Imperial Presidency

Sequestration Pain: Biden Loses $13,200 Weekly Free 100-Mile Flight Home

"Anyway, he feels our pain. Well, not ours, exactly, but the pain of federal employees who are being asked to tighten their 54-inch belts. Is there fat in the federal budget? Lots of it. Is sequestration going to force the federal government on a diet? From three Twinkies a day to 2.9, maybe. The fun thing is the entertainment value. There will be media-worthy tidbits as choice as Biden’s plane grounding. We will get to see how the elite in Washington live at our expense. Their lifestyle is not ours. Their pain in sequestration is not ours. Their lifetime security is not ours. Their access to the perks of office are not ours. Then what is ours? Their bills." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSequestration Pain: Biden Loses $13,200 Weekly Free 100-Mile Flight Home

Reports indicate CIA helping Syria rebels obtain arms and intelligence

"The US Central Intelligence Agency has been feeding information to select rebel fighters in Syria to try to make them more effective against government troops, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. Citing unnamed current and former US officials, the newspaper said the new CIA effort reflected a change in the administration’s approach that aims to strengthen secular rebel fighters. The CIA has sent officers to Turkey to help vet rebels who receive arms shipments from Gulf allies, the report said. But administration officials cited concerns about some weapons going to Islamists, the paper noted." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingReports indicate CIA helping Syria rebels obtain arms and intelligence

Obama: U.S. will provide Jordan with $200 million aid package for Syrian refugees

"President Barack Obama says his administration is working with Congress to provide Jordan with an additional $200 million in aid this year. He made the announcement during a news conference in Amman, Jordan, with King Abdullah II. Jordan’s economic troubles have been made worse by the influx of more than 450,000 refugees fleeing the civil war across the border in neighboring Syria. The Syrians are crowding refugee camps in Jordan and overwhelming aid agencies run by the important U.S. ally in the Middle East." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama: U.S. will provide Jordan with $200 million aid package for Syrian refugees

Joe Biden runs up bill of $585,000 in taxpayer funds for just ONE NIGHT in five-star Paris hotel

"Paris may be known as the City of Light, but that title certainly doesn’t mean that visitors are light on spending as Vice President Joe Biden’s one day trip cost taxpayers more than half a million dollars. When Mr Biden and his hefty entourage stayed in Paris for an evening in early February and it cost $585,000.50 for that single night. The Vice President likely rented out more than 100 rooms in the Hotel Intercontinental Paris Le Grand, though they must not have gotten a group discount rate." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJoe Biden runs up bill of $585,000 in taxpayer funds for just ONE NIGHT in five-star Paris hotel

Obama stripping CIA of drone powers

"President Barack Obama is putting the finishing touches on a deal to strip the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of its control over the nation’s drone aircraft, putting that offensive military capability in the hands of the Department of Defense, The Daily Beast reported Wednesday. Citing three unnamed senior officials as his source, reporter Daniel Klaidman explained that the transition would take place over the course of a year, during which time the CIA would still be involved in marking targets for drone strikes and working alongside their Department of Defense counterparts." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama stripping CIA of drone powers

Now the CIA Wants Unlimited Access To Your Financial Records

"According to a new plan unveiled by the U.S. Treasury Department, the Obama administration is now seeking authorization to provide all U.S. spy agencies with unlimited access to a massive database containing financial data on virtually every American citizen who uses the banking system. Access to this sensitive financial data has been available to the Federal Bureau of Investigation since the tragic events of 9/11. Now, the Obama administration wants to provide access to this vast database with even more U.S. intelligence agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNow the CIA Wants Unlimited Access To Your Financial Records

South Carolina Introduces Anti-NDAA Legislation

"South Carolina Senator Tom Davis has sponsored the Liberty Preservation Act to nullify the National Defense Authorization Act. The bill addresses the fact that 'Section 1021 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 purports to assert the President’s authority to not only arrest suspected terrorists, but also to determine whether a trial, including the type of trial, will be held for those arrested;' and that 'Section 1022 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 requires detention without trial by the military for a certain class of terrorist and authorizes, but does not require, the same for citizens of the United States.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSouth Carolina Introduces Anti-NDAA Legislation

Obama administration: Warrantless GPS tracking needed to fight terrorism

"The Obama administration will argue before a federal appeals court on Tuesday that law enforcement must regain the ability to use GPS tracking devices without a warrant, which it says is necessary to continue the fight against terrorism. The use of GPS devices in warrantless snooping has been illegal since January 2012, when the Supreme Court ruled that vehicles are private property protected by the Fourth Amendment, which guarantees freedom from unreasonable search and seizure. If the Obama administration is successful on its appeal however, GPS devices will be fair game for police nationwide." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama administration: Warrantless GPS tracking needed to fight terrorism

Court: CIA cannot continue to deny basic information on drone program

"The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals held in a 3-0 vote on Friday that the CIA must reveal whether it has any 'involvement' or 'interest' in the U.S. drone program, saying its refrain that the agency cannot acknowledge the program’s existence is undermined by officials’ public statements. Those public statements came from President Barack Obama, newly-minted CIA director John Brennan and former CIA Director Leon Panetta, all of whom have confirmed that some agency of the U.S. government uses drone aircraft to drop bombs." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCourt: CIA cannot continue to deny basic information on drone program