Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Segami
Segami's Journal
Segami's Journal
January 17, 2014
Hey dude,....S-T-F-U-!........
ROME (AP) — A senior Italian IOC member criticized the United States on Wednesday for including openly gay athletes in its official delegation for next month's Sochi Olympics.
The Italian Olympic Committee would not confirm or deny Pescante's comments, but his speech was reported by the Gazzetta dello Sport and the ANSA news agency. Asked for clarification later by The Associated Press, Pescante said he is not against gays. "Of course not," the 75-year-old Pescante told The AP by telephone. "I just wanted to make the point not to let politics interfere with the Olympics."
For the first time since 2000, the U.S. delegation to the Olympics will not include a president, vice president or first lady. President Obama is sending three openly gay athletes — tennis great Billie Jean King, figure skater Brian Boitano and hockey player Caitlin Cahow. USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky declined to comment.
cont'
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/senior-ioc-member-criticize-us-for-sending-lesbians-to-olympics
HUH? - Olympic Official: ENOUGH WITH YOUR LESBIANS!
Hey dude,....S-T-F-U-!........
ROME (AP) — A senior Italian IOC member criticized the United States on Wednesday for including openly gay athletes in its official delegation for next month's Sochi Olympics.
"It's absurd that a country like that sends four lesbians to Russia just to demonstrate that in their country gay rights have (been established)," Mario Pescante said at an Italian Olympic Committee meeting in Milan on Wednesday, in comments widely reported by Italian media. "The games should not be an occasion and a stage to promote rights that sports supports daily."
The Italian Olympic Committee would not confirm or deny Pescante's comments, but his speech was reported by the Gazzetta dello Sport and the ANSA news agency. Asked for clarification later by The Associated Press, Pescante said he is not against gays. "Of course not," the 75-year-old Pescante told The AP by telephone. "I just wanted to make the point not to let politics interfere with the Olympics."
For the first time since 2000, the U.S. delegation to the Olympics will not include a president, vice president or first lady. President Obama is sending three openly gay athletes — tennis great Billie Jean King, figure skater Brian Boitano and hockey player Caitlin Cahow. USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky declined to comment.
cont'
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/senior-ioc-member-criticize-us-for-sending-lesbians-to-olympics
January 16, 2014
POS................
Even for Ted Nugent, who once wrote that America’s African-American community has “a mindless tendency to violence,” this one is bad. Writing at the batshit insane right-wing fever swamp of a site known as WorldNetDaily, Nugent claimed on Wednesday that a viral video of a young child cursing was representative of all the ways black people in America had failed to live up to the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
“Just when you think it can’t get any uglier,” Nugent begins, “some street rat will slither out of the sewer and do something that shocks even the most hardened and calloused among us, me included.” He goes on to argue that the video showed “the continuing and unbroken cycle of street-rat savagery” and that the boy’s family (he uses scare quotes around the word) “is a bunch of gangster thugs, punks, degenerates and criminals.”
As much as the video bothered Nugent, however, the former rock star writes that it represents just “the tip of the black gangster iceberg.” He goes on to argue that “high school dropout rates, illegitimacy and other culture rot is a black plague that has engulfed the black community” and that this tsunami of dysfunction is “the result of Fedzilla’s $16 trillion and 50-year-old so-called war on poverty, which created a cycle of dependency, destruction and culture rot for black America.”
Finally getting to how any of this dehumanizing and blatantly bigoted rhetoric relates to Martin Luther King Jr., Nugent proclaims that African-Americans cannot “honestly celebrate the legacy of Dr. King” until they “admit to the self-inflicted destructo-derby they are waging and begin to tell their liberal Democratic slave drivers to take a hike.”
http://www.salon.com/2014/01/16/ted_nugent_writes_insanely_racist_op_ed_about_the_legacy_of_martin_luther_king_jr/
Ted Nugent Writes INSANELY RACIST OP-ED About The Legacy Of Martin Luther King Jr.
The NRA's favorite rocker's latest vile rant about "gangster thugs, punks, degenerates and criminals"
POS................
Even for Ted Nugent, who once wrote that America’s African-American community has “a mindless tendency to violence,” this one is bad. Writing at the batshit insane right-wing fever swamp of a site known as WorldNetDaily, Nugent claimed on Wednesday that a viral video of a young child cursing was representative of all the ways black people in America had failed to live up to the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
“Just when you think it can’t get any uglier,” Nugent begins, “some street rat will slither out of the sewer and do something that shocks even the most hardened and calloused among us, me included.” He goes on to argue that the video showed “the continuing and unbroken cycle of street-rat savagery” and that the boy’s family (he uses scare quotes around the word) “is a bunch of gangster thugs, punks, degenerates and criminals.”
As much as the video bothered Nugent, however, the former rock star writes that it represents just “the tip of the black gangster iceberg.” He goes on to argue that “high school dropout rates, illegitimacy and other culture rot is a black plague that has engulfed the black community” and that this tsunami of dysfunction is “the result of Fedzilla’s $16 trillion and 50-year-old so-called war on poverty, which created a cycle of dependency, destruction and culture rot for black America.”
Finally getting to how any of this dehumanizing and blatantly bigoted rhetoric relates to Martin Luther King Jr., Nugent proclaims that African-Americans cannot “honestly celebrate the legacy of Dr. King” until they “admit to the self-inflicted destructo-derby they are waging and begin to tell their liberal Democratic slave drivers to take a hike.”
http://www.salon.com/2014/01/16/ted_nugent_writes_insanely_racist_op_ed_about_the_legacy_of_martin_luther_king_jr/
January 16, 2014
Subpoena targets in the New Jersey legislature’s probes of the George Washington Bridge scandal will include the Port Authority’s chair and Governor Christie’s next-in-line to be chief of staff, according to the New Jersey Senate’s majority leader, Loretta Weinberg. “What I can confirm is on the Senate side, that we will be subpoenaing documents from Mr. Samson, the chairperson of the Port Authority, from Commissioner Pat Schuber, a commissioner on the Port Authority, and from the governor’s new chief of staff [to be], Regina Egea,” Weinberg told Salon Thursday afternoon.
Documents released Friday revealed that Samson, a giant of New Jersey politics, had accused Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye of “stirring up trouble” after he objected to allegedly retaliatory George Washington Bridge land closures, and said Foye was “playing in traffic, made a big mistake.” The same document trove revealed that a dramatic September 9 e-mail from Foye, raising alarms over the lane closures, was forwarded the same day to Egea, then the director of Christie’s authorities unit.
http://www.salon.com/2014/01/16/breaking_nj_senate_will_subpoena_david_samson_and_regina_egea_in_bridge_gate_probe/
Breaking: NJ Senate Will SUBPOENA David Samson and Regina Egea in Bridge-gate PROBE
Subpoena targets in the New Jersey legislature’s probes of the George Washington Bridge scandal will include the Port Authority’s chair and Governor Christie’s next-in-line to be chief of staff, according to the New Jersey Senate’s majority leader, Loretta Weinberg. “What I can confirm is on the Senate side, that we will be subpoenaing documents from Mr. Samson, the chairperson of the Port Authority, from Commissioner Pat Schuber, a commissioner on the Port Authority, and from the governor’s new chief of staff [to be], Regina Egea,” Weinberg told Salon Thursday afternoon.
Documents released Friday revealed that Samson, a giant of New Jersey politics, had accused Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye of “stirring up trouble” after he objected to allegedly retaliatory George Washington Bridge land closures, and said Foye was “playing in traffic, made a big mistake.” The same document trove revealed that a dramatic September 9 e-mail from Foye, raising alarms over the lane closures, was forwarded the same day to Egea, then the director of Christie’s authorities unit.
http://www.salon.com/2014/01/16/breaking_nj_senate_will_subpoena_david_samson_and_regina_egea_in_bridge_gate_probe/
January 16, 2014
Must watch! ..........
For years I have been writing here in the Huffington Post and elsewhere that almost no one in the mainstream media has the nerve to explain the nexus between U.S. policy decisions relating to the Middle East and the power of the Israel lobby. And, when it comes to television, not "almost no one" but no one at all.
But then last night Chris Hayes described why 16 Democratic senators are trying to undo President Obama's most significant foreign policy achievement -- the nuclear agreement with Iran -- by imposing new sanctions on Iran to torpedo the deal. And he explained that it's all about AIPAC and its power.
I am not going to write anymore because nothing I can write is as eloquent as Hayes was.
What a great moment. Hayes is only 34. Maybe it's a new day.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mj-rosenberg/awesome-chris-hayes-brill_b_4611031.html?utm_hp_ref=media&ir=Media
AWESOME! - Chris Hayes Brilliantly Explains Lobby's Effort to SABOTAGE Iran Deal
Must watch! ..........
For years I have been writing here in the Huffington Post and elsewhere that almost no one in the mainstream media has the nerve to explain the nexus between U.S. policy decisions relating to the Middle East and the power of the Israel lobby. And, when it comes to television, not "almost no one" but no one at all.
But then last night Chris Hayes described why 16 Democratic senators are trying to undo President Obama's most significant foreign policy achievement -- the nuclear agreement with Iran -- by imposing new sanctions on Iran to torpedo the deal. And he explained that it's all about AIPAC and its power.
I am not going to write anymore because nothing I can write is as eloquent as Hayes was.
What a great moment. Hayes is only 34. Maybe it's a new day.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mj-rosenberg/awesome-chris-hayes-brill_b_4611031.html?utm_hp_ref=media&ir=Media
January 16, 2014
As two New Jersey legislative committees begin probes today of who ordered lanes closed at the George Washington Bridge and why, they’ll examine whether the resulting traffic jams had anything to do with a pair of high-rise developments just blocks away in Fort Lee. The closures ordered by allies of Governor Chris Christie from Sept. 9 to 12 brought traffic to a standstill in Fort Lee, at the New Jersey end of the bridge to New York. Last week, Christie, a 51-year-old Republican, fired a top aide and jettisoned his campaign manager. Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, a Democrat, questioned whether the tie-ups were payback for his failure to support Christie’s re-election.
Assemblyman John Wisniewski, 51, a Democrat leading one of the legislative probes, said lawmakers are exploring “competing theories” about the motive for the shutdown. One is that the developments -- the biggest in decades in the town of 37,500 -- played some role, Wisniewski said. “The decision to close the lanes, and the response to the closure being ended, seems so disproportionate to just an endorsement that it leads to questions that there might be more involved,” Wisniewski said yesterday. “Real estate development involves a lot of money, and when there’s a lot of money involved, there’s usually people doing strange things.”
What’s unclear is what sort of message the delays -- increasing a typical 30-minute trip to as long as four hours -- may have been intended to send about projects on a 16-acre site that sat undeveloped for decades on prime real estate with quick access to New York over the bridge.
Retribution
Senate President Stephen Sweeney of West Deptford, the highest-ranking elected Democrat in the state, said any possible link between the development and the lane closures needs to be examined. Sweeney said the notion of a connection should be given as much credence as the idea that the closures were purely retribution against Sokolich. “It’s something that raises questions and that we should be looking at, but again we should be looking at every aspect of this to get to the bottom of what was done,” Sweeney said. “I don’t think we should limit the investigation to any one focus.”
cont'
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-16/fort-lee-development-will-be-examined-in-lawmakers-bridge-probe.html
TICK,TICK,TICK: Christie Bridge Jam INQUIRY TO PROBE $1 Billion Projects
As two New Jersey legislative committees begin probes today of who ordered lanes closed at the George Washington Bridge and why, they’ll examine whether the resulting traffic jams had anything to do with a pair of high-rise developments just blocks away in Fort Lee. The closures ordered by allies of Governor Chris Christie from Sept. 9 to 12 brought traffic to a standstill in Fort Lee, at the New Jersey end of the bridge to New York. Last week, Christie, a 51-year-old Republican, fired a top aide and jettisoned his campaign manager. Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, a Democrat, questioned whether the tie-ups were payback for his failure to support Christie’s re-election.
Assemblyman John Wisniewski, 51, a Democrat leading one of the legislative probes, said lawmakers are exploring “competing theories” about the motive for the shutdown. One is that the developments -- the biggest in decades in the town of 37,500 -- played some role, Wisniewski said. “The decision to close the lanes, and the response to the closure being ended, seems so disproportionate to just an endorsement that it leads to questions that there might be more involved,” Wisniewski said yesterday. “Real estate development involves a lot of money, and when there’s a lot of money involved, there’s usually people doing strange things.”
What’s unclear is what sort of message the delays -- increasing a typical 30-minute trip to as long as four hours -- may have been intended to send about projects on a 16-acre site that sat undeveloped for decades on prime real estate with quick access to New York over the bridge.
Retribution
Senate President Stephen Sweeney of West Deptford, the highest-ranking elected Democrat in the state, said any possible link between the development and the lane closures needs to be examined. Sweeney said the notion of a connection should be given as much credence as the idea that the closures were purely retribution against Sokolich. “It’s something that raises questions and that we should be looking at, but again we should be looking at every aspect of this to get to the bottom of what was done,” Sweeney said. “I don’t think we should limit the investigation to any one focus.”
cont'
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-16/fort-lee-development-will-be-examined-in-lawmakers-bridge-probe.html
January 16, 2014
Oregonian Congressman (D) Earl Blumenhaur delivered a momentous speech in front of Congress yesterday during which he prophesied an impending shift in U.S. federal drug policy. The kind-eyed and even-keeled congressman proclaimed in a calm yet authoritative manner that the future is green:
The congressman’s weary frustration with the United States’ borderline schizophrenic drug policies is a symptom of the stagnant dialogue surrounding drug policy. The truth is staring the American public, and Earl Blumenhaur, in the face.
We’ve heard it all before: deplorable incarceration rates (5% of the worlds population and 25% of its prisoners), a thriving and highly destructive multi-national black market: the U.S. isn’t just losing the war on drugs, its consciously sustaining it. The largely privatized U.S. prison system and the FDA have grown into bureaucratic tumors as a result of our ineffective, half hearted attempt at prohibition. A change is coming, the real question is, “when?”
While his speech may seem like just another congressman blabbing in front of his grey haired co-workers, Earl Blumenhauer has a history of getting ahead of the curve. Earl was an early supporter of the 26th amendment responsible for lowering the voting age to 18. He also played a pivotal role in designing Portland Oregon’s state of the art public transportation system. He’s a proven catalyst for change, and it may be that one day we look back on this speech as a moment when the tide finally turned.
http://www.marijuana.com/news/2014/01/us-senator-federal-marijuana-legalization-will-happen-this-decade/
US Congressman: Federal MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION Will Happen This Decade
Oregonian Congressman (D) Earl Blumenhaur delivered a momentous speech in front of Congress yesterday during which he prophesied an impending shift in U.S. federal drug policy. The kind-eyed and even-keeled congressman proclaimed in a calm yet authoritative manner that the future is green:
“Sometime in this decade the U.S. will tax and regulate Marijuana,” “Our federal laws are frozen in time, but the American public has moved on… Majorities now say it should be legal, and even more say the federal government should not interfere with whatever state laws are in place.”
The congressman’s weary frustration with the United States’ borderline schizophrenic drug policies is a symptom of the stagnant dialogue surrounding drug policy. The truth is staring the American public, and Earl Blumenhaur, in the face.
We’ve heard it all before: deplorable incarceration rates (5% of the worlds population and 25% of its prisoners), a thriving and highly destructive multi-national black market: the U.S. isn’t just losing the war on drugs, its consciously sustaining it. The largely privatized U.S. prison system and the FDA have grown into bureaucratic tumors as a result of our ineffective, half hearted attempt at prohibition. A change is coming, the real question is, “when?”
While his speech may seem like just another congressman blabbing in front of his grey haired co-workers, Earl Blumenhauer has a history of getting ahead of the curve. Earl was an early supporter of the 26th amendment responsible for lowering the voting age to 18. He also played a pivotal role in designing Portland Oregon’s state of the art public transportation system. He’s a proven catalyst for change, and it may be that one day we look back on this speech as a moment when the tide finally turned.
http://www.marijuana.com/news/2014/01/us-senator-federal-marijuana-legalization-will-happen-this-decade/
January 16, 2014
Ushering in a new Nixonian Reich...............
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is no stranger to accusations of political bullying and backroom dealing like those at the heart of the bridge scandal. TPM has found one of the first times the brash political brawler faced such claims was in the mid-1980s when he was an undergrad at the University of Delaware. There, student newspaper archives show, Christie was accused of establishing a college political machine that rewarded his friends and drove his classmates out of student government. One fellow student even wrote to the paper to decry Christie's "cronyism" and question the legitimacy of the future governor's reign.
The accusations have have relevance anew now that the potential 2016 presidential contender is facing the biggest turmoil of his career with the uproar over the George Washington Bridge. Democrats in New Jersey have accused members of Christie's administration of using their power to close lanes on the bridge, causing a traffic jam in the town of Fort Lee, N.J. as revenge against the mayor there. Christie's office did not respond to a request for comment. Christie was voted president of the Delaware Undergraduate Student Congress in 1983, ahead of his senior year. He ran in the race on his own line, the Campus Action Party, which had a slate that featured his future wife, Mary Pat, running for DUSC secretary. In its May 10, 1983 issue, the campus newspaper, The Review, reported Christie's Campus Action Party "swept" the elections " capturing all six positions" in the student government body.
As president, The Review praised Christie for his efforts to expand the commencement ceremonies and establish a student activity fee. However, the paper also contained hints of the rougher side of his leadership. In April 1984, the race to succeed Christie began. Though he was leaving the school, Christie and his allies clearly maintained a firm grip on the student government. Christie's younger brother, Todd, was "chairman of the election committee," and his future wife, Mary Pat, ran to follow in Christie's footsteps as president. Mary Pat was unopposed. In an interview with The Review, she suggested other students were afraid to run against her because of Christie's strong record. "People might have looked at the success that we accomplished in this year and felt that the ticket was too strong to beat," said Mary Pat.
For his part, Christie expressed surprise his party went unopposed. "You could have blown me over with a feather when I found out no one was running," he told the paper. "We're not having an election this year, we're having a coronation."
In an interview after Mary Pat's victory, Christie characterized the lack of a challenger as a sign of "silent approval" for his administration. Though Christie and his future wife seemed to indicate the lack of opposition was beyond their control, others apparently felt there were more sinister forces behind their dominance. In a letter published in the April 27, 1984 issue of the review entitled "Christie cronyism," a self-described DUSC member named Richard Abbott suggested Christie's undemocratic tactics drove others away from student government.
cont'
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/chris-christie-college-political-machine
Christie Earned A Reputation As A POLITICAL BULLY Even In College
Ushering in a new Nixonian Reich...............
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is no stranger to accusations of political bullying and backroom dealing like those at the heart of the bridge scandal. TPM has found one of the first times the brash political brawler faced such claims was in the mid-1980s when he was an undergrad at the University of Delaware. There, student newspaper archives show, Christie was accused of establishing a college political machine that rewarded his friends and drove his classmates out of student government. One fellow student even wrote to the paper to decry Christie's "cronyism" and question the legitimacy of the future governor's reign.
The accusations have have relevance anew now that the potential 2016 presidential contender is facing the biggest turmoil of his career with the uproar over the George Washington Bridge. Democrats in New Jersey have accused members of Christie's administration of using their power to close lanes on the bridge, causing a traffic jam in the town of Fort Lee, N.J. as revenge against the mayor there. Christie's office did not respond to a request for comment. Christie was voted president of the Delaware Undergraduate Student Congress in 1983, ahead of his senior year. He ran in the race on his own line, the Campus Action Party, which had a slate that featured his future wife, Mary Pat, running for DUSC secretary. In its May 10, 1983 issue, the campus newspaper, The Review, reported Christie's Campus Action Party "swept" the elections " capturing all six positions" in the student government body.
As president, The Review praised Christie for his efforts to expand the commencement ceremonies and establish a student activity fee. However, the paper also contained hints of the rougher side of his leadership. In April 1984, the race to succeed Christie began. Though he was leaving the school, Christie and his allies clearly maintained a firm grip on the student government. Christie's younger brother, Todd, was "chairman of the election committee," and his future wife, Mary Pat, ran to follow in Christie's footsteps as president. Mary Pat was unopposed. In an interview with The Review, she suggested other students were afraid to run against her because of Christie's strong record. "People might have looked at the success that we accomplished in this year and felt that the ticket was too strong to beat," said Mary Pat.
For his part, Christie expressed surprise his party went unopposed. "You could have blown me over with a feather when I found out no one was running," he told the paper. "We're not having an election this year, we're having a coronation."
In an interview after Mary Pat's victory, Christie characterized the lack of a challenger as a sign of "silent approval" for his administration. Though Christie and his future wife seemed to indicate the lack of opposition was beyond their control, others apparently felt there were more sinister forces behind their dominance. In a letter published in the April 27, 1984 issue of the review entitled "Christie cronyism," a self-described DUSC member named Richard Abbott suggested Christie's undemocratic tactics drove others away from student government.
cont'
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/chris-christie-college-political-machine
January 16, 2014
POS..........
According to Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Darrell Issa has jeopardized the security of the ACA website by leaking sensitive Obamacare documents to unauthorized consultants.
Cummings wrote,
On several occasions since November, I have written to you to request that we meet to discuss the adoption of a bipartisan protocol to safeguard sensitive documents obtained during this investigation and to develop a responsible approach to making information public that the Committee determines is important to its investigation.
I also remain concerned with the unilateral release by your office of partial transcripts and select document excerpts to promote partisan narratives that often turn out to be inaccurate, particularly when these releases are not part of any official report, correspondence, or other Committee action. Not only is this a disservice to the American people and the goals we share, but it undermines the credibility and integrity of the Committee.
Another concern is the security of documents in the custody of the Committee. Currently, the Committee has no procedure governing the storage and handling of these sensitive documents. As a result, there have been two separate occasions last week when sensitive documents were left unattended in unlocked rooms accessible by the public. Although I understand that your office believes these documents are not sensitive, one was produced to the Committee in encrypted, password-protected format, and both were marked as sensitive documents that require special handling.
A third concern relates to providing access to sensitive information to individuals outside the Committee. In December, you stated that you intended to “consult carefully with non-conflicted experts to ensure no information is released that could further jeopardize the website’s security.” Several days later, you wrote a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services indicating that you had already begun this process, stating that you would “continue” consulting with outside security experts.
Based on your statements, it is unclear who these outside experts are, who they work for, and who they may be affiliated with, raising concerns about what they may do with the information. If they do not work for the government or any of its contractors, it is unclear what contractual or other restrictions they are under not to disclose this sensitive information further. There have been multiple reports about organizations and individuals who are deliberately targeting the Healthcare.gov website for malicious purposes. The risk that this information could get into the wrong hands increases dramatically as more individuals gain access to it, particularly when these individuals are under no obligation to safeguard it.
http://democrats.oversight.house.gov/press-releases/cummings-seeks-protocols-to-safeguard-sensitive-healthcaregov-documents/
Darrell Issa is leaking sensitive Obamacare documents to consultants that he refuses to name. Even more troubling is the fact that he will not disclose what the individuals intend to do with this information. Rep. Issa is not clearly not securing important documents, and making those documents available to parties that he refuses to identify. Given his partisan bent, it is a safe guess that this is all part of an attempt to destroy Obamacare.
Twice last week someone left sensitive documents unattended in an unlocked room that is accessible to the public. Why do you think someone would do that? Carelessness perhaps, but a more likely answer is that someone wanted those documents available to people who aren’t authorized to view them.
Rep. Cummings was correct. Issa’s behavior increases the possibility that hackers can get their hands on this sensitive information, which I suspect is exactly what Rep. Issa wants. Issa has abused his power as chairman of the House Oversight Committee from the moment that he took power. Rep. Issa’s one and only goal has always been to impeach President Obama.
cont'
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/01/15/darrell-issa-commits-treasonous-high-crime-leaking-sensitive-obamacare-documents.html
Darrell Issa Commits A TREASONOUS HIGH CRIME By LEAKING Sensitive Obamacare Documents
POS..........
According to Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Darrell Issa has jeopardized the security of the ACA website by leaking sensitive Obamacare documents to unauthorized consultants.
Cummings wrote,
On several occasions since November, I have written to you to request that we meet to discuss the adoption of a bipartisan protocol to safeguard sensitive documents obtained during this investigation and to develop a responsible approach to making information public that the Committee determines is important to its investigation.
I also remain concerned with the unilateral release by your office of partial transcripts and select document excerpts to promote partisan narratives that often turn out to be inaccurate, particularly when these releases are not part of any official report, correspondence, or other Committee action. Not only is this a disservice to the American people and the goals we share, but it undermines the credibility and integrity of the Committee.
Another concern is the security of documents in the custody of the Committee. Currently, the Committee has no procedure governing the storage and handling of these sensitive documents. As a result, there have been two separate occasions last week when sensitive documents were left unattended in unlocked rooms accessible by the public. Although I understand that your office believes these documents are not sensitive, one was produced to the Committee in encrypted, password-protected format, and both were marked as sensitive documents that require special handling.
A third concern relates to providing access to sensitive information to individuals outside the Committee. In December, you stated that you intended to “consult carefully with non-conflicted experts to ensure no information is released that could further jeopardize the website’s security.” Several days later, you wrote a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services indicating that you had already begun this process, stating that you would “continue” consulting with outside security experts.
Based on your statements, it is unclear who these outside experts are, who they work for, and who they may be affiliated with, raising concerns about what they may do with the information. If they do not work for the government or any of its contractors, it is unclear what contractual or other restrictions they are under not to disclose this sensitive information further. There have been multiple reports about organizations and individuals who are deliberately targeting the Healthcare.gov website for malicious purposes. The risk that this information could get into the wrong hands increases dramatically as more individuals gain access to it, particularly when these individuals are under no obligation to safeguard it.
http://democrats.oversight.house.gov/press-releases/cummings-seeks-protocols-to-safeguard-sensitive-healthcaregov-documents/
Darrell Issa is leaking sensitive Obamacare documents to consultants that he refuses to name. Even more troubling is the fact that he will not disclose what the individuals intend to do with this information. Rep. Issa is not clearly not securing important documents, and making those documents available to parties that he refuses to identify. Given his partisan bent, it is a safe guess that this is all part of an attempt to destroy Obamacare.
Twice last week someone left sensitive documents unattended in an unlocked room that is accessible to the public. Why do you think someone would do that? Carelessness perhaps, but a more likely answer is that someone wanted those documents available to people who aren’t authorized to view them.
Rep. Cummings was correct. Issa’s behavior increases the possibility that hackers can get their hands on this sensitive information, which I suspect is exactly what Rep. Issa wants. Issa has abused his power as chairman of the House Oversight Committee from the moment that he took power. Rep. Issa’s one and only goal has always been to impeach President Obama.
cont'
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/01/15/darrell-issa-commits-treasonous-high-crime-leaking-sensitive-obamacare-documents.html
January 15, 2014
The federal prosecutor who helped convict former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich of corruption was tapped Wednesday to investigate the apparent political payback scandal involving New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's administration. Former assistant U.S. Attorney Reid Schar will advise a legislative committee investigating a plot that shut down lanes to the George Washington Bridge for four days in September, causing massive traffic jams in the town of Fort Lee. The plot apparently was hatched as a political vendetta, possibly against the town's Democratic mayor for not endorsing the Republican governor's re-election. "A potential misuse of taxpayer resources for political purposes is a serious matter that requires an astute legal eye with experience in this realm to help guide the process," said Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, a Democrat.
Christie, a possible 2016 presidential candidate, has apologized and denied any knowledge of the plot's planning or execution. The scandal is the most serious threat to his political future so far, and four members of his circle have been fired or resigned. More subpoenas will be issued Thursday, after the Assembly formally votes to continue its investigation in the new legislative session, according to state Assemblyman John Wisniewski, who is heading a special committee leading the probe. The New Jersey Senate and U.S. attorney's office are conducting parallel inquiries.
"This started out as an investigation into the Port Authority operations and finances and has led us in the governor's office," said Wisniewski, referring to the agency that runs the bridge. He said the investigation has shifted focus with the release of subpoenaed emails, mostly from private accounts.
The documents show a since-fired Christie deputy unleashed the traffic shutdown with an email message, "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee." "Got it," replied the recipient, David Wildstein, a Christie associate who has since resigned from the Port Authority.
cont'
http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Blagojevich-Prosecutor-to-Lead-NJ-Scandal-Inquiry-240337511.html
Blagojevich Prosecutor To LEAD NJ SCANDAL INQUIRY
The federal prosecutor who helped convict former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich of corruption was tapped Wednesday to investigate the apparent political payback scandal involving New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's administration. Former assistant U.S. Attorney Reid Schar will advise a legislative committee investigating a plot that shut down lanes to the George Washington Bridge for four days in September, causing massive traffic jams in the town of Fort Lee. The plot apparently was hatched as a political vendetta, possibly against the town's Democratic mayor for not endorsing the Republican governor's re-election. "A potential misuse of taxpayer resources for political purposes is a serious matter that requires an astute legal eye with experience in this realm to help guide the process," said Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, a Democrat.
Christie, a possible 2016 presidential candidate, has apologized and denied any knowledge of the plot's planning or execution. The scandal is the most serious threat to his political future so far, and four members of his circle have been fired or resigned. More subpoenas will be issued Thursday, after the Assembly formally votes to continue its investigation in the new legislative session, according to state Assemblyman John Wisniewski, who is heading a special committee leading the probe. The New Jersey Senate and U.S. attorney's office are conducting parallel inquiries.
"This started out as an investigation into the Port Authority operations and finances and has led us in the governor's office," said Wisniewski, referring to the agency that runs the bridge. He said the investigation has shifted focus with the release of subpoenaed emails, mostly from private accounts.
The documents show a since-fired Christie deputy unleashed the traffic shutdown with an email message, "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee." "Got it," replied the recipient, David Wildstein, a Christie associate who has since resigned from the Port Authority.
cont'
http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Blagojevich-Prosecutor-to-Lead-NJ-Scandal-Inquiry-240337511.html
January 15, 2014
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/obama-personnel-announcement
Obama To Make Personnel Announcement At White House
President Barack Obama will make a personnel announcement at the White House on Wednesday afternoon, according to the White House.
The announcement is scheduled for 3:40 p.m. ET in the South Court Auditorium. No further details were provided.
The announcement is scheduled for 3:40 p.m. ET in the South Court Auditorium. No further details were provided.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/obama-personnel-announcement
Profile Information
Member since: Tue May 13, 2008, 03:07 AMNumber of posts: 14,923
