Tunnel Wall: Feb 17, 2014

Monday, February 17, 2014

US press less free; Ranks 46th in press freedom, down 13 places.

Reporters Without Borders ... "Rich in diversity, the United States and Brazil should have given freedom of information a supreme position both in their laws and their social values. Unfortunately the reality falls far short of this.

"In the United States, 9/11 spawned a major conflict between the imperatives of national security and the principles of the constitution’s First Amendment. This amendment enshrines every person’s right to inform and be informed. But the heritage of the 1776 constitution was shaken to its foundations during George W. Bush’s two terms as president by the way journalists were harassed and even imprisoned for refusing to reveal their sources or surrender their files to federal judicial officials.

"There has been little improvement in practice under Barack Obama. Rather than pursuing journalists, the emphasis has been on going after their sources, but often using the journalist to identify them. No fewer that eight individuals have been charged under the Espionage Act since Obama became president, compared with three during Bush’s two terms." ...

Why doctors should escape from the system, especially if elections offer no help.

Richard Amerling, M.D,

Dems plan to neutralize Obamacare as an election issue ... "This sounds all well and good, except Republicans basically hardly need to lift a finger. What will drive people to vote is their personal experience with Obamacare and from what we've seen so far, those experiences do not favor the Democrats. Higher premiums, coverage they don't want, being kicked off their insurance and unable to keep their doctor - all of this and more will make whatever the Democrats say about Obamacare seem hollow and empty."

In a recent debate, I pointed out that far from helping the uninsured, Obamacare had created millions of new uninsured. My opponent responded, “Whenever you try something this big, there are always going to be some bumps in the road.”

That statement sums up the totalitarian mindset of the hard left, which is, “the ends justify the means.” So what if millions lose their insurance? We are on the bumpy road to nirvana, where everyone has access to the same level of care, regardless of income. If a relative handful of people are inconvenienced, injured, or even killed, well, that’s too bad for them!

The MyRA; Are Democrats coming after your retirement savings?

A nation deserves whatever government it gets. And ours just granted this administration another four years. (By a slim margin, however.)

independentsentinel.com

"Reuters and zero hedge posted articles this past week about the EUs serious plan for the wholesale confiscation of the personal savings accounts of over 500 million EU members to prop up their moribund economy. Zerohedge pointed to the possibility that Obama’s MyRA could end up being the same thing, a theory we have discussed here for three years, most recently in January.

"It’s not just a possibility, Mr. Obama has enunciated this plan in his 2008 and 2013 budgets. He clearly wants the $17.5 trillion in personal retirement savings accounts and he believes the government should be the steward of our money

....

"It’s coming. Obama wants your personal retirement savings. He will start with a deceptively helpful retirement plan for people who don’t have one, but I think we all know where this is going. We are talking about $17.5 trillion and if you think the government doesn’t want it, you are naïve."

From Motley Fool: The myRA Retirement Account: Your Best Short-Term Savings Choice?

"The myRA account is intended to help low- and middle-income employees who do not have retirement accounts start saving for retirement. The incentives to start saving include:

Automatic payroll deductions of as little as $5 a pay period after a $25 initial investment.
A safe investment where the principal is guaranteed by government bonds.
No fees whatsoever.
Ease of decision making as the only investment available is government bonds.

What's All the Fuss About myRA Accounts? "The myRA earns interest from the federal government at the same rate federal employees earn through the Thrift Savings Plan Government Securities Investment Fund. In 2013, holders of that fund earned 1.89%."

cartoonaday

Glenn Loury asks: How does Bill Clinton "get to go around and be an honorable defender of the Democratic Party line, which is a pro-woman line..."

Althouse ... "How is it that the press and everybody else can just forget about the exploitation of women when they're actually exploited and yet are prepared to level their howitzers of criticism on any Republican who might say something that could be construed as anti-woman, who hasn't been messing around with the interns under his charge?' "

The Fundamentally Transformed Presidency: Who Can Stop It?

Republicans in Congress admit Obama violating Constitution but say they can't fight it

... "What Obama has done by riding roughshod over the Constitution will come back to haunt us in the future. Any president from now on can use the "Obama rule" to change legislation more to his liking or political advantage, making a mockery of the separation of powers and well-ordered government."

Andrew C. McCarthy; Rand Paul’s Frivolous NSA Lawsuit ... "It is true that the NSA’s program may be illegal. But that has nothing to do with the Constitution." ...

William Kristol; ‘I Can Do Whatever I Want’

Sure, we know Mr. Obama said that in light-hearted jest. But the words have summed up this administration and it's actions since 2009.

... "What’s more, as Rogers explained, the Obama administration decided that employers who fall below 100 employees “must certify to the IRS—under the threat of perjury—that the reasons for your employee head count have nothing to do with your opposition to or avoidance of Obamacare. . . . It’s jaw-dropping that if you fall below 100 employees, the burden will be on you to prove that you meant no disrespect to Obamacare.”

"... and now the White House has opened the door to prosecuting those they deem to be insufficiently committed to Obamacare. When will the nightmare end?' ”

The key point here for me is this: "Unless, that is, our elected officials in Congress act to defend the rule of law. ...It’s Congress that has the powers of oversight, of the purse, of confirmation, and of legislation. It’s true that one chamber, the Senate, is of no use because for the Democrats who control it party loyalty seems to have trumped institutional responsibility. But the Republicans control the House, the people’s House.

"The Republican party’s “brand” has been tarnished in recent years... But perhaps part of the solution is for the Republican party to go back to its roots as the party of the rule of law and of equality before the law."

Emphases added, TD

Executive Ordure

Hope n' Change

... "For the rest of us, the day largely boils down to two things: no mail and President's Day sales.

"Which, when you think about it, rather perfectly symbolizes the current officeholder: a lack of government services and, thanks to his "if you like your health insurance you can keep it" promise, the biggest and sleaziest sales job in our nation's history."

Making Of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"

Youtube "See the first nine "The Hobbit: Behind the Scenes" videos presented by Peter Jackson, the director of the upcoming Hobbit Film Trilogy ("An Unexpected Journey", "The Desolation of Smaug", "There and Back Again"). The man behind the camera is Orlando Bloom (Legolas from the LoTR Trilogy). "

Kathleen Willey: 'Hillary is the war on women'

WND

"Kathleen Willey, the former volunteer aide to Bill Clinton who says she was sexually harassed by the president in the 1990s, is now sounding the alarm about the potential danger of Hillary Clinton becoming president.

“ 'Hillary Clinton is the war on women, and that’s what needs to be exposed here,” Willey said Sunday night on Aaron Klein’s WABC Radio show.

“ 'The point is what this woman is capable of doing to other women while she’s running a campaign basically on women’s issues. It just doesn’t make any sense. She singlehandedly orchestrated every one of the investigations of all these women [who accused her husband of sexual crimes]. They’re the people reminding us of how sordid this all is.' ” ....

Click below to listen to Part 1 of Klein’s interview with Kathleen Willey:

Kathleen Willey, the former volunteer aide to Bill Clinton who says she was sexually harassed by the president in the 1990s, is now sounding the alarm about the potential danger of Hillary Clinton becoming president.

“Hillary Clinton is the war on women, and that’s what needs to be exposed here,” Willey said Sunday night on Aaron Klein’s WABC Radio show.

“The point is what this woman is capable of doing to other women while she’s running a campaign basically on women’s issues. It just doesn’t make any sense. She singlehandedly orchestrated every one of the investigations of all these women [who accused her husband of sexual crimes]. They’re the people reminding us of how sordid this all is.”

“Hillary Clinton is the war on women, and that’s what needs to be exposed here,” Willey said Sunday night on Aaron Klein’s WABC Radio show.

“All of these women’s groups, they’re all pro-Hillary, they need to … talk to someone like me and listen here, what Hillary Clinton has done to me and many, many, many other women. They are so hypocritical, it’s unbelievable. And this is the woman that wants to be president.”