Pained, troubled and brave–those are the sentiments, turned adjectives, I would use to describe the word-image when reading the recently published book by Robert Zimmerman Sr.

Knowing the Zimmerman family found some form of understanding through the research we had compiled last year surrounding the entire scheme to arrest George Zimmerman is good. Reading the words of George’s father, Robert, we can grasp the feeling of being overwhelmed. ‘Fleas looking into the furnace of hate’ is how we visualized them last year.

The recent publication outlines that sense with profound affirmation.

As followers of this site will know by now, there was a time several months ago when all of my available options were exhausted. Our promise of intellectual honesty demanded we not pull punches, and speak the truth openly and directly regardless of consequence. But when it came to honest discussion of George’s legal counsel, Mark O’Mara, we knew the ground was precarious and filled with invisible land mines. Trepidations were overwhelming.

So reluctantly, out of fear of undermining George Zimmerman’s defense, and yet the need for a necessarily dictated honesty, we reached out to his Dad. (more…)

Story HERE

A U.S. military proposal for arming Syrian rebels also calls for a limited no-fly zone inside Syria that would be enforced from Jordanian territory to protect Syrian refugees and rebels who would train there, according to U.S. officials.  (link)

Let there be no doubt the Gang of Ocho has decided to give blanket amnesty, albeit with the customary bells and whistles of obfuscation, and refusing to secure the border.  By golly they’ve already got it all done and don’t need that pesky conservative stuff botching up the works.

WASHINGTON DC – Sen. Marco Rubio initially praised a border security proposal from Sen. John Cornyn, helping to make it the leading choice of conservatives demanding tighter enforcement measures.

Now others in the Gang of Eight fear Cornyn’s plan could sink their entire immigration deal.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is beginning to speak out forcefully against the Cornyn language, bombarding the Texas Republican with critical comments from the Senate floor. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is lobbying other Republicans on potential compromises. And Rubio, although he said Wednesday that the Cornyn plan “dramatically improves the bill,” is working on a package that others in the Gang of Eight hope could emerge as an alternative. (more…)

Hat Tip Sal Paradise – Typical Progs: When the Democrat Chairman of the NJ Law and Public Safety committee realizes the Gun control bill will not pass, he cancels the vote.

What’s wrong with this MSNBC screen shot?

Treeper Admin Stella has really done a remarkable job sharing articles about this entire NSA leaker issue.    Here are some links she shares which are some of the most engaging considerations and help to frame the various aspects for thought.

I’ll be the first to admit I’m just not up to speed on the various nuance surrounding this intelligence story.   I’m not at all OK with the NSA, or anyone else, collecting or storing information on private communication for *possible* use at another, albeit later, time.   It just strikes my gut as Big Brother with an agenda, not to mention a violation of the 4th amendment.

So back to the information articles that Stella is researching/sharing:

From Legal Insurrection: Edward Snowden, the now-former NSA contractor who leaked secret documents to The Washington Post and the Guardian, said he didn’t want to become the story.  “I don’t want public attention because I don’t want the story to be about me. I want it to be about what the US government is doing,” he told The Guardian.

But Edward Snowden dumped a bunch of documents, made a lot of claims, and then fled.  He’s the only one who can clarify or confirm the statements he’s made, or demonstrate his comprehension for what’s in the documents he leaked, and he’s made himself unavailable to do so. The public is trying to collect and digest all the facts, and some still have questions. (more…)

I’ve begun using the term usurpation to describe this administration, and the co-dependents/ willfully blind who support it.  

The NSA intelligence data mining is clearly unconstitutional under the 4th amendment.  The IRS targeting based on political ideology is also illegal and unconstitutional.   The Dept of Justice manipulating warrants (lying to judges) to gather phone records on AP reporters and Fox’s James Rosen is a clear usurpation of the 1st amendment.

Now the latest usurpation can be seen in the Obama administration using an Executive Order to create de-facto amnesty (XO-Dream Act);  And then to make matters worse – they stop the criminal background checks and ID requirements under such a program.  So anyone can enter the U.S. claim to be whoever they want, and no criminal background check will be done.

And the Congresscritters are worried about Terrorists benefitting from the NSA leaker?  How about they apply the same consideration (ie worry) about open borders without checks for those who cross them and then apply for Dream Act protections? (more…)

“Dubya would never have done this to us“…  Support/Approval for George W Bush now exceeds President Obama.

WASHINGTON DC – The FBI has dramatically increased its use of a controversial provision of the Patriot Act to secretly obtain a vast store of business records of U.S. citizens under President Barack Obama, according to recent Justice Department reports to Congress. The bureau filed 212 requests for such data to a national security court last year – a 1,000-percent increase from the number of such requests four years earlier, the reports show.

The FBI’s increased use of the Patriot Act’s “business records” provision — and the wide ranging scope of its requests — is getting new scrutiny in light of last week’s disclosure that that the provision was used to obtain a top-secret national security order requiring telecommunications companies to turn over records of millions of telephone calls.  (continue reading)

(more…)

Last week in response to the exploding controversy about the NSA leaks, and the revelations the NSA is tracking, monitoring, collecting and housing the personal communication of American citizens, President Obama said on Friday that “every member of congress is aware of the NSA intelligence gathering, and has been briefed”.

On its face that was an absurd statement. Patently false in construct. Which led to dozens of members of congress, both Democrats and Republicans, disputing such a claim by the administration. It was simply a blatantly false claim.

Today, when questioned about that specific false claim by President Obama, Jay Carney said this:

What: Audit the IRS Rally
When: Wednesday, June 19, 2013 from Noon – 2pm
Where: West Lawn of the US Capitol

WHY?