Will the grown-ups please report to the White House…..

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is postponing an award for an Egyptian activist who rallied worldwide attention against forced “virginity tests” on female protesters because of anti-American and anti-Semitic comments discovered on her Twitter account.

The State Department announced earlier this week that Samira Ibrahim would be among 10 recipients of the International Women of Courage award presented by Secretary of State John Kerry and first lady Michelle Obama on Friday.

But State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Thursday the U.S. would hold off on awarding Ibrahim while officials investigate the tweets, which include support for attacks against U.S. diplomatic installations and praise for a terrorist assault against Israeli citizens in Bulgaria. (more…)

Hmmm, lets see…. how long do you think it will take John Brennan to begin deleting the information about his breaking into the State Dept website, scrubbing passport documents and covering up travel history when he was Obama’s campaign advisor?… just wondering’.   More to the story here

WASHINGTON DC – Senator Rand Paul’s nearly 13 hour filibuster may have started a conversation about U.S. drone policy, but it didn’t stop John Brennan from becoming CIA director.

Senators voted to 63 – 34 to elevate President Obama’s top counter-terrorism adviser at the White House to lead the Central Intelligence Agency after Paul, R-Ky., dropped his opposition to a vote Thursday afternoon.

Paul had mounted the filibuster because he wanted assurances that the government would not target a non-combatant American citizen in the U.S. under the secret legal justification it uses to kill suspected terrorists overseas with armed drone strikes. (more…)

March 8th 2012 was a Thursday  –  It was also the the first “national press conference” organized by Ryan Julison, to introduce the Trayvon Martin story to the world. The visible press conference would serve as the launch pad for the Scheme Team story.

The previous evening Reuters had agreed to run the story as told by Trayvon Martin family attorney, Benjamin Crump, and family media consultant, Ryan Julison.

Today, March 8th, the media consultant’s goal was to put a visible face to the story.

The presser was held in Orlando, Florida. It was advertised in advance, and coordinated by Ryan Julison. The event showcased Trayvon’s father, Tracy Martin, and his girlfriend, Brandi Green. Cousin Stephen was also present holding a 5 year old picture of Trayvon from his Pop Warner football days.

In the days that followed girlfriend Brandi Green would be replaced in the family narrative by Trayvon’s mother Sybrina Fulton (who had not yet travelled to Sanford); But, in this initial presser, Brandi stood beside Tracy Martin. (Coincidently, unknown to both Brandi and Tracy at the time, Brandi was pregnant) Tracy’s then-current wife of 7 years, Alicia Martin, was never discussed, nor presented to the media. This helped the team fabricate a more public and media friendly image of a traditional family structure. (more…)

Use this thread as an open thread just for Zimmerman Case stuff. A place to just dump, collect, or discuss general information about the Trayvon Martin VS George Zimmerman Case.

“The sensationalized, fact-deficient coverage of this case has achieved the
desired results. The networks got their ratings. The politicians got their
talking points. And if it means innocent people get caught in the middle of the
racial enmity they’ve fomented, obviously it’s considered acceptable collateral
damage. Congratulations, geniuses. Job well done.” Jim Treacher, The DC Trawler

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Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

Copy of letter

This is why I hate some republicans only slightly less than progressives.

John McCain and Lindsey Graham Declared War on Rand Paul Today – Senator John McCain (R-AZ) took to the senate floor today and TRASHED Senator Rand Paul (R-KY). Sen. John McCain took the Senate floor on Thursday afternoon to respond to Sen. Rand Paul’s filibuster about drones — and made it abundantly clear that he does not in fact “stand with Rand.” Reading from the critical Wall Street Journal editorial urging Paul to “calm down,” McCain tore into Paul’s arguments.

(more…)

(By:  Jack Cashill)  The headline of the Orlando Sentinel on March 5 introduced a harsh note of  reality into the darkly comic opera the major media have been spinning around  the death of Trayvon Martin, “Lawyer: State’s main witness in George Zimmerman  murder case lied.”

That witness, Witness No. 8, Trayvon’s alleged 16-year-old sweetheart “Dee  Dee,” captivated the media when the story surfaced on March 20, 2012.

CNN covered it live. Anchor Kyra Phillips enthused about the “chilling new  perspective” added to the case by the testimony of this heartsick girl who was  on the phone with Trayvon when he was shot by George Zimmerman.

Phillips then introduced CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin.  Hostin had spoken  with a Martin family attorney and shared with the CNN audience what he had  learned. (more…)

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — There is no doubt who is responsible for the Newtown school massacre. The shooter is dead and the prosecutor handling the case has said he does not expect any charges.

Yet authorities are continuing to keep search warrants and police records secret. Media outlets have pressed for the release of more records, which could shed light on a crime that has revived the national debate over gun control and could change the way guns are regulated.

The massacre has led to proposals for universal background checks on gun buyers and bans on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. It also prompted reviews of school security and mental health care and led to proposed legislation in Connecticut that would forbid arcades and other establishments from allowing children under 18 to play point-and-shoot video games. (more…)