January 18, 2014

This TEA PARTIER Has Ties To Terrorist Groups … And HE'S RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR

Has California Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (R-33rd District) made it his goal to overthrow the government of California, and to hold onto that power with the threat of violence? That is one way in which his actions can be interpreted, anyway. In October he declared that he would work to recall his fellow politicians who voted against him in California’s state assembly over gun regulations, as you can see here. Because he lost a vote, he now demands the political death of his opponents. He has also thrown his hat into the governor’s race, and is hoping to unseat incumbent Jerry Brown. Do realize, the recall elections will now be held apart from the general election. It would seem that he is preparing for a takeover of state government by bypassing the voters’ will.


Meet Tim Donnelly, father, husband, terrorist.

In checking Assemblyman Donnelly’s policy and platform page, a scary realization comes to the forefront. Words he uses, like claims that the people are “sovereign,” is the language one finds from the Sovereign Citizens domestic terrorist front. Tim Donnelly is the leader for an organization affiliated with this front, the Minutemen. The Minutemen have a record of legal issues, including charges of murder against its members. Despite these ties, he remains an active member of this group.



Social media giving rise to new terror tactics.

The concern of Tim Donnelly ultimately is his disconnect from understanding civics. Proclaiming that citizens are above the law shows a gross distortion of how this nation, and his home state, are set up. According to the founding fathers, the US utilizes what is called “Popular Sovereignty,” a concept whereby the right to rule was a collective, not an individual right, and invested in to the people’s representatives.



..cont'


http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/01/17/california-assemblyman-overthrow-ca-govt/

January 18, 2014

Rachel Maddow CATCHES Chris Christie’s Staff CHEERING On Appointee Who LIED TO LAWMAKERS

MUST WATCH tonight's TRMS........at link.

Set DVR's to record 'UP with Steve Kornacki' at 8am.




MSNBC host Rachel Maddow showed correspondence on Friday suggesting that several members of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) staff and one member of his re-election team reacted supportively toward a Christie appointee’s testimony before lawmakers that they knew misrepresented the state Port Authority’s handling of the September 2013 closures on the George Washington Bridge. Maddow played audio from the agency’s former deputy executive director, Bill Baroni, telling members of the state legislature in November that the Port Authority was monitoring the effects of the lane closures and that they did not impact emergency medical services in the area, even though documents show Baroni had been notified at the time that this was not the case.



Shortly after testifying, Baroni was told via text message by another Port Authority appointee, David Wildstein, that deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly — who ordered Wildstein to orchestrate the closures — and another person, possibly Christie campaign finance chief Nicole Davidman Drewniak, “were VERY happy” with his performance.“The documents we have so far indicate that not just Governor Christie’s office, in the form of Bridget Kelly, applauded and said, ‘We’re really happy with that false testimony,’ even though Bridget Kelly was in a position to know it was false testimony while she was applauding,” Maddow said. “But now we also know that a person who appears to be a staffer from the governor’s re-election campaign, ‘Nicole,’ said the same thing.” All four people mentioned in the text messages between Wildstein and Baroni — who have since resigned from the agency — were among the members of Christie’s staff and re-election team issued subpoenas on Friday.


Also subpoenaed were Port Authority chair David “General” Samson; his aide Philippe Danielides; spokesperson Christine Lado; a Port Authority police official, David Nunziato, received a second subpoena after also mistakenly denying any negative impact from the lane closures. Members of Christie’s administration served subpoenas included Kevin O’Dowd, the governor’s chief of staff and top pick for the state Attorney General’s office; O’Dowd’s replacement, Regina Egea; chief counsel Charles McKenna; spokespersons Michael Drewniak and Colin Reed; Christina Genovese; Evan J. Ridley; campaign manager Bill Stepien; and campaign staffers Maria Comella and Matt Mowers. The subpoenas call for Christie’s office to turn over all communication records between Sept. 1, 2012 and present day related to the lane closures, including emails, texts, visitor and phone logs, Blackberry messages, notes, documents, instant messages, voicemail messages, diaries, day planners and calendars.



cont'

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/01/18/rachel-maddow-catches-chris-christies-staff-cheering-on-appointee-who-lied-to-lawmakers/

January 18, 2014

Congressional Move To Add More Sanctions On IRAN Has RUN OUT OF STEAM

Don't stop calling or emailing these (D) weasels who want to start another conflict with Iran.......





A week ago, it appeared that a bill to tighten the screws on Iran over its nuclear program was headed for certain success in the Senate. Initiated by Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, S. 1881—the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act—would not only have imposed new economic sanctions, it would also have committed the United States to use military force in support of Israel if that nation attacked Iran's nuclear facilities and Iran retaliated. By last Wednesday, Menendez had 58 co-sponsors, including 15 Democrats. Talk centered on whether an additional eight could be gathered to make the bill veto-proof.


But as Steve Benen at the Rachel Maddow blog notes today, there's been a turnaround:





Meanwhile, in the Senate, the effort to get 67 co-sponsors on board has stalled, with no new names being added since last week. And while U.S. support for new sanctions has fallen off, at least for the moment, the European Union will begin relaxing some of its sanctions next week if inspectors for the International Atomic Energy Agency report that Iran is complying with the restrictions agreed to by negotiators in Geneva in November.



Good news all around.


The switch in the United States can be chalked up in part to White House pressure, the 10 Senate committee chairpersons who wrote a letter opposing more sanctions and surprises like hawk Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) saying new sanctions would "blow up" the negotiations for a long-term international agreement with Iran limiting its nuclear program. The other source of opposition, Benen says a Senate staffer told him, is that "public pressure has also increased, with more voters contacting the Hill with phone calls and emails, voicing opposition to the bill."


Please join us in keeping up that public pressure by opposing the Menendez sanctions bill.





http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/01/17/1270433/-Congressional-move-to-add-more-sanctions-on-Iran-has-run-out-of-steam

January 17, 2014

WATCH: Government-Funded ISRAELI Groups ATTACK John Kerry With SCATOLOGICAL Parody Video

As Secretary of State John Kerry strives to revive the Middle East peace process, while also toiling to craft a nuclear deal with Iran and achieve a resolution to the Syrian conflict, he has come under attack in an unusual manner. An Israeli group funded by the Benjamin Netanyahu-led government is mounting an anti-Kerry campaign by promoting a video that employs a scatological joke to lampoon and deride the United States' top diplomat.



In the video, which is in Hebrew, an Israeli fellow sitting on a toilet discovers there's no toilet paper. What to do? But there's no need for him to worry; Kerry—that is, an actor playing Kerry—is there, and he is holding in his hands the solution to the man's problem: a porcupine. Yes, Kerry counsels the Israeli to use this small animal as a TP substitute. The man dutifully follows the advice and ends up with a distressed bum. Well, Kerry has the solution to that problem: a pink tutu. "You can walk around the office feeling free and open," he tells the Israeli, who is next seen strolling awkwardly about his workspace in a tutu. And there's a new problem: His officemates tease him. And Kerry has a new solution: a resignation letter. You cannot be the object of scorn, he says to the man, "if you're not here, right?" The next scene shows the Israeli fellow out on the street, apparently jobless. Kerry quips, "We don't have good solutions, but we have to do something, right?" He then tosses the man a few dollars and says, "Okay, lunch, guys."




The point: Kerry is a dunce eager to promote stupid solutions that would leave Israelis worse off.



The video is part of campaign being run by the Yesha Council, which represents the Israeli settlements on the West Bank, and another settlers group; both receive regular funding from the government. On its website, the Yesha Council, which has previously mounted efforts to undermine negotiations for a two-state solution, explained this campaign: "The main message: Israel's deep friendship with the US does not require us to give in to pressures that lead to solutions that threaten our country and its people." And its tool is mockery. The site these groups set up—John Kerry Solutions Inc.—features the video but also lists everyday questions for Kerry and his supposed answers. Here's one: "I fell off a ladder while trying to hang a picture and now I'm lying on the floor with a mild concussion and I cannot call for help. What to do?" Kerry's answer: Hang the picture lower.






cont'

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/01/watch-government-funded-israeli-groups-parody-john-kerry

January 17, 2014

Alabama's CORRUPT Politics Strand BLOGGER In JAIL -- Indefinitely

Now that the New York Times and other major media outlets have taken notice of Roger Shuler's plight, you'd think he would become a cause celebré for bloggers everywhere. You'd think that the judge, a crony of politician Bob Riley, would come under high scrutiny for ignoring the First Amendment in his quest to squelch any negativity about Alabama's Favorite GOP Son, Bob Riley.


NOPE. NADA.



Matt Osborne:




Part of the reason Shuler's case has escaped notice is how media frames his predicament. The New York Times report minimized many issues which should concern us all. Salon writer Natasha Lennard:





You might call it overreach when a judge tosses a blogger in jail indefinitely while slapping injunctions on him to remove posts he cannot remove from jail. Yes, I'd say that's overreach. This should disturb everyone, from the highest echelons of journalism to the lowest. As Lennard says:








cont'

http://crooksandliars.com/2014/01/alabamas-corrupt-judges-leave-blogger

January 17, 2014

Pennsylvania Judge STRIKES DOWN State's VOTER ID LAW

HARRISBURG -- A Pennsylvania judge has found the state's voter ID law unconstitutional. According to the ruling from Commonwealth Court Judge Bernard McGinley, the requirement to present an acceptable form of identification when voting in person "unreasonably burdens the right to vote." The requirement was challenged in court after Republican legislators passed it and Gov. Tom Corbett signed it into law by in March 2012. Opponents of the law celebrated the decision. House Democrats noted that their members had uniformly opposed the law.



Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, said his members were pleased. “Senate Democrats have said clearly and repeatedly that the voter ID law was an overreach that would result in the disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of voters," he said in a written statement. "It was a law that should have never been approved and we are very happy that the court turned aside the measure today."



He called the law a clear effort by Republicans to limit participation in Pennsylvania elections. "Simply put, it was an effort by Republicans to deny citizens access and a voice in their government that should have been dismissed," Mr. Costa said in the statement. "Instead of trying to find ways to stop citizens from voting, we should be doing more to encourage all Pennsylvanians to participate in elections."



cont'

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/state/2014/01/17/AP-Pennsylvania-judge-strikes-down-state-s-voter-ID-law/stories/201401170131

January 17, 2014

ROMNEYWORLD Buzzes Over Chris Christie Troubles

Mitten's Martini/Bridge buddies are pissed.........

Rom-denfreude (noun) — The pleasure Mitt Romney loyalists are taking in the struggles of Chris Christie.




The condition is prevalent, stemming from a range of perceived Christie slights towards Romney during the 2012 campaign, which several Romney loyalists ticked off quickly — and with still-evident bitterness.


There was the New Jersey governor’s barring Romney from raising money in the Garden State, his unwillingness to answer vice presidential vetting questions and his highly autobiographical convention keynote speech. Most of all, though, Romney allies remain resentful of Christie’s embrace of President Barack Obama as the two worked together on Superstorm Sandy relief in the waning days of the campaign, which Romney backers believe boosted Obama’s bipartisan bona fides and cost Romney valuable swing votes.






Several former Romney donors and staff told POLITICO that their alumni network has been buzzing over revelations that Christie’s staff was involved in lane closures on the George Washington Bridge that caused massive traffic jams, and were allegedly politically motivated. Some view it as a vindication of Romney’s decision not to tap Christie as his running mate, while others have merely watched in amusement.


The sniping is not insignificant. Christie is not well-liked among tea party activists and leaders, where he is seen as a big-government moderate. So, in order to build a coalition that could give him a chance at the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, he’ll most likely need strong support from Republican establishment types, like those who formed the core of Romney’s formidable operation. And as the party’s last presidential nominee, his alumni network remains influential in the GOP professional and donor classes. Frank VanderSloot, one of Romney’s national finance chairman, said he found it “peculiar” that Christie declared he “could care less about” presidential politics in the week before Election Day, when he was dealing with the fallout from Sandy.




cont'


http://www.politico.com/story/2014/01/mitt-romney-new-jersey-governor-chris-christie-bridgegate-george-washington-bridge-102300.html?hp=f1

January 17, 2014

Professor: Christie Hired Legal Team To DETERMINE What’s PRIVILEGED In GWB Investigation

Gov. Chris Christie has hired his own legal team to assist with document retention and production in the investigation into the George Washington Bridge lane closures. Seton Hall Associate Political Science Professor Robert Pallitto told NJTV News Anchor Harry Martin that damaging information is more likely to come out during the legislative investigation process. Pallitto said that the governor hiring his own legal team means that Christie wants to be sure about what is releasable in the investigation and what he can properly claim as privileged or not releasable.



As for the use of executive privilege, Pallitto said that it is more commonly used in federal law, concerning the president and the federal executive branch. An example he used as the most famous case of using executive privilege is the President Nixon case, where Nixon tried to keep certain records when he was being investigated, saying that they fell under executive privilege because they were part of the process of getting advice from counselors, so he didn’t have to divulge the records to the court.



Pallitto said there are differences between the New Jersey Constitution and the Federal Constitution, but the powers of the legislature and the executive branch are the same. “The legislature has a power to inquire through commission like Congress does and the executive has the power to carry out his or her duties and those are the two constitutional provisions that usually clash in executive privilege cases. The New Jersey courts have sometimes addressed executive privilege or the power of the executive to keep documents secret. It’s just that the law is not as well developed and since it’s not as well developed, there’s more discretion for the courts,” Pallitto said.



Executive privilege is simply a creation of the courts and the courts theoretically could take it away or restrict it, Pallitto said. He said New Jersey has the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) and it creates the presumption that public records belong to the public, so they should be released to the public. But there are exceptions.



cont'


http://www.njtvonline.org/news/video/pallitto-says-damaging-info-will-come-during-legislative-investigation-of-gov-christie/

January 17, 2014

Harry Reid BACKS MEDICAL MARIJUANA!

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) came out in favor of medical marijuana Thursday in a Las Vegas Sun interview, becoming one of the highest elected officials in the U.S. government to give his support. "If you’d asked me this question a dozen years ago, it would have been easy to answer -- I would have said no, because [marijuana] leads to other stuff," Reid was quoted as saying. "But I can’t say that anymore." "I think we need to take a real close look at this,” he added. “I think that there’s some medical reasons for marijuana."



Although it remains illegal under federal law, polls show that most Americans support medical marijuana. And Attorney General Eric Holder announced in August that the Department of Justice would not interfere, at least at first, as states that have legalized weed for adults create their regulatory regimes -- a dramatic policy shift from federal authorities' targeting of medical marijuana dispensaries that were legal under state law.



House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also supports medical marijuana. Neither Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) nor House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) does. Reid's home state of Nevada is trying to implement a medical marijuana law signed by Gov. Brian Sandoval (R), but officials recently announced they would miss an April 1 deadline to accept applications from growers and sellers.



Reid, who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said he had never tried marijuana. As for the laws legalizing recreational pot in Colorado and Washington, he said, "I don’t know about that."



cont'


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/16/harry-reid-medical-marijuana_n_4612659.html

January 17, 2014

Obama PICKS Staci Michelle Yandle, BLACK LESBIAN JUDGE, For Federal Judgeship

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama prides himself on the diversity of his judicial picks. But on Thursday, he charted new territory by nominating Staci Michelle Yandle, who, if confirmed, would become the second-ever out black lesbian federal judge. Obama picked Yandle, who has been in private practice for 20 years and runs an Illinois firm, for a slot on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. She would fill a seat being vacated by Judge John Phil Gilbert, who is taking senior status on March 15.





Yandle's nomination puts her on track to become the second openly lesbian African-American federal judge in the country. Judge Deborah Batts, nominated by President Bill Clinton, was sworn in as a federal judge in Manhattan in June 1994. Batts took senior status in April 2012.


Yandle said in a July 2012 interview that the judicial world needs to be more accepting of the LGBT community. "When I first started practicing, for a while I did not feel comfortable acknowledging my sexual orientation because I didn’t want it to cost me my job," she said. "I wanted to be judged on my merit and my merit alone. Many members of the LGBT community still have that fear. We are a traditional profession that is conservative in many ways."


cont'

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/16/obama-black-lesbian-judicial-nominee_n_4612412.html