Gene Burns...RIP...I think...

KGO radio 810 in San Francisco just lost its Godfather. He nurtured the careers of more than one or two radio hosts whom I respect greatly. Sunday night, they ran 3 hours of his most famous moments. Interestingly, they chose some of his most controversial pronouncements.

He gave vent to a virulent, pro-abortion, anti-Catholic rant. I found it as such to be...

disturbing and quite distasteful.

Like the good Mr. Burns, I find the Catholic ban on mechanical birth control (condoms, IUDs, the Pill) to be puzzling. However, I am not so arrogant as to pronounce it to be wrong: not so with the good Mr. Burns.

Being Buddhist, I have the ultimate respect for life. The good Mr Burns stated he thinks early term abortion ought to be the choice of the mother. If I were to walk down the street, randomly choose a target, and behead same with a Samurai sword, ethically and morally, I would view both actions as equivalent.

IN CONCLUSION

Truthfully, I never listened to his radio show very often, because I viewed him and his political beliefs to be puny and insignificant. I now regret not calling in to his show and challenging him, at least once in a while. I am sorry, Gene. Nevertheless, on this subject, you were totally wrong.  

Obama IRS scandal – reading between the lines

Perhaps you will agree by now that “BO” does not reveal the truth, he dissembles (look it up, people). More generally, his administration's autocratic behavior is not that unexpected: he is merely the latest in a long line of Presidents advancing the cause of the Imperial Presidency (if you have not already done so, now would be a good time to read this classic polemic).

Perhaps you have noticed that “BO”s modus operandi is becoming familiar:

1. autocratic Presidential behavior
2. keep a lid on it for as long as possible
3. when the media pressure becomes irresistible, send out a flunkee who knows absolutely nothing about the matter to talk to the media and answer all of the questions
4. try to hide the key operative(s) and keep them quiet
5. protect and, if possible, promote same

This pattern applies to Solyndra, Fast 'N Furious, Benghazi, secretly spying on AP and Fox News, and now the IRS' targeting of the TEA Party.

Having been there, I can assure you that this type of bureaucratic offensive does not generate spontaneously out of thin air above the desk of a GS employee (even a “rogue” one). Someone in the chain of command must have given the order. The as yet unanswered question is: how far up the food chain does the command originate? Based on “BO”s actions in regard to #4 and #5 above, my money is on Lois Lerner: she headed the the EO Unit (which is the command staff under which the Determinations Unit and Technical Units, the GRUNTS who executed the orders, operate) during the scandalous actions, and has been promoted to head the IRS command staff that is in charge of implementing Obamacare.

One point: the IRS is not an independent agency. It is an organic part of the Treasury Dept. It is not logical that such shenanigans occurred in the IRS, and that no one in Treasury knew about it. For this to be true, someone from the West Wing would had to have gone completely around Treasury. Nota bene: Treasury/ IRS is under the absolute control of the Executive Branch. 

Why the Treasury (IRS) IG Report is a Whitewash

You can download the report here.

For the most part, the report merely validates the multitudes of complaints by TEA Party and other politically conservative groups that they were harassed. However, it does not answer the key question: who gave the orders to start this process in the first place? Such efforts do not magically appear out of thin air from career, GS pay schedule employees.

[page nos. are of the PDF file viewer, not the printed page numbers on the report]

Note 17 (page 12): 

“During interviews with Determinations Unit specialists and managers, we could not specifically determine who had been involved in creating the criteria”.

Page 13

“We asked the Acting Commissioner, Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division; the Director, EO; and Determinations Unit personnel if the criteria were influenced by any individual or organization outside the IRS. All of these officials stated that the criteria were not influenced by any individual or organization outside the IRS. Instead, the Determinations Unit developed and implemented inappropriate criteria in part due to insufficient oversight provided by management. Specifically, only first-line management approved references to the Tea Party in the BOLO listing criteria before it was implemented.”

Conclusion: I see no evidence that the OIG made a serious effort to determine who gave the initial order to commence.

Also sprach Zarathustra

The most obvious way to determine Genesis is to examine the first action, from whence we might get a clue who/what is behind it. Sadly, the OIG does not supply this key datum in the report they released to the public.

Page 19, Figure 5: Timeline of Events and Delays Involving the Processing of Potential Political Cases.

Initial entry redacted.

Page 36, Appendix VI, Timeline of Written Criteria for Identifying Potential Political Cases.

Initial table entry (Feb 2010) redacted.

Page 37, Appendix VII, Comprehensive Timeline of Events

Initial table entry [E-Mail] (Feb 25, 2010) redacted.

Classic “BO” subterfuge

• he seems to have thrown the current acting IRS commissioner under the bus by announcing his immediate resignation. Problem: he began his IRS term after the TEA Party scandal events ended, and had nothing to do with it.
• these events occurred in the EO Division of the IRS. The Director of this unit during the scandal is now the director of the IRS unit assigned to enforce Obamacare. This might be a good time to grab the air sickness bag in the pocket in front of your seat. 

Scandal? The Obama White House Panics, big time

Right now, the “BO” White House is confronted by 3 concurrent scandals, anyone of which could cause the collapse of the Administration. They just made 3 moves, virtually simultaneously, one for each scandal. Sympathetic media are labeling this as a courageous counter-punch.

I do not quite see it that way.

BENGHAZI

What really happened? Who, what, when, where, why? We still do not know the full story. Hoping to blunt this dangerous scandal, “BO” just did a major document dump of emails leading up to the famous talking points articulated by Amb. Rice on the Sunday talk shows.

Result: rather than validating “BO”, it shows State = SecState = Clinton executing a classic, old-fashion coverup.

IRS TARGETS THE TEA PARTY

“BO” announced that the current Commissioner is out, and that, by golly, he will immediately make all the changes recommended by the IG and make sure that it will never happen again.

Translation: I ain't gonna do no investigation, 'cause I already know who gave the order.

DoJ SPYS ON AP REPORTERS

Eric Holder testifies to Congress that he recused himself, and that a deputy AG signed the order.

Translation: he is lying.

What's wrong with Obama? A Scandal Roundup

No, I am not being sarcastic.

A great president once warned us to be ever vigilant, as tyranny was always just one step away. I am sure that “BO” is exactly the sort of person The Gipper was referring to. Nevertheless, it is never a good thing for the President to be helplessly buried under scandal.

I call your attention to the Nixon Administration. He was hopelessly mired in scandal and controversy, and his Presidency eventually imploded and he had to resign in disgrace. Regardless of what you think about old Milhouse, our country suffered for several years thereafter because of him. To quote a brilliant philosopher: it's deja vu all over again.

OK, so let us review what we have so far.

BENGHAZI DISASTER AND COVERUP

The bungled response to the attack on the Libyan Embassy resulted in the death of 4 people, including the Ambassador himself. There was a curious lack of activity while the attack was underway, as such an event would normally initiate a beehive of activity by the Cabinet, Intel resources, and DoD assets. It is clear that there was a coverup to hide these facts. Why did everyone stand down that night, and who executed the coverup?

Next Shoe to Drop: a State Dept employee will state that personally Clinton directed the coverup.

IRS TARGETS THE TEA PARTY

For more than a year, the IRS targeted non-profits who might be associated with Tea Party or Patriots or 9/12 with special harassment. This we know, because parts of the report by the IRS OIG were previously leaked. The Technical Unit and the Determinations Unit carried out this harassment for more than year, both of whom report directly to the Rulings and Agreements Director. So, this was not just one or two politically motivated employees with an ax to grind: entire departments were involved. Thanks to radio talk show host Mark Levin, whose tiny law firm started the ball rolling more than a year ago: you can now get the entire OIG report here. Question: who instructed the IRS to do this (the report does not say)? These sorts of things do not magically appear spontaneously. After all, it has been done before (specifically Nixon and Clinton). Remember that the IRS answers to the Treasury Dept, and Treasury is under the direct control of the White House.

Next Shoe to Drop: during a lawsuit, someone will finger an employee at Treasury as ordering the harassment.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SPIES ON AP

For a period of 2 months, DoJ secretly spied on 20 AP reporters and employees. They were trying to find out who was leaking information about an IED event. In the old days, we called it “wiretapping”, because to spy on someone, you would literally tap the target's phone wire with an alligator clip. These days, of course, there are also cell phones, text messages, and tweets to include. You young 'uns who are not familiar with Watergate should learn about it. There, you will learn all about wiretaps.

Next Shoe to Drop: Eric Holder did it. Such a thing cannot happen without the knowledge of and approval by the Attorney General.

WHADDUP?

Some of you might be surprised or confused by all this scandal. I am not. You see, “BO” comes from a philosophical school of thought that the ends justify the means. Their cause is so righteous and holy that ordinary rules and folkways and etiquette do not apply to them. Think about the stories of Robin Hood: rob from the rich, then give to the poor. It has a certain logic: the rich won't miss a few gold coins, and it only takes one to feed many families and keep several children from starving. Nevertheless, it is still criminal and ethically wrong.

WHAT'S NEXT?

To end on a disappointing note, I will not be surprised if there are more scandals lurking in the shadows.

  

Benghazi – Obama's Cover Up Unravels

Yesterday, 3 State Dept. employees testified under oath to Issa's committee, at risk of their jobs and careers.

Why?

Because they want the truth to be known to all as to what really happened that night. That “BO” is covering up the events at the US Embassy in Benghazi on Nov. 2012 that resulted in the death of 4 gov't employees, including the Ambassador himself, is a given. Now, with this testimony, “BO”s cover up is beginning to unravel.

However, there are still many unknowns. Patience, grasshopper. Every mighty river begins with but a trickle.

WHO ISSUED THE MUZZLING ORDERS?

Up until yesterday, we heard nothing (zip, zero, nada) about Benghazi. Yet, there were legions of military, State Dept employees, intelligence assets, and simple witnesses who were involved or where injured. They all know what happened. Why have we not heard from them? Because someone from the Executive Branch issued orders to shut up and not reveal what they knew. Musings about the political motivations I shall leave alone for the nonce.

Who?

Evidence points to Cheryl D. Mills, SecState Clinton's chief of staff. She was also counselor to Bill “BJ” Clinton and was part of the team that defended him during his impeachment for lying about receiving oral sex from Monica Lewinsky in the Oval Office. Hmmm...so obfuscation runs in the family?!?

However, the real question is who gave these orders to Mills? It is nearly impossible that Valerie Jarrett, DNI, SecState, or SecDef could have issued such far-reaching orders on their own initiative. It could only have come from the West Wing.

WHO ALTERED THE CIA “TALKING POINTS”?

That the attack on the Benghazi Embassy was by Al Qaeda was known by the White House even before the attack occurred. Post event, the CIA issued a report saying as much. However, someone faked the report to say that the attack was really just a spontaneous demonstration instigated by a goofy YouTube video that no none saw. UN ambassador Susan Rice then dutifully appeared on all 5 Sunday talking head shows on TV parroting this forgery.

Who was the forger?

I postulate that it was our friend Mills again.

“STAND DOWN”?

During that night, several military and intel assets (special ops, and others) were ready to fly to Benghazi to fight. They were issued explicit orders to not board the aircraft.

Question: who issued these orders?

A regional commander, JCS, DNI, or even cabinet secretary could not have issued such orders independently. These orders must have come directly from the CIC, West Wing.

I postulate that “BO” issued explicit stand-down orders to everyone, then went to bed while the attack on the Embassy was still in progress.

AVIANO AIR BASE

Located in northern Italy just north of Venice near the Austrian border, it is the home of the 31st Fighter Wing. It is composed of 2 fighter squadrons (555th and 510th) with an inventory of 42 F-16 aircraft.

Benghazi is 2 hrs away by a commercial jet flying at 500 mph.

These assets were not scrambled that night.

WHERE ARE MY AIRCRAFT CARRIERS?

This is the first question any US President would ask (except for a pacifist like “BO”). I found out. There were 2 carriers deployed in the region. The Mediterranean is the AOR of the US Sixth Fleet. However, the Eisenhower and the Enterprise were attached to the Fifth Fleet, meaning that both were in the Straits of Hormuz/Persian Gulf at the time. There was also an amphibious group, but the Iwo Jima was also attached to the Fifth and off the coast of Yemen.

Do the Han Chinese Enjoy Poisoning Americans?

One hopes that the answer is no. Based upon my dealings over the decades with same (I live in the SF/Bay Area) I am not so sure of an answer (food safety, sanitation, and wholesomeness are not watch words in the chinese food establishments I have associated with, and I speak with some authority since I graduated from cooking school and have the relevant safety/sani certificate). Is it:

• the ends justify the means (i.e. telling a lie)
• influence of that *sshole Mao, that the West/Christianity/Free-Market is inherently evil, and anything you do to them is OK
• Racial prejudice specifically against Whites
• Xenophobia (Google it, and, no, I am not referring to the “Warrior Princess”)
• Provincialism (Google it)
• something endemic to Han culture that has been stewing for centuries
• simple arrogance that they can do no wrong

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, I present my case.

Poisoning Our Pets

Melamine is a deadly poison that causes renal failure in anyone (human or pet) that ingests it. Several factories (which inclines one to believe that it was not just one rogue factory owner but a coordinated effort by the evil Chinese Communist Party) had crappy, poor quality wheat gluten that did not have enough protein to qualify it for export. So, these a**holes added melamine which they knew would kick up the protein content in tests to make it OK for export as pet food. The result was thousands of dead, beloved American pets and a huge recall of pet food by all companies using this cheap, Chinese crap.

Killing Our Babies

Make a carbon copy (you young 'uns who have no idea what this is, Google it), but substitute “baby formula” for “pet food”.

Poisoning Our Shrimp

Most of the shrimp farmed in Communist China is cultivated in contaminated water from industrial run-off. Worse, they add huge amounts of antibiotics and drugs that are totally illegal. See, they know that seafood imported into the US from China is not tested, so the odds of being caught are nil. Personally, I refuse to eat shrimp from China. For example, in a sushi restaurant, I always ask where the shrimp came from. If they cannot supply a definitive answer (because the Japanese employees know it is from China and therefore carries a safety stigma but is a fraction of the cost of shrimp from anywhere else), I will not order the shrimp, if I stay for a meal at all.

Selling Rat Meat As Lamb

Han Chinese gangsters were harvesting and processing rats, then selling them to markets, restaurants, and open air markets as lamb. True, this has nothing to do with exports to the US. However, to elucidate the differences in cultural culinary practices, I would like to draw a parallel to US gangsters, specifically Sicilian Mafia in NY and surrounds (you young 'uns who have no idea who they are, Google it). These folks had a monopoly on olive oil imported from Italy (in fact, today's renaissance of extra virgin olive oil can be traced to their efforts, and yes, this means that they actually had a legitimate business arm). Perhaps they might dilute the good Italian stuff with cheap American veg oils to decrease costs (which was at least partially ensconced in later FDA regs) yet sell at full price. However, at no time did they ever adulterate their product with unsafe or unwholesome ingredients. The same cannot be said of Han Chinese gangs.