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Posted by Leslie Eastman on January 25, 2014 3 Comments
I was recently privileged to chat with American Conservative Warrior Princess, Teri O’Brien, on Canto Talk.  She is a dynamic and engaging BlogTalkRadio.com host herself, with a long history of conservative activism.  Her website is here. Teri has written a terrific synopsis of President Obama's personal, political and policy history: The ABC's of Barack Obama: Understanding God's Greatest Gift to America. With her tongue firmly planted in her cheek, O'Brien reviews the presidents many administration and policy failures. The saddest observation: There is enough material to cover all 26 letters of the alphabet! [caption id="attachment_76944" align="alignnone" width="337"](Teri O'Brien) (Teri O'Brien)[/caption] The book is rich with Teri's biting wit and cutting analysis. At about 60 pages, it is a fast read -- but well worth the time, as she summarizes a maze of scandal, deceit, and incompetence that has gotten lost in the avalanche of current news items slamming the Obama administration. And, as a special bonus, Teri has this great deal:
HERE'S THE REALLY EXCITING NEWS! From Sunday, January 26, 2014 through Tuesday, January 28, 2014, this information-packed, well-researched book, loaded with supporting links and information is available exclusively on amazon.com ABSOLUTELY FREE!
Teri is an experienced attorney and talk-show host, who knows how to tie together detailed research, current events, and humor to cleverly highlight the many failures of Team Obama. She starts with "A" and ends with "Z", which condenses the many arguable anti-American, anti-Constitutional actions taken by Obama and his staff members and bureaucrats into a useful compendium. Not surprisingly, my favorite letters in her tome center on key aspects of "capitalism". For example, "J is for Jobs" is a walk down memory lane about the Keystone Pipeline being thwarted. The Canadians said over 7,000 jobs would be created if the unit went through as planned. The Obama Administration dismissed it, saying a mere 50 jobs might be generated -- and that wouldn't compare to all the "green jobs" the "Stimulus Plan" would create.

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Posted by Andrew Branca on January 25, 2014 3 Comments
In the aftermath of Shellie Zimmerman's perjury charges, the Florida Bar opened an investigation into whether George Zimmerman's lawyer Mark O'Mara may have solicited her false testimony. Shellie Zimmerman ultimately accepted a plea offer on the charges, receiving one year probation and no jail time, as reported here at Legal Insurrection: Shellie Zimmerman Plea Deal [caption id="attachment_76902" align="alignnone" width="450"]Shellie Zimmerman, with her then-husband George Zimmerman Shellie Zimmerman, with her then-husband George Zimmerman[/caption] Today, the Florida Bar concluded that there was no credible evidence that O'Mara engaged in any such misconduct. The closing of this investigation follows closely on the heels of O'Mara being named the National Trial Lawyer's Criminal Trial Lawyer of 2013, as previously reported here at Legal Insurrection: Zimmerman Attorney Mark O’Mara Named “National Criminal Trial Lawyer of 2013″ In the interview below, conducted a few days ago, O'Mara talked about how the case has affected his practice, and life:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 25, 2014 18 Comments

RIP, The Professor: TV’s Most Famous Professor Dies at Age 89 Because real life professors could not live up to The Professor: The Loss of Trust in Higher Education Nasty guy: Rural Schools Targeted by Obama Administration during Sequestration Don't rub it in: Job Prospects for College Grads in Two Charts Student Debt:...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 25, 2014 7 Comments

We have faced the problem of the Big Google Algorithm in the Sky before. Vicious smirkle (Alan Grayson) Vicious Smirkle, Part 2 (Democratic Senate campaign) Michele (Walk) Hansen noted at the time: Well, sure, some people got sick, sadistic enjoyment costing Alan Grayson money, but there was a problem: The more you...

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Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 24, 2014 61 Comments
Naomi Schaefer Riley writing in The NY Post has a brutal assessment of why Wendy Davis has no future in politics. It's a brutal assessment that I think is right, and one that will drive Davis' most ardent supporters crazy because it cannot be wordsmithed or talking-pointed. The problem gets to the deepest emotional level that cuts across the political spectrum:
After Jeff finished paying off the last of Wendy’s school loans, she filed for divorce and gave up custody of her children. According to Jeff, his wife just decided, “While I’ve been a good mother, it’s not a good time for me right now.”.... There are single mothers all over the country in dire straits who can’t afford to have such a thought. And even if someone offered them the chance to get away from it all and start over without a child, few of them would say yes. Sure, there are women who pursue high-powered careers and need to spend time away from their children. Take Florida Rep. Deborah Wasserman Schultz, who (according to a recent New York Times blog) manages to do plenty with her 9-year-old and 13-year-old twins over the course of a weekend at home. She played basketball with her son, read with her daughter, shuttled one to ballet, took another to the bookstore and out to lunch. Still, when her son complains about her work schedule, she says, “My heart hurts.” Can you imagine Wasserman Schultz saying “it’s not a good time” for her to be a mother? ....

Posted by Mandy Nagy on January 24, 2014 2 Comments
Just before 6:00pm ET on Thursday, the Twitter account of CNN appeared to have been hijacked by the Syrian Electronic Army when the news outlet began posting tweets that read, “Long live #Syria via @Official_SEA16 #SEA” and “Syrian Electronic Army was here… Stop lying… all your reports are fake! via @Official_SEA16 #SEA.” The CNN Public Relations Twitter account posted a message shortly thereafter that read, “Some of our organization's social media accounts were compromised. We have secured those accounts and are working to remedy the issue.” As it turned out, several of CNN’s accounts, including its main Facebook account, the CNN Politics' Facebook account and a number of the outlet’s blogs had also been compromised. Among the other tweets SEA managed to post publicly before control of the account was regained was one that referred to President Obama as “Obama Bin Laden the lord of terror...” Another read, “DON’T FORGET:  Al Qaeda is Al CIA da.  Funded, armed and controlled.” SEA-CNN-hijacked-tweets (screen capture: h/t Mediaite) SEA sent out a series of tweets from its own Twitter account, criticizing CNN’s coverage of the conflict in Syria and accusing the CIA of controlling and funding Al Qaeda.

Posted by New Neo on January 24, 2014 11 Comments
Newly-elected Virginia AG Mark Herring announced he will be joining the plaintiffs in lawsuits challenging the state’s ban on gay marriage. So not only is he declining to defend Virginia's gay marriage ban, which was passed with 57% of the vote (including Herring's) in 2006, but he is arguing for the courts to strike it down as unconstitutional. If the people of Virginia wanted to repeal the ban, the proper remedy would be to repeal the ban. And there's nothing stopping the judiciary of Virginia from declaring the ban unconstitutional. In fact, they may have several opportunities to do so - but now, because of Herring's announcement, the people of Virginia who voted for the amendment may lack a strong advocate to plead their case. AG Mark Herring is tasked with defending the law of Virginia in court. If Herring wanted to declare it unconstitutional, he should have tried to become a judge rather than running for AG. Republicans in the state seem to agree, not surprisingly:
"It took Mark Herring less than a month to decide he doesn't want to be Attorney General. The first job of Virginia's Attorney General is to be the Commonwealth's law firm, and to defend the duly passed laws of Commonwealth," said Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Pat Mullins.

Posted by A.F. Branco on January 24, 2014 6 Comments

Note: You may reprint this cartoon provided you link back to this source.  To see more Legal Insurrection Branco cartoons, click here. Branco’s page is Cartoonist A.F.Branco...

Posted by Mandy Nagy on January 23, 2014 9 Comments

Many have addressed the issue of uncertainty created by the implementation of Obamacare and noted the impact that may have on a variety of areas, including for the health insurance industry. On Thursday, Moody's Investors Service downgraded its outlook for health insurers, citing such uncertainty. From Moody’s: Moody's...

Posted by Andrew Branca on January 23, 2014 48 Comments

Attorney Mark O'Mara is, of course, the lawyer who last summer successfully represented George Zimmerman against second degree murder charges for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Throughout my coverage of the trial here at Legal Insurrection I frequently noted how O'Mara's cool demeanor and outstanding...

Posted by Mandy Nagy on January 23, 2014 8 Comments

Edward Snowden will conduct an hour long live Q&A online at 3pm ET Thursday.  He is also expected to respond to President Obama’s recent speech on proposed NSA reforms, according to FreeSnowden.is, an official support site for the former NSA contractor. This is the first Snowden...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 23, 2014 24 Comments
Just last night Neo mentioned how Wendy Davis, both herself and via a support group (the Lone Star Project), were challenging Greg Abbott's courage. Now James O'Keefe has just released an undercover video of another group supporting Davis, the supposedly unaffiliated voter registration group Battleground Texas, laughing at Abbott being in a wheelchair and wondering how that would play out in the campaign. O'Keefe reports (h/t Gateway Pundit):
While investigating Obamacare Navigators, Battleground Texas, and their connection to Obama’s Organizing for America, we caught some deeply offensive comments on tape. It seems Battleground Texas and Wendy Davis’ strategy to win the Governor’s seat is to mock Attorney General Abbott’s disability. We caught Davis supporters and Battleground Texas staff on tape making crude statement such as “isn’t that amazing to think of? He’s in a wheelchair and we want to stand with Wendy?” Even more disturbing was an election official who when asked about forging signatures covered her ears and then went on to admit, “People do that all the time.” A Battleground Texas volunteer then added, “I don’t think it’s legal but I didn’t hear you say that.”
Yes, of course Davis is not responsible for everything every supporter says, but Battleground Texas is a key part of her campaign strategy, part of the Turn Texas Blue project. This video does seems to fit in with the culture surrounding Davis' campaign, brought into the open by her attacks on Abbott after the Dallas Morning News exposed her personal narrative. Updates:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 23, 2014 19 Comments
We have been covering the case of the Romeikes, devout Christians from Germany who wanted to homeschool their children because of what they perceived as the secularist agenda in German public schools. They fled and sought asylum in the U.S. after they faced mounting fines and the potential of imprisonment: After losing in the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Romeikes on October 10, 2013, filed a Petition for a Writ of Certiorari seeking to have the U.S. Supreme Court take the case. On October 29 the government waived its right to respond, but on November 19 the Supreme Court asked the government to respond to the Petition.  That response was filed two days ago (see embed at bottom of post).  It's hard to know when the Court will rule on whether to take the case. For an indication of what is at stake for the Romeikes if they are forced back to Germany, consider the case of the Wunderlich family:
DARMSTADT, Germany, January 16, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a shocking verdict regarding a homeschool case in Germany, a family court judge has refused to return legal custody of four children to Christian parents to prevent the family from obtaining visas that would allow them to travel to a country where homeschooling is permitted. In his December ruling against the Wunderlich family, judge Marcus Malkmus called homeschooling a “concrete endangerment to the well-being of the child,” comparing it to a “straitjacket” that he said binds children to “years of isolation.”

“The request of the parents to reinstate their right to determine the location of the children, the right to make educational decisions for the children, as well as the right to file legal applications for their children is being refused,” the judge stated.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 23, 2014 19 Comments
Ever since the story broke that Wendy Davis -- to be charitable to her -- had embellished her personal narrative, many commenters and people on Twitter with whom I interact have suggested Elizabeth Warren as an analogy. As readers know, I have been a harsh critic of Elizabeth Warren for claiming Native American and Cherokee status for employment purposes without basis as she climbed the ladder to Harvard Law School, and then dumping that status as soon as she got tenure. But not all false narratives are created equally. Elizabeth Warren's false narrative was done quietly, and in a manner designed to juice her employment prospects with few people, outside of those responsible for diversity hiring, knowing about it. Warren was not Native American, and the myth that she was 1/32 Cherokee was created by faulty speculation during her campaign, not when she was growing up. At most, some Native American ancestry was a mere family rumor, the term her adult nephew used when searching the family's genealogy. Warren never lived as a Cherokee, never associated with Cherokees, and never publicly touted herself as Cherokee. Instead, Warren used those family rumors of Native American ancestry to get herself put on the short listing of "Minority Law Teachers" in a law professor directory used in the 1980s as a hiring tool by law school administrators. While a Visiting Professor at Harvard, she also somehow managed to get on a list of Women of Color in Legal Academia, although records are hard to find as to how extensively she touted her supposed Native American status (her hiring records never have been released). While there is strong evidence that Warren tried to use her Native American narrative to advance her career, that narrative was not her career.
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