The Atheist Communist Caliphate Made Flesh, Spread the Clusterfuck Around Thread

[CT III]

It's time for your weekly ball-gargling update on how awesome Obama is doing. Or not.

Bad on transparency.

"My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government" -- Barack Obama, January 28, 2009

President Obama has embraced Bush administration justifications for denying public access to White House visitor logs even as advisers say they are reviewing the policy of keeping secret the official record of comings and goings.

Bad on "state secrets."

Yesterday, the Justice Department [in a case brought against Bush officials for illegal spying] embraced the argument that the state secrets privilege . . . should shut down any litigation against the National Security Agency for its arguably illegal warrantless surveillance program.

President Obama yesterday chose secrecy over disclosure, saying he will seek to block the court-ordered release of photographs depicting the abuse of detainees held by U.S. authorities abroad.

Bad on DOMA.

"DOMA Is Consistent with Equal Protection and Due Process Principles." This is important because it means that Obama wasn't content to simply argue, based on technicalities, that this case should be thrown out. He went out of his way to argue that DOMA is actually constitutional, and then went into detail destroying every single constitutional argument we have for opposing DOMA in court.

At least this is good. But I can't help but think it's meant as a distraction from the incest

ABC News has learned that tomorrow President Obama will sign a presidential memorandum extending benefits to the same-sex partners of gay and lesbian federal employees.

Now that's change I can believe in!

[MikeC]

New development in the Inspector General firing....he is senile!

http://hotair.com/archives/2009/06/17/obama-playing-hardball-on-walpin-as-key-dem-calls-foul/

Ahhhh smell that corruption in the White House. Hope and Change, Hope and Change.

[RV]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124473141538306335.html

Fuckers.  But remember, no new taxes on anyone making less than $250K.  Or something.

Looks like those FUCKERS have dropped their plan to soak Billy Bootstrap for using his car phone. I'll remain vigilant for news of any other perfidious stealth taxes.

The Obama administration asked Congress on Tuesday to repeal a widely ignored tax on the personal use of company cell phones after sparking an outcry last week when it sought ideas for enforcing the law.

[Eli]

Intrepid Reader: Mike C

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-viral-obama-swats-fly-story,0,3687720.htmlstory

Those dickchugging bastards. Why is this news?


*But seriously, why are there over 900 news results for this?

I guess anyone who thinks Obama wouldn't hurt a fly had better think again!  LOL!

[Quality Start Machine]

New development in the Inspector General firing....he is senile!

http://hotair.com/archives/2009/06/17/obama-playing-hardball-on-walpin-as-key-dem-calls-foul/

Ahhhh smell that corruption in the White House. Hope and Change, Hope and Change.

He would have gotten AWAY with it if the letter hadn't been sent to Obama cock-chuggers Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins.

[Brownie]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124473141538306335.html

Fuckers.  But remember, no new taxes on anyone making less than $250K.  Or something.

Looks like those FUCKERS have dropped their plan to soak Billy Bootstrap for using his car phone. I'll remain vigilant for news of any other perfidious stealth taxes.

The Obama administration asked Congress on Tuesday to repeal a widely ignored tax on the personal use of company cell phones after sparking an outcry last week when it sought ideas for enforcing the law.

Just watch inflation numbers over the next several months! Talk about a stealth tax! Wheeeeee!

[Quality Start Machine]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124473141538306335.html

Fuckers.  But remember, no new taxes on anyone making less than $250K.  Or something.

Looks like those FUCKERS have dropped their plan to soak Billy Bootstrap for using his car phone. I'll remain vigilant for news of any other perfidious stealth taxes.

The Obama administration asked Congress on Tuesday to repeal a widely ignored tax on the personal use of company cell phones after sparking an outcry last week when it sought ideas for enforcing the law.

Just watch inflation numbers over the next several months! Talk about a stealth tax! Wheeeeee!

the minute the first BAILOUT was announced, you had to know we'd see hyperinflation.

[RV]

FWIW, another perspective on the IG firing, pulled from Sacramento Bee articles on the story.

In April 2008, federal agents (meaning Walpin's IG office, it seems, though the reporting is unclear) began investigating the use of federal grant money by the St. HOPE Academy, a Sacramento non-profit then run by Johnson.

The following month, local law enforcement announced that no criminal case could be made against Johnson, but the federal probe continued.

In September, the federal probe was turned over to the U.S. attorney's office in Sacramento.

Later that month, Walpin, on behalf of CNCS, released the findings of the federal probe, which it appears he had led. Walpin found that St. HOPE had improperly used hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money, by using AmeriCorps volunteers to run errands for Johnson, wash his car, and do political work relating to a local school board race. Saying he had found "potential criminal violations," Walpin recommended that while the US attorney's office's investigation was ongoing, Johnson and another St. HOPE official be barred from receiving federal money. But as the Bee would later note in an editorial, "Walpin decided to act before any legal body determined whether irregularities in the administration of grants from 2004-2007 reflected inadvertent errors and ignorance of regulations or actual fraud."

Nonetheless, days later, a "debarment official" at CNCS followed up on Walpin's recommendation, taking the rare step of issuing a letter suspending Johnson and the other official from receiving federal funds. Walpin touted the news in "huge red headlines" on his IG website, according to the Bee.

US attorney McGregor Scott, a Bush appointee, announced that the investigation into the misuse of funds did not warrant criminal charges. Scott said he had asked Walpin's office to go back and conduct a line-by-line audit to help determine whether civil charges should be filed, implying that Walpin's probe had been insufficiently detailed.

In April, the US Attorney's office announced a settlement with Johnson, which would involve Johnson, St. HOPE, and the other official repaying over $400,000 in grants it received, and would allow him to again receive federal money.

That same month, the new acting US attorney, Lawrence Brown wrote a letter to a federal oversight body for inspectors general, asking it to review Walpin's work on the St. HOPE investigation. According to the AP, Brown wrote: "We also highlighted numerous questions and further investigation they needed to conduct, including the fact that they had not done an audit to establish how much AmeriCorps money was actually misspent."

So here's what it sounds like: Johnson and his non-profit ran a very loose operation, which deserved some kind of sanction. But Walpin's action -- in publicly suggesting, without much apparent evidence, that Johnson might have committed a crime, and having Johnson barred from receiving federal funds, ultimately jeopardizing the fortunes of the city as a whole after Johnson became mayor -- was out of all proportion to the wrongdoing.

[RV]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124473141538306335.html

Fuckers.  But remember, no new taxes on anyone making less than $250K.  Or something.

Looks like those FUCKERS have dropped their plan to soak Billy Bootstrap for using his car phone. I'll remain vigilant for news of any other perfidious stealth taxes.

The Obama administration asked Congress on Tuesday to repeal a widely ignored tax on the personal use of company cell phones after sparking an outcry last week when it sought ideas for enforcing the law.

Just watch inflation numbers over the next several months! Talk about a stealth tax! Wheeeeee!

Those pinkos at the Trib say inflation fears are overblown.

"To get inflation, you need plenty of money and plenty of demand," said Mairs and Power Balanced Fund manager William Frels. "There is plenty of money but not plenty of demand."

Chicago Federal Reserve Bank President Charles Evans said this week that he remains more concerned about the possibility of deflation than inflation, but he acknowledged that inflation is difficult to access until it has taken hold of the economy.

To avert inflation, Evans said, the Fed would need to pull back some of the supply of money in the system. That's a feat worrying some investors. But, he said, the Fed was creative with its rescue maneuvers and can be equally creative when unwinding them.

[Tank]

FWIW, another perspective on the IG firing, pulled from Sacramento Bee articles on the story.

In April 2008, federal agents (meaning Walpin's IG office, it seems, though the reporting is unclear) began investigating the use of federal grant money by the St. HOPE Academy, a Sacramento non-profit then run by Johnson.

The following month, local law enforcement announced that no criminal case could be made against Johnson, but the federal probe continued.

In September, the federal probe was turned over to the U.S. attorney's office in Sacramento.

Later that month, Walpin, on behalf of CNCS, released the findings of the federal probe, which it appears he had led. Walpin found that St. HOPE had improperly used hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money, by using AmeriCorps volunteers to run errands for Johnson, wash his car, and do political work relating to a local school board race. Saying he had found "potential criminal violations," Walpin recommended that while the US attorney's office's investigation was ongoing, Johnson and another St. HOPE official be barred from receiving federal money. But as the Bee would later note in an editorial, "Walpin decided to act before any legal body determined whether irregularities in the administration of grants from 2004-2007 reflected inadvertent errors and ignorance of regulations or actual fraud."

Nonetheless, days later, a "debarment official" at CNCS followed up on Walpin's recommendation, taking the rare step of issuing a letter suspending Johnson and the other official from receiving federal funds. Walpin touted the news in "huge red headlines" on his IG website, according to the Bee.

US attorney McGregor Scott, a Bush appointee, announced that the investigation into the misuse of funds did not warrant criminal charges. Scott said he had asked Walpin's office to go back and conduct a line-by-line audit to help determine whether civil charges should be filed, implying that Walpin's probe had been insufficiently detailed.

In April, the US Attorney's office announced a settlement with Johnson, which would involve Johnson, St. HOPE, and the other official repaying over $400,000 in grants it received, and would allow him to again receive federal money.

That same month, the new acting US attorney, Lawrence Brown wrote a letter to a federal oversight body for inspectors general, asking it to review Walpin's work on the St. HOPE investigation. According to the AP, Brown wrote: "We also highlighted numerous questions and further investigation they needed to conduct, including the fact that they had not done an audit to establish how much AmeriCorps money was actually misspent."

So here's what it sounds like: Johnson and his non-profit ran a very loose operation, which deserved some kind of sanction. But Walpin's action -- in publicly suggesting, without much apparent evidence, that Johnson might have committed a crime, and having Johnson barred from receiving federal funds, ultimately jeopardizing the fortunes of the city as a whole after Johnson became mayor -- was out of all proportion to the wrongdoing.

Intrepid Reader: Five Days Ago

Hi.

[Brownie]

1. I agree with Fork. TARP (and the host of other bailouts in 2008) helpe prime the pump. However, neither Geithner, nor the Fed, nor Congress, nor Obama have done much to curb the spending. Instead, he's proposing new spending.

2. Right now, everyone's squirreling away their money. It's best to put your $$ in hard assets now. I'm certain we'll see inflation near 10 percent in the next couple years.

But sure, nothing to see here.

[Quality Start Machine]

1. I agree with Fork. TARP (and the host of other bailouts in 2008) helpe prime the pump. However, neither Geithner, nor the Fed, nor Congress, nor Obama have done much to curb the spending. Instead, he's proposing new spending.

2. Right now, everyone's squirreling away their money. It's best to put your $$ in hard assets now. I'm certain we'll see inflation near 10 percent in the next couple years.

But sure, nothing to see here.

I, for one, am squirrelling like a motherfucker.

Everyone, refi now if you can. You'll get over like a fat fucking rat.

[Brownie]

I, for one, am squirrelling like a motherfucker.

Everyone, refi now if you can. You'll get over like a fat fucking rat.

This.

[Tank]

It's best to put your $$ in hard assets now.

Hard assets like bus parts?

[Brownie]

It's best to put your $$ in hard assets now.

Hard assets like bus parts?

Sure.