Yogi got it right..."It's deja vu all over again"

Senior IRS manager invokes Fifth Amendment right before House committee

This is a joke. Plead the 5th, give the committee a smirk, and say adios. Issa and the rest of his incompetents ought to be investigated for their investigation which has no bark let alone bite.

This is the world of (PC) in which we live. Sad to say his actions won't bring him down, but using the terms "Paging Dr. Faggot." and "Queerbait" may get him fired instead of going to jail for awarding the largest IRS contract in history to a friend that is prohibited under government contracting regulations.

People who work for the government and pleading the 5th just ain't getting it.

They are crooks and should be held accountable.

For the second time in as many months, a senior IRS manager on Wednesday invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination, fueling perceptions of an agency in crisis.

Greg Roseman, a Deputy IRS Director, spearheaded the awarding of the IRS's largest contract in history to a company owned by a close friend of his, an action that is prohibited under government contracting regulations.

The company is Strong Castle, Inc., owned by Braulio Castillo. Castillo won several contracts totaling almost $500 million for IRS IT services in part on the basis of his friendship with Roseman and by qualifying for two minority programs that allow disadvantaged applicants a better chance of winning lucrative government contracts.

Castillo qualified for one minority set-aside program by setting up his business in a disadvantaged area of northeast Washington D.C. The Small Business Administration program requires applicants to hire from within the economically disadvantaged community, but a House Oversight Committee report found that Castillo manipulated that requirement by hiring students from Catholic University. The school's campus lies within the designated boundary, but its students are, on balance, far from disadvantaged.

He won entrance into another minority set-aside program run by the Veterans Administration that gives disabled vets certain advantages in federal contracting. His disability? An ankle twisted during football at the US Military Academy Prep School 27 years ago.

That prompted a sarcastic reaction at Wednesday's House Oversight Committee hearing from a double amputee, Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq war vet. "I'm so glad that you would be willing to play football in prep school again to protect this great country. Shame on you, Mr. Castillo, shame on you," she said.

As evidence of their close friendship, the committee published text messages between Roseman and Castillo. The two men apparently found kinship in using homophobic slurs. One exchange reads, "Paging Dr. Faggot." The response reads, "Queerbait. How come u haven't called back? Ain't got all day. Lol."

Roseman is still employed by the IRS. That fact prompted a testy exchange between Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., and Beth Tucker, the IRS's Deputy Commissioner for Operations Support.

"Can you issue a statement by five o'clock today as to how someone who used this language in their official capacity as a government employee is still employed and drawing a paycheck?" Gowdy asked. "We are having discussions with our general counsel," Tucker responded.

On Friday, there will be more IRS focus on the Hill. The committee will vote whether it believes Lois Lerner waived her fifth amendment rights against self-incrimination when she invoked that right, then abruptly proclaimed her innocence. It was a maneuver that some on the panel say amounted to waiving the right.

Yogi got it right..."It's deja vu all over again"

Another can of worms

Now they are using drones for additional surveillance creating an even bigger invasion on our privacy. Mueller said the agency uses them "in a very, very minimal way, very seldom." That's what they said about the Patriot Act. Now look where we are.

Next they'll be knocking on your door wanting your finger prints and a DNA sample under the pretense "its for your own good". Forget about cameras inside your home… They are inside your head! In real time they track your emails as you type, which means they literally have become a partner in your thought process.

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4th Amendment

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

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They listen to your phone calls. Don't believe that court order crap.

They track your emails in real time.

Now they're flying overhead with drones.

And for added peace of mind and tranquility the IRS will be in charge of your medical records when Obamacare is fully implemented.

"secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects" In my opinion we're not "secure" anywhere....…anymore.

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FBI Chief: Surveillance Drones Used in U.S.

By Devlin Barrett

Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Robert Mueller testifies during a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee June 13, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington.

The head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation acknowledged Wednesday that his agency uses drones to conduct surveillance in the United States, but said it does so rarely.

Asked about drones at a Senate hearing, FBI director Robert Mueller said the agency uses them "in a very, very minimal way, very seldom."

Federal agencies have been using drones for years to monitor the northern and southern borders of the U.S., and those drones have occasionally been deployed to help domestic law-enforcement agencies like the FBI.

The use of such drones is politically charged and civil-rights advocates say there are no clear privacy rules governing their use.

FBI hostage negotiators used surveillance drones during a standoff earlier this year with an Alabama man who had taken a boy hostage inside a makeshift underground bunker.

Asked by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) about what privacy protections are used in deploying drones and storing the images they collect, Mr. Mueller said their use was narrowly focused on specific incidents.

"It's very seldom used and generally used in a particular incident when you need the capability,'' said Mr. Mueller, who said he wasn't sure what becomes of the images recorded by such drones. "It is very narrowly focused on particularized cases and particularized needs.''

He added: "There are a number of issues related to drones that are going to have to be debated." One area that needs to be explored, he said, was how long-established guidelines on helicopter surveillance should be adopted or altered to cover unmanned drone surveillance. "It's worthy of debate and perhaps legislation down the road,'' said Mr. Mueller.

Mr. Mueller spent Wednesday morning testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee for what is likely to be his last time as FBI director. His term expires in September, and President Barack Obama is expected to nominate former Bush administration official James Comey to succeed him.

Another can of worms

Don't be scared I only do it because I care

She kind of grows on you.

(If video won't load click post title)

Video 35

Don't be scared I only do it because I care

Sequestration...that's for the little guy

When Barry was asked where the money was coming from for his $100 million 1 week African trip he said, "From the money Janet saved when she released the illegals from jail."

So you see its really not costing us a dime, its like only 1,350 weeks of WH tours. Besides what's more important, America... or the bliss and contentment of Barry and his brood? 

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Costly Obama family trip to Africa under fire amid sequester cuts

President Obama's trip this month to Africa, with the first family tagging along, is projected to cost taxpayers as much as $100 million, sparking criticism as the federal government scrimps along during sequester-related budget cuts.

(This is staggering)

Among the related costs will be fighter jets; hundreds of Secret Service agents; a Navy ship with a full trauma center; and military cargo planes to bring 56 vehicles including 14 limousines and three trucks loaded with sheets of bullet­proof glass to cover the windows of the hotels where the first family will stay. The details were reported by The Washington Post, based on a confidential planning document.

The trip to sub-Sahara Africa runs from June 26 to July 3.

(All this for a weeks vacation? He couldn't have went to Kennebunkport!)

The president and first lady have cancelled plans to go on a safari that would have included the additional expense of a sharp-shooting team, responsible for putting down a cheetah, lion or any other wild animal that became a threat.

That's a shame

Figuring out the exact cost of the overall trip is difficult because the information is classified for the purpose of national security.

(Although if you call 1-800-Snowden he can give you the cost right down to the penny)

However, a Government Accountability Office report shows President Clinton's 1998 trip to six African nations cost at least $42.7 million – not including Secret Service expenses.

(The other expenses were a room for Monica, Jennifer, and Paula)

Obama's trip could cost the federal government $60 million to $100 million based on the costs of similar African trips in recent years, a person familiar with the Obama journey but not authorized to speak for attribution told The Post.

The trip comes as agencies across the federal government try to find cost-saving measures to deal with the massive, across-the-board budget cuts known as sequester, which kicked in this year after Washington lawmakers failed to agree on a more measured approach. The Secret Service, for example, pushed to cancel public White House tours to save thousands in weekly overtime expenses.

"For the cost of this trip to Africa, you could have 1,350 weeks of White House tours," Rep. George Holding, a North Carolina Republican, said last week. "It is no secret that we need to rein in government spending, and the Obama administration has regularly and repeatedly shown a lack of judgment for when and where to make cuts. … The American people have had enough of the frivolous and careless spending."

The White House had defended the trip cost saying the Secret Service plan determines the security cost and that first family's trip will result in long-term goodwill. 

"The infrastructure that accompanies the president's travels is beyond our control," said Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser for strategic communications. "When you travel to regions like Africa that don't get a lot of presidential attention, you tend to have very long-standing and long-running impact from the visit."

(Right...that's why the American taxpayer has to pay for bullet­proof glass to cover the windows of the hotels)

Sequestration...that's for the little guy

OJ and the Obama Scandals...I mean Sandals

In the recent groundswell of scandals Issa and his crew do not seem to being doing a very good job of prosecuting the criminals. Their smart-ass condescending answers don't seem to piss off Issa like they do me. The only true test of achievement is result and so far I haven’t seen any. Lois Lerner and now Holly Paz among others are on “ paid administrated leave”. It seems the SOP for this administration is if you are found guilty of a crime, or about to be, the punitive action is a paid vacation. Maybe they got Scandals mixed up with Sandals. In fact there are so many IRS agents on "vacation"  Sandals had to whip out the no vacancy sign.

You name the scandal, and I don’t care which one, and there are many, no one has paid a price. Barry's solution is to simply ignore the plethora of scandals (you can do that if you're a Democratic president). Worked out fine in the past like the Fast & Furious case... lying and stonewalling it to death. The ace in the hole for him and his administration is the go to catch phrase “I don’t know anything”, and sooner or later it goes away like a puff of cigarette smoke. 

Issa better get on the stick if really wants to get to the bottom of this. If we employed his questioning tactics and resolve and applied it to the OJ murder trial it would have went down something like this: 

OJ and the Obama Scandals...I mean Sandals