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Posted by Mike LaChance on May 27, 2015 12 Comments
An explosive new report from David Sirota and Andrew Perez of the International Business Times suggests that preferential treatment in weapon sales was given to Clinton Foundation donors while Hillary Clinton was serving in the state department:
Clinton Foundation Donors Got Weapons Deals From Hillary Clinton's State Department In the years before Hillary Clinton became secretary of state, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia contributed at least $10 million to the Clinton Foundation, the philanthropic enterprise she has overseen with her husband, former president Bill Clinton. Just two months before the deal was finalized, Boeing -- the defense contractor that manufactures one of the fighter jets the Saudis were especially keen to acquire, the F-15 -- contributed $900,000 to the Clinton Foundation, according to a company press release. The Saudi deal was one of dozens of arms sales approved by Hillary Clinton’s State Department that placed weapons in the hands of governments that had also donated money to the Clinton family philanthropic empire, an International Business Times investigation has found.

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Posted by Jay Caruso on May 27, 2015 18 Comments
Florida will be (as it has been) a pivotal state in the 2016 general election. Its 29 electoral votes will loom large in the race to reach 270---but how much will it matter in the GOP primary? With Florida favorites Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio expected to compete for most of the votes, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (who has yet to officially declare his candidacy) has left the door open to skipping the Florida primary:
Speaking to conservative radio host Laura Ingraham, Walker said if he does jump in the 2016 race, "I don't think there's a state out there we wouldn't play in." "Other than, maybe, Florida, where Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio are ... in some of the polls, essentially tied," he said, naming the former governor and current senator who are headed down a collision course in their home state's primary this cycle.
You can listen to the audio here:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 26, 2015 10 Comments
On Tuesday, May 25, 2015, we continued our tour of northern Israel along the Lebanese border, stopping at Moshav Avivim. While our discovery of a memorial to the victims of the Haifa Bus 37 suicide bombing and our visit to Ziv Hospital in Safed, and its Syrian patients, were unexpected, our visit to the Moshav was even more emotional and full of surprises - Revenge and Reunion. We met with Shimon Biton, the Secretary of the Moshav.  (Our excellent guide, Udi Guberman, provided translation, as Shimon does not speak English.) [caption id="attachment_128643" align="alignnone" width="550"][Shimon Biton, Moshav Avivim, Israel] [Shimon Biton, Moshav Avivim, Israel][/caption]A Moshav is a type of collective farming community where homes are owned individually and owners are allotted separate plots of land, but the community shares in certain expenses and resources. (Unlike a classic kibbutz, where all the property is communal.) There currently are 120 families in the Moshav, 480 people. There are plans to expand to add at least another 50 families, and the demand outpaces available spots. Moshav Avivim sits along the Lebanese border, just south of Bint Jbeil and Maroun Al-Ras.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 26, 2015 41 Comments
Leave it to feminists to be incensed over a dinosaur movie. "Jurassic World" hits theaters June 12. Presumably a redux of "Jurassic Park," but this time with one dude taking out dinosaurs instead of a motley crew of paleontologists, it's a film I can't wait to see on the silver screen. But that's probably because I'm not a feminist. In this edition of Feminists vs. Reality, the gripe is with (gasp!) traditional gender roles. According to NYU Local, Joss Whedon is to blame for reminding feminists they should be infuriated by traditional gender rolls instead of swooning over leading man, Chris Pratt:
When a clip from Jurassic World featuring Pratt and his co-star Bryce Dallas Howard was released on the Internet last week, Joss Whedon, director of the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron and well known feminist, had some major gripes with what he saw. Online feminist entertainment blog The Mary Sue tweeted out a link to the Jurassic World scene, commenting, “We’re too busy fanning ourselves to talk more about Chris Pratt in this #JurassicWorld clip.” Joss Whedon used his own Twitter account to reply: “…and I’m too busy wishing this clip wasn’t 70’s era sexist. She’s a stiff, he’s a life-force – really? Still?” He has since stated in an interview with Variety that he regrets sending the tweet, saying that Twitter was the wrong medium for such negative comments, but Whedon hasn’t retracted the opinion he expressed to his 1.12 million followers.
Whedon has since abandoned Twitter, but his tweeted seed of outrage has blossomed into a hideously stupid monstrosity.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 26, 2015 25 Comments
One of the nation's largest cities experienced what meteorologists are calling a one-hundred-year flood. Late last night, three separate thunderstorm systems converged over Space City to form one incredibly nasty storm. For weeks Houston and other parts of the Lone Star State have been pelted with storm system after storm system, leaving large swaths of affected areas waterlogged and unable to absorb more rainfall. Leaving two dead, lightning storms and torrential rainfall pounded Houston for most of the night. Some parts of the city, particularly southwest Houston, saw more than ten inches of rain in as little as five hours. Courts and schools were closed Tuesday with much of the city still unnavigable.

RAW VIDEO: This is just some of the incredible footage taken by Skyeye HD of the flooding across the city of Houston this morning.WATCH MORE HERE --> http://abc13.co/1FN6b0f#HoustonFlood Photo Gallery --> http://abc13.co/1HHk02n

Posted by ABC 13 Houston on Tuesday, May 26, 2015

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Posted by Amy Miller on May 26, 2015 17 Comments
Today the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request filed by DOJ attorneys to lift an order banning the implementation of President Obama's "executive amnesty" plan. In their ruling, the court held that a previous injunction put in place by U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen would remain in place---because the federal government was "unlikely to succeed on the merits of its appeal for the injunction." Translation? They've got nothing. This isn't a final ruling, but the 42 pages of the decision contain a thorough takedown of the challenge to the injunction, as well as a discussion on the merits of the states' case against the federal government. When addressing the matter of the "public interest," the Court sides decisively with the states (and teases out a major inconsistency in the government's reasoning):
The last factor, “where the public interest lies,” id. (quoting Nken, 556 U.S. at 426), leans in favor of the states. The government identifies several important interests: It claims a stay would improve public safety and national security, provide humanitarian relief to the family members of citizens and lawful permanent residents, and increase tax revenue for state and local gov- ernments. To the contrary, however, and only by way of example, on March 16, 2015, the Attorney General, in opposing a motion to stay removal in an unre- lated action, argued to this very panel that “granting a stay of removal . . . would impede the government’s interest in expeditiously . . . controlling immi- gration into the United States.” Presumably, by referring to “the government’s interest,” the United States is referring to “the public interest.”

Posted by Amy Miller on May 26, 2015 14 Comments
It's time to define what the meaning of the word "population" is---and how it applies to the drawing of electoral districts. In 1964, the Supreme Court ruled in Reynolds v. Sims that, under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, state legislative districts have to be about equal in population. The Court also held that population must always be the "controlling consideration" in state redistricting. Seem straightforward? Not so fast, say two voters from Texas. A few years ago, Sue Evenwel and Edward Pfenninger, together with the Austin-based Project on Fair Representation, sued the State of Texas over an implemented redistricting plan that redrew state senate districts based on total population, as opposed to voting population. They argue that such a standard dilutes the voting power of registered voters living in areas heavily populated with nonvoters and illegal immigrants, thus violating the principle of "one person, one vote." The Texas Tribune explains:

Posted by Amy Miller on May 26, 2015 6 Comments
On Friday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security and National Counterterrorism Center sent out a joint bulletin informing law enforcement and military personnel that, although there were no credible threats hovering over holiday weekend events, officials are "aware of recent information suggesting US military bases, locations, and events could be targeted in the near-term." Happy Memorial Day! This information isn't really news to anyone following national security and foreign policy news, but the reason for the concern is novel: the dramatic uptick in social media activity by groups like ISIS has led to new sources of "insider threats" and chatter about security and maintenance procedures at sites that officials now believe are being considered as potential targets. Fox News has the exclusive:
Importantly, it speaks to the sheer volume of social media activity by pro-ISIS users, and the challenge that poses for analysts and investigators. "The large number of social media postings by US-based ISIL supporters is challenging for investigators in differentiating those supporters focused only on promoting pro-ISIL rhetoric, which may be protected speech, vice [versus] detecting those prepared to engage in violence on the group's behalf," the bulletin said.

Posted by Amy Miller on May 26, 2015 29 Comments
Byron Allen is a TV personality and entertainment executive turned concerned citizen, and he wants you to know that he is not happy with the way Obama's presidency has affected the well-being of the black community. In a street interview with TMZ, Allen lashed out at President Obama, saying that he hasn't done enough to give black people in America a leg up. Via the Hollywood Reporter [emphasis mine]:
"Black people have fallen further behind under President Obama," said Allen, who also criticized Obama for having referred to the looters and arsonists in last month's Baltimore riots as "thugs." "President Obama is, at this point, a white president in blackface," Allen said. "Black America would have done much better with a white president."

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 26, 2015 19 Comments
Last week, Bloomberg News' Mark Halperin asked a panel of Iowa Democrats to name one accomplishment from Hillary Clinton's tenure as Secretary of State. Just one little accomplishment... One? Something? ANYTHING? A grand total of zero panel members could recall a single noteworthy accomplishment of Mrs. Clinton's. But we should cut them some slack because they're not wrong. To date, Hillary Clinton has done nothing notable aside from being married to a President, serving as a perfectly forgettable and ineffective Senator, and begrudgingly stepping aside in 2008 to make way for the Obama Presidency. She also pushed some button in Russia, and that seems to be going just swell. Do winning elections and screwing up major diplomatic relations constitute resume-worthy fodder? Carly Fiorina said it best shortly after Hillary made her official 2016 candidacy announcement, "Hillary Clinton’s a highly intelligent woman, hardworking, she’s dedicated her life to public service but unfortunately she does not have a track record of accomplishment or transparency." Expecting a Commander in Chief to have some kind of accomplishments that show their qualifications before getting hired for the job is reasonable, right? Maybe, just not if those accomplishments happened while serving has the head of the State Department, according to U.S. News and World Report's Susan Milligan. On Hardball with Chris Matthews' Milligan said the question posed to the Iowa Democratic panel was "unfair."

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on May 26, 2015 21 Comments
We've recently seen riots in Ferguson and Baltimore, and there are growing concerns that Cleveland will be the next city to become embroiled in riots.  As we learn about (relatively well-) paid protesters and watch the usual parade of race grievance mongers, one thing has become quite clear:  the left has decided that violent riots are a viable tool for change. According to Jonathan Chait in New York Magazine:
The recent spate of protests against police brutality have changed the way the left thinks about rioting. The old liberal idea, which distinguished between peaceful protests (good) and rioting (bad), has given way to a more radical analysis. “Riots work,” insists George Ciccariello-Maher in Salon. “But despite the obviousness of the point, an entire chorus of media, police, and self-appointed community leaders continue to try to convince us otherwise, hammering into our heads a narrative of a nonviolence that has never worked on its own, based on a mythical understanding of the Civil Rights Movement.” Vox’s German Lopez, while acknowledging the downside of random violence, argues, “Riots can lead to real, substantial change.” In Rolling Stone, Jesse Myerson asserts, “the historical pedigree of property destruction as a tactic of resistance is long and frequently effective.” Darlena Cunha, writing in Time, asks, “Is rioting so wrong?” and proceeds to answer her own question in the negative.

Posted by Mike LaChance on May 26, 2015 14 Comments
Rand Paul inhabits a unique position in the Republican Party. While he's conservative on some issues, his Libertarian views on others put him at odds with the establishment. His recent filibuster on the Patriot Act is a prime example. Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard voiced his thoughts on the issue in an appearance on ABC News Sunday. I'm not sure this is a fair line of attack. Evan McMurry of Mediaite has the story:
Kristol: Liberal Democrats Had Rand Paul’s Policies Before He Did A This Week panel noted that Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) #standswithRand (sigh) over the NSA’s bulk collection of communications data and criminal justice reform, causing Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol to call for a point of clarification. “That’s not fair to Keith,” Kristol said. “Rand stands with Keith. Seriously. They had these positions first. Rand Paul has decided that he wants to be a liberal Democrat, undercut necessary intelligence collection and weaken law enforcement services, and Rand Paul thinks that’s going to sell in the Republican primary.
Here's the video:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 25, 2015 6 Comments
Yesterday I reported on the Haifa Bus 37 suicide bombing in 2003, and how I stumbled on the Memorial during my first full day in Haifa. Today was a travel day that took us even further north, to the Lebanese border. I'll have a report in the next couple of days on the extraordinary story of a child survivor of another bus bombing, and the unexpected recent twist in his life some 45 years later. Now I report on a different aspect of terror, and the extraordinary Israeli humanitarian effort. I traveled to the Ziv Medical Center in Safed (Zefat), Israel. Ziv is the major trauma center serving the northestern part of the country from the Upper Gallile to the Golan Heights. Safed Rivka Ziv Medical Center Regional Map Because Ziv is only 11 kilometers from Lebanon, Ziv was targeted by Hezbollah rockets during the 2006 Lebanon War. It has undergone, and still is undergoing, a process of creating reinforced operating room theaters and patient facilities to protect against future rocket attacks.

Posted by New Neo on May 25, 2015 8 Comments
The story "The Man Without a Country" used to be standard reading matter for seventh graders. In fact, it was the first "real" book---as opposed to those tedious Dick and Jane readers---that I was assigned in school. It was exciting compared to Dick and Jane and the rest, since it dealt with an actual story that had some actual drama to it. It struck me as terribly sad---and unfair, too---that Philip Nolan was forced to wander the world, exiled, for one moment of cursing the United States. "The Man Without a Country" was the sort of paean to patriotism that I would guess is rarely or never assigned nowadays to students. Patriotism has gotten a bad name during the last few decades. This trend seems to have taken root (at least in this country) with the 60s, the Vietnam era, and the rise in influence of the left. But patriotism and nationalism were rejected by a significant segment of Europeans even earlier, as a result of the devastation both sentiments wrought on that continent during World War II. (Of course, WWII in Europe was a result mainly of German nationalism run amok, but it seems to have given nationalism as a whole a very bad name, a trend that began after the carnage of World War I.)

Posted by Leslie Eastman on May 25, 2015 6 Comments
Legal Insurrection has been filled with touching Memorial Day pieces, especially Professor Jacobson's on Roslyn Schulte, Johnny “Mike” Spann and Jonathan Porto. My contribution, and one I intend to carry forward on future Memorial Days, will feature American scientists and engineers whose discoveries and innovations have helped our military men and women return to their families. However, I would like to begin with a woman who was not a scientist, but whose World War II innovation still impacts our lives today and allows our service men and women to stay connected to home while they are on duty. Lamarr-Stars-and-Stripes-300x243 Hedy Lamarr was born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in Vienna, Austria. After ending an unhappy marriage in 1937, to a wealthy Austrian munitions manufacturer who sold arms to the Nazis, the actress fled to the United States and signed a contract with the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio in Hollywood under the name Hedy Lamarr. She became a big star upon the release of her first American film, Algiers, co-starring Charles Boyer.

Posted by Jay Caruso on May 25, 2015 12 Comments
Ronald Reagan could deliver a speech almost like no other President. 31 years ago, Reagan delivered an address to commemorate an unknown serviceman in the Vietnam War. Never one to make such moments about himself, the speech is a brief 9 minutes long. The text of the speech follows: --- My fellow Americans: Memorial Day is a day of ceremonies and speeches. Throughout America today, we honor the dead of our wars. We recall their valor and their sacrifices. We remember they gave their lives so that others might live. We're also gathered here for a special event -- the national funeral for an unknown soldier who will today join the heroes of three other wars.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 25, 2015 13 Comments
While we remember our service men and women who paid the ultimate price so that we can enjoy freedom, it's fitting to reflect on a few of our finest virtues.

1. We're back to back World War champions

captain america i've knocked over adolf hitler over 200 times

2. Old Glory is a beaut

american flag
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