IRS Rep Told Dr. James Dobson They Wouldn’t Approve His Application Because He Had Been “Critical Of President”

Dr. James Dobson was a guest on the Hannity show Friday night to talk about the run-around his Christian, pro-family, group, Family Talk Action got from the IRS when they applied for a 501(c)(4), a process he said “went on and on and on” for 19 months.

When his lawyer called the IRS to find out what the problem was, an IRS rep named Medley told him, “we don’t think we’re going to approve your application.” And when he asked, “why not? She answered, because you’re a right wing organization, and you’re political, and you’ve been critical of the President and we don’t think you give other people an opportunity to express their views, and besides that – you’re not educational.” An answer Dr. Dobson took great umbrage at.

“Do you want to rewrite your application and resubmit it?” she asked.  He answered, “no, we’ll just have to litigate”, and about eight days later they gave them their 501(c)(4).

Obama definitely set the tone for these abuses. “Punish your my enemies”,  he ordered from on high. The only question is whether he was ever more explicit, or personally aware that his minions in the IRS was doing his bidding.

SEE ALSO:  

AIM:  The IRS Targeted Conservative Media:

Of the IRS abuse cases that have recently come to light, the use of the IRS to enforce the defunct “Fairness Doctrine” on broadcasters is one of the most disturbing.

“I am alarmed by reports that suggest a federal official at the IRS instituting a de facto Fairness Doctrine,” National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) President & CEO Dr. Frank Wright said in apress release. Wright was referring to long-time Christian radio host Dr. James Dobson revealing that his organization had to submit sample radio programs to the IRS, and that an IRS agent indicated that his criticism of President Obama would prevent his ministry from getting a certain form of non-profit status.

A press release about the controversy was issued under the headline, “IRS Subjects Dr. James Dobson and Family Talk Action to Viewpoint Discrimination.”

In other words, Dobson’s views were singled out by the IRS because they were conservative, Christian, and critical of President Obama.

The Right Scoop: MUST WATCH: Mega Romney donor says he was targeted by Obama campaign, then audited by IRS and Labor Dept

This is not my country. The Chicago thugocracy we have in the White House is every bit what Michelle Malkin has always said it was, using government to target and oppress political ‘enemies’.

In this segment, Frank Vandersloot tells BillO that after he gave Romney one million to help his campaign, he was then targeted by the Obama campaign on their official website along with seven others. Shortly after that he received a letter from the IRS saying he would be audited. And then on top of that, he also had the Labor Dept. come calling because they wanted to look at his books.

FLASHBACK:

July, 23, 2012

When Is The MSM Going to Condemn Obama’s Enemies List?

Just asking.

Because Obama does have an enemies list– literally.  His Orwellian “Truth Team”  lists on his campaign website  the names of some of Mitt Romney’s biggest donors.

While President Nixon kept his Enemies list secret, Obama’s list is right out in the open and designed to inspire scorn, rebuke and retribution from his minions.

The truth is,  anyone who runs as a Republican or donates to conservative causes can count on being targeted for intimidation by the organized left.

When did this become okay? When did it become okay for the President’s party to attack, insult, and slander private citizens for no other reason than they gave money to his opponent?

When did it become okay for a President to sic government agencies on private citizens who give to the “wrong” campaign?

Agreeing 100% With Michelle Malkin – Stop Saying Obama Is A “Nice Guy”

May, 10, 2012

…When we all know he ain’t.

This has been a point of contention for me, too…Does the Republican establishment think that the American people can’t handle the truth? Why do they insist on raising the white flag in the battle for hearts and minds, by ceding to the left one of their weakest propaganda points?

It’s so easy to point out all of the things that make Obama a not-so-nice bully, yet the establishment doesn’t even try.

There is a reflexive desire among a certain species of moderate Republicans to be perceived as “civil” by liberal opponents who believe that the mere existence of free-market, limited-government conservatism is an indecent affront to humankind. All aboard the U.S.S. Lost Cause.

This disastrous, bend-over bipartisanship is a hard habit to break. In 2008, Arizona Sen. John McCain rode the “Barack Obama is a nice guy, but vote for me” wave to crashing defeat. In 2012, McCain’s endorsee, Mitt Romney, has made “Barack Obama is a nice guy but in over his head” a standard stump-speech talking point.

Conservatives of good will who’ve watched President Obama brutalize his enemies have one question for the nice-guy niceties: Why, GOP, why?

Romney’s smarter-than-thou strategists explain that he can’t scare off independents and Democrats with straight talk about Obama’s thuggery. But he’s turning off the conservative base, on whom his hold is tenuous. More importantly, Romney’s McCain-lite impersonation is also writing off independents and Democrats who’ve come to realize what the myriad targets of White House bullying have learned the hard way over the past four years: Barack Obama is not a “nice guy.”

Ask Gerald Walpin, the former AmeriCorps inspector general who was pushed out of his job by the Obamas afterexposing fraud and corruption perpetrated by Democratic mayor of Sacramento and Obama friend Kevin Johnson. Walpin was unceremoniously fired and smeared by Team Obama. The White House baselessly questioned the veteran watchdog’s mental health and never apologized for slandering him.

Ask the family, friends and co-workers of murdered Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. They have been forced to sue the Obama administration to combat the Operation Fast and Furious cover-up of deadly policy decisions that led to their hero’s death. “I think they are liars, and I would tell them that,” Terry’s father, Kent, said of Obama’s henchmen.

As Townhall editor Katie Pavlich makes clear in her devastating new book, “Fast and Furious: Barack Obama’s Bloodiest Scandal and Its Shameless Cover-Up,” the president, his corrupt attorney general, Eric Holder, and their minions weren’t “in over their heads.” They knew exactly what they were doing and have obstructed investigations into the bloody consequences of their policies ever since.

That’s not “nice.” It’s rotten to the core.

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Targeted By IRS

Tuesday, Franklin Graham of  theBilly Graham Evangelistic Association sent a letter of complaint to the President, in which he claimed that the IRS was  targeting his  father’s famous ministry.

Here’s a screenshot of the letter, via The Tarheel Report:

RedState.com reports that Mark Demoss, a spokesman for Graham, said the ministry had never been audited by the IRS in its history.

“These certainly appear to be politically motivated since the ministry had run some newspaper ads – not mentioning any candidates – simply urging people to vote for candidates with biblical values,” he said.

DeMoss called the IRS audit “very troubling and said it could have a “chilling effect on people across the country.”

I wouldn’t be surprised if other Christian organizations start coming out of the woodwork with similar complaints.

It’s going to be a long hot summer for the White House.

SEE ALSO:

The Conversation:

Sen. Paul Proposes Resolution Condemning IRS, Ted Cruz Blasts Obama in Oped

After a Rough Day in the White House, Democrat Strategist Hilary Rosen Tweets #SupportJayCarney

Issa: ‘IG #IRS Report Raises More Questions Than Answers’

Southern Baptist Convention ‘Hostile’ According to the US Army

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the US Army is being run by the left-wing, anti- Christian hate group SPLC. They seem to be trying to stamp out any and all religious sentiment in its soldiers, as well as trying to discourage those with religious beliefs from even serving in the Army. Unless Congress steps up and does something to stop it, religious freedom in the military will be a thing of the past.

In its latest enemy action against Christianity, the United States Army blocked the website of the Southern Baptist Convention from government computers.

An Army officer assigned to a U.S. base says he tried to access SBC.net from his government computer but instead got a message that said the site was being blocked by “Team CONUS.” The message he received read:

“The site you have requested has been blocked by Team CONUS (C-TNOSC/RECERT-CONUS) due to hostile content.”

Team CONUS is the Department of Defense management and computer network overseer of the military’s Continental U.S. (CONUS) Theater Network Operations and Security Center (C-TNOSC) and Regional Computer Emergency Response Team (RCERT).

“So the Southern Baptist Convention is now considered hostile to the U.S. Army … It just corroborates the recent string of events highlighted by AFA,” the officer wrote in an email to American Family Association (AFA).

Earlier this month, a shocking story broke about an Army instructor in Pennsylvania who labeled Evangelical Christians, Catholics, Orthodox Jews and Mormons “religious extremists” alongside Hamas and al Qaeda during an Army Reserve Equal Opportunity training brief on extremism. An Army spokesman told Todd Starnes of Fox News that this was an “isolated incident not condoned by the Dept. of the Army.”

It was not an isolated incident.

A few days later, Todd Starnes reported at Townhall that an Army officer at Ft. Campbell, KY had recently sent an email to subordinates using similar descriptions to describe two mainstream Christian ministries that were put in the same category as Neo-Nazis, Racist Skinheads, White Nationalists and the Ku Klux Klan.

Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., told Fox News that soldiers have been seeing a steady attack on faith and religious freedom in the military. “We are getting a lot of calls from soldiers saying, ‘We’re afraid of going to church. We’re afraid to be seen praying. We’re afraid that would hurt our careers, our promotions.’”

Forbes questioned Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel about the religious liberty issue during a recent House Armed Services Committee meeting.

A couple of weeks ago, at least a dozen members of Congress signed a letter demanding the Secretary of the Army rescind and apologize for the patently absurd briefing that labeled Evangelical Christians, Orthodox Jews, Mormons and Catholics as religious extremist groups alongside Hamas, al Qaeda and the KKK.

Fox News obtained a draft of the letter:

“This is astonishing and offensive,” read a draft of the letter written by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO). “We call on you to rescind this briefing and apologize for its content and set the record straight on the Army’s view on these faith groups by providing a balanced briefing on religious extremism.”

It’s almost like Obama  is trying to cultivate an Army of left-wing atheists.

Beck: Event File Created for Saudi National indicated He Was “Armed and Dangerous” (Video)

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano finally admitted on Tuesday that the Saudi national was put on a terror watchlist after the attack –  this after refusing to answer questions about it, last week , calling South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan’s inquiry into the matter, “so full of misstatements and misapprehension that it’s just not worthy of an answer.”

Yesterday, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on immigration reform, Napolitano responded to a question posed by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

“Before the [Tsarnaev] brothers became the focus of the investigation, authorities questioned a Saudi student who reportedly was on a terror watchlist,” Grassley said.  “I sent a letter to you this morning asking for answers to questions about the bombers and how they interacted with your agency, I trust you will promptly respond…”

“With regard to the Saudi student, was he on a watchlist, and if so, how did he obtain a student visa?” Grassley asked.

Napolitano firmly responded: “He was not on a watchlist.  What happened is — this student was, really when you back it out, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  He was never a subject.  He was never even really a person of interest.  Because he was being interviewed, he was at that point put on a watchlist, and then when it was quickly determined he had nothing to do with the bombing, the watch listing status was removed.”

Glenn Beck has been claiming for days that he has documentation that the Saudi national who was once a “person of interest” in the Boston Bombing case, and later cleared is indeed a terrorist, and was connected to the bombing.

On his radio talk show, this morning, Glenn dropped the hammer, saying that Big Sis could serve “jail time for perjury”, and she will be “the first to fall.” He said that the event file, (a copy of which he has in his possession) indicated that Alharbi was “armed and dangerous.”

“That’s on page two”, Beck teased, as he has only revealed page one, thus far.

Via The Blaze 

Here are a couple of new points, as Beck related them:

• The event file created for Abdul Rahman Ali Alharbi indicated he was “armed and dangerous”

• Alharbi was admitted into the country under a “special advisory option,” which is usually reserved for visiting politicians, VIPs, or journalists.  The event file cover page indicates he was granted his statuswithout full vetting.

• One of the first excuses given by law enforcement when confronted about Alharbi’s pending deportation was an expired visa.  But according to the event file, his visa is good until 11-NOV-2016.

• The event file indicates he entered the U.S. on 08/28/12 in Boston, MA but says he is a student at the University of Findlay, in Findlay, Ohio.  He has an apartment in Boston, and doesn’t seem to have been a full-time student in Ohio.

• When a file is created in the system, the author(s) are notified via email when it is accessed and given the email address of the person accessing, so there is a record within the government data system of who was there.  It was amended to remove the deportation reference, then someone later went in and tried to destroy both the original event file and an amended versions.  We won’t say who at this time, but copies have already been made.

•  The original event file was reviewed and approved by two high level agents – Chief Watch Commander Maimbourg and Watch Commander Mayfield.

Beck explained: “Derogatory information reviewed...That means, we have been presented bad information…and it was reviewed, and found to be sufficient.  Subject has One (1) prior event...[That means] when they opened this when he was at the hospital, they found he’s already in the system.”

“A 212, 3B [is] the biggest warning we can put on anybody,” Beck explained for those unfamiliar with the term.  “You do not put people’s name on there easily…this is a terrorist designation, and there is a panel of agencies that you have to go and make your case to.  It’s not like you’re standing in the hospital room and they say: ‘Make him a 212,3B.’   And if they ​are, they’re abusing their power….It is so rare that somebody’s name is taken off outside of death, that none of ours sources can tell us that it’s ever happened.  It is laughable what Janet Napolitano said yesterday.”

Gateway Pundit: Breaking: Saudi Student Alharbi Visited the White House Several Times:

Abdul Rahman Al-Harbi has visited the White House several times since 2009.

 

WHAT?

 

Tokyo #1 On North Korea’s Attack List (Video)

North Korea is saying to Japan, YOU FIRST:

According to Debka:

US and Japanese sources reported Friday, April 12,  that North Korea has warned Japan that Tokyo would be the first target if Pyongyang decided to launch a nuclear attack. This was in response to Japan’s orders to its armed forces to shoot down any North Korean missile that heads toward its territory. Taking the threat seriously, Japan has deployed Patriot interceptors around its capital.
Japanese defense officials refused to confirm reports about their naval alert saying they do not want to “show their cards” to North Korea.
On arrival in Seoul Friday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said: “We will stand with South Korea and Japan against these threats. And we will defend ourselves,” he said. He rejected the Pentagon’s assessment that Pyongyang had probably developed nuclear weapons which could be mounted on ballistic missiles, saying that North Korea had still not developed or fully tested the nuclear capabilities needed for this step.

The White House again insisted Friday that North Korea had not demonstrated a capability to deploy a nuclear-armed missile, evidently intent on having the last word in the debate with the Pentagon on this matter.

Over 700 Special Ops Vets Demand Answers On Benghazi – Push For Congressional Cmte (Video)

More than seven hundred retired Military Special Operations professionals from “Special Operations Speaks” sent a letter to the House of Representatives urging members to support H.Res 36, which would create a House Select Committee to investigate the September 11 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. Four Americans were killed in that attack, and two could have been saved if the Regime had acted quickly enough..

Kerry Picket of  Big Peace reported:

Signers of the letter believe the House Select Committee should look into a number of issues, including the lack of military response to the events in Benghazi, if any non-military assistance was provided during the attack; the number U.S. personnel who were injured in Benghazi; the current locations of survivors; the names of the individuals in the White House Situation Room (WHSR) during the entire 8-hour period of the attacks and was a senior US military officer present.

“As veterans from all aspects of Special Operations, we have no doubt that there’s a lot more to what happened in Benghazi than President Obama and his Administration are letting on. From the very beginning, he has attempted to mislead and outright lied to the American people about why the attack on September 11th, 2012 happened, how it happened, and what our government did or did not do to save the lives of our patriots abroad,” former Navy SEAL Captain Larry Bailey wrote in a statement to Breitbart News.

The representatives from the retired military community want “a full accounting of the events of September 11, 2012,” adding that the,  ”American public be fully informed regarding this egregious terrorist attack on US diplomatic personnel and facilities. We owe that truth to the American people and the families of the fallen.”

Retired Air Force Col. Dick Brauer, now a member of S.O.S. discussed his group’s push for information on Fox and Friends, this morning.

Here’s the full listing of the questions they are demanding answers to:

1. Why was there no military response to the events in Benghazi?

a. Were military assets in the region available? If not, why not?

b. If so, were they alerted?

c. Were assets deployed to any location in preparation for a rescue or recovery attempt?

d. Was military assistance requested by the Department of State? If so, what type?

e. Were any US Army/Naval/USMC assets available to support the US diplomats in Benghazi during the attack?

f. What, if any, recommendations for military action were made by DOD and the US Africa Command?

2. What, if any, non-military assistance was provided during the attack?

3. How many US personnel were injured in Benghazi?

4. Why have the survivors of the attack not been questioned?

5. Where are the survivors?

6. Who was in the White House Situation Room (WHSR) during the entire 8-hour period of the attacks, and was a senior US military officer present?

7. Where were Leon Panetta and General Martin Dempsey during the crisis, and what inputs and recommendations did they make?

8. Where were Tom Donilon, the National Security Advisor, Denis McDonough, his deputy, Valerie Jarrett and John Brennan during the attacks, and what (if any) recommendations or decisions did any of them make?

9. Why were F-16 fighter aircraft based in Aviano, Italy (less than two hours away) never considered a viable option for disruption (if not dispersal) of the attackers until “boots on the ground” (troop support–General Dempsey’s words) arrived?

10. Were any strike aircraft (such as an AC-130 gunship) in the area or possibly overhead that would cause former SEAL Tyrone Woods to laser-designate his attacker’s position and call for gunship fire support, thereby revealing his own location that led to his death?

11. Who gave the order to “STAND DOWN” that was heard repeatedly during the attacks?

12. What threat warnings existed before the attack, and what were the DOD and DOS responses to those warnings? What data (which will reveal exact timelines and command decisions) is contained within the various SITREPS, records, logs, videos and recordings maintained by the myriad of DOD, Intelligence Community and State Department Command Centers that were monitoring the events in Benghazi as they unfolded?

13. Why did the Commander-in Chief and Secretary of State never once check in during the night to find out the status of the crisis situation in Benghazi?

14. What was the nature of Ambassador Stevens’ business in Benghazi at the time of the attack?

15. What guidance has been provided to survivors and family members since the time of the attack, and who issued that guidance?

16. Why are so many agencies now requiring their personnel that were involved in or have access to information regarding the events that took place in Benghazi sign Non-Disclosure Agreements?

For some reason, House Speaker, John Boehner has not been predisposed to appoint a select committee to investigate the Benghazi debacle, but being a political animal, hopefully he will bow to public pressure if enough of his constituents push him in that direction.

Sadly,  it looks  like the Republican leadership decided to drop the issue after the election, lending credence to the charge that they were only pursuing it for political reasons. It’s almost like top Republicans knew something about a classified weapons running operation being run out of Benghazi, and now want to wash their hands of the whole stinking thing. “What difference does it make?!” as HillaryClinton famously asked.

But Special Op guys don’t like to see their own left behind, and they are not letting this thing go.

Former Navy SEAL Captain Larry Bailey said in a conference call, today, that SOS  thought they would get maybe a couple hundred signatures on their petition and were surprised by the overwhelming response – over 700 Special Op signatures,

now. He said that they expect there to be a committee established, and if it isn’t, he matter-of-factly offered that there would be political consequences.

Frank Gaffney made note of something Clinton  said repeatedly (so it was apparently an approved talking point) during her hearing. ”We are confronting a global jihadist threat,”  she told the Senators. But the failure that was manifest on Sept 11,  was that the Regime didn’t recognize the global jihadist threat. Clinton failed to countenance the global jihadist threat until she was heading out the door.

Another thing Gaffney thought was kind of stunning was the absence  of any of the folks who survived the attack from the public domain. He called it a “witness suppression program.”

Their working theory as to what was going on: Ambassador Stevens was in one of the most dangerous places in the world on one of the most dangerous days of the year for a specific reason: an emergency meeting after the disclosure in the media of a shipment of arms from Libya through Turkey heading to Syria to arm the Islamist rebels in Syria.  Exposure of that pipeline serious might have had serious repercussions for Obama in the presidential election. Both parties might have known about the covert operations.

SEE ALSO: 

End the Benghazigate Cover-up

SHOCK: ARMY INSTRUCTOR LABELS CATHOLICS, EVANGELICALS, MORMONS AND JEWS ‘RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS’

Only in Obama’s world, where the truth about Islam and Jihad is banned, could such an outrageous insult to mainstream, peaceful religions be permitted by a US Army training instructor.

During the course of an Army Reserve Equal Opportunity training brief on extremism, Evangelical Christianity, Catholicism, ultra Orthodox Jews, and the Church of Latter Day Saints were listed among Al Qaeda, Hamas, the Ku Klux Klan, Sunni Muslims, and Nation of Islam as examples of religious extremism. Oddly enough, “Islamophobia”  was also listed as a form of religious extremism, and the Westboro Baptist Church was excluded altogether by the instructor who apparently got her information from the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Stating the obvious, Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty said, “it is dishonorable for any U.S. military entity to allow this type of wrongheaded characterization.”

Via Todd Starnes of Fox News:

Army spokesman George Wright told Fox News that this was an “isolated incident not condoned by the Dept. of the Army.” 

“This slide was not produced by the Army and certainly does not reflect our policy or doctrine,” he said. “It was produced by an individual without anyone in the chain of command’s knowledge or permission.”
Wright said after the complaint was lodged, the presenter deleted the slide, and apologized.

“We consider the matter closed,” he said.

The incident was made public by a soldier who attended the briefing. He asked for copies of the presentation and sent them to the Chaplain Alliance.

“He considers himself an evangelical Christian and did not appreciate being classified with terrorists,” Crews told Fox News. “There was a pervasive attitude in the presentation that anything associated with religion is an extremist.”

The Archdiocese for the Military Services was shocked to learn that the Army considered Catholicism to be an example of extremism on a par with groups like Hamas and al Qaeda.

“The Archdiocese is astounded that Catholics were listed alongside groups that are, by their very mission and nature, violent and extremist,” the Archdiocese said in a statement.

They want the Dept. of Defense to “ensure that taxpayer funds are never again used to present blatantly anti-religious material to the men and women in uniform.”

“In the notes it was clearly stated that the presenter was not a subject matter expert, and produced material after conducting Internet research, Wright said.

So if the presenter was not an expert, what were they doing presenting the material, Crews asked. 

He said he had a chance to speak with the officer who was conducting the meeting, and she told him that she got her information from the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Case closed?

No, I don’t think the matter should be considered closed until every soldier who attended that training brief receives new, corrected instruction, and the officer who conducted the defamatory, bigoted briefing is demoted.
Crew told Fox News that in the future, the military should consult with chaplains about matters involving religion.

 

Video: WH Refuses To Denounce Obama Pastor’s Rev. Wright Style Easter Rant

Americans who pay attention to the news were unpleasantly reminded, this Easter, of the scandal that threatened to knock Obama out of contention in 2008. Taking a page from the odious Black liberation theology of Obama’s Pastor in Chicago, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright of TUCC, Reverend Luis Leon turned the pulpit on Easter into a place for cheap political posturing, and incendiary racialist rhetoric, seemingly tailored to please the president.

In his Easter sermon today, Rev. Luis Leon said, “It drives me crazy when the captains of the religious right are always calling us back … for blacks to be back in the back of the bus … for women to be back in the kitchen … for immigrants to be back on their side of the border.” Rev. Leon spewed this revisionist history in front of President Obama and his family.

The Washington Post reported the story with the headline: Obama attends Easter service; minister criticizes ‘captains of the religious right’

Other websites soon followed. Here’s the Memeorandum thread.

In the Spring of 2008, Obama did finally denounce Rev. Wright’s shocking rhetoric, and left TUCC  because the controversy had refused to die down and was threatening his candidacy..

But Obama isn’t running for anything, anymore.  So what does he care if his pastor insults half of America on Easter Sunday? He doesn’t.  No doubt it pleases him greatly.

White House spokesman, Jay Carney was asked if the White House would denounce Leon’s “false and filthy rant.”

Of course, Carney demurred.

What does it matter that Leon isn’t a politician, Senator, member of Congress or President? What does it matter that St. John’s Episcopal Church has been visited by many many presidents over the years? Why would Carney even bring up those irrelevant points? The President of the United States went to that service and sat through that grossly inappropriate sermon with his family on Easter Sunday.  Wouldn’t it be appropriate for him to assure conservative Christians across the nation that he doesn’t share those vile views?

That’s a rhetorical question, and we should all know by now, why Obama has not and will not throw Leon “under the bus.”

Everything we know about Obama points to the inescapable conclusion that he agrees with his radical pastors 100%.

Linked by Doug Ross, thanks!

Liveblogging MAIG National Day to Demand Action Events

Mayor Bloomberg’s notorious gun control group Mayors Against Illegal Guns has organized a “National Day To Demand Action” day, with press conferences and rallies scheduled all across the nation.

As I wrote at the Conversation, this morning, Bloomberg may want to consider having background checks on these pro gun-control Mayors before they are accepted into the group, because the reckless and criminal behavior of some of the members is not helping their cause, from a PR standpoint.

 The Washington Free Beacon recently reported that some current and former members of the group have been charged with crimes as serious as felony corruption, assault of a police officer, and child sex crimes.

Dubbed the GunControlapalooza, by some, their gun control Day of Action  was given a send off, yesterday by none other than VP Joey “Choo Choo” Biden, who held a conference call with gun control supporters across the nation, telling them, the assault weapons’ ban just the beginning.

The president kicked things off with a WH photo op where  he shamelessly scolded fellow Americans who are against his gun control agenda: ‘Shame on us if we’ve forgotten’ Newtown kids; Citizens.“

You can find the list of the events state by state, here.

I’ve been trying to find information about the events that have already taken place. There was supposed to be something at the Durham, NC City Hall  at 10:30 a.m. but so far, no news on that. No word yet on the Indianapolis rally that happened at 11:00. There is a written statement from MAIG posted at Reuters with the disclaimer, * Reuters is not responsible for the content in this press release: Hoosiers Call On Congress To End Gun Violence As Part Of National Day To Demand Action.

Nothing yet on the Palm beach County event…. I’m sure that it’s taking reporters time to download all their pictures of the seas of humanity at these anti Second Amendment rallies.

Here’s what I’ve got, so far.

The Hartford CT event was held at 9:00 am:

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) _ Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra are throwing support behind a national effort to end gun violence.

They all spoke on the steps of Hartford City Hall on Thursday as part of The National Day to Demand Action, organized by the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition.

How big was the crowd AP?

Here’s the pic the posted of Hartford press conference.

I’m sure pictures and videos will start appearing before long. I will update as soon as they do.

UPDATE:

Philly Mayor Michael Nutter held a press conference at the Widener Library branch in North Philadelphia at 12:00 on Thursday as a part of a National Day to Demand Action on gun legislation.

Nutter – along with fellow members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Deputy Commissioner Kevin Bethel, and advocates with CeaseFirePA and Mothers in Charge – called on Congress to require background checks for all gun sales.

There was no mention in the article on the number of people who filled the library to hear the press conference.

UPDATE:

Binghamton mayor urges action on illegal guns:

Binghamton mayor Mayor Matthew Ryan held a press conference at 11:00 am.

UPDATE:

Mainers Call On Congress To End Gun Violence As Part Of National Day To Demand Action:

NEW YORK, March 28, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Mainers gathered today in Augusta and Portland as part of the National Day to Demand Action to end gun violence as President Obama met with gun violence survivors, law enforcement officials and mothers at the White House to urge Congress to reform U.S. gun laws.  Mayors Against Illegal Guns also released the first television ad featuring family members of those killed at Sandy Hook calling on political leaders to support sensible reforms like comprehensive and enforceable background checks.  The ad can be viewed here: www.DemandAction.org/Newtown-Families

In Augusta, Mayor William Stokes and Hallowell Mayor Charlotte Warren held a press conference and petition drive while in Portland, Mayor Michael Brennan and former Lewiston Mayor Larry Gilbert held a press conference.

“We vigorously enforce gun crimes in Maine,” said Augusta Mayor William Stokes.  ”But while we have a great working relationship with federal and local partners, it is not enough to prevent out of state buyers coming into Maine to buy guns they cannot get elsewhere. We need stronger federal laws that require background checks for all gun sales and make gun trafficking a federal crime.”

“Born and raised on a farm in rural Maine, I come from a family of hunters and gun owners, and I am proud of our family traditions,” said Hallowell Mayor Charlotte Warren.  ”I am also keenly aware of the damage these weapons can do in the wrong hands. My family honors a tradition of safe and responsible gun use. It is because of my upbringing that I support background checks for all gun sales.  Instituting background checks protects all of our gun rights. We are doing everything we can at the local level to keep families safe and healthy. We need help from Augusta and Washington to close loopholes and keep guns out of the wrong hands.”

UPDATE:

WRAL: NC cities mark national ‘action day’ on gun violence:

There was reportedly a crowd for this one, but no pix of the crowd.

Events were planned in Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh and Durham, where family members of victims of gun violence spoke about Thursday morning about the need for universal background checks – not only for commercial but for private sales.

Joined by Durham Mayor Bill Bell, Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt and Morrisville Mayor Jackie Holcombe, Effie Steele told the crowd about how her 21-year-old pregnant daughter had been shot in the chest three times in December 2007 by a family friend whom she believes had mental health issues.

“I’m involved in a group I never thought I would ever or never wanted to be a part of,” Steele said. “My daughter, Ebony Robinson, and my only grandson, Elijah, were murdered five years ago by someone who should not have been allowed to have a gun, much less his own personal arsenal.”

UPDATE:

In Phoenix Gun-control supporters gather in Phoenix for National Day to Demand Action:

PHOENIX — It’s National Day to Demand Action, as people call for universal background checks on all gun buyers and an assault weapons ban.

A group gathered Thursday for a downtown rally at Cesar Chavez Plaza.

Mari Bailey’s son Michael was 21 when he was shot and killed almost 10 years ago. That was when she began her fight to stop gun violence. She said that this 100th day since the Connecticut school shootings prompts the time for tougher gun laws.

“If it saves one life, and one more mom from going what I went through, let’s do this.”

The Center for American Progress said Arizona is the ninth-deadliest state for gun violence with a rate 40 percent higher than the national average.

Tucson: Tucson leaders gather to “Demand Action” on gun violence:

While members of Congress are home during the Easter/Passover recess, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, in conjunction with Organizing for Action, Americans for Responsible Solutions and other groups, will organize events and petition drives and generate an unprecedented number of calls into Senate district offices to call for their representatives to support commonsense gun laws like comprehensive and enforceable background checks.

The article was press release stuff with no actual reporting about the rally, but the comments are entertaining.

HELLO! Criminals have illegal guns…criminals don’t do back ground checks.

_

No shortage of idiots of the left in Tucson, instead of dealing with real problems like illegals, budgets, drug cartels, street gangs let’s screw with honest second amendment supporters and attack their rights, ruin their lives and act like the total idiots of the left they are along with a few Rino’s. Nothing proposed will do a thing to prevent any of these shootings past or present except armed citizens willing to act against the crazies. The police have no duty to respond, and honestly, has there ever been a mass shooting at a gun show or gun store or police convention? NO BECAUSE THEY’RE ARMED AND CAN PROTECT THEMSELVES! I wonder why they’re not mentioning names here? Is it because we will remember election time and kick their a.s.s.es out of office! Keep your hands off our guns you loony leftists! Oh and let’s not forget Loughner was a Democrat who read Karl Marx and Adolph Hitler!

Something needs to be done about the rash of gun violence. I say INCREASE THE NUMBER OF CCW AND ALLOW MORE RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS TO PROTECT THEMSELVES AS WELL AS OTHERS! In other words – “Carry a gun because a cop is too heavy.A great show of farce.

The sense I get from today is that there is simply not a widespread desire in this country to push Bloomberg et al’s gun control laws. These rallies and media events were very poorly attended from the looks of it. Kinda surprising since OFA was involved. Couldn’t Obama’s permanent campaign arm afford any decent astroturf?

Obama’s remarks this morning in the White House,  flanked by mothers of crime victims, were repulsive considering his Justice Dept’s abysmal track record  prosecuting gun crimes.

The gun grabbers want you to think otherwise, but the wind is definitely not at their backs.

Ted Cruz: “I Think A Gun Registry Is Very Very Dangerous…A Precondition To Confiscation” (Audio)

Ted Cruz was a guest on Glen Beck’s radio show, today to talk about the Democrats’ gun control efforts.

Some of what the Democrats are proposing is thankfully essentially “show legislation”, Cruz maintained. That would include the assault weapons ban that Senator Feinstein was pushing. The universal background checks are another story, though. Universal background checks would extend background checks to every single private transaction between law abiding citizens.

Cruz said that his view is that instead of gun legislation, they should be passing crime legislation.  “We should focus on deterrents and punishments on violent criminals.” He explained that instead of  taking away rights of law abiding citizens, we should enforce the laws that are already on the books.  “Right now,  the Obama Justice Dept  is not effectively enforcing those laws”, he argued.

The only way they could implement a universal background check is for the federal government to compile a gun registry. And a gun registry Cruz maintained is “very very dangerous”….

When pressed by Glen Beck to explain why, he said, because historically “it’s a precondition for confiscation. If the federal government has a list of your guns, it then can go and take your guns.”

Jim (Punch Back Twice as Hard) Messina in OFA Fund-Raising Email: “If We Do This Right, The Other Side Won’t Know What Hit ‘Em”

Jim Messina, the Chair of Obama’s permanent campaign arm, Organizing for Action, wants potential donors to know that “interest groups” on “the other side” have “money to burn” unlike his totally independent “grassroots” group which is run by former advisors to the President, and promises special access to the White House for big donors.

These shadowy special interest groups are trying to throw a wrench into the Regime’s good works, Messina says, and we can be “damned sure this is not going to stop.”

Supporters are urged to donate just $5.00 or more to help them punch back twice as hard. “The other side won’t know what hit em,” Messina promises at the end of his letter.

Friend –

I want to make one thing absolutely clear:

We’re up against a whole lot more than just opposition in Congress.

We’re up against interest groups with money to burn — organizations willing to drop every last penny they have to stop President Obama’s agenda in its tracks. We’re already seeing it on gun violence, and immigration reform — they’re going to spend millions to throw a wrench in the works of progress.

You can be damned sure that this is not going to stop.

Organizing for Action is going to shift the balance of power in Washington back to real people. People like you have shown over and over again that no amount of spending can stop millions of Americans calling for change.

It’s going to take each of us rolling up our sleeves, getting to work, and chipping in what we can when we can.

We have our first fundraising deadline this weekend. Donate $5 or more right now to become a founding member of this organization:

https://donate.barackobama.com/First-Deadline

This is going to be fun. If we do this right, the other side won’t know what hit ‘em.

Messina

Jim Messina
Chair
Organizing for Action

Hat tip: Tony Katz

Wayne LaPierre Cleaned Nanny Bloomberg’s Clock on Meet The Press, Yesterday (Video)

Yesterday, both NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the NRA’s Wayne LaPierre were guests on NBC’s Meet the Press.

Asked about his efforts to ban Big Gulps in NYC, Nanny Bloomberg said:

“We’re not banning anything.  All we’re saying is, we want to show you just how big the cup is. If you want 32 ounces, take two cups to your seat. If you want 64, carry four. But our hope is, if you only take one, you won’t go back.”

When Gregory asked, “Where’s the line? Where is too far for government to go?” he answered:

“I do not think we should ban most things.”

Seriously.

Nanny Bloomberg says he wants to spend his money to “educate the public” about the dangers of Big Gulps, cigarettes and  guns. Because people need to know that cigarettes, fatty foods, sugary drinks, and getting shot with assault rifles are bad for them.

Here’s part of that interview.

At PJ Media, Michael Walsh called Bloomberg a Liberal Fascist:

Note how piously the unctuous Nanny Bloomberg claims he’s not “banning anything,” when in fact that’s exactly what he tried to do until a New York state judge drop-kicked his assertion of unfettered government authority and bureaucratic oversight through the goal posts of personal freedom — a concept that is itself under direct attack by fascists like Bloomberg, who has married his $27 billion personal fortune to his power as NYC mayor in an attempt to impose his will on the residents of the five boroughs and beyond.

Our job is to educate .., all we’re trying to do is educate.

 No, yer honor, your job is to manage the city government, to make sure the snow gets shoveled and the trash gets picked up, not to lecture the rest of us and use the power of City Hall to impose your particular life-style choices on everybody else. But that’s what happens when conservatives let the Left seize the narrative and promote governmental mission creep. Once government “addresses” a problem by throwing taxpayer money at it, it’s only a short hop to government claiming — as Bloomberg does in the clip — that because government spends money on a “problem,” it now has the right to dictate personal behavior. Sheer genius, really.

Wayne LaPierre was more than ready to take Bloomy on:

You just heard Mayor Bloomberg, but he’s going to find out this is a country of the people, by the people, and for the people. And he can’t spend enough of his $27 billion to try to impose his will on the American public. They don’t want him in their restaurants, they don’t want him in their homes. They don’t want him telling them what food to eat: and they sure don’t want him telling them what self-defense firearms to own.

Added LaPierre: “He can’t buy America.”

To this, Gregory asked if the NRA isn’t at least a little concerned with Bloomberg. After all, “he wants to be the counterweight to [the NRA].”

And this is where LaPierre shined:

[The NRA has] millions of people, sending us $5, $10, $15, $20 checks saying, “Stand up to this guy who says we can only have three bullets,” which is what he said. “Stand up to this guy who says ridiculous things like, ‘The NRA wants firearms with nukes on them.’” I mean, it’s insane the stuff he says.

As AWR Hawkins said at Big Journalism, advantage LaPierre.

SEE ALSO:

The Washington Times: NYC Mayor Bloomberg: Government has right to ‘infringe on your freedom’:

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Sunday: Sometimes government does know best. And in those cases, Americans should just cede their rights.

“I do think there are certain times we should infringe on your freedom,” Mr. Bloomberg said, during an appearance on NBC. He made the statement during discussion of his soda ban — just shot down by the courts — and insistence that his fight to control sugary drink portion sizes in the city would go forth.

Yid With Lid: Al Sharpton Hypocrisy: Criticism of Mayor Bloomberg Due to Antisemitism:

Its incredible when non-Jews play the Antisemitism card as a way to attack their political opponents, its downright disgusting when its an Anti-Semite playing that card. This morning on the Morning Joe program, Mike Barnicle and Al Sharpton agreed that part of the opposition to Mike Bloomberg’s Gun Control efforts are caused by Antisemitism.

Andy at AoSHQ: David Gregory Spreads High-Capacity Misinformation:

He’s a regular Assault Journalist, mowing down facts by the gross, without even stopping to reload.

John Hawkins, Clash Daily: The Top 7 Anti-Gun Liberal Jackasses Who’re Heavily Armed!

One of the great ironies of the gun control debate is that everyone who calls for gun control still wants a man with a gun protecting him. Every governor in America has armed security. You have to go through a metal detector guarded by men with guns to get into the Capitol building. Barack Obama has hundreds of Secret Service agents carrying fully automatic weapons who protect his safety. Even run-of-the-mill Democrats who want to take guns away from everyone else will unhesitatingly pick up the phone and call the police if they feel threatened — so that a man with a gun can show up and make them safe.

Hot Air: Loathsome nanny state mayor spends $12M on gun banning ads… with no gun ban:

I don’t know how many millions of dollars Michael Bloomberg is sitting on in his bank account – and frankly, it’s none of my business – but if he keeps blowing it at this pace, he may run the tank dry before too long. The king of all nanny state ideals is dumping another $12M into ad buys to pump up support for new anti-second amendment initiatives. But if you watch this latest, tug at your heartstrings, down home advertisement, there’s one thing conspicuously missing.

Determined to persuade Congress to act in response to that shooting, Mr. Bloomberg on Monday will begin bankrolling a $12 million national advertising campaign that focuses on senators who he believes might be persuaded to support a pending package of federal regulations to curb gun violence. The ads, in 13 states, will blanket those senators’ districts during an Easter Congressional recess that is to be followed by debate over the legislation.

In a telling sign of how much the white-hot demands for gun control have been tempered by political reality, Mr. Bloomberg’s commercials make no mention of an assault weapons ban once sought by the White House and its allies, instead focusing on the more achievable goal of universal background checks.

Elizabeth Sheld, The Conversation: McCain Key Player in Background Check Expansion:

The Hill is reporting that John McCain (R-AZ), who has affixed his name to such legislation or proposed legislation as McCain-Feingold (CFR),  McCain-Kennedy (immigration) and McCain-Lieberman (climate change), is a key player in the quest to expand background check for gun purchasers.

Also “considering” signing on  are Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Senator Dean Heller (R-NV).  The proposal contains some “compromises” such as letting “rural gun owners conduct background checks from their home computers. Another would give military veterans who have been declared mentally unfit to own a gun a process for appealing that finding.”

McCain has a B+ rating from the NRA and Heller has an A, for the time being. According to the Hill, their support for background checks lends some credibility to the effort to recruit further support from senate Republicans. Other possible supporters do not rate as well by the NRA, Collins has a C- and Mark Kirk (R-IL), who is already on board, has an F.

 Washington Times: Senate becomes ground zero in costly gun debate — with both sides predicting victory:

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn predict the Senate will pass a measure to strengthen background checks on gun sales, but National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre warned Sunday that Mr. Bloomberg cannot “buy America” on the issue.

Three months after the shooting rampage at a Connecticut elementary school shocked the country, the Senate is poised to debate a gun package that includes several measures, the most contentious requiring near-universal background checks on all gun sales.

Mental Recession: Cuomo: People Who Oppose Gun Law Are Paranoid Extremists:

Via Capitol Confidential:

What the extremists do is spread fear and unrealistic theories of conspiracies and the citizenry that needs to be armed because the government is possibly tyrannical, and they need their arms to defend themselves against the tyrannical government,” Cuomo continued. This is true: at gun rallies, I’ve heard this “slippery slope” line of argument from multiple attendees. They view the right to bear arms as a kind of check against government power.

Malarchy, Cuomo said.

“Common sense. Cool heads. Moderation. And remember there’s a majority of people in this state, this nation [that support gun control measures] and they have rights, too. It’s not just the Second Amendment right. People have a right to be safe,” he said. “Criminals and the mentally ill don’t have a right to a gun. They don’t. And you need a system and government regulation to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill.”

…

“These people are spreading fear because the facts don’t work for them,” Cuomo said.

First off, the Second Amendment is an absoulte right guaranteed by the Constitution.  It can not be trumped by a made up generalization such as “people have a right to be safe”.  Assuming that Second Amendment advocates getting their way will result in people being less safe makes Cuomo sound … well … paranoid.

- See more at: http://menrec.com/cuomo-people-who-oppose-gun-law-are-paranoid-extremists/#sthash.njxhzMyJ.x6cYn70E.dpuf

Weasel Zippers: Report: Actor In Nanny Bloomberg’s Anti-Gun Ad Violates Three Basic Gun-Safety Rules…

The ad does not specify if the man is an actor, but he violates all three gun safety rules taught by the National Rifle Association (NRA). (Click here to see the ads.)

The first rule is to always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. In this case, the children are playing in the yard. Although the viewers can’t see what is to the side of the truck, the man should be pointing the muzzle in the air or at the ground.

The second NRA rule is always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.

AoSHQ: Jim Carrey Needs an Excuse to Explain Away His Latest Box-Office Failure So He Released This Song:

The parody song seems sort of funny… if you’re in the mind to insult half the country. His act used to be mostly impressions, and he deploys decent impressions of Charlton Heston and Sam Elliot here. The main lyric, that it takes a “cold dead hand” to pull the trigger, is… well, clever-ish for internet baiting.

But that’s all it is, isn’t it? Baiting? The disconnect here is that Jim Carrey imagines himself as heroically changing the public debate and speaking great truths to power… when in fact he’s poisoning the well. He’s not shifting the public debate; he’s freezing it further.

By choosing a strategy of thoughtless, insulting personalization of the issue, he blows up any path but the one himself chose. That is, does he expect a non-personalized, thoughtful response to his personalized, thoughtless baiting? He simultaneously seems very self-congratulatory about his baiting on Twitter, promoting his Dr. Demento song as if it’s going to change the world.

Publius Forum: These Senators Voted to Give Away Your Second Amendment Rights to the UN:

Would you like to meet the Democrats that voted to destroy your Second Amendment rights? Would you like to meet those traitorous Senators that voted to give the power over your rights to the United Nations?

Fortunately, the odious, anti-American treaty was again voted down by the full Senate, but 46 Senators voted in favor of handing over our Constitutional rights to the UN.

Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) offered Amendment 139 that was passed with a 53 to 46 vote. His Amendment contained language to affirm that foreign treaties would not trump the U.S. Constitution.

Katie Pavlich, Townhall: Obama to Travel Around the Country on New Gun Control Campaign:

As New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg pumps millions of dollars into the airwaves, President Obama is getting ready for a brand new campaign. Obama will travel around the country on a gun control tour, despite Democrat Harry Reid killing Senator Dianne Feinstein’s latest gun control legislation last week. Reid has offered for Feinstein to issue her legislation as an amendment, but won’t bring the legislation as part of a larger gun control package to the Senate floor for a vote.

Big Journalism: Politico Reporter: NRA Spokesman ‘Tired Old White Guy’

Why do we have to bring race into this???

Politico’s Lois Romano: And I think that before this whole fight is over, we’re going to be spending hundreds of millions of dollars on this. You know, he made a very clever point. He’s trying to paint Bloomberg as a guy that’s just gonna buy everything. But the one thing the one thing that’s going on here is optics, and, you know, basically Bloomberg has on his side, sort of this whole notion that it’s time to do something different. And Wayne LaPierre is looking like a tired old white guy that’s clinging on to something of the past.

MSNBC’s Tamron Hall: Well, I’ll let you say that.

With her “clinging” remark, Romano sounds an awful lot like Politico’s hero Obama doesn’t she?

What’s especially revealing is that Politico spent most of the 2012 campaign lashing out against Citizens United, the Supreme Court decision that returned First Amendment rights to corporations. Until Citizens United, only media corporations like Politico were allowed to spend unlimited amounts of money to affect the political process.

For months, and led by former George Soros’ employee Ken Vogel, Politico lashed out against this  ”outside money” and made the Koch brothers into its bogeyman.

Funny how things have changed, isn’t it?

Linked by Doug Ross, thanks!

Bill Whittle on Obama’s Sequester Scheme: “Making It Hurt” (Video)

Bill Whittle puts into words as only he can, the diabolical sequester scheme of the Narcissist in Chief,  which he says  is the most “petty, malicious, mean spirited, cowardly and hateful thing” he’s done, so far.

“He’s deliberately inflicting as much pain on the American people as he can possible muster so he can accelerate our way into bankruptcy,” Whittle says.

Obama and his cohorts are doing lasting damage to this country, and these ruthless Alinskiites won’t stop until the people wise up…and that probably isn’t happening anytime soon…

Hat tip: Moonbattery

Video: Jeanine Pirro and Chairman of House Judiciary Committee, Bob Goodlatte Discuss ICE Chief’s Testimony

Jeanine Pirro also had on Va Congressman Bob Goodlatte, Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, on her Fox Show,  Justice With Judge Jeanine to discuss his hearings last week on ICE’s decision to release criminal immigrant detainees.

Video via Massteaparty.

Linked by Doug Ross, thanks!

Sen. John Cornyn Blasts Napolitano: Release of Illegals Represents “Violation of Dept’s Basic Core Missions”

In a letter to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, Friday, Senator John Cornyn, a senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary committee  called into question her leadership abilitiesover the department’s outrageous decision to release possibly thousands of detainees from detention centers across the country.

The Washington Times reported:

“Border security and the detention of those who violate our laws are at the core of DHS’s mission. Yet last week, your department released an unknown number of detainees into communities across Texas and the United States,” he wrote. “To this day, your department has not responded to numerous Congressional and state government requests for detailed information regarding the total number of detainees released by your department, the legal violations for which these individuals were being detained, or a geographic breakdown of releases.

“Your department also released furlough notices on March 7, including notices to CBP personnel which explained the decision to furlough as required ‘to promote the efficiency of the [CBP] service by avoiding a deficit of funds in FY2013.’ These actions call into question the department’s commitment to its core missions and raise serious concerns about the judgment of DHS leadership,” he wrote.

Mr. Cornyn told Ms. Napolitano that her actions and rhetoric regarding the requirements of sequestration were inconsistent with guidance provided to her department, noting that a January notice from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) urged agencies to “use any available flexibility to reduce operational risks and minimize impacts on the agency’s core mission.”

He said the proposed furloughs of personnel and the release of criminal alien immigrants represented a violation of certain of the department’s basic core missions,” including prevent terrorism and enhance security, secure and manage our borders, and enforce and administer our immigration laws.”

On his Sunday talk show,  KS Secretary of State, Kris Kobach noted that “these are illegal alien robbers, arsonists, and drug dealers. These are bad guys. These are not illegal aliens who just want a chance at a better life. These are illegal immigrations who are the worst of the worst and the Obama administration decided to turn them loose to make a point about sequesters.”

Kobach went on to explain that it was not necessary to turn these detainees loose.  “There is so much fat in DHS and ICE”, he argued, “it would be easy to cut 2-3% of the budget.”

He suggested they could start with getting rid of executive travel and conferences, and vehicles, making the point  that during the government shut down in 1996, certain emergency services were not shut down including deportation and detention facilities. So the highest levels of government services. But the ” extraordinary, bizarre, extreme” Obama administration decided that to make a political point that they would shut down what couldn’t get shut down during the government shut down in the nineties.

“This is a brazen abuse of power”, he said. “They crossed the line.”