A new oversight report released yesterday by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) exposes millions of dollars in Department of Justice (DOJ) funds are being spent on parties.
The review of recent activities sponsored by DOJ grantees identified luaus, a Mardi Gras party, block parties, a film festival, a carnival, skateboarding, dancing, fashion shows, and even a doughnut eating contest among the recreational activities made possible with federal crime prevention funding.
“With our nation facing the heightened threats of domestic terrorism and unprecedented debt and financial challenges, taxpayers should be shocked to learn DOJ crime prevention grant programs are paying for parties and rollercoaster rides for children rather than focusing on investigating crimes, locating and prosecuting terrorists, and administering justice,” Coburn said.
Coburn's scathing, 42-page report entitled “Party at the DOJ” comes amid new Government Accountability Office (GAO) findings that DOJ does not track amounts spent on recreational activities nor does it assess impact outcomes of these expenditures.
“With America facing the threat of domestic terrorism and a $13 trillion debt, the Department of Justice parties on the taxpayers’ dime,” the new oversight report states.
From the Executive Summary:
Americans woke up to news of a car bomb in New York‘s Times Square and a national debt surpassing $13 trillion in May.
At the same time, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) was preparing for a “Fun Day” celebration in Texas, a luau in Tennessee, and other parties and fun activities across the country.
Showing posts with label tea parties. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tea parties. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Revulsion against the ins at all-time high on primary day
As voters head to the polls Tuesday for a crucial set of primary elections, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds antipathy toward their elected officials rising and anti-incumbent sentiment at an all-time high.
The national survey shows that 29 percent of Americans now say they are inclined to support their House representative in November, even lower than in 1994, when voters swept the Democrats out of power in the that chamber after 40 years in the majority.
The poll also finds growing disapproval of the "tea party" movement, with half the population now expressing an unfavorable impression of the loosely aligned protest campaign that has shaken up politics this year.
And at a time when Republicans anticipate significant gains in House and Senate elections, there is also fresh evidence of the challenges facing the GOP. Six in 10 poll respondents say they have a negative view of the policies put forward by the Republican minority in Congress, and about a third say they trust Republicans over Democrats to handle the nation's main problems.
This sour mood has made for nervous politicians, as candidates from both parties have tried to figure out what voters want -- and don't want. On Tuesday, hopefuls in Virginia and 11 other states will find out. It is the busiest single primary day of the year, and a big test of just how deep anti-incumbent and anti-establishment feelings go.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Tea Parties more mainstream than newsrooms
Yesterday I waded into a mass of tea party protesters gathered at the front of Colorado's Capitol and completely forgot to brace myself for a "small-scale mimicry of Kristallnacht" (as New York Times columnist Frank Rich once characterized these events).
As it turns out, earlier I happened to peruse a new CBS/New York Times poll detailing the attitudes of tea party activists, who, it turns out, are more educated than the average American, more reflective of mainstream anxieties than any populist movement in memory, and more closely aligned philosophically with the wider electorate than any big-city newsroom in America.
As it turns out, earlier I happened to peruse a new CBS/New York Times poll detailing the attitudes of tea party activists, who, it turns out, are more educated than the average American, more reflective of mainstream anxieties than any populist movement in memory, and more closely aligned philosophically with the wider electorate than any big-city newsroom in America.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
You thought Bill Clinton had run out of absurdities?
Bill Clinton:
There was a story in The New York Times today by a reporter who’s been positively – and I say that in a positive way – positively interested in this, drawing parallels to the time running up to Oklahoma City and a lot of the political discord that exists in our country today. That is a legitimate thing to do but I think it’s important before we overdo that to put this in the context of what happened to try to understand what happened then and what it meant for America and what it should mean to all of us in the way that we exercise our citizenship.
Before the bombing occurred, there was a sort of fever in America in the early 1990s.
My take:
If Clinton wants to make connections between horrendous events and antecedents, here are some that make a lot more sense than his Oklahoma City absurdity:
1. While in the White House Clinton turned the Oval Office into a personal bordello as murderous muslim fanatics in the Middle East plotted attacks against the United States, carrying one out at the World Trade Center in 1993.
2. In response to attacks and threats against the United States, Clinton made one attempt to strike directly at the terrorists. That attempt has been mocked as follows: "He fired a $2 million missile at a $10 tent and hit a camel in the ass."
A failed former leader with Clinton's record of ineptitude should think twice before accusing peaceful protesters who fear for their country of secretly plotting to do harm. It is Clinton's Democrat Party that poses the risk to the United States. It is the protesters who are trying to protect it.
That message will be delivered to Clinton in November in a way he will understand.
There was a story in The New York Times today by a reporter who’s been positively – and I say that in a positive way – positively interested in this, drawing parallels to the time running up to Oklahoma City and a lot of the political discord that exists in our country today. That is a legitimate thing to do but I think it’s important before we overdo that to put this in the context of what happened to try to understand what happened then and what it meant for America and what it should mean to all of us in the way that we exercise our citizenship.
Before the bombing occurred, there was a sort of fever in America in the early 1990s.
My take:
If Clinton wants to make connections between horrendous events and antecedents, here are some that make a lot more sense than his Oklahoma City absurdity:
1. While in the White House Clinton turned the Oval Office into a personal bordello as murderous muslim fanatics in the Middle East plotted attacks against the United States, carrying one out at the World Trade Center in 1993.
2. In response to attacks and threats against the United States, Clinton made one attempt to strike directly at the terrorists. That attempt has been mocked as follows: "He fired a $2 million missile at a $10 tent and hit a camel in the ass."
A failed former leader with Clinton's record of ineptitude should think twice before accusing peaceful protesters who fear for their country of secretly plotting to do harm. It is Clinton's Democrat Party that poses the risk to the United States. It is the protesters who are trying to protect it.
That message will be delivered to Clinton in November in a way he will understand.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Okies consider militia to combat federal invasion
OKLAHOMA CITY – Frustrated by recent political setbacks, tea party leaders and some conservative members of the Oklahoma Legislature say they would like to create a new volunteer militia to help defend against what they believe are improper federal infringements on state sovereignty.
Tea party movement leaders say they've discussed the idea with several supportive lawmakers and hope to get legislation next year to recognize a new volunteer force. They say the unit would not resemble militia groups that have been raided for allegedly plotting attacks on law enforcement officers.
"Is it scary? It sure is," said tea party leader Al Gerhart of Oklahoma City, who heads an umbrella group of tea party factions called the Oklahoma Constitutional Alliance. "But when do the states stop rolling over for the federal government?"
Tea party movement leaders say they've discussed the idea with several supportive lawmakers and hope to get legislation next year to recognize a new volunteer force. They say the unit would not resemble militia groups that have been raided for allegedly plotting attacks on law enforcement officers.
"Is it scary? It sure is," said tea party leader Al Gerhart of Oklahoma City, who heads an umbrella group of tea party factions called the Oklahoma Constitutional Alliance. "But when do the states stop rolling over for the federal government?"
Friday, February 26, 2010
Using recall, conservatives trying to force mid-term senators to stand for election this year
Republicans' chances to retake the Senate are limited by the fact that only a third of the chamber is up for re-election this year, but some conservative activists are pushing to force more Democrats onto the ballot in November by trying to recall them.
It's a long-shot approach, the legal hurdles are tremendous - no member of Congress has ever been recalled - and it's limited only to states with recall laws that are broad enough to include federal officeholders.
But the first test comes Tuesday, when a judge will hear oral arguments from the Sussex County Tea Party, which is trying to recall Sen. Robert Menendez, New Jersey Democrat.
"Nine states, including 12 Democratic senators who are not up for re-election otherwise, could all be on the ballot with a recall," said Peter Ferrara, a lawyer for the conservative American Civil Rights Union, which is helping the tea partiers with their case. "Given what they're doing on health care this year, that's just going to be a huge boost to the recall effort."
The legal obstacles are daunting.
It's a long-shot approach, the legal hurdles are tremendous - no member of Congress has ever been recalled - and it's limited only to states with recall laws that are broad enough to include federal officeholders.
But the first test comes Tuesday, when a judge will hear oral arguments from the Sussex County Tea Party, which is trying to recall Sen. Robert Menendez, New Jersey Democrat.
"Nine states, including 12 Democratic senators who are not up for re-election otherwise, could all be on the ballot with a recall," said Peter Ferrara, a lawyer for the conservative American Civil Rights Union, which is helping the tea partiers with their case. "Given what they're doing on health care this year, that's just going to be a huge boost to the recall effort."
The legal obstacles are daunting.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
You should never let a good tea party go to waste
To paraphrase a political parable we all heard recently, you should never let a good Tea Party go to waste.
The original version went like this: "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste." That was Rahm Emanuel's explanation of the federal government's unparalleled grasp of power in the early days of the Obama administration, when it rammed through Congress trillions of dollars in spending authority and grabbed control of banks, insurers and car companies.
Now it's our turn to pass judgment on those actions.
My thesis is that the public's business is no longer done in Washington. What is done in Washington is the work of lobbyists and political pressure groups which, in some cases, pursue objectives that would appall a normal citizen.
Just as television shows are designed to attract audiences for commercials, Washington's purpose is to gather members of congress and other movers and shakers in one place, where they are readily accessible to lobbyists and other persuaders.
In the current session, at President Obama's behest, Congress enacted a huge spending bill without a single member having read it.
This illustrates how far we have come. George Washington described the Senate as the saucer where the coffee would cool, having arrived from the House too hot.
Contrast that vision with the priorities of Obama, who saw to it that a huge spending bill was rushed through the House unread because time was short.
That outlandish display of arrogance and contempt for American history is one of the reasons the Tea Parties are taking place today.
One way to break up the seaminess and corruption of Washington is to overhaul the system by allowing, or even requiring, members of congress to vote electronically from their home districts or states on most matters.
Sessions in the Capitol would largely be reserved for controversial measures or those involving issues of national security.
Two benefits of such a scheme are obvious. One, members would spend much more time in their districts where they would get an earful before the vote instead of afterward. Two, voters would be better able to size up their senator or representative and ask themselves, "Do I really want this person to represent me?"
This is just one idea. Others may have better ideas about how to rein in a government that seems to become more and more brazen in defiance of the public will and common sense.
Not quite three months ago we had a new administration, confronting a recession, that deployed apocalyptic visions to bull-rush through Congress a series of unparalleled spending plans ostensibly designed to end the downturn and restore growth.
I observed at the time that emergency measures enacted during recessions are actually designed to end those recessions in a time frame that allows the incumbent party to escape punishment in the next congressional election. I still believe that to be the case.
At this point, the Obama administration can find only "a glimmer" of improvement in the economy. More than $10 trillion has been committed, and all we have to show for it is a glimmer.
This was a power grab. Instead of a consumer-driven economy in which rank and file citizens define what this country will be, we will have a neo-fascist government that determines what will be produced and who will manage our corporations.
Do you think, as I do, that global warming is a crock trumped up by neo-fascists to overcome consumer preferences and gain control of the economy?
It won't matter. The neo-fascists don't care what anyone else thinks.
In the new era, ACORN thugs will take pains to see that elections come out right.
They have their own man in the Oval Office.
The original version went like this: "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste." That was Rahm Emanuel's explanation of the federal government's unparalleled grasp of power in the early days of the Obama administration, when it rammed through Congress trillions of dollars in spending authority and grabbed control of banks, insurers and car companies.
Now it's our turn to pass judgment on those actions.
My thesis is that the public's business is no longer done in Washington. What is done in Washington is the work of lobbyists and political pressure groups which, in some cases, pursue objectives that would appall a normal citizen.
Just as television shows are designed to attract audiences for commercials, Washington's purpose is to gather members of congress and other movers and shakers in one place, where they are readily accessible to lobbyists and other persuaders.
In the current session, at President Obama's behest, Congress enacted a huge spending bill without a single member having read it.
This illustrates how far we have come. George Washington described the Senate as the saucer where the coffee would cool, having arrived from the House too hot.
Contrast that vision with the priorities of Obama, who saw to it that a huge spending bill was rushed through the House unread because time was short.
That outlandish display of arrogance and contempt for American history is one of the reasons the Tea Parties are taking place today.
One way to break up the seaminess and corruption of Washington is to overhaul the system by allowing, or even requiring, members of congress to vote electronically from their home districts or states on most matters.
Sessions in the Capitol would largely be reserved for controversial measures or those involving issues of national security.
Two benefits of such a scheme are obvious. One, members would spend much more time in their districts where they would get an earful before the vote instead of afterward. Two, voters would be better able to size up their senator or representative and ask themselves, "Do I really want this person to represent me?"
This is just one idea. Others may have better ideas about how to rein in a government that seems to become more and more brazen in defiance of the public will and common sense.
Not quite three months ago we had a new administration, confronting a recession, that deployed apocalyptic visions to bull-rush through Congress a series of unparalleled spending plans ostensibly designed to end the downturn and restore growth.
I observed at the time that emergency measures enacted during recessions are actually designed to end those recessions in a time frame that allows the incumbent party to escape punishment in the next congressional election. I still believe that to be the case.
At this point, the Obama administration can find only "a glimmer" of improvement in the economy. More than $10 trillion has been committed, and all we have to show for it is a glimmer.
This was a power grab. Instead of a consumer-driven economy in which rank and file citizens define what this country will be, we will have a neo-fascist government that determines what will be produced and who will manage our corporations.
Do you think, as I do, that global warming is a crock trumped up by neo-fascists to overcome consumer preferences and gain control of the economy?
It won't matter. The neo-fascists don't care what anyone else thinks.
In the new era, ACORN thugs will take pains to see that elections come out right.
They have their own man in the Oval Office.
White House sees Tea parties as right wing recruitment for white extremist militias
In a strained attempt to discount Wednesday's Tea Parties, the Obama administration is encouraging Americans to view the protests as nothing more than a campaign by right wing extremists and racists "to swell the ranks of white power militias."
The Washington Times, an ostensibly conservative newspaper, reported Tuesday, "The Department of Homeland Security is warning law enforcement officials about a rise in 'rightwing extremist activity,' saying the economic recession, the election of America's first black president and the return of a few disgruntled war veterans could swell the ranks of white-power militias."
A more sensible report, shorn of political correctness, would have read as follows:
The Times: "A footnote attached to the report by the Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Analysis defines 'rightwing extremism in the United States' as including not just racist or hate groups, but also groups that reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority.
"It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration."
My rewrite:
The Times: "The White House has distanced itself from the analysis. When asked for comment on its contents, White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said, "The President is focused not on politics but rather taking the steps necessary to protect all Americans from the threat of violence and terrorism regardless of its origins. He also believes those who serve represent the best of this country, and he will continue to ensure that our veterans receive the respect and benefits they have earned."
"The nine-page document was sent to police and sheriff's departments across the United States on April 7 under the headline, "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment."
"It says the federal government 'will be working with its state and local partners over the next several months' to gather information on 'rightwing extremist activity in the United States.'
"The joint federal-state activities will have 'a particular emphasis' on the causes of 'rightwing extremist radicalization.'
"Homeland Security spokeswoman Sara Kuban said the report is one in an ongoing series of assessments by the department to 'facilitate a greater understanding of the phenomenon of violent radicalization in the U.S.'
"The report, which was first disclosed to the public by nationally syndicated radio host Roger Hedgecock, makes clear that the Homeland Security Department does not have 'specific information that domestic rightwing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence.' It warns that fringe organizations are gaining recruits, but it provides no numbers.
My rewrite:
The Times: "The report says extremist groups have used President Obama as a recruiting tool."
By my assessment, the president is an excellent recruiting tool for the Tea Parties, and this ham-handed effort to identify the Tea Parties with right wing extremism should swell attendance even more.
I am, by nature, sedate. I'll be at the Tea Party at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial.
The Washington Times, an ostensibly conservative newspaper, reported Tuesday, "The Department of Homeland Security is warning law enforcement officials about a rise in 'rightwing extremist activity,' saying the economic recession, the election of America's first black president and the return of a few disgruntled war veterans could swell the ranks of white-power militias."
A more sensible report, shorn of political correctness, would have read as follows:
"The Department of Homeland Security, which has failed to perform its obligation to protect the nation's borders, is engaging in a world-class head fake by issuing bogus warnings about right wingers at a time when millions of Americans are taking to the streets in opposition to a radical president who routinely criticizes his own country, praises its muslim enemies and seems hell-bent on destroying America's finanacial underpinnings."
The Times: "A footnote attached to the report by the Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Analysis defines 'rightwing extremism in the United States' as including not just racist or hate groups, but also groups that reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority.
"It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration."
My rewrite:
"The controversy comes at a time when, for the first time, many Americans have come to believe that the biggest threat to their health and welfare springs from their own government. That government triggered a housing bubble by engaging in a 30-year-social engineering project to put low-income earners in homes they couldn't afford. When the economy softened, and many of the beneficiaries of that project defaulted, the housing market collapsed and a worldwide recession began.
"Now, millions of Americans have lost their jobs. Meanwhile, illegal aliens still stream across the Mexican border, taking jobs from teenagers and struggling citizens at the bottom of the economic ladder, and the president and his even more befuddled Democrat majorities in Congress plan to grant citizenship to an estimated 12 million illegals already in the United States."
"Many Americans are, understandably, enraged by the anti-American behavior of their alleged leaders. The president does not improve matters by habitually criticizing America's past while mindlessly exaggerating the contribution of muslims. Young students might wonder whether history books are short-changing Mohammed by not listing him as one of the founders."
The Times: "The White House has distanced itself from the analysis. When asked for comment on its contents, White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said, "The President is focused not on politics but rather taking the steps necessary to protect all Americans from the threat of violence and terrorism regardless of its origins. He also believes those who serve represent the best of this country, and he will continue to ensure that our veterans receive the respect and benefits they have earned."
"The nine-page document was sent to police and sheriff's departments across the United States on April 7 under the headline, "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment."
"It says the federal government 'will be working with its state and local partners over the next several months' to gather information on 'rightwing extremist activity in the United States.'
"The joint federal-state activities will have 'a particular emphasis' on the causes of 'rightwing extremist radicalization.'
"Homeland Security spokeswoman Sara Kuban said the report is one in an ongoing series of assessments by the department to 'facilitate a greater understanding of the phenomenon of violent radicalization in the U.S.'
"The report, which was first disclosed to the public by nationally syndicated radio host Roger Hedgecock, makes clear that the Homeland Security Department does not have 'specific information that domestic rightwing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence.' It warns that fringe organizations are gaining recruits, but it provides no numbers.
My rewrite:
You have been warned. This message from the Obama administration is designed to set the scene for Wednesday's Tea Parties, which are intended to manifest widespread public opposition to Obama's apocalyptic assessment of the economic outlook and the reckless government spending he and his allies have enacted as a remedy.
The Obama administration wants people to believe that the Tea Party protests are merely a manifestation of right wing hatred of his beneficent regime.
The Times: "The report says extremist groups have used President Obama as a recruiting tool."
By my assessment, the president is an excellent recruiting tool for the Tea Parties, and this ham-handed effort to identify the Tea Parties with right wing extremism should swell attendance even more.
I am, by nature, sedate. I'll be at the Tea Party at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Tea parties protest Obama's destruction of America
"Despite terrible weather in many cases, citizens braved the wind, cold, and rain to exercise their Constitutional right to protest the current direction of the country under Barack Obama and the Democrats.
In St. Louis, over 1500 attended the Tea Party at the famous arch.
In Chicago, between 800 and 1000 braved the bad weather to gather to protest the massive spending of taxpayers' money by the federal government.
Atlanta was the site of another well-attended Tea Party.
Many smaller towns and cities participated in the semi-simultaneous events around the country, such as Shelby, Alabama, Asheville, North Carolina, and Greenville, South Carolina."
http://www.examiner.com/x-3704-Columbia-Conservative-Examiner~y2009m2d28-From-across-America-Tea-Party-roundupsuccess
In St. Louis, over 1500 attended the Tea Party at the famous arch.
In Chicago, between 800 and 1000 braved the bad weather to gather to protest the massive spending of taxpayers' money by the federal government.
Atlanta was the site of another well-attended Tea Party.
Many smaller towns and cities participated in the semi-simultaneous events around the country, such as Shelby, Alabama, Asheville, North Carolina, and Greenville, South Carolina."
http://www.examiner.com/x-3704-Columbia-Conservative-Examiner~y2009m2d28-From-across-America-Tea-Party-roundupsuccess
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