Imperial Presidency

Obama promised to close Guantánamo. Instead, he’s made it worse.

"The 44-year-old British resident and father of four has spent over 11 years incarcerated at Guantánamo despite being cleared for release as early as 2007. To this day never charged with a crime, Aamer is just one of hundreds of detainees who remain imprisoned in Guantánamo. Despite running on an explicit campaign promise to shut down the island prison which has become a symbol of the abuses of the 'war on terror', President Obama has continued to preside over its operation. And by recent accounts, under his tenure, the conditions for prisoners there – from both a physical and legal standpoint – have become markedly worse." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama promised to close Guantánamo. Instead, he’s made it worse.

Sen. Rand Paul Filibustering John Brennan CIA Nomination Over Domestic Drones

"Attorney General Holder stated in a letter to Sen. Paul dated March 4, 2013: 'It is possible, I suppose, to imagine an extraordinary circumstance in which it would be necessary and appropriate under the Constitution and applicable laws of the United States for the President to authorize the military to use lethal force within the territory of the United States.' 'The U.S. Attorney General's refusal to rule out the possibility of drone strikes on American citizens and on American soil is more than frightening - it is an affront the Constitutional due process rights of all Americans,' Sen. Paul said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSen. Rand Paul Filibustering John Brennan CIA Nomination Over Domestic Drones

Larger Spending Cuts Would Help the Economy

"The $825 billion stimulus program cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per job, even based on the administration's own inflated job estimates. Cash for Clunkers cost $3 billion merely to shift car sales forward a few months. The PPIP to buy toxic assets from the banks to speed lending generated just 3% of the $1 trillion that the program planners anticipated. And now? Mr. Obama proposes universal preschool ($25 billion per year), 'Fix it First' repairs to roads and bridges, plus an infrastructure bank ($50 billion), 'Project Rebuild,' refurbishing private properties in cities ($15 billion), endless green-energy subsidies, and a big hike in the minimum wage." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLarger Spending Cuts Would Help the Economy

The Feds Promote Hunger and Poverty in America but the Kids Are Alright

"The tasty little lunch pictured above conforms to newly proposed federal regulations aimed at foods and drinks served in the nation’s public schools. Among other mandates, these regulations would cap serving sizes and calorie counts. Ironically, these proposals are part of the second round of regulations deriving from the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, a laughable bureaucratic misnomer if ever there were one. The proposed regulations will also place a hefty fiscal burden on school districts and their long-suffering taxpayers. It is estimated that they will cost $127 million and require 926 thousand hours of paperwork to comply with." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Feds Promote Hunger and Poverty in America but the Kids Are Alright

Eric Holder: Drone strikes against Americans on U.S. soil are legal

"Attorney General Eric Holder can imagine a scenario in which it would be constitutional to carry out a drone strike against an American on American soil, he wrote in a letter to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. 'It is possible, I suppose, to imagine an extraordinary circumstance in which it would be necessary and appropriate under the Constitution and applicable laws of the United States for the President to authorize the military to use lethal force within the territory of the United States,' Holder replied to Paul’s question about whether Obama 'has the power to authorize lethal force, such as a drone strike, against a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil, and without trial.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEric Holder: Drone strikes against Americans on U.S. soil are legal

Penny Pritzker as Commerce Secretary?

"Rhamaland-based billionaire Penny Pritzker, who was the first to back President Obama's initial run for the presidency, has emerged as the leading candidate to become the next commerce secretary. Pritzker, heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, is the 263rd richest person in the U.S., estimated net worth of US $1.7 billion. Pritzker has contributed to the presidential campaigns and exploratory committees of George W. Bush, Joe Lieberman, Bill Bradley, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain (2000), Al Gore, John Kerry and Hillary Clinton. Pritzker was chairman of a Chicago-area bank that collapsed because of the aggressive subprime home mortgages it made before the crash." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPenny Pritzker as Commerce Secretary?

Thomas Sowell Exposes Dishonest Budgetary Scare Tactics, Cartoonists Mock Obama’s Hysteria

"Back in my teaching days, many years ago, one of the things I liked to ask the class to consider was this: Imagine a government agency with only two tasks: (1) building statues of Benedict Arnold and (2) providing life-saving medications to children. If this agency’s budget were cut, what would it do? The answer, of course, is that it would cut back on the medications for children. Why? Because that would be what was most likely to get the budget cuts restored." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThomas Sowell Exposes Dishonest Budgetary Scare Tactics, Cartoonists Mock Obama’s Hysteria

How to become a drone target

"The government apparently calls such attacks signature strikes because the targets are identified based on intelligence 'signatures' that suggest involvement in terror plots or militant activity. So what signatures does the U.S. look for and how much evidence is needed to justify a strike? The Obama administration has never spoken publicly about signature strikes. Instead, generally anonymous officials have offered often vague examples of signatures. The resulting fragmentary picture leaves many questions unanswered." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow to become a drone target

Four States Advance Legislation To Block NDAA Indefinite Detention

"In a stunning move last week, four states, Indiana, Colorado, Montana and Arizona, successfully advanced anti-NDAA legislation. The goal for each bill is to protect the people of that state from indefinite detention under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012. The 2012 NDAA applies broad detention power to U.S. soil, allowing the federal government to detain and even execute any person, including an American citizen, on U.S. soil. There has not been such backlash against a federal law since Congress attempted to enforce a mandatory national speed limit, as over 21 states have introduced legislation to counter the law." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFour States Advance Legislation To Block NDAA Indefinite Detention

GOP Governors Continue Caving In to ObamaCare Mandates

"Republican governors once so ferocious in their fight against ObamaCare now seem content to roll over and play dead. Perhaps their new agreeable attitude is inspired by the fact that President Obama was reelected in November while their own political futures remain in jeopardy. As the Associated Press reported last Sunday, 'nearly two dozen GOP governors elected in 2009 and 2010 could face the voters again.' There's more than just electoral pragmatism at work, however. Governors know better than anyone that they rely on federal largesse for the bulk of their state budgets and would hardly be in their best (read: re-election) interest to bite the hand that feeds them." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGOP Governors Continue Caving In to ObamaCare Mandates