Visit Counter

Friday, May 22, 2015

Hillary Clinton’s Benghazi Emails Released by State Department - WSJ





You gotta love this: 

These are the "scrubbed" emails. Wonder what was in those she didn't want us to see? Notice the timing? Dumped on Friday going into Memorial Day.


At an impromptu news conference in Hampton, N.H., on Friday, Mrs. Clinton said she was "glad" that the emails are being released. 

"This is something that I've asked to be done… for a long time," she said. She defended her practices of using a private email server and account while at the State Department, and said the contents of her emails were handled "appropriately."

The Clinton servers in hyperdrive deleting emails prior to this announcement:



⬇️




---------------------------------------------------





 


By 

Byron Tau 

Updated May 22, 2015 2:02 p.m. ET 



The State Department Friday released emails it said that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent and received in the aftermath of the September 2012 attacks on an American diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya.

The department made public nearly 300 emails from Mrs. Clinton's time in office related to the attacks in which four Americans, including an ambassador, were killed. 

The emails offer a look at a seminal foreign policy crisis of Mrs. Clinton's tenure at the State Department, which came just weeks before the presidential election. Republican have charged that the Obama administration, including Mrs. Clinton, at first sought to play down the role of organized terrorist groups in the attack.

The records are part of a larger trove of about 55,000 pages Mrs. Clinton turned over to the State Department since leaving office. The entire set is being reviewed for public release, a process that a judge ruled this week couldn't be delayed until next year. The judge instead ordered the department to release the emails on a rolling basis.

The Obama administration said its intelligence initially suggested that the Benghazi attacks stemmed from a spontaneous demonstration sparked by an anti-Islam video made by an U.S. resident. Later evidence, the administration said, suggested members of the Ansar al Sharia militant group had planned the attack.


"The emails we release today do not change the essential facts or our understanding of the events before, during, or after the attacks, which have been known since the independent Accountability Review Board report on the Benghazi attacks was released almost 2½ years ago," said State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf in a statement.

The emails have threatened to become a major distraction in Mrs. Clinton's bid for the presidency. The documents come from a private email server maintained by Mrs. Clinton's staff, rather than a government system. That arrangement was legal, though discouraged, under Obama administration policy. A congressional committee is investigating why Mrs. Clinton used her own email server rather than government technology—and whether the archive she turned over to the State Department is complete.

The department made releasing the Benghazi emails a priority because they were already the subject of a congressional investigation into the 2012 attacks.

The Republican-led House Select Committee on Benghazi, led by Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, is now also probing Mrs. Clinton's email arrangement. 

On Friday, Mr. Gowdy said the emails were "self-selected" for release and reiterated his call for the former secretary to turn over her email server to the committee.

The "State Department transferred 300 messages exclusively reviewed and released by her own lawyers," he said. "These lawyers, it must be noted, owed and continue to owe a fiduciary responsibility to Secretary Clinton to protect her interests. To assume a self-selected public record is complete, when no one with a duty or responsibility to the public had the ability to take part in the selection, requires a leap in logic no impartial reviewer should be required to make and strains credibility."

Mrs. Clinton said earlier this year that she had wiped her server clean after turning more than 55,000 pages of relevant emails over to the State Department.

At an impromptu news conference in Hampton, N.H., on Friday, Mrs. Clinton said she was "glad" that the emails are being released.

"This is something that I've asked to be done… for a long time," she said. She defended her practices of using a private email server and account while at the State Department, and said the contents of her emails were handled "appropriately."






Share/Bookmark

Another fine example of subliminal media manipulation




'We all have skeletons in our closet': Commenters swamp Josh Duggar's Instagram account to DEFEND him after child molestation confession



Okay I never heard of Josh Duggar. Apparently he molested children when he was a teen and I'm certainly not trying to justify what this scumbag did. What bothers me is how they try to tie him to two Republicans who are running or about to run for president. I'm sure the Daily Mail thought publishing a photo of a child molester standing next to a possible Republican presidential nominee would just do wonders for his campaign image. Needn't bother reading the story. Just scroll down and find the pictures of him standing next to Cruz and Santorum. I guarantee you neither one knew anything about his past. I can also guarantee you they don't have any photos of Duggar standing next to Democrats because they were busy cutting the ribbon at the grand opening of abortion clinics throughout the country. 

An example of what I mean: 



Pelosi receiving the Margaret Sanger award.


Who is Margaret Sanger?


I for one could not believe she actually said this.
She did.


 BTW… the Family Research Council was founded by James Dobson a Republican.

I had to ask myself...Is Pelosi any less of a scumbag then Duggar?

--------------------------------------------------------



Josh Duggar, his parents and his wife Anna confirmed on Thursday allegations that he molested five young girls when he was 14 

After the admission, commenters started speaking out on the 19 Kids and Counting star's Instagram page

While many of the comments were critical of Josh, an almost equal amount defended the reality star and said they forgive him 

Police report reveals that Jim Bob and Michelle knew Josh molested five females in their sleep, 'touching their breasts and genitals' in 2002-03

Investigation began in 2006 when Oprah producers, who were interviewing the family, notified authorities after receiving an email detailing allegations

Josh reportedly apologized to the minors and they forgave him
19 Kinds and Counting is TLC's longest running show

By Dailymail.com Reporter 

Published: 23:05 EST, 21 May 2015 | Updated: 04:44 EST, 22 May 2015 





Just hours after 19 Kids and Counting star Josh Duggar admitted to molesting children, the married father-of-four's Instagram account was swamped with comments both condemning and forgiving the 27 year old. 

News of the sexual abuse broke this week when InTouch found a nearly decade-old police report detailing Josh's alleged misdeeds.

The Duggar family' squeaky-clean image came crashing down Thursday night when they confirmed the report's veracity in a statement.

'Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends,' Josh said in the statement issued to People. 

Scroll down for video 



Josh Duggar's Instagram account was flooded with both negative and positive comments on Thursday, after he issued a statement admitting to molesting five girls when he was 14. Pictured in the left bottom corner in the most recent picture posted to the account - a selfie with his enormous family



'Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends,' Josh said in the statement. Pictured above with his wife Anna in February



Many of the commenters on Instagram defended Josh, on the Christian principle of forgiveness. Above, a exchange between two Instagram users with very different opinions on the scandal above

Immediately afterwards, the eldest Duggar child's Instagram account became the platform for haters and defenders to argue over the sex scandal. 

The most recent picture was posted to Josh's account just two days ago and garnered will over 4,000 comments in the aftermath of the announcement. In the picture, Josh wears an orange polo shirt in a selfie with his parents and numerous siblings, who range in age from 5 to 25 years old. 

While many of the comments condemned Josh's lurid acts, there was a near equal amount of people who spoke out to support Josh. 

'Keep your head up Josh. I know you are a good man. We all have skeletons in our closet,' user wendigirl1 wrote. 

After one user called Josh 'worthless' and expressed a hope he would 'lost everything,' another user responded with a Christian-laced post.

THE DEFENDERS: 

'I pray you find God and accept his salvation before it's too late,' a user named maine4005 responded. 'We all stand before the judgement thrown one day. Using someone else's sins as justification for rejecting him will not be good enough. God bless you.'

In fact, most of the supporters references passages of the Bible, appearing to share the Duggar's Christian worldview.

Before the scandal, Josh had used his Instagram page to tout his conservative Christian principles - including a posts against abortion. 

THE CONDEMNERS: 


'You judge gays and women who get abortions and yet you're a sick incestuous pervert,' one woman responded to a post Josh posted to support an anti-abortion bill.

It was to post like these that several Christian users began repeating a popular Bible passage that lectures on judgement. 

'I'm not going to spend all evening on here trying to make people who will never understand, understand. So I'll leave y'all with this: John 8:7 "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone,"' user tayloroldham524 wrote.

Despite the onslaught of comments, Josh's Instagram account remained active as of late Thursday night. 

Earlier that afternoon, the family broke their silence on the scandal in a statement to People magazine, confirming that Josh had molested several young girls when he was a teen, and that both his parents and his wife Anna knew about it. 

Josh also resigned from his position at the DC conservative lobbying group as Executive Director on Thursday, a job he took in the summer of 2013, uprooting his wife and three young children in the process.

'Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends,' Josh, 27, said in a statement.



Despite his resignation, Josh Duggar's biography was still on the Family Research Council website late Thursday afternoon. He left his job at the conservative lobbying group after breaking his silence about the decade old molestation case



In DC: Josh, seen here with son Marcus and daughter Mackynzie, was photographed at the airport in Washington earlier this week after a trip to Arkansas

The police report that revealed the claims was redacted and did not include names of his victims, but it also contradicts some of what Josh said on Thursday


I sought forgiveness from those I had wronged and asked Christ to forgive me and come into my life. In my life today, I am so very thankful for God's grace, mercy and redemption. 

'I confessed this to my parents who took several steps to help me address the situation. We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing, and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling,' Josh said to People

'I understood that if I continued down this wrong road that I would end up ruining my life.'

TLC, which airs the hit show 19 Kids and Counting, has not commented. The previously cancelled Here Comes Honey Boo Boo after a child molestation scandal. 

It's no surprise the Duggar family chose People to break their silence, as the magazine has featured many Duggar stories on their covers, with Jessa and Jill syndicating photos of and giving interviews about their weddings and pregnancies to the weekly.

Josh's parents also issued a join statement to People, acknowledging the scandal but crediting it with making them more religious.

'Back 12 years ago our family went through one of the most difficult times of our lives,' Jim Bob, 49, and Michelle, 48, told People. 

'When Josh was a young teenager, he made some very bad mistakes, and we were shocked. We had tried to teach him right from wrong. That dark and difficult time caused us to seek God like never before.'



Claims: An unsealed police report reveals that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar (above) were aware of their son Josh's alleged molestation in 2002. According to the report they avoided reporting it to officials



The family shared this throwback photo from 2000 on their Facebook page recently. Josh, seen standing in the back row, molested young girls two and three years later

FULL STATEMENTS FROM THE DUGGAR FAMILY MEMBERS 


From Jim Bob and Michelle:

Back 12 years ago our family went through one of the most difficult times of our lives. When Josh was a young teenager, he made some very bad mistakes and we were shocked. We had tried to teach him right from wrong. That dark and difficult time caused us to seek God like never before. Even though we would never choose to go through something so terrible, each one of our family members drew closer to God. We pray that as people watch our lives they see that we are not a perfect family. We have challenges and struggles everyday. It is one of the reasons we treasure our faith so much because God's kindness and goodness and forgiveness are extended to us — even though we are so undeserving. We hope somehow the story of our journey — the good times and the difficult times — cause you to see the kindness of God and learn that He can bring you through anything.

From Josh:

Twelve years ago, as a young teenager I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends. I confessed this to my parents who took several steps to help me address the situation. We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling. I understood that if I continued down this wrong road that I would end up ruining my life. I sought forgiveness from those I had wronged and asked Christ to forgive me and come into my life. I would do anything to go back to those teen years and take different actions. In my life today, I am so very thankful for God's grace, mercy and redemption.

From Anna:

I can imagine the shock many of you are going through reading this. I remember feeling that same shock. It was not at the point of engagement, or after we were married - it was two years before Josh asked me to marry him. When my family and I first visited the Duggar Home, Josh shared his past teenage mistakes. I was surprised at his openness and humility and at the same time didn't know why he was sharing it. For Josh he wanted not just me but my parents to know who he really was - even every difficult past mistakes. At that point and over the next two years, Josh shared how the counseling he received changed his life as he continued to do what he was taught. And when you, our sweet fans, first met me when Josh asked me to marry him... I was able to say, "Yes" knowing who Josh really is - someone who had gone down a wrong path and had humbled himself before God and those whom he had offended. Someone who had received the help needed to change the direction of his life and do what is right. I want to say thank you to those who took time over a decade ago to help Josh in a time of crisis. Your investment changed his life from going down the wrong path to doing what is right. If it weren't for your help I would not be here as his wife — celebrating 6 1/2 years of marriage to a man who knows how to be a gentleman and treat a girl right. Thank you to all of you who tirelessly work with children in crisis, you are changing lives and I am forever grateful for all of you.

Their statement continues, 'Even though we would never choose to go through something so terrible, each one of our family members drew closer to God. '

After a few more sentences thanking religion in their lives and admitting they are not perfect, they end 'We hope somehow the story of our journey – the good times and the difficult times – cause you to see the kindness of God and learn that He can bring you through anything.'

However, other than a few months at a camp, it is unclear what counseling or help the family got. They also did nothing official to prevent a 2003 incident, which came after the parents were 

Most surprising of the statement released on Thursday was that from his pregnant wife Anna, currently expecting the couple's fourth child, who claimed she felt 'shock' when she first found out.

'When my family and I first visited the Duggar home, Josh shared his past teenage mistakes,' Anna, 26, told People. 

'I was surprised at his openness and humility and at the same time didn't know why he was sharing it. For Josh, he wanted not just me but my parents to know who he really was – even every difficult past mistakes.'

She also credits religion, saying her husband 'had humbled himself before God and those whom he had offended.'



Anna revealed that Josh told her about the molestation when they began courting, two years before they got married. They have been married over six years. She forgave him and her family was told too

However, the police report of Josh Duggar's alleged molestation reveals that incidents happened multiple times between the then-teenager and five girls, almost always while the minors were sleeping.

It also happened once when he was reading to a child. 

The Duggars have grown rich in recent years, traveling the country for paid speeches, publishing books about their family, and starring in never ending seasons of the TLC show.

The allegations are shocking, as is the lack of offical intervention on the part of Josh's parents. 

Both of his parents were aware of the situation but waited over a year to notify anyone in law enforcement, going at that time to see a family friend who was a trooper and did not file a report.

They had previously addressed it with a family meeting. 

They also revealed details of the incident to church elders who did not reach out to law enforcement. For years, nothing official was done, and the Duggars continued to have babies and Josh continued to live in the home, being homeschooled.

It was not until producers from The Oprah Winfrey Show, who were planning an interview with the family, received an email alerting them to the alleged molestation that an investigation began, this after the show reached out to the Department of Human Services.

That was in December of 2006, over four years after the first reported offense. That is the time period the police report, discovered by In Touch, game out

The police report and all other documents will now be destroyed after one of the victims successfully petitioned a judge on Thursday afternoon saying she was worried that an unredacted copy might be released.

TMZ reports the person was identified as 'Jane Doe.' 

The document states; 'The Police Report contains information, which may directly or indirectly identify the Movant as a victim of a sex crime, and Movant is a minor child.' 



The report, first uncovered by In Touch, named the Christian icon's eldest son in an underage sexual abuse probe. Josh met Anna at a home school conference





Lobbyist: Josh currently works for the Family Research Council, and frequently posts photos of himself with politicians (Rick Santorum on left, Ted Cruz on right)







Share/Bookmark

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

As a Republican I'm not terrified...




Just wondering if the First Lady weighs more then her husband.

Oh...and BTW I usually don't criticize Barry's family. But I'm really getting sick of hearing how health conscious and beautiful she is.





Now you know why her makeup artist makes $1500 bucks an hour.

---------------------------------------


Don't mess with Michelle! First Lady stars in new KICKBOXING video that is sure to terrify Republicans


Michelle Obama has made two-minute workout video and posted it online
Shows First Lady benching 35lbs weights and raining blows on punch bag
Suggesting five ways to keep healthy as part of her Let's Move campaign
Comes after Barack Obama uploaded his own video five days ago 


Published: 03:22 EST, 20 May 2015 | Updated: 04:50 EST, 20 May 2015

Michelle Obama has posted a workout video online that shows her pumping iron, crunching her abs with a medicine ball, and smacking a punch-bag with a roundhouse kick.

The two-minute clip shows Michelle in full workout gear in the gym with the family's personal trainer Cornell McClellan putting her through her paces. 

The First Lady tweeted the video to husband Barack Obama after the President posted his own film showing him going running in a suit and drinking water with Joe Biden in the Oval Office.




Michelle Obama responds to husband with #GimmeFive workout



Michelle Obama has posted a video of herself working out, including going a few rounds with a punching bag, as part of her keep fit campaign




The First Lady is shown being put through her paces by the family's personal trainer Cornell McClellan, as she delivers a solid-looking roundhouse kick



The video starts with Michelle jumping rope, which McClellan says is a 'low impact' exercise to help warm up, and assists with hand eye coordination.

The pair then move on to ab exercises with a medicine ball and 'explosive' bench squats, before Michelle grabs a set of weights for some chest presses - with an impressive 35lbs in each hand.

Then Michelle straps on a pair of blue boxing gloves for some 'fun' with a punching bag, with McClellan encouraging viewers to mix in a few kicks to keep things interesting.

Michelle is then shown delivering a neat two-punch combo before smacking the bag with a roundhouse kick.



Michelle tweeted the workout video to her husband five days after he uploaded his own video showing five ways he keeps healthy around the White House




Among the five ways Michelle says she like to keep fit is with boxing and incline chest presses (pictured) lifting a rather impressive 35lbs in each hand

The video is part of the First Lady's Let's Move campaign, which is aimed at inspiring children to get out and get active.

As part of the campaign, she has been asking celebrities and ordinary folk to 'Gimmie Five', meaning five way to keep fit and active.

Five days ago President Obama posted his own video on five ways he stays active, which includes jogging in his suit, and hosting 'walk and talk' meetings rather than sitting down.

Michelle's five exercises are slightly more demanding, including jumping rope, ab crunches with a medicine ball, bench squats, dumbell presses, and boxing.





As part of Michelle's Let's Move campaign, she has been encouraging people to share five ways they like to keep fit under the hastag Gimme Five




When Barack Obama shared his five ways to keep fit a week ago it attracted only a handful of retweets and likes, but Michelle's video easily surpassed that within just a few hours





Share/Bookmark

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's mother says US will burn 'in eternal flames' over Boston bomber's death sentence





When execution day arrives they ought to strap this freeloading witch along side her scumbag son.

--------------------------------------------------------



The mother of the man convicted of carrying out the Boston marathon bombing has sent a stream of ominous messages to friends in the wake of his death sentence.

(She actually has friends!)

Zubeidat Tsarnaeva has used WhatsApp messaging service to tell supporters of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev that the United States will burn “in the flames of an eternal and terrifying fire”.

It was reported that Tsarnaev’s mother sent the message to a friend and supporter, Zarina Kasenova, at the weekend in the wake of her son receiving the death penalty.

(If they haven't done so already maybe someone should look into who her "friends" really are)

According to CNN News, it is the first time since 9/11 that a federal prosecutor has won the death penalty in a terrorism case.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was sentenced to death for his part in the bombings, with all the charges against him relating to the second of two pressure-cooker bombs placed close to the finish line of the 2013 Boston marathon.

The messages were discovered on Russian social media, where supporters of Mr Tsarnaev have created a group to raise money for his defence.

Ms Tsarnaeva wrote: “Allah is the greatest. His decisions are the greatest. Inshaallah to him we belong and to him we will return.

“They think that they are killing us and they celebrate this, but we are the ones who will rejoice when Allah grants us the chance to behold them in the flames of an eternal and terrifying fire, an otherworldly flame, inshaallah.”

Responding to her son’s conviction in April, Ms Tsarnaeva told news website, Vocativ: “How can a mother feel whose son is in the claws of a predator preparing to tear him to pieces like meat?

“They will pay for my sons and the sons of Islam, permanently. The tears of their mothers will be fuel for them in Hell.”


No wonder her sons turned out the way they did.










Share/Bookmark

Monday, May 18, 2015

'Gruesome crime': Police say 9 dead after Texas biker gang brawl





I'm not a biker and had little interest in this story until I read what was going on at Twitter published by the Daily Mail.



Some took to Twitter to suggest that the way the bikers found at the scene were treated is evidence that US authorities are racist




For starters imagine these were Black motorcycle gangs and 9 of them were shot by white cops. Need I say more?





BTW...Notice how they substituted "skinhead" for biker to give it an added racial overtone since it was never used in this article or the one on the Daily Mail.


---------------------------------------------------------








Police said nine members of rival Texas motorcycle gangs were killed Sunday and 18 others were injured after a meeting to settle disputes over territory and recruitment degenerated into a brawl and shootout outside a Waco restaurant.


The violence erupted shortly after noon local time at a busy shopping center along Interstate 35 that was full of people, including families marking Baylor University's graduation this weekend. Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton told the Associated Press eight people died at the scene of the shooting at a Twin Peaks restaurant and another person died at a hospital.

Authorities said that all those killed and injured belonged to one of at least five biker gangs who had gathered at the restaurant. The injuries suffered by victims included stabbing and gunshot wounds, with some being treated for both. 

"This is probably one of the most gruesome crime scenes I've ever seen in my 34 years of law enforcement," Swanton said. "Within 25 feet there were families eating dinner ... I was amazed that we didn't have innocent civilians killed or injured."

Later Sunday, Swanton said that at least 100 people had been detained for questioning by police. It was not immediately clear if anyone had been charged. 

Preliminary findings indicate a dispute broke out in a bathroom, escalated to include knives and firearms and eventually spilled into the restaurant parking lot, Swanton said. There were 150 to 200 gang members inside the restaurant at the time. Shots were fired inside and outside the restaurant, he said.

Swanton described the interior of the restaurant after a Sunday night walk-through, saying it was littered with bullet casings, knives, a club, bodies and pools of blood. Authorities would be working the rest of the night to process the reams of evidence, he said.

The Dallas Morning News reported that chains, brass knuckles, and clubs were also used in addition to knives and guns.

Police were aware of the meeting in advance, Swanton said, and at least 12 Waco police officers in addition to state troopers were outside the restaurant, part of a national chain that features scantily clad waitresses, when the fight began. 

Swanton said that officers shot armed bikers, which he said may have prevented further deaths. It was not known if any of the nine dead were killed by police officers.

"We've been made aware in the past few months of rival biker gangs ... being here and causing issues," Swanton said. He said that the restaurant's operators also were aware of the meeting in advance, and he described the management as uncooperative with authorities in addressing concerns.

"Apparently the management (of Twin Peaks) wanted them here and so we didn't have any say-so on whether they could be here or not," Swanton said.

A statement sent Sunday night on behalf of Jay Patel, operating partner for the Waco franchise, said, "Our management team has had ongoing and positive communications with the police," and added that the restaurant was cooperating with the investigation.

Swanton addressed Patel's statement late Sunday night, calling it a "fabrication."

Rick Van Warner, a spokesman for the Dallas-based corporate franchisor, said the company is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the shooting and is "seriously considering revoking" the Waco location's franchise agreement.

Van Warner said he couldn't address what the franchise owners "did or didn't do leading up to this," but added that the company is "very upset that clearly our standards of safety and security were not upheld in this particular case," he said.

Doug Greeness, a biker from Belton, Texas, was near the scene Sunday evening. He said he's a member of a family riding club and was waiting for friends to be released from custody so he could return home.

Greeness, who was not inside the restaurant when the melee broke out, described the event as a meeting of a biker association called the Texas Confederation of Clubs and Independents. He said the group meets to "discuss issues within the biker community."

Officers with numerous law enforcement agencies were seen parked along the service road for I-35 near the city and were stationed in several points in downtown Waco around the local convention center. Swanton said authorities are increasing security in the area to prevent further violence among the gangs.

The Dallas Morning News reported that the hospital where most of the injured were taken was briefly sealed off by police in an effort to prevent the possibility of more violence. 

"You could not get into the entrance unless you were having a heart attack or having a baby or in an ambulance," one woman told the paper. Officers searched everyone entering the hospital for weapons and moved relatives of the injured bikers to a separate waiting area. 

Swanton told reporters that police had received information that more bikers were on their way to Waco late Sunday in response to the shootout. 

"I would encourage them not to [come here]," Swanton said. "Because we have plenty of space in our county jail."









Share/Bookmark