thought this was the greatest speech since Churchill while FOX news and the AP were skeptical.

It's one thing for me to be skeptical of the President, because I had no interest in sitting through what amounted to a 1 hour and 10 minute sales pitch for something I didn't want but was probably going to wind up with anyway. I'm just wondering how many independents or undecideds saw what I saw last night- teleprompter fuelled status quo.

What did you think?

House Votes to Repeal 0bamacare, 6 More States Challenge HR 3590

Even though it's likely to languish in the Senate, the newly elected Republicans of the 112th Congress made good on a promise that many of them campaigned on.

WASHINGTON—The Republican-led House voted Wednesday to repeal the health-care overhaul that is a signature achievement of President Barack Obama, in a largely symbolic move that made good on a GOP election promise but left uncertain what the party would offer as an alternative.

The vote was 245-189 in favor of repeal, with three Democrats joining the entire Republican caucus in the majority. That compared with 34 House Democrats who voted in March 2010 against enacting the law.

Despite Wednesday's vote, the law is all but certain to remain in place for now. The Democratic-controlled Senate doesn't plan to take up the repeal measure, and even if it were to clear that chamber, Mr. Obama would veto it.

Even if it doesn't pass the Senate, I would prefer that it went up for a vote to see who voted for and against it leading up to the 2012 elections. Although much of the public and a number of economists support a full repeal, that won't be likely as long as Obama is in the White House. However, the current congress can delay or halt implementation of key provisions of Obamacare by defunding agencies that are tasked with implementing and enforcing portions of the law.

There are also a number of legal obstructions facing the healthcare law, with at least 6 additional states joining in a lawsuit against Obamacare this week. Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Wyoming, Wisconsin and Ohio joined the lawsuit on Tuesday, bringing the total number of states challenging HR 3590 to 26.

Last month, a federal judge in Virgina struck down a key component- the government mandate to purchase insurance- as unconstitutional.

6 Killed, Congresswoman Giffords Critically Wounded in Arizona Shooting

A gunman opened fire at a town hall style meeting hosted by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D- AZ; 8th district) outside a Tuscon-area Safeway grocery store, shooting 19 people on Saturday before being subdued and having his pistol wrestled away by bystanders.

A Federal Judge, a US Marshall, one of Gifford's aides and a 9 year old child were reportedly among those killed in the shooting. Early media reports had erroneously said that Giffords was one of the fatalities, but doctors at the University of Arizona Medical Center in Tuscon said that the Congresswoman was responsive and is expected to recover from a gunshot wound to the head.

The gunman, believed to be 22 year old Jared Loughner, shouted something before opening fire on Giffords and the crowd. He was reportedly wrestled to the ground and subdued by bystanders after he started shooting.

Loughner left a farewell message on his MySpace page and left YouTube videos that consisted of white text on a black background saying that an individual could start their own language or circulate their own currency before ending with 'My Thoughts- Jared Lee Loughner' [Milblogger JR Salzman was able to post some of the videos at his place- NANESB!]. According to police, a preliminary investigations indicates that Loughner acted alone.

Already, the MSM and progressive blogosphere are showing their concern for Gifford's well-being by attempting to single-handedly pin the shootings on Sarah Palin and the Tea Party, even though Giffords is one of the more conservative House Democrats to win re-election in 2010. In fact, the Daily Kos felt it necessary to delete a diary entry marked 'My Congresswoman [Giffords] is DEAD to me' posted about 48 hours before the shooting that was captured elsewhere for posterity.

Gone Baby, Gone.

But not forgotten (unfortunately). There seems to be something particularly cathartic about seeing that sign coming down some four years after Nancy Pelosi (D- CA: 8th District) promised to 'drain the swamp' and eradicate the 'culture of corruption'. And we all know how that went, don't we?

	Steam - Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Good By .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

The 112th Congress was sworn in, and I'm pleased to see a good number of names that I recognize from the checks or money orders I was sending off seemingly every week between March and November 2010....almost too many to mention here.

The incoming GOP House Majority will look into some of the earlier activities of the Obama Administration appointees through the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform as well as attempt to thwart the implementation of 0bamacare through defunding key portions of it.

Lame Duck Chronicles

Well, prior to my Christmastime departure, I'm getting an earful from the mainstream media of just how gosh-darn wonderful and productive this lame-duck session of Congress has been, with passage of the START treaty and repeal of the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy among other things.

Don't know that much about START other than it's apparently structured on a Cold War-era dynamic between the USA and Russia and doesn't address the proliferation of nukes in unstable or hostile states like Pakistan, North Korea or Iran.

The one that really grinds my gears is the repeal of DADT- decided in large part by a bunch of hacks who will be out of a job come Jan 1st. I'm not sure whats worse, the fact that the United States Armed Forces could get a few thousand more whiney, treasonous drama queens along the lines of PFC Bradley Manning signing up or the proponents of its repeal crowing about how they were really serving the will of the people barely a month after getting their asses stomped at the polls.

Never mind the situations in Afghanistan, Iraq or the Korean peninsula- apparently at this point in 2010, the most pressing matter for the US Military is the lack of openly gay recruits. I also find it quite telling that the people shouting from the rooftops (i.e. Obama, Pelosi, Frank) the loudest about this wonderful accomplishment of theirs HAVEN'T EVEN SERVED ONE DAY OF THEIR LIVES IN THE U.S. MILITARY.

Of course, this means that the left and academia will have to find new excuses to try and block military recruiters from high school and college campuses. This was not done to better the Armed Forces by any stretch of the imagination- this was done soley for the benefit of Obama's hard left base.

Hopefully the Pentagon could throw up some roadblock impeding a full repeal of DADT in the next few months. And for those of you who think I'm wrong in my assessment of the DADT repeal, I challenge you to show me where I'm factually inaccurate.

The attempt at Amnesty for illegal aliens thinly disguised as the 'Dream Act' dies in the Senate during the lame-duck sessions, although by rights that thing should've been bludgeoned, stabbed and kicked to death before it went to the House floor. Perhaps the Dream Act was a sacrificial lamb or pehaps even some of the worthless and clueless progressive hacks in the Senate realized that rewarding breaking the law and providing further incentive for more illegal immigrants to come here immediately in the wake of a Border Patrol agent being shot to death by Mexican criminals just wouldn't fly.

BREAKING- Federal Judge in Virginia Rules 0bamacare Unconstitutional

A Federal Judge in Virginia's 4th Circut Court has struck down a key mandate in the healthcare legislation signed by President Obama back in March of this year.

Judge Henry E. Hudson stated on Monday that the provision that every American must purchase healthcare by 2014 or face a federally imposed fine exceeded Congressional authority under the Commerce or General Welfare Clauses.

"It is not the effect on individuals that is presently at issue -- it is the authority of Congress to compel anyone to purchase health insurance," wrote Hudson, who was appointed to the federal bench in 2002 by President George W. Bush.

"Every application of Commerce Clause power found to be constitutionally sound by the Supreme Court involved some form of action, transaction or deed placed in motion by an individual or legal entity. The constitutional viability of the minimum essential coverage provision in this case turns on whether or not a person's decision to refuse to purchase health care insurance is such an activity," he wrote.

Hudson's eagerly awaited decision invalidates the requirement that all Americans purchase health insurance by 2014 or face a federal fine. Hudson's decision is the first striking down part of the controversial legislation.

The lawsuit is just one of nearly two dozen challenges filed in federal courts across the country. Another high-profile suit filed in Florida and joined by 20 states and the National Federation of Independent Businesses will go before Judge Roger Vinson on Thursday.

The Obama Administration is expected to appeal Hudson's ruling.

Earlier in the year, the states of Oklahoma, Arizona and Missouri had passed ballot measures challenging 0bamacare as well.