Haiti faces long wait for results of presidential election

The reason it takes a while is for the payoffs to reach the benefiting parties. In some circles this is referred to as "political turbulence". Why? Because it sounds better than they are just... out-and-out-crooks.


http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/01/pictures/150112-haiti-earthquake-pictures-photos-port-au-prince/

After gazillions of dollars were pumped into the country.

Where did the money go?

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(Maybe 2 out of the 54 running are not crooks)

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Voting appeared orderly and largely peaceful in presidential and parliamentary elections that Haitians hope will help consolidate democracy in this impoverished country with a history of political turbulence.

Fears that Sunday’s voting would be a repeat of the problem-plagued first-round of legislative elections proved unfounded, human rights observers said. Celso Amorim, chief of the Organization of American States’ 125-member observer mission, said Haiti appeared to be “moving in the right direction.”

Haitians faced lengthy ballots featuring 54 presidential hopefuls and a slew of legislative and municipal candidates. Electoral officials said there might be partial results in 10 days but final results would not be ready until late November.

The presidential field was so crowded and confusing that there was little clarity about who might have been the leading contenders. Pre-election polls were unreliable and contradictory.

Whoever wins the almost inevitable Dec. 27 presidential runoff will face numerous challenges, including spurring Haiti’s chronically sputtering economy and weaning it off dependence on foreign aid donors, who are largely funding this year’s roughly $70 million three-round electoral process.

Despite the relatively orderly voting across the nation of some 10 million people, there were some logistical problems. Officials said there were roughly 70 arrests for various irregularities. Four polling stations were affected in areas of northern Haiti after ballots were burned, said Mosler Georges, executive director of the Provisional Electoral Council.

At a voting center in Port-au-Prince’s Martissant slum, an elections supervisor yelled at dozens of people trying to force their way in. “No voting two times!” People shouted back that they were being prevented from voting once.

“I’m here to vote, and they are trying to stop me,” complained Varnel Polycard, a vendor of phone chargers who walked away fuming.

While the gritty district of Cite Soleil suffered from pre-election violence, it appeared to have the busiest voting centers in the Port-au-Prince area even in an atmosphere weighted with anxiety.

“Nothing can scare me from trying to see my country develop and see if Haiti can get better for my grandchildren,” Rosianne Jean said after casting her votes at a school in the deeply poor area of shacks and garbage-lined canals.

The continuing appeal of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was on display as over 1,500 people greeted him when he arrived at a voting center near his home, many chanting “Aristide is our blood.” He was accompanied Fanmi Lavalas party candidate Maryse Narcisse, but some in the crowd said they were backing ex-Sen. Moise Jean-Charles.

Among the best-known names on the presidential ballot was Jude Celestin, a former head of the state-run construction company who was the government-backed candidate in the 2010 race. That time, he was eliminated from a runoff after his reported second-place finish was challenged by foreign observers who complained of irregularities.

Others included outgoing President Michel Martelly’s pick, Jovenel Moise, a political newcomer, and Jean-Charles, a sharp critic of Martelly who brands himself the voice for Haiti’s poor and disenfranchised.

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David McFadden on Twitter: http://twitter.com/dmcfadd

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Haiti faces long wait for results of presidential election

DOJ closes IRS investigation with no charges

 On a tip from Ed Kilbane

In summary:

 "poor management is not a crime," Assistant Attorney General Peter Kadzik said in the letter.

Did you really expect anything else?

Lie after lie, deleted emails, “two low level rogue employees in Cincinnati”, simultaneous hard drive crashes, people pleading the 5th equals poor management... the same way Ft Hood was workplace violence.

They string this shit out for so long most people lose interest especially when they are proven guilty yet nothing ever happens. Who do you think Lynch and Holder are beholden too? According to Judge Napolitano congress had the ability to bypass the DOJ with a Special Prosecutor of their choosing and decided not to. Do you think the truth about Bill and Monica would have ever come out if it wasn’t for Ken Starr? 

On another note McCarthy’s dumbass statement about the Benghazi scandal put new wind in Hillary’s sails. She is viewed by some as being persecuted not prosecuted. As a friend pointed out less than 24 hours after the Benghazi attack she sent emails to her family as well as the President of Egypt calling it… an “Al-Qaeda like terrorist attack” with no mention of the video. Then she goes on TV with this. 

Video 165

A BLATANT lie probably forced upon her by Barry’s crew to salvage his re-election. They could give this bitch a lie detector test, flunks worse than OJ, and she'd still be the nominee!

Got to give the Democrats their due. You don't need a mop when you got Republicans. 

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Washington (CNN)The Justice Department notified members of Congress on Friday that it is closing its two-year investigation into whether the IRS improperly targeted the tea party and other conservative groups.

There will be no charges against former IRS official Lois Lerner or anyone else at the agency, the Justice Department said in a letter.

The probe found "substantial evidence of mismanagement, poor judgment and institutional inertia leading to the belief by many tax-exempt applicants that the IRS targeted them based on their political viewpoints. But poor management is not a crime," Assistant Attorney General Peter Kadzik said in the letter.

The IRS scandal exploded in May 2013 when Lerner answered a planted question at an American Bar Association event and apologized for inappropriately scrutinizing some groups applying for a tax exemption. Her response fueled a full-on scandal within hours that shook the Obama administration. Congressional hearings were held within weeks and the interim leader of the IRS was forced from office.

The IRS mishandled the processing of tax-exempt applications in a manner that disproportionately impacted applicants affiliated with the tea party and similar groups, leaving the appearance that the IRS's conduct was motivated by political, discriminatory, corrupt, or other inappropriate motives.

The IRS, which has a broad mandate ranging from tax collection to the implementation of key Obamacare provisions, has struggled to recover from the scandal. Obama nominated John Koskinen, a well-known turnaround manager, to run the agency.

Kadzik found "no evidence" to support a criminal prosecution.

"We found no evidence that any IRS official acted based on political, discriminatory, corrupt, or other inappropriate motives that would support a criminal prosecution," Kadzik said. "We also found no evidence that any official involved in the handling of tax-exempt applications or IRS leadership attempted to obstruct justice. Based on the evidence developed in this investigation and the recommendation of experienced career prosecutors and supervising attorneys at the department, we are closing our investigation and will not seek any criminal charges."

Democrats welcomed the announcement. 

"Today, the Justice Department confirmed the same conclusions we had years ago," Rep. Elijah Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement. "Over the past five years, Republicans in the House of Representatives have squandered literally tens of millions of dollars going down all kinds of investigative rabbit holes -- IRS, Planned Parenthood, Benghazi -- with absolutely no evidence of illegal activity."

But former House Oversight Committee chairman Darrell Issa, R-California, said the DOJ's decision gives the impression that "government officials are above the law."

"The Justice Department's decision to close the IRS targeting investigation without a single charge or prosecution is a low point of accountability in an administration that is better known for punishing whistleblowers than the abuse and misconduct they expose," Issa said in a statement. "After stating that their investigation confirms that tea party and conservative groups were improperly targeted, they dismiss it merely as a byproduct of gross mismanagement and incompetence -- ignoring volumes of evidence in the public record and efforts to obstruct legitimate inquires."

And Rep. Paul Ryan, the chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means committee and the likely successor to outgoing House Speaker John Boehner, called the DOJ's announcement "predictable" and said his committee will continue its investigation into the IRS's actions. 

"Through these investigations we have uncovered serious and unprecedented actions taken by the most senior IRS official in charge of the non-profit unit, Lois Lerner, to deprive conservative organizations of their constitutional rights," Ryan said in a statement. "Despite the DOJ closing its investigation, the Ways and Means Committee will continue to find answers and hold the IRS accountable for its actions."

DOJ closes IRS investigation with no charges

Sometimes it makes you wonder what orifice the baby comes out of

Sometimes it makes you wonder what orifice the baby comes out of

Thousands rally at German protest against refugees, Islam

A protestor waves a German flag as he attends a demonstration of PEGIDA (Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West) in front of the Semperoper, Dresden's famous opera house, in Dresden, Germany, Monday, Oct. 12, 2015. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) (The Associated Press)

DRESDEN, Germany – Thousands of people have taken part in a protest organized by the anti-Islam group PEGIDA, almost one year after it held its first rally in the eastern German city of Dresden.

Police declined to provide a crowd count for Monday's protest, which passed peacefully. An AP reporter estimated the crowd at about 7,000-8,000.

Speakers including PEGIDA co-founder Lutz Bachmann denounced the German government's decision to allow more than half a million refugees into the country.

During the rally many protesters called for refugees to be expelled.

PEGIDA, the German acronym for "Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West," has seen a fresh rise in support but rallies remain smaller than its peak of 25,000 in January.

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And why are crowds smaller? Because at the current pace of invasion the influx of Muslims may someday outnumber the Germans. At the very least they'll put a severe dent in the German lifestyle.

This is sad but true. Remember this dead child? 

Had he lived 14 years later.

Thousands rally at German protest against refugees, Islam

Like he had a snowball's chance in hell

Vice President Joe Biden will not run for president

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on today he would not run for president in 2016, ending months of suspense and easing Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton's path to the party's nomination.

Biden, who had been pondering a run since August, appeared in the White House Rose Garden with his wife Jill and President Barack Obama to say the window for mounting a successful campaign had closed.

"While I will not be a candidate, I will not be silent," Biden told reporters. "I intend to speak out clearly and forcefully to influence as much as I can where we stand as a party and where we need to go as a nation," Biden said. Ed Henry interjected, "Since you won't remain silent how many letters are there in the word jobs?" He looked at his wife for guidance. She came through holding up 4 fingers.

Guess we're going to miss the gaffes and those "awkward moments".

Like he had a snowball's chance in hell