BILL'S TWITTER PAGE

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Secret Document reveals Al-Qaeda ‘brother’ put in control of U.S. Embassy in Libya - Atlas Shrugs

Secret Document reveals Al-Qaeda ‘brother’ put in control of U.S. Embassy in Libya - Atlas Shrugs

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

SECRET DOCUMENT REVEALS AL-QAEDA ‘BROTHER’ PUT IN CONTROL OF U.S. EMBASSY IN LIBYA

As I warned back in early 2011 and long predicted, it wouldn't be long before America would suffer the catastrophic consequences of Obama supporting jihadist and alqaeda forces in Libya. Why do you think Obama and co. are lying and covering up the real motive behind the attack on the US in Libya on September 11, 2012?
Is it any wonder that newly leaked documents reveal that an al qaeda "brother" was put in charge of security at our embassy in Libya?
"Libyan Leaks: Secret Document reveals Al-Qaeda ‘brother’ put in control of U.S. Embassy in Tripoli" Walid Shoebat and Ben Barrack
A treasure trove of secret documents has been obtained by a Libyan source who says that secularists in his country are increasingly wanting to see Mitt Romney defeat Barack Obama on November 6th. This charge is being made despite Muslim Brotherhood losses in Libyan elections last July which resulted in victory for the secularists. One of those documents may help explain this sentiment.
It shows that in supporting the removal of Gadhafi, the Obama administration seemed to sign on to an arrangement that left forces loyal to Al-Qaeda in charge of security at the U.S. embassy in Tripoli from 2011 through at least the spring of 2012.
The National Transitional Council, which represented the political apparatus that opposed Gadhafi in 2011 and served as the interim government after his removal, made an extremely curious appointment in August of 2011. That appointment was none other than Abdel Hakim Belhaj, an Al-Qaeda ally and ‘brother’. Here is a copy of that letter (translation beneath it):
Translated, the document reads:
National Transitional Council – Libya
8/30/11
Code: YGM-270-2011
Mr. Abdel Hakim Al-Khowailidi Belhaj
Greetings,
We would like to inform you that you have been commissioned to the duties and responsibilities of the military committee of the city of Tripoli. These include taking all necessary procedures to secure the safety of the Capital and its citizens, its public and private property, and institutions, to include all international embassies. To coordinate with the local community of the city of Tripoli and the security assembly and defense on a national level.
Mustafa Muhammad Abdul Jalil
President, National Transitional Council – Libya
Official Seal of National Transitional Council
Copy for file.
As for Belhaj’s bonafides as an Al-Qaeda ally, consider the words of the notorious Ayman al-Zawahiri. In a report published one day prior to the date on the memo above, ABC News quoted the Al-Qaeda leader as saying the following – in 2007 – about the man the NTC put in control of Tripoli in 2011:
“Dear brothers… the amir of the mujahideen, the patient and steadfast Abu-Abdallah al-Sadiq (Belhaj); and the rest of the captives of the fighting Islamic group in Libya, here is good news for you,” Zawahiri said in a video, using Belhaj’s nom de guerre. “Your brothers are continuing your march after you… escalating their confrontation with the enemies of Islam: Gadhafi and his masters, the crusaders of Washington.”
The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) was founded by Belhaj.
In a BBC report from one month earlier – on July 4, 2011 – a man named Al-Amin Belhaj was identified as an NTC spokesman and said the following:
“Everyone knows who Abdel Hakim Belhadj is. He is a Libyan rebel and a moderateperson who commands wide respect.”
Abdel Hakim Belhaj had been identified in a video report embedded in the the BBC article as…
“…about the most powerful man in Tripoli.”
Abdel Hakim Belhaj is many things but moderate is not one of them.
Interestingly, according to a report by the Jamestown Foundation in 2005, the man who attributed the ‘moderate’ label to Abdel Hakim Belhaj was actually a leader with the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood:
This last week Al-Amin Belhadj, head of the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood, issued a press release on the Arabic language section of Libya-Watch, (Mu’assasat al-Raqib li-Huqquq al-Insan) calling for urgent action on behalf of 86 Brotherhood members imprisoned since 1998 at Tripoli’s Abu Salim prison and on hunger strike since October 7.
The nexus between Al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood comes into clearer focus when one looks at the Libyan Ambassador to the United States. His name is Ali Sulaiman Aujali. He had the following to say about Belhaj according to an ABC News report:
“(Belhaj) should be accept(ed) for the person that he is today and we should deal with him on that basis… people evolve and change.”
Really? How many times do westerners have to fall for this line before they trip over it?
In fact, about one month prior to Aujali’s vouching for Belhaj, he appeared at the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) convention. ISNA is a Muslim Brotherhood front group in America.
Aujali represents one individual who is willing to bridge the gap between Al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Now, fast forward to 9/13/12, two days after the attack in Benghazi. Secretary of State Hillary Clintoncelebrated the Muslim Eid holiday in the Ben Franklin room in Washington, D.C. and shared a podium with none other than Ali Sulaiman Aujali and a woman named Farah Pandith, who is a prominent name inside the Muslim Brotherhood in America.
Another interesting alliance revealed itself in various cities across America in the days after the death ofAmbassador Stevens. In at least both Los Angeles, CA and Columbus, OH the Libyan American Association aligned with CAIR to hold a vigil for Ambassador Stevens.
In 2009, Pandith was sworn in as a U.S. Representative to Muslim Communities by Hillary Clinton. Pandith followed the path of the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Congress and was sworn in on the Qur’an.
While in Jamaica in June of 2011, Hillary Clinton rhetorically asked:
…whose side are you on? Are you on Qadhafi’s side or are you on the side of the aspirations of the Libyan people…
At that very moment – and in light of the release of this secret document – the appropriate question would have been:
…whose side are you on? Are you on Qadhafi’s side or are you on the side of Al-Qaeda…
When put that way, Hillary’s position isn’t nearly as unassailable.
Posted by at No comments:

Articles: Benghazi Reveals Obama-Islamist Alliance

Articles: Benghazi Reveals Obama-Islamist Alliance
November 1, 2012

Benghazi Reveals Obama-Islamist Alliance

By James Lewis
The nature of the Benghazi disaster is now clear.  Ambassador Stevens was engaged in smuggling sizable quantities of Libyan arms from the destroyed Gaddafi regime to the Syrian rebels, to help overthrow the Assad regime in Syria.  Smuggling arms to the so-called "Free Syrian Army" is itself a huge gamble, but Obama has been a gambler with human lives over the last four years, as shown by the tens of thousands of Arabs who have died in the so-called Arab Spring -- which has brought nothing but disaster to the Arab world.
For the last four years, the Obama policy has been to offer aid and comfort violent Islamic radicals in the delusional belief that their loyalty can be bought.  We therefore betrayed Hosni Mubarak, our 30-year ally in Egypt, so that the Muslim Brotherhood led by Muhammed Morsi could take over.  Obama indeed demanded publicly that Mubarak resign, for reasons that never made any sense at all.  Egypt went into a political and economic tailspin, and the Muslim Brotherhood were elected.  The Muslim radicals have now purged the only other viable political force, the army and police, to protect their monopoly on power.  We have colluded in that betrayal.
In Libya, we betrayed Moammar Gaddafi, who had surrendered his nuclear program to the Bush administration.  In Afghanistan, we betrayed the central government set up by the Bush administration and negotiated with the fanatical war sect of the Taliban to take over.  The Taliban entered our history when they gave safe haven to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda in the years before 9/11/01 to plan, train, equip, and implement the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.  The Taliban are our fanatical theological enemy, as shown by their sadistic attempt to assassinate 14-year-old women's rights advocate Malala Yousuf.
Afghanistan has many thousands of Malalas we will never hear about.
Our consistent policy of betrayal of moderate Muslims in favor of radical Islamofascists goes hand-in-hand with our appeasement of the Iranian Khomeinist regime, which is the most America-hating Shiite regime, now facing competition from America-hating Sunni regimes in Egypt and elsewhere.  It also fits our cooperation with Turkey's "neo-Ottoman" regime, which has also purged the Turkish army and police to remove modern-minded Turks from power.  Egypt and Iran will soon have nuclear weapons and delivery vehicles.
We have therefore followed a single "community disorganizing" policy toward the Muslim world, consisting of betraying moderates to bring theocratic fascists to power.  Obama "explained" that policy in a publicized argument with Hillary Clinton at the White House when Mubarak was overthrown.  His explanation?  Fascist revolutions are "organic," and therefore more stable than moderate revolutions.  Obama's fantasy policy runs contrary to U.S. foreign policy since World War I.
The biggest loser in this mad administration has been hundreds of millions women of the Muslim world, who were on a path to modernity and freedom until Obama and Hillary Clinton betrayed them.  Today they are shut inside the prisons of sharia law.
The second-biggest loser has been relative stability in a great geographical swath of the Muslim world, from Afghanistan and Pakistan across the Middle East, all the way to Tunisia and Morocco.
The third-biggest loser has been our anti-proliferation policy against the spread of weapons of mass destruction among developing nations.  From fighting proliferation, we have turned to aiding it.
Those three Horsemen of the Apocalypse are now out of the barn and riding free.
In Benghazi, al-Qaeda showed that they could not be bought even by our back-stabbing policy.  Our Benghazi arms-smuggling base was attacked by elements of AQIM (al-Qaeda in the Maghreb) in an act of betrayal against our fantasy-driven way of doing things.  The American betrayer was itself betrayed, and Obama-Hillary could do nothing to defend the Americans under attack at the Benghazi arms-smuggling base, because any public revelation of the truth would rip the cover off our mad actions and focusthe hatred of Muslim nations on the United States.
The evidence now shows that Obama was aware of the attack within 55 minutes of the start.  It lasted for six or seven hours, and Obama consistently countermanded standing orders to protect Americans under attack in the Africom command area.  General Ham may have been fired for following standard U.S. policy to defend American personnel.
In Syria, the Assad regime now has a legitimate basis to convict us of deadly dabbling in the Syrian civil war.  Russia and China are likely to take up Assad's cause at the United Nations.  They would be right on the facts.
Because the Benghazi attack coincided exactly with the AQ attack on our Cairo Embassy, both on September 11 of this year, this was apparently a central command decision by AQ, presumably ordered by Osama bin Laden's successor, Al Zawahiri, in Pakistan using a video released on the web shortly before those attacks.  The message was "al-Qaeda lives!"  Everybody who saw the news photos that day got that message.  Only Obama is in public denial.
Because the Egyptian regime chose not to defend our embassy, we know that Muhammad Morsi was in cahoots with the AQ attack.  Host governments always have the first responsibility to defend accredited embassies.  Egypt "forgot" to defend us, and that was the message.
The purpose of the AQ attacks was to embarrass the United States, and to show us to be a paper tiger, precisely the way Ayatollah Khomeini did to Jimmy Carter.  AQ also wanted to tear off the cover of the Benghazi arms-smuggling operation, to make us look like a treasonous ally, which, as it turns out, we are.  All of our allies around the world, from South Korea and Japan to Israel, Australia, and Norway, must now be reassessing our reliability.  One major betrayal of our allies is enough to shatter sixty years of faith in American leadership.
Here is the evidence as published in the Jerusalem Post, in an interview with retired  counterintelligence professional Clare Lopez.  The credit for the exposing the U.S. arms-smuggling conspiracy that just capsized goes to Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy (SecureFreedom.org) and other alert conservative columnists around the web.


Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/11/benghazi_reveals_obama-islamist_alliance.html#ixzz2AznW9Gjn
Posted by at No comments:

US Spends as Much in Iraq Now as During Combat Ops - Night Watch - Townhall Finance Conservative Columnists and Financial Commentary - Page 1

US Spends as Much in Iraq Now as During Combat Ops - Night Watch - Townhall Finance Conservative Columnists and Financial Commentary - Page 1

finance.townhall.com
Iraq-US: For the record. Iraqi auditors believe as much as US $800 million is being sent out of the country illegally each week, according to a report by the US Special Inspector General released Tuesday. His findings point to widespread money laundering and focus attention on lax oversight at Iraq's central bank, which is at the heart of a probe into alleged financial wrongdoing involving its former governor and other top officials.
Comment: That is more than $41 billion a year with nothing to show for it and no accountability and after the departure of US troops.
Hmmm… that raises a question about what are the savings, if any, from the withdrawal of US soldiers. The answer is that the post-withdrawal costs to the US appear as large as or larger than when the US had combat forces deployed in Iraq.
The US is not engaged in combat in Iraq, but it is still spending $4 billion a month in Iraq, which is about what the US was spending when it had combat forces there.
Ukraine: The government party of President Viktor Yanukovych won a solid victory in parliamentary elections. International observers charged that the elections were not fair, but their allegations do not signify. Yanukovych's Party of the Regions will retain its majority in parliament.
Comment: Russia and pro-Russia Ukrainians have halted the eastward drift of NATO. Ukrainian leaders will be justified in focusing more intently on developments in Moscow than in Brussels. Relations with Russia will be rocky, but the vote indicates Ukrainians prefer a political leadership that speaks Russian.
Libya: Fewer than 100 people, made up of civilians and former rebel fighters, charged into the meeting hall of the General National Congress as it voted on Prime Minister Ali Zeidan's cabinet line-up, which was drawn from liberal and Islamist parties.
In chaotic televised scenes, Congress members negotiated with the protesters, unhappy with some of the nominations, to leave. Voting then briefly resumed before being interrupted a second time, leading congress leader Mohammed Magarief to announce the session was postponed to Wednesday. A vote on the new cabinet did not take place.
Comment: The Congress will try again, but Libya is not ready for democracy. Even if Congress approves a cabinet, it is almost a meaningless political act.
Mali: The operational plans for an African-led military intervention in Mali are being finalized in meetings between representatives from the United Nations; the African Union; the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); and the European Union and partner countries, the ECOWAS representative to Mali said.
Comment: The various parties appear to be cheerleading for themselves, rather than taking action to rid northern Mali of its al-Qaida base. Operational planning is a term of military art that indicates military leaders are organizing the campaign. Nevertheless, the pace is slow and the parties seem reluctant.
Greece: Update. Greece has reached a deal with the troika -- the International Monetary Fund, European Commission and European Central Bank -- over the country's fiscal measures and budget, the prime minister's office said in a statement on 30 October. The statement said significant improvements were made during negotiations, and if the deal and budget are approved, Greece will stay in the eurozone.
Comment: The Greek government has rolled over on and agreed to every requirement imposed by the troika, because the impact is almost trivial.
The Greeks know that none of the north Europeans, especially the Germans, want to admit that the eurozone experiment is a failure. Thus, Greece will not be expelled, even if it suggests changes to the latest bailout deal. Corruption, illicit foreign bank accounts, tax evasion, increased personal and property crimes and the operations of the grey and black markets have not changed because of the eurozone's fiscal problems.
End of NightWatch ###
NightWatch is brought to readers of Townhall Finance by Kforce Government Solutions, Inc. (KGS), a leader in government problem-solving, Data Confidence® and intelligence. Views and opinions expressed in NightWatch are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily represent those of KGS, its management, or affiliates.

A Member of AFCEA International
Posted by at No comments:

The Ignorant Fishermen Blog: Lucifer - The Pied Piper of the Godless Music Industry - The Domination of Our Youth

The Ignorant Fishermen Blog: Lucifer - The Pied Piper of the Godless Music Industry - The Domination of Our Youth

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012

Lucifer - The Pied Piper of the Godless Music Industry - The Domination of Our Youth

Wherever one goes today, multitudes of teens and young children can be seen avidly imitating and idolizing the vast array of musicians and their decadent, chic culture and lifestyle. Television, satellite radio, iPods and the Internet have revolutionized and intensified the accessibility to this hypnotic, godless spirit(2 Cor. 4:3-4; Eph. 2:1-2). America’s youth in particular are being intoxicated and brainwashed at an exponential rate with Lucifer’s subtle and godless message of “Do as Thou wilt.”

What is even more tragic is the majority of “out to lunch” parents who are totally oblivious and gullible about the damnable influence this culture and its demonic propaganda has over their children. These are messages of godlessness, anti-authority, licentiousness and promiscuity, immorality, vice, drug use, suicide, anarchy, violence, rape, “godless good,” delusional aspirations and fallen human hopes apart from the Creator in righteousness. These OTL parents are just as delusional and are products themselves of the same brainwashing and narcissistic tactics used by the Devil in the decadent and subjective 60’s music culture.

America’s youth in particular are being intoxicated and brainwashed at an exponential rate with Lucifer’s subtle and godless message of 'Do as Thou wilt.

This narcissistic and emotionally driven mindset, feel-good philosophy, relativistic and non-judgmental ideology of modern American parenthood has spawned a far greater reprobate generation than themselves. The entire world is spiraling out of control, and we (America) are at the very vortex of the spiral. This is why we are now experiencing on a global scale an exponential increase in godlessness and lawlessness that brings with it horrendous consequences (Gal. 6:7-9).

From Rap to Heavy Metal, New Country to R&B, Pop to Grunge - even to the subtle teeny-bopper bubble gum music of today’s godless, pluralistic Disney channel – all genres have one common denominator. That denominator is to conform and fashion the youth of today’s America into godless reprobates wholly given over to their base desires and narcissistic ambitions. Lucifer, the ex-chief musician of Almighty God’s throne room (Ezek. 28:13-19), knows very well what music can do to the fallen nature of humanity left unchecked and unbalanced in light of natural law and the eternal righteous absolutes of Almighty God (Romans 1:18-32; 3:9-23). The hypnotizing lyrics mixed with various blends of percussion, guitar, piano and rhythm brings its listeners into an altered state of consciousness and prepares them to receive Lucifer’s subtle message of “Do as thou wilt.” 

Although music itself is amoral, i.e., there is nothing truly “wrong” with it in and by itself, when it comes to how one uses it, that is another story altogether.

The Copy Cats and Monkeys Seers

The youth of any particular generation love to imitate and follow these godless performers in their different eras; they are cleverly marketed and sold as good to the youth of this world. From Benny Goodman and Frank Sinatra to Elvis and the Beatles, from Led Zeppelin to Ozzy Osbourne, Pearl Jam to Marylyn Manson, etc., these have all been used to sell a bill of demonic goods for patterns to live out reprobate (ungodly) lives here in time. There is truly "nothing new under the sun" (i.e., in terms of human nature and imagination, not in a “technological” sense). Whatever your flavor, Lucifer has it for you. This tactic is as old as that used in the Garden of Eden, i.e., to challenge God's word and authority. Countless generations have followed after these damnable hypnotic trends, and the majority has allowed themselves to be led astray. There is something about music that temporarily satisfies the soul (like a drug). Humanity uses music to soothe and nourish their famished souls which were created for Almighty God and His ETERNAL Person. Those who reject their Creator’s mercy and saving grace(Romans 7:24-25) seek to fill this void with idolatry, material possessions, sex, drugs and, yes….Rock-n-roll music culture. It is a way to express themselves and to “lash out” at this fallen world which has them caught in their web.

The Game Plan - Lucifer's Successful War

The admiration and idolatrous worship of these demonic lyric masters (musicians) is all part and parcel of the Evil Master’s master plan, i.e., to deceive, mislead, derail and detour as many souls as possible from coming to a saving relationship of Almighty God in truth and righteousness (John 8:44; 2 Thess. 2:9-12). Because of his primeval rebellion against God, Lucifer hates Adam’s race created in the image of God. From Adam’s race came the woman from whom was born the Savior of the world (Gen. 3:14-15; Gal. 3:16; 4:4; Rev. 12:1-4), who is also the Divine Judge of Lucifer and his rebellious minions - both angelic and human (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10-15).
n
Lucifer’s rebellion is an insane and delusional attempt to overthrow Almighty God’s Eternal Sovereignty of righteousness for replacement with His own fallen rule and godless tyranny.
,
Does this revelation and evaluation seem far-fetched and “over the top”? Does this sound like “fringe religion” and the height of kookiness? Well then, my friend, you are blinded to the realities of the Great Spiritual War now raging for the heart, souls and minds of mankind (2 Cor. 4:3-4). This spiritual warfare is thousands of years old, though it will soon be coming to a climax at the Battle of Armageddon. Lucifer’s rebellion is an insane and delusional attempt to overthrow Almighty God’s Eternal Sovereignty of righteousness for replacement with His own fallen rule and godless tyranny (Isa. 14:12-17; Ezek. 28:13-19; Rev. 12; 20:7-10). He is a hater of all that is life and light (reality), and the lover of all that is death and darkness (John 8:43-44).

Lucifer knows that the vast spectrum of flavors in his hypnotic "goodie bag” crosses all languages, cultures, borders, creeds, and ethnicities. These sensual delights so offered are his attempt to overcome the hurdle put in place by Almighty God at the Tower of Babel to slow down man’s unholy unity AGAINST God and His Righteous absolutes. Music is the universal language of this world and Lucifer, the Supreme Angel of Music, is a master of this. (Note the ending lyrics of this very famous pop song sung by Barry Manilow, “I Write The Songs,” where the singer exclaims, “I AM MUSIC!”) This insane genius knows the game and how to best exploit the weaknesses of his victims (John 8:44).
.
The music industry has single-handedly ravished and re-formatted the condition of our culture and the substance of our society to a godless and decadent wasteland.
b
No single campaign strategy has been more successful in Satan’s war to corrupt mankind than that found in the music industry. Like no other entity, the music industry has single-handedly ravished and re-formatted the condition of our culture and the substance of our society to a godless and decadent wasteland.

Just take a long, hard look at the history of the music industry in America since the Roaring Twenties. Its progression has been exponential, so also has been its wake of devastation on the family, morals, society and ourJudeo/ Christian heritage.

Liberated By Christ

As one whom Almighty God has saved out of this insane, decadent culture and lifestyle, I (DJP I.F.) personally know all too well that it is a machine of godlessness, excess and ruin. Oh, how I now sing praise to Almighty God for His grace and mercy to this lost transgressor who was saved from the eternal ruin of his delusion and hypnotic stupor! Praise be to His glorious name forever and ever. Amen.

As the days in which we live get more and more godless, decadent and vile, thank God that He has provided a solution - a Savior - for those who are walking the course of this world in darkness and unbelief (Eph. 2:1-12).

Dear Reader, do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? In these days this is the ONE most pertinent and relevant question that one could ask and give answer to. One’s entire destiny and eternal future depends on it. Things are only getting worse and more desperate, which is setting the stage for the Ultimate Lie and Delusion(Matt. 24:15; Rev. 13). May you place your faith in the God of REALITY and TRUTH so that you will not be part of this damnable illusion. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31), and you will NEVER be the same!

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! 

DJP I.F.

Edited by BEL I.F.
Good Fight Ministries - Documentaries about Rock n Roll bands from a Biblical point of view! 
Posted by at No comments:

International observers say states out of line - Bobby Cervantes - POLITICO.com

International observers say states out of line - Bobby Cervantes - POLITICO.com

International observers say states out of line

Voter booth are pictured. | AP Photo
The 2012 race is the sixth U.S. election the OSCE has observed since 2002. | AP Photo
By BOBBY CERVANTES | 11/1/12 11:36 AM EDT
The group hosting international election observers said Thursday that state officials in Iowa and Texas are needlessly blocking access to the decades-old process the United States already has agreed to, an official said Thursday.
Thomas Rymer, a spokesman for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, said the group will abide by election laws after officials in those states warned about possible criminal prosecution if the observers came within hundreds of feet of polling places.

Text Size

  • -
  • +
  • reset
“We will of course comply,” Rymer told POLITICO. “At the same time, the lack of access to polling stations for international observers in some states is not in line with the United States’s international commitments, and we have noted this in past final reports issued by observation missions.”
On Nov. 6, the OSCE — a 56-country security and conflict resolution organization that includes the United States — will have 44 observers in different states meeting with “stakeholders,” including candidates, local media and other on-the-ground actors, as well as a team of 13 election analysts in Washington , who will focus on specific issues such as demographic turnout nationally.
The 2012 race is the sixth U.S. election the OSCE has observed since 2002, and since then, access to voting precincts across the country has been largely dependent on the reaction of state and local officials.
“In Texas, for example, the attorney general is the chief law enforcement authority, so if the state law as written and as the AG is going to enforce it says the election observers can’t go in, we will report that,” Rymer said.
On Tuesday, Iowa followed Texas’s move and warned of arrests if observers violate state election law by coming within 300 feet of polling places. (In Texas, it’s 100 feet.)
“My office met with two delegation representatives last week to discuss Iowa’s election process, and it was explained to them that they are not permitted at the polls,” Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz said in a statement. “Iowa law is very specific about who is permitted at polling places, and there is no exception for members of this group.”
This is not a new problem for OSCE observers, Rymer said.
According to its report after the 2008 general election, OSCE election observers were turned away from polling stations in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Ohio and Texas. Their poll watchers also had difficulties in counties in Colorado, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Virgina, the report said.
“It’s a pretty simple answer: The U.S., as a participating state and founding member of the OSCE, has made certain commitments to allow international observers,” he said. “That said, our observers aren’t there to interfere.”


Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83160.html#ixzz2Azm7Fr80
Posted by at No comments:

Petraeus and Panetta Speak—But Not the President | The Weekly Standard

Petraeus and Panetta Speak—But Not the President | The Weekly Standard

Petraeus and Panetta Speak—But Not the President

1:00 PM, OCT 31, 2012 • BY WILLIAM KRISTOL
Single PagePrintLarger TextSmaller TextAlerts
Seven weeks later, the White House still hasn't explained what President Obama did and didn't do during the seven hours of the attack on Benghazi on September 11. And there's been no response from the White House to questions asked by senators or THE WEEKLY STANDARD or David Ignatius in theWashington Post. 
Obama-door
We have, to be sure, heard from some government officials. But the information they've provided raises still more questions.
CIA director David Petraeus authorized a statement pointedly saying that "No one at any level in the CIA told anybody not to help those in need; claims to the contrary are simply inaccurate"—which strongly suggests that Petraeus believes or knows that officials in other parts of the government may have told subordinates "not to help those in need."
Those could have been officials in the Defense Department. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta seemed to suggest that was the case: "The basic principle is that you don't deploy forces into harm's way without knowing what's going on; without having some real-time information about what's taking place, and as a result of not having that kind of information, the commander who was on the ground in that area, Gen. Ham, Gen. Dempsey and I felt very strongly that we could not put forces at risk in that situation."

Related Stories

More by William Kristol

Panetta's statement only makes sense if there were those in the military or elsewhere who considered or urged deploying forces into harm's way, and that those individuals were overruled because of the lack of real-time information. Take another look at what Panetta said: "As a result of not having that kind of information, the commander who was on the ground in that area, Gen. Ham, Gen. Dempsey and I felt very strongly that we could not put forces at risk in that situation." In other words, Panetta is acknowledging forces could have been put at risk, but that a decision was made not to do so. Maybe this was the right decision—but since we've been given no details at all, and since the Obama administration refuses to answer questions, it's hard to know. Indeed, since there seems in fact to have been "real-time information" available from those fighting on the ground, Panetta's excuse for inaction would at least require considerable elaboration to be convincing.
In response perhaps to the questions raised by Petraeus and Panetta, there now appears to be an attempt by some defense officials to suggest there really wasn't much more that could have been done on September 11, given limitations on the assets and capabilities available. But such explanations have only been provided indirectly and on background. Shouldn't some senior officer explain this on the record if it's true? And how can that argument be reconciled with Panetta's suggestion that more could have been done but that it would have been too risky to try?
So here's where we are: Petraeus has made clear the CIA wasn't responsible for the decision not to act. Panetta has tried to take the responsibility himself—and the White House has seemed to encourage this interpretation of events. But Panetta's position is untenable: The Defense Department doesn't get to unilaterally decide whether it's too risky or not to try to rescue CIA operators, or to violate another country's air space. In any case, it’s inconceivable Panetta didn't raise the question of what to do when he met with the national security adviser and the president at 5 p.m. on the evening of September 11 for an hour. And it's beyond inconceivable he didn't then stay in touch with the White House after he returned to the Pentagon.
So the question remains: What did President Obama do that evening (apart from spending an hour on the phone with Prime Minister Netanyahu)? What did he know, and what did he decide, and what was the basis for his decisions?
Petraeus has disclaimed responsibility for the decisions of September 11. Panetta has claimed responsibility for decisions that weren't his to make. Both Petraeus and Panetta have raised more questions than they've answered. The only person who can provide the answers the American people deserve is President Obama.
Posted by at No comments:

New Obamacare Tax Form Mandates Americans Report Personal Health ID Info to IRS

New Obamacare Tax Form Mandates Americans Report Personal Health ID Info to IRS

atr.org
Here's why the IRS will require Americans to disclose their personal health ID information starting in 2014
When Obamacare’s individual mandate takes effect in 2014, all Americans who file income tax returns must complete an additional IRS tax form. The new form will require disclosure of a taxpayer’s personal identifying health information in order to determine compliance with the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate.
As confirmed by IRS testimony to the tax-writing House Committee on Ways and Means, “taxpayers will file their tax returns reporting their health insurance coverage, and/or making a payment”.
So why will the Obama IRS require your personal identifying health information?
Simply put, there is no way for the IRS to enforce Obamacare’s individual mandate without such an invasive reporting scheme.  Every January, health insurance companies across America will send out tax documents to each insured individual.  This tax document—a copy of which will be furnished to the IRS—must contain sufficient information for taxpayers to prove that they purchased qualifying health insurance under Obamacare.
This new tax information document must, at a minimum, contain: the name and health insurance identification number of the taxpayer; the name and tax identification number of the health insurance company; the number of months the taxpayer was covered by this insurance plan; and whether or not the plan was purchased in one of Obamacare’s “exchanges.”
This will involve millions of new tax documents landing in mailboxes across America every January, along with the usual raft of W-2s, 1099s, and 1098s.  At tax time, the 140 million families who file a tax return will have to get acquainted with a brand new tax filing form.  Six million of these families will end up paying Obamacare’s individual mandate non-compliance tax penalty.
As a service to the public, Americans for Tax Reform has released a projected version of this tax form to help families and tax specialists prepare for this additional filing requirement. Taxpayers may view the projected IRS form at www.ObamacareTaxForm.com.  On the form, lines 3-4 show where taxpayers will disclose their personal identifying health information.
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)