Is Online Gambling Legal in the U.S.?

Online gambling is huge.

If you're confused about the legalities of online gambling in the United States, you're not alone. Gambling online in the U.S. is actually legal, but the laws vary from state to state. In fact, the states cherish their right to regulate gaming within their own borders.

Trying to understand the many and varied rules and regulations, however, can be daunting and confusing, not to mention time consuming.

Search Google for "Is online gambling legal in the USA" and you'll get "About 1,610,000 results" related to the subject. Who's got time to sift through all of that? And even if you did, knowing that you're getting the right information is - pardon the pun - a gamble.

I was glad, therefore, to become aware of a website called UnitedStatesGamblingOnline that offers comprehensive legal online gambling information for United States players. UnitedStatesGamblingOnline provides tons of facts about legal online gambling in every state, details about the laws in those states, legal explanations of the various types of online gambling, gambling news and much more.

Gambling is immensely popular. Millions of Americans gamble legally in Nevada and New Jersey, where players lay down their bets on everything from professional sports games to … well, you name it.  Most states today operate lotteries and more and more cities are allowing casinos. Some states now even let you play their lotteries online.

So, with the timeless popularity of gambling, the fact that it's legal in some form or another in every state except Utah and Hawaii, and with the advent of the Internet, it stands to reason that online gambling should be wide open and completely legal.

I said in the beginning of this article that online gambling is legal in the U.S. But there have been some attempts at the federal level to make placing bets via your computer more difficult, causing some misconceptions about online gambling's legality that persists today.

Gambling has changed over the years

A law passed in 2006 had a chilling effect on the industry. The Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) caused much confusion, and nine years later many people still think that the UIGEA 2006 bill made it illegal for US players to enjoy online gambling. However, that's not true.

The UIGEA "was put in place to regulate how online gambling transactions are processed, and was designed to protect players and their investment," says UnitedStatesGamblingOnline.

" The only real affect that the law had on players is that some gambling brands and payment methods chose not to jump through the regulatory hoops required by the legislation, and instead left the US market, hence slightly reducing selection for players in the United States." But today, notes the website, "there is a nice selection of legal online gambling sites that welcome US players."

Unfortunately, sports betting is different than, say, playing poker online. Currently, federal law is inconsistent. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), passed by Congress in 1992, restricts nearly all of the states from legalizing sports gambling. PASPA actually limits sports betting in the U.S. to four parts of the country: Oregon, Nevada, Montana and Delaware. The unfortunate effect of PASPA has been to keep ethical operations out of the business, while illegal sports gambling operations thrive. The Federal Wire Act also comes into play. The Department of Justice decided that it applies to sports betting, thereby making it illegal in the U.S. The 1961 law "specifically prohibits betting or gambling businesses from using a wire communication facility to transmit interstate or foreign bets, wagers and related information."

There is a current push by some governors and members of Congress to repeal PASPA and update the Federal Wire Act to take the Internet into account. This would bring online sports betting into the sunlight with other forms of online gambling that are already legal.  Sen. John McCain, for example, says that Nevada should not be the only state allowed to have legal sports betting.

Also See:

• The Professional And Amateur Sports Protection Act (Paspa): A Bad Bet For The States
• McCain calls for hearings on expanded sports betting
• Some of the information in this post was provided by UnitedStatesGamblingOnline

Pelosi Blames Bush For VA Scandal, But Obama Knew In 2008

May 24, 2014 - It was sadly predictable: Some Democrats are blaming former President George W. Bush for the scandal currently rocking the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Propaganda Minister Nancy Pelosi

"At least 40 U.S. veterans died waiting for appointments at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care system, many of whom were placed on a secret waiting list," CNN reported on April 30. "The secret list was part of an elaborate scheme designed by Veterans Affairs managers in Phoenix who were trying to hide that 1,400 to 1,600 sick veterans were forced to wait months to see a doctor, according to a recently retired top VA doctor and several high-level sources."

Most notable among the blame-Bush Dems is Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif).  The Washington Examiner notes that Pelosi did not actually blame Bush by naming him, "but she alluded to him early and often in the press briefing."

"Maybe when we go into war, we should be thinking about its consequences and its ramifications," Pelosi said while discussing the scandal. "You would think that would be a given, but maybe it wasn't. And so, we go in a war in Afghanistan, leave Afghanistan for Iraq with unfinished business in Afghanistan. Ten years later, we have all of these additional veterans. In the past five years, two million more veterans needing benefits from the VA. That's a huge, huge increase."

Obama's Inner Dictator Promises More Executive Orders

Graphic by T. Mannis, Chicago News Bench
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

January 29, 2014 - Barack Obama revealed his elitist tendencies last night in his State of the Union address. By promising to make law single-handedly, without involving Congress, Obama has essentially declared that he will goose-step over the legislative process and rule by decree.

Obama vowed to use executive orders to go around the wishes of voters and their elected representatives in Congress to achieve goals that have so far eluded him. Obama specifically promised to sign an executive order that would raise the minimum wage for some Americans by requiring federal contractors to pay their employees at least $10.10 per hour.

Urging a “year of action,” he pitched what he called “concrete, practical proposals” to boost the middle class and build “new ladders of opportunity” for others to enter it. “Some require congressional action, and I’m eager to work with all of you,” Obama said. “But America does not stand still – and neither will I.  So wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that’s what I’m going to do.” ~ Fox News

Obama issued 166 executive orders between 2009 and 2013 (Source: Federal Register).

Also See:

• Ed Rollins: Obama's Executive Order Moves 'Very Dangerous' Newsmax
• Obama To Double-Down On Executive Orders WND
• Obama vows to act without Congress in 2014, amid second-term woes Fox News
• Transcripts: President Obama's 2014 State of the Union address, GOP rebuttal CNN
• State of the Union: What Obama can and can't do by executive order LA Times
• Obama ‘won’t be waiting on Congress,’ plans more executive orders... Washington Times
• Obama's Plan To Seize Control Of Our Economy And Our Lives Forbes
• Martial Law by Executive Order Huffington Post

Congressional Black Caucus Wants Idiot Sheila Jackson Lee to Head Homeland Security

Sheila Jackson Lee, Idiot

July 30, 2013 - by T. Mannis - The racist organization known as the "Congressional Black Caucus" (CBC) wants the dumbest woman in Congress to head the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Surely, there must be somebody that even the CBC could have come up someone with who is smarter than 63-year old Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (18th District, TX). Incredibly, Lee already serves as a member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security.

Just how stupid is Sheila Jackson Lee? She is probably the only member of Congress who is as dumb as Congressman Hank Johnson. For starters, she's probably the only member of Congress who thinks that astronauts placed a U.S. flag on Mars. In 2005, she visited the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and asked a guide if the Mars Pathfinder was able to photograph the U.S. flag planted on Mars by Neil Armstrong in 1969. Armstrong went to the Moon, not to Mars. In fact, no human has ever set foot on Mars. Either Sheila Jackson Lee confused the Moon with the red planet or she really believes we've sent a manned mission to Mars.

Another good example is in the video here, in which Lee spoke in 2010 about North and South Vietnam working together. Lee not only rewrites history but manages to contradict herself while demonstrating her ignorance:

"Today we have two Vietnams, side by side, North and South, exchanging and working. We may not agree with all that North Vietnam is doing, but they are living in peace. I would look for a better human rights record for North Vietnam, but they're living side by side. Because, that was a civil war. And because the leadership of this nation did not listen to the mothers and fathers who beared, who born the burden of 58,000 dead and did not declare victory, the mounting death, the violence continued going up and up. Rather than understanding the political nature of the war in Vietnam, we did not listen to those families." WARNING: Watching this video more than three times could cause brain damage.

The problem, of course, is that North Vietnam won that war and then completely absorbed South Vietnam in its 1975 invasion as the U.S. was pulling out. Since then, there is only one Vietnam. But Sheila Jackson Lee - the CBC's choice for heading DHS - was unaware of that as late as 2010.

"For the benefit of any natural born damned fools that may have wandered in: there is no South Vietnam anymore," wrote Moe Lane for RedState in 2010. "It was conquered by North Vietnam in 1975, shortly after a Democratic Congress – yes, the same political party as Rep. Jackson-Lee’s – defunded the defense of South Vietnam, in defiance of our promises made to that unhappy country as part of the cease-fire that ended the Vietnam War."

South Vietnam officially surrendered to communist North Vietnam on April 30, 1975. On July 2, 1976, Vietnam was reunited as a communist country, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. How is it that a member of Congress does not know this? How is it that the CBC could recommend someone who does not know this to be the head of Homeland Security?

Some of you may be wondering why I referred to the Congressional Black Caucus as a "racist organization" as the beginning of this post. Simple: It is a group based entirely on race, and has recommended the incredibly unqualified Sheila Jackson Lee for head of DHS solely because she is Black. Imagine an organization called the "White Congressional Caucus." Imagine a "WCC" nominating somebody as ignorant as Sheila Jackson Lee to head DHS, knowing that they would only consider someone who is White. The Congressional Black Caucus is racist by its very nature, as its very name suggests. If Sheila Jackson Lee does manage to become the successor to Janet Napolitano, who will step down as DHS Director in August, it could only be because other members of Congress - Black and White - approved her because she is Black. It could not possibly be for any other reason, especially not for her knowledge of history and current world affairs, both of which are sadly, tragically stunted.

Must-Read: More Benghazi Whistleblowers Come Forth With "Devastating Info"

Roger L. Simon, PJ Media

May 21, 2013 - In an "exclusive" report today, PJ Media is reporting that former diplomats indicate that Obama's Benghazi nightmare is about to get worse.

We've already heard from whistleblowers Gregory Hicks, Mark Thompson and Eric Nordstrom. They testified on May 8 at a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing.

The investigation of the missteps leading up to the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya -- and the failure to even attempt a rescue during the 8-hour long seige -- is far from over.

"More whistleblowers will emerge shortly in the escalating Benghazi scandal, according to two former U.S. diplomats who spoke with PJ Media Monday afternoon," writes PJM's Roger Simon. "These whistleblowers, colleagues of the former diplomats, are currently securing legal counsel because they work in areas not fully protected by the Whistleblower law."

The news revelations, says Simon, "will be at least as explosive as what we have already learned about the scandal," and that we will learn from them "what really transpired in Benghazi that are potentially devastating to both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton."
Full story at PJ Media.

Former ambassador Thomas Pickering will testify on May 23.

Benghazi: Missing The Crime for the Coverup

May 12, 2013 -- by Tom Mannis -- We've heard a lot recently about the failure to rescue the U.S. consulate staff in Benghazi, Libya during the deadly Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack. Killed in that attack were Ambassador Chris Stevens, Information Officer Sean Smith, and two embassy security personnel, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods (both former Navy SEALs, stationed at the CIA annex nearby).

US News | Syria News | More ABC News Videos

We've heard a lot about the lies about what happened after the whole sad affair by the Obama Administration.

That, I believe, threatens to draw attention away from the more important issue of what happened before the attack.

The Obama Administration's statements after the attack are important, but they distract from what should be the main point of investigation: The denial of sufficient security before the attack, despite pleas for more protection from the consulate.

Unfortunately, too many Republicans and too many in the media are obsessed with what happened in the aftermath of the Benghazi tragedy. There has been too little discussion of the drawback and denial of security in Benghazi, and even less talk of the warnings of pending violence. Yes, there were warnings...

FBI Withheld Vital Info About Terror Connections From Boston Police Dept

May 9, 2013 - "The FBI never told the Boston police or the Massachusetts State Police about possible Russian terror connections of the suspected Marathon bombers until three and half days after the attack, law enforcement officials testified today before the House Homeland Security Committee," reports ABC News.

US News | Syria News | More ABC News Videos

"My fear is that the Boston bombers succeeded because our system failed," said committee chairman Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas).

Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis was asked if it would have helped to know everything that the FBI knew about the terrorist activities of the bombers, especially of Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

Davis said while the information might have been useful, it might not have changed anything. "That's very hard to say. We would certainly look at the information, we would certainly talk to the individual," Davis said. "From the information I've received, the FBI did that, and they closed the case out. I can't say that I would have come to a different conclusion based upon the information that was known at that particular time." (AP/Newser)

Failure to Communicate

Rep. McCaul said  "the Boston bombers may have succeeded because our system failed. We can and we must do better," reports CNN. "We learned over a decade ago the danger in failing to connect the dots," McCaul said, referring to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Testimony in the hearing today indicate that the US intelligence community is still not connecting the dots as well as they could. Why did the FBI not tell the Boston and Massachusetts authorities about the possible terror connections of Tamerlan Tsarnaev? Commissioner Davis said the intelligence might not have helped, but he left it open to the possibility that it might have.

We'll never know, but the fact remains that the FBI withheld information that might have saved lives. Such information should always be shared with law enforcement agencies that have a need to know. As we learned the hard way, Boston and Massachusetts had a very real need to know.

"The idea that the feds have this information and it's not shared with the state and locals defies why we create the Department of Homeland Security in the first place," said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. (FoxNews)

"Why didn't they involve the local law enforcers who could have stayed on the case and picked up signals from some of the students who interacted with them, from the people in the mosque," asked former Sen. Joe Lieberman, who also testified. "In this case, aggravatingly, you have two of our great homeland security agencies that didn't involve before the event the local and state authorities that could have helped us prevent the attack." (NorthJersey.com)

Video: Benghazi Hearing Witness Answers Hillary Clinton's Question, "What Difference Does It Make?"

May 8, 2013 - The first day of the House committee hearings on Benghazi produced a lot of fascinating testimony today, much of it damaging to the Obama Administration and to former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton. While questioning whistle blower Gregory Hicks, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Arizona) played a video clip of Clinton's testimony to the Senate in December. (Video below.)

In that clip, Clinton said, "The fact is, we have four dead Americans. Was it because of a protest, or was it because of guys out for a walk one night and decided they'd go kill some Americans? What difference, at this point, does it make? It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again." Gosar then asked Hicks for his reaction to Clinton's question, "What difference does it make?." (Continued below video.)


Hicks said, "I think the question is 'What difference did it make?'" Hicks recalled that Libyan President Mohamed Yousef El-Magariaf, who immediately said that the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi was a terrorist operation, "was insulted in front of his own people, in front of the world, his credibility was reduced, his ability to lead his own country was damaged, he was angry."

Gregory Hicks at Benghazi hearings.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images via NY Daily News

Magariaf's anger was also due largely to Susan Rice's talk show appearances in which she parroted the Administration's false assertion that the attack was the result of a spontaneous reaction to a video that insulted the prophet Mohammed. On Sept. 16, 2012, while Rice was out perpetuating the lie about the cause of the attack,  Magariaf was telling the talk shows a very different story.

"The way these perpetrators acted and moved -- I think we, and they're choosing the specific date for this so-called demonstration, I think we have no, this leaves us with no doubt that this was pre-planned, determined," Magariaf said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

"A friend of mine who ate dinner with him in New York during the U.N. season," Hicks continued, "told me that [Magriaf] was still steamed about the talk shows two weeks later. And I definitely believe that it  negatively affected our ability to get the FBI team quickly to Benghazi."

So, back to Clinton's question "What difference does it make?" As Hicks pointed out, it badly affected diplomatic relations with Libya's new president Magariaf, who publicly said the attack was terrorism but was contradicted publicly and repeatedly by the Obama Administration. That caused tensions that slowed the FBI's ability to investigate the crime scene in Benghazi. It unfairly compromised Magariaf's own credibility on the world stage.

Clinton also said, "It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again." Yes, indeed, and that's what the House hearings on Benghazi are about. Perhaps future leaders can learn from these hearing that politics should never be placed ahead of American lives, that the safety and security of Americans abroad is more important than any budgetary concerns, and that lying about criminal and willful negligence will not go unnoticed or unpunished.

Rep. Gosar tweeted this after the hearings:

Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS ‏@RepGosar 49m
Today’s hearing demands further investigation; as new info
shattered Obama Administration lies surrounding #Benghazi. 

Biden: Obama Could Use Executive Order for Gun Control

Der Fuhrer Barack Obama

Jan. 9, 2013 - "The president is going to act," Biden said to reporters before he met with gun violence victims and gun control advocate. "There are executives orders," said Biden, "there's executive action that can be taken."

Biden added, "We haven't decided what that is yet. But we're compiling it all with the help of the attorney general and the rest of the cabinet members as well as legislative action that we believe is required."

In other words, the Obama Regime will do as it damned pleases, legislative action be damned, representative government be damned, the Constitution be damned. The Imperial Presidency further advances itself.

Chris Wallace, Jon Stewart Examine Fast and Furious, Executive Privilege

Some great video related to "Fast and Furious," everybody's favorite gun running cover up scandal. First, Rep. Darrel Issa on Fast and Furious with Fox News Sunday's Chris Wallace. Then, Jon Stewart looks at the issue of Comrade Supreme Leader Obama's claim of executive privilege relating to documents withheld by Eric Holder and the Department of Justice. Stewart calls his examination of the whole sordid affair "Glocks and Spiels," and is followed immediately by a mock game show called "Differentiate Your Party's Assertion of Executive Privilege From the Previous Administration's."

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Glocks and Spiels
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Differentiate Your Party's Assertion of Executive Privilege From the Previous Administration's
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Holder's Cloak Shredded By Issa's Dagger

June 7, 2012 - Sparks flew in a Congressional hearing about Operation Fast and Furious by the House Judiciary committee today. That's the the gun-running scandal that has U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder playing defense. He is accused by Republicans of knowing more about it that he has admitted, and of covering up what they accuse him of knowing. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) laid into Holder during the hearing.

Issa accused Holder of nothing producing enough evidence to the committee. 

Angry, he said to Holder that "since May 18th, nothing, nothing has come from your department, not one shred of paper."

Issa then asked Holder, "Have you and your attorneys produced, internally, the materials responsive to the subpoenas?" Holder responded, "We believe that we have responded to the subpoenas," at which point Issa angrily interrupted him.

"No, Mr Attorney General, you're not a good witness," Issa scolded. "A good witness answers the questions asked. So let's go back again." Have you, and your attorneys, produced internally, the materials responsive - in  other words, have you taken the time to look up our subpoena and find out what material you have responsive to it or have you simply invented a privilege that doesn't exist?"

Digging for truth at Justice

Issa has asked the DOJ for the documents, reports The Hill today, "including wiretap applications it used in the botched federal gun-tracking Operation Fast and Furious, for months." He has "taken preliminary steps to move contempt-of-Congress citations against Holder, but it remains unclear if GOP leaders support that move."

ISSA'S MOLE AT JUSTICE:

Issa has a secret weapon against Holder, however. It has been revealed that he has been getting valuable documents from a mole inside of Holder's Department of Justice. "Issa," reports The Hill, "says the documents show top-ranking DOJ officials signing off on the condemned 'gun-walking' tactics used in the failed operation. Senior DOJ officials have repeatedly denied that they approved the botched initiative." The Hill says that Issa has "apparently broken no laws by being given the information" by his mole, and that the documents have not yet been made public.

Related:

• Fast and Furious: Eric Holder’s bizarre House Judiciary testimony Human Events
• Mole helps Rep. Issa whack Justice Dept. The Hill
• Issa Bypasses Holder to Gain Information About Fast and Furious NewsMax
• Holder concedes ‘inappropriate tactics,’ but mum on ‘Fast and Furious’ blame Washington Times

Breaking: DOJ Source Leaks Fast and Furious Documents

March 24, 2012 - A developing story this afternoon says that a source at the Department of Justice has been leaking documents related to the Fast and Furious scandal. The source has provided the documents to Congressional investigators, says Fox News.

"The investigation of Operation Fast and Furious escalated this past week," Fox News reports, which "learned a leak at the Justice Department is providing documents to the Congressional investigators. The scope of investigation also includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which records show failed to tell ATF its own confidential informants were helping finance the illegal gun purchases."

This latest news comes on the heels of the news that Manuel Celis-Acosta, the chief suspect in the ATF’s "Fast and Furious" investigation, had been caught but released at the U.S.-Mexico border in May 2010. The Los Angeles Times reported two days ago that Celis-Acosta "was also stopped and released two months earlier while in possession of a Colt .38-caliber pistol purchased illegally under the gun-tracking operation."

"The revelation that officials twice declined to arrest their prime suspect," says the March 22 LA Times story, "shows that agents were keenly aware of Celis-Acosta’s activities yet repeatedly turned down opportunities to charge him with felony offenses and bring a quick end to the Fast and Furious probe. Instead, the investigation dragged on for months more, with the loss of about 1,700 U.S. firearms on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border."

The leaked DOJ documents, says Anthony Martin today at The Examiner, "would be a major break in the case and would fuel an escalation in the investigation into the scandal in which the Obama Administration placed U.S. guns directly into the hands of Mexican criminals in order to make a case for new gun control laws."

"Fast and Furious was launched Oct. 31, 2009, and ran until a month after a U.S. Border Patrol agent was killed in December 2010. Two Fast and Furious assault weapons were recovered after his slaying near the border," says the LA Times. "The congressional leaders said they learned of the gun arrest from a list of “Overt Acts” of gun-smuggling suspects that was compiled by an ATF official during Fast and Furious."

The ensuing investigation has produced more frustration than information, it seems.

There are some who have accused U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder of obstructing the Congressional investigation of Fast and Furious, some even calling for his resignation or impeachment. In fact, more than 100 members of Congress want Holder to resign.

Republicans are not the only ones who are critical of Holder. The Daily Caller reported yesterday that two House Democrats are now demanding that Holder’s Department of Justice "release findings from an internal investigation into Operation Fast and Furious before the upcoming November election."

Those congressmen are Reps. Nick Rahall (D-WV) and Gene Green (D-TX). The Daily Caller says that they "told The Washington Times’ Kerry Picket that they want the inspector general to release her report before the election to ensure that any officials from President Barack Obama’s administration who are responsible for Fast and Furious are held accountable."

NEW: "Arrest Eric Holder" T-Shirts! 

Related articles

• ATF Had Prime Gun Smuggling Suspect In Custody But Released Him (minx.cc)
• GOP lawmakers losing patience over 'Fast & Furious' (foxnews.com)
• Will Eric Holder’s Perjury Cost Him His Job? (westernjournalism.com)
• 100 Congressmen call for Holder resignation (examiner.com)
• Issa to CNN: ‘We’ve been lied to by DoJ’ (examiner.com)
• Project Gunrunner Wasn't Fast and Furious by Any Means (americanthinker.com)
• Dems Release False Report on Fast and Furious (pjmedia.com)
• "Fast And Furious" Caught Top Mexican Gunrunner, Then Let Him Go (patdollard.com)
• Fast and Furious, the U.S. and Mexico (americanthinker.com)
• Holder Threatened With Impeachment Over "Fast & Furious" Stonewalling (patdollard.com)
• Holder loses cool during House hearing when asked about Fast and Furious (dailycaller.com)

Breaking: Darrell Issa Threatens Eric Holder With Contempt, Demands Fast and Furious Documents

January 31, 2012 - BREAKING - "House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) threatened Tuesday to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress if the Justice Department did not provide certain documents in response to the committee’s subpoena," reports Politico.com tonight.

"In a letter to Holder," says Politico, "Issa wrote that “this committee will have no alternative but to move forward with proceedings to hold you in contempt of Congress” if Holder and the DOJ didn’t produce documents they demanded relating to the Fast and Furious gun-walking scandal. Holder has until Thursday, Feb. 9. to comply, according to Issa." More at politico.com...

Fast and Furious victim: Agent Brian Terry

To put it bluntly, Issa is calling Holder a liar. Which may or not be fair. It's just as possible that Holder is merely an incompetent boob who has no idea what is going on within his own Dept. of Justice. Then again, he may simply be a clumsy liar. "Holder knew of Fast & Furious killing months before congressional testimony," says The Washington Times.

For those of you who still don't know about "Fast and Furious," here's a nice summary by the Washington Examiner:


"Fast and Furious is the Justice Department program that allowed thousands of weapons to be sold in 2009 to known buyers for Mexican drug cartels in the hope that the tainted guns would show up at future crime scenes. The department's cockeyed theory was that the "walked" weapons would enable authorities to tie the drug bosses to specific crimes in the United States and Mexico. Unfortunately, the bureaucrats lost track of the weapons until it was too late."

Too late, that is, for murdered U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry who was killed with one of those weapons. (A second suspect was arrested yesterday for Agent Terry's murder.)

"Now," says the Examiner, "Holder wants Americans to believe an obvious fantasy, namely that he didn't know about Fast and Furious until witch-hunting House Republicans made it a highly charged partisan issue a few months ago. But after reviewing new emails made public by the Justice Department last Friday, it seems clear that accepting Holder's claim at face value would be credulous in the extreme."

In other words, Holder is lying through his pearly whites.

Related articles

• Issa levels 'cover-up' accusation, threatens Holder with contempt charge (dailycaller.com)
• Emails Show How 'Fast And Furious' Ambush News Unfolded At Justice Dept. (NPR)
• Brian Terry border case: 2nd suspect revealed (AZcentral.com)
• Daily Benefactor News - Issa Levels 'Cover-Up' Accusation, Threatens Holder With Contempt Charge (thedaleygator.wordpress.com)
• AG Holder Threatened With Contempt (foxnews.com)

Breaking: Cong. Joe Walsh's Naive Balanced Budget Amendment

Please tell me if this is good, bad or just ridiculous grandstanding.

Freshman Congressman Joe Walsh, Republican of Illinois, today introduced House Joint Resolution 54 (H.J.Res.54), described in his press release as "a Balanced Budget Amendment to the United States Constitution that provides a framework for putting our country on a path [to] economic stability." Okay, uh huh...

That sounds pretty good to those of us who are in favor of economic stability, but I wonder if Rep. Walsh is aware of the fact that much of what has been done by both houses of Congress has been unconstitutional.

My point is simple: We have a Congress that has repeatedly demonstrated its contempt for the U.S. Constitution. Given that, what hope is there that (a) such a bill stands a chance of passing both houses of Congress or that (b) if his bill did pass and become part of the Constitution itself, that Congress would respect it any more than it respects the rest of the document. H.J.Res.54 has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee.

Furthermore, Walsh's timing could not be clumsier. As the Congress is engaging in a budget battle that could shut down the Federal Government, his H.J.Res.54 only adds noise to the cacophony. It would have been better for Walsh to have waited until after the current fracas has resolved itself. The bill, and the timing of it and his press release, does nothing to further the current Republican efforts in Congress. The timing smells of opportunism and of a man desperate for attention.

Have a look at Walsh's press release, and don't be afraid to chuckle out loud. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Elizabeth Lauten Thursday, April 7, 2011 (202) 225-3711 Congressman Walsh Introduces Balanced Budget Amendment

“It’s time to bring our country out of the red” Washington, D.C. – As part of his ongoing effort to restore fiscal responsibility in Washington, Congressman Joe Walsh (R-IL) today introduced H.J.Res.54, a Balanced Budget Amendment to the United States Constitution that provides a framework for putting our country on a path economic stability. This amendment is the House-companion to the Senate amendment that all 47 Republicans unanimously introduced last week, which would require the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress prior to each fiscal year.

“The federal government cannot continue to burden our children with this crushing deficit,” said Congressman Walsh. “American families have been working through a recession for the past three years by spending less and saving more, yet the federal government continues to spend money it simply does not have. Congress has neglected the real root cause and continues to be part of the problem, not part of the solution.”

“This amendment is the solution. If the average American family has to find a way to balance their checkbook each year and live within their means, there is no reason that the federal government can’t do the same.” “It was important to me that my first piece of legislation as a United States Congressman serves the American people by easing the burden of the government in their daily lives. A key provision to this amendment is to ensure that the budget is not balanced on the backs of hard working Americans, and thus H.J.Res.54 would require a 2/3 super-majority in both Houses for any tax increase.”

“Most importantly, this amendment shows families and businesses across America that Congress is serious about stabilizing our economy long-term. It’s time to bring our country out of the red.” The Balanced Budget Amendment resolution features the following key provisions:

• Presidential requirement to submit a balanced budget and Congressional requirement to pass a balanced budget; • Federal spending cap that Congress must limit outlays to no more than 18 percent of GDP, in line with the historical average of revenues over the last 40 years (this year, the federal government is projected to spend close to 25% of GDP); 

• Prohibits the courts from ordering revenue increases.  

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(Video) Rep Jan Schakowsky Praises Charlie Rangel, Calls Him "My Leader"

July 30, 2010 - No surprise, really. Crooks of a feather flock together. Rep. Jan Schakowksy (D-IL) is married to convicted check kiting felon Robert Creamer, so she feels completely comfortable praising tax cheat Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) and admitting in the video below that she looks to him as a guide for how she should vote in Congress. She also thinks he's the greatest thing since sliced bagels. Marathon Pundit wrote about this today with an interesting take on the affair: In her speech to the National Black Leadership Commission, Schakowsky praised Rangel as "my leader, Charlie Rangel" and declared, "People may look to see how I vote, but that's 'cause I look first at how Charlie’s voting." Hey Jan, why not listen to your constitutuents instead of sleazeballs like Rangel?In 2005, while the Republicans still controllled Congress, Schakowsky gushed in The American Prospect, "Think about what it would mean for progressives if Nancy Pelosi were House speaker and congressional committees were chaired by people like George Miller, John Conyers, Charlie Rangel, and Henry Waxman." More at Marathon Pundit... Yes, well, we no longer need to imagine. Five years later we're deep into the Hope And Change Nightmare. Rangel is in deep trouble, and Democrats are in a panic about it now that it will embarrass them so close to the mid-term November elections. Many are calling for Rangel to resign, including Comrade Obama Himself. They're not calling for Rangel to resign out of any sense of what is morally correct. They want him as far away in the shadows as possible when his criminal trial begins. Meanwhile, Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) faces charges of misusing her office. What was it that Nancy Pelosi said about cleaning up Congress in 2006? Do you remember that? RELATED: More Calls for Rangel to Resign‎ Wall Street Journal Will the Rangel trial hurt Dems in November? The Hill Anthony Weiner's rant captures Dem impotence The Plum Line WaPo buries Dem fundraiser's fraud, highlights GOP fundraising scandal Washington Examiner

Robert Byrd, Ku Klux Klan Recruiter, Finally Dies

The trash known as U.S. Senator Robert Byrd was finally been dropped into history's dumpster after 92 years of life. Byrd was a U. S. Senator since 1959, making him the longest serving senator ever. Before that, Byrd was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives in 1953. West Virginia's Governor Joe Manchin III can name someone to replace him temporarily, but the state's law requires that a special election be held. "A quirk in West Virginia's laws," reports the Washington Post, "appears to state that the replacement will likely hold the seat for the remainder of the late senator's record ninth term, through 2012." Good riddance to Byrd, a stinking piece of garbage and former Klan member. That's right, the Democrat from West Virginia was, for many years, a recruiter and officer in the Ku Klux Klan. I would join in the knee-jerk chorus and say "rest in piece," but I cannot bring myself to say it. Frankly, I hope Byrd rots in Hell. He was a racist before he was elected to the Senate, and undoubtedly remained one until he expelled his last foul breath. Oh, liberals will be offended by these disrespectful words for the dearly departed, but were they offended by Byrd's disrespect for so many of the living? "I shall never fight in the armed forces with a Negro by my side… Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds." ~ Letter from Robert C. Byrd, to Sen. Theodore Bilbo (D-MS), 1944 In March, 2001 Michelle Malkin wrote that Byrd, an "ex-Klansman," "allegedly ended his ties with the group in 1943. He may have stopped paying dues, but he continued to pay homage to the KKK. Republicans in West Virginia discovered a letter Sen. Byrd had written to the Imperial Wizard of the KKK three years after he says he abandoned the group. He wrote: 'The Klan is needed today as never before and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia' and 'in every state in the Union'." (Source: Capitalism Magazine) Malkin went on to note that Byrd filibustered the 1964 Civil Rights Act (which was supported by a majority of Republicans) for more than 14 hours. What a guy, huh? The Democrat Party's presence in the Senate, as explained by The Badger Herald, will not be changed by Byrd's long overdue departure: "The balance of power will remain the same, as West Virginia has a Democrat Governor that will name Byrd’s replacement. However, the Democratic party has lost a huge Socialist leader and one of the most prolific producers of pork barrel spending this nation has ever seen. You can’t drive down a road or walk into a government building in W.Va. without it being named after Byrd." The liberal-leaning Mainstream Media has always downplayed Byrd's KKK membership, and continues to do so today. In a laughable piece on cbsnews.com today, we read that "After six years in the West Virginia legislature, Byrd was elected to the U.S. House in 1952 in a race in which his brief Klan membership became an issue. He said he joined because of its anti-communism." Really? Anti-communism? Then how does CBS account for Byrd writing about "race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds?" The man was clearly a racist who hated non-whites. He may or may not have been "anti-communist," but that doesn't explain his vile attitude towards "race mongrels" or his neo-communist pattern of voting in Washington. All that racism can be forgiven by liberals, of course, because Byrd was a useful tool who voted their way. His politics, you'll be told by the MSM, "evolved" and he was redeemed. That only applies to those on the Left, of course -- no conservative would ever be described as "evolving" by liberals, much less forgiven for past transgressions. Byrd joined the Ku Klux Klan when he was 24 in 1942. His local chapter unanimously elected him the top officer of their unit.According to Byrd, a Klan official told him, "You have a talent for leadership, Bob... The country needs young men like you in the leadership of the nation." Byrd later recalled, "suddenly lights flashed in my mind! Someone important had recognized my abilities! I was only 23 or 24 years old, and the thought of a political career had never really hit me. But strike me that night, it did." Byrd held the titles Kleagle (recruiter) and Exalted Cyclops. (Source: Main Street Monroe [Ohio]) RELATED: MSM Can't Bring Itself to Mention Robert Byrd's KKK Past…‎Weasel Zippers The Kleagle Who Killed the Civil Rights Workers Impious Digest

Springfield And Washington - Capitols Of Cowardice

CNN's Jack Cafferty slammed the Democrats in Congress last night for their failure to pass a federal budget (see the video below). Although he was scolding the Dems in Washington for their lack of resolve, Cafferty could have been talking about Illinois legislators in Springfield. Although the Illinois General Assemby did pass something of a budget in early June, they just couldn't muster the courage to include any substantial spending cuts. Governor Quinn, a Democrat himself, just can't muster the courage to veto that worthless budget. WJBD Radio reports that Quinn "did say however he wishes that the General Assembly had done more to close the state's spending gap. Instead, lawmakers have handed Quinn the power to make the cuts he deems necessary." The state's fiscal year ends on June 30th, 19 days from now, but they just could take the time to hammer out the needed cuts in billions of dollars being misspent and wasted. They passed the buck, literally and figuratively, to the hapless Pat Quinn. WJBD says that he "is still pushing for the Senate to pass a four-billion-dollar borrowing plan to pay down the state's pension debt." Quinn, however, is as cowardly and as clueless as the legislators: On the one hand, he wants the lawmakers to reduce the state's deficit, yet on the other hand he thinks that borrowing four billion dollars to do that is somehow better than actually reducing spending. In other words, neither the Illinois Governor nor the Illinois lawmakers have the courage to make politically unpopular - but absolutely necessary - cuts in spending. As Jack Cafferty would say, "they can’t be seen cutting things in an election year." "The budget approved by the General Assembly last week has a $25.9 billion general fund, that has already been cut by $1.3 million. But with $6 billion in overdue bills and a $3.7 billion pension contribution due in a little more than a month, programs and services will be eliminated," reports The Quincy Herald-Whig. "Mike Rein of Transitions of Western Illinois said the state owes $2.5 million to that agency, which serves people who have disabilities and those needing mental health counseling. 'Illinois is a deadbeat state. They don't pay their bills,' Rein said." The "deadbeat state" of Illinois is so bad a paying vendors and service providers that a debt-brokering company in Georgia is moving to take advantage of the situation. Put simply, the company will loan money to qualifying vendors who are stuck waiting for "deadbeat" Illinois to pay them for services rendered. MyFoxChicago reports that Alpharetta Industries can arrange "for struggling vendors to sell their overdue paper at a discount. Sellers would get most of the money owed to them now. The buyers would collect the full amount from the state later. [They] would take a cut as the middleman." While some would call Alpharetta Industries "vultures," MyFoxChicago quotes one vendor as saying that, "At the end of the day it was better to have some money than no money." Those are the words of Na-Tae Thompson, "whose nonprofit True Star Foundation is waiting on $75,000 from the state that hasn't arrived." (Source: Ibid) If Alpharetta is a "vulture," then the State of Illinois is a parasite, sucking out lifeblood and giving nothing back. It should be remembered that vultures do not kill. Rather, they clean up the mess. Parasites, all too often, cause death or incapacitating illness, and only then do the vultures have opportunity. Unlike a real vulture, however, debt brokers offer the victims of parasites the time and hope needed to heal and, possibly, recover.

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"See, it’s an election year; they can’t be seen cutting things in an election year." xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx

Cafferty said: At a time of skyrocketing federal deficits and a national debt that just passed $13 trillion, the Democrats in Congress can’t be bothered to pass a budget for next year. That’s their job. Congress is supposed to decide how to spend the taxpayers’ money. They are mandated to pass a budget; and presumably to stick to it… but that’s a whole other story. Yet efforts to pass a budget have stalled in the House because Democrats can’t agree on what and how much to cut..... Cafferty gets then turned sarcastic, but his words ring true: See, it’s an election year; they can’t be seen cutting things in an election year. As I said, that applies to the cowards of Springfield, too. Republican Bill Brady is Quinn's challenger in the Illinois gubernatorial race, and the latest Rasmussen pol shows Brady ahead of Quinn by 11 points, 47% to 36%. It's no wonder. Voters know that it's the Democrats who call the shots in Springfield, and that Quinn is one of them. The voters know that it's the Democrats who sunk Illinois into its current financial abyss, and most seem to understand that the Democrats are incapable of pulling us out. Perhaps the voters themselves can pull us out by means of voting for real change - and fewer Democrats - in November. RELATED: Debt Broker Will Make Money off Illinois' State Budget Crisis‎ MyFox Chicago Pain of Illinois state budget woes will be felt by all‎ Quincy Herald Whig Universities Owed $630 Million; Borrowing Power Not Yet Approved Illinois Statehouse News Our opinion: Budget problems ultimately will cost taxpayers more 24newstime.com Rasmussen: Brady Holds Lead Backyard Conservative We Buy Ugly Statehouses St Louis Today

REPUBLICAN DJOU WINS BIG IN HAWAII SPECIAL ELECTION

Breaking! Aloha! The Democrats and the liberal Mainstream Media are freaking out tonight because of the stunning Congressional election win by Republican Charles Djou. HawaiiNewsNow – Republican Charles Djou won the special election for Hawaii's First Congressional District. The Honolulu City Councilmember grabbed 39% of the vote. State Senate president Colleen Hanabusa came in second with 30% of the vote. Former US Representative Ed Case came in third, gathering 27% the vote. Honolulu Star Bulletin - Djou won the special mail-in election with 39.5 percent of the vote in the first printout, released at 6 p.m. The first printout represented nearly all of the 170,312 returned by voters in the district, which stretches from Waikiki and downtown to Mililani. Democrat Colleen Hanabusa was second at 30.8 percent, with Democrat Ed Case third at 27.6 percent. MORE: GOP's Djou wins Hawaii special election for Congress‎ Honolulu Advertiser GOPer Djou Picks Up HI-01 House Seat Thanks To Split Dem Vote‎ TPMDC (blog) Republican Djou wins Hawaii special election, Hanabusa comes in second ‎Hawaii News Now Djou Wins Congressional Seat KITV Honolulu Charles Djou, Republicans try to steal Hawaii House seat‎ Washington Post (blog)

ANOTHER Stupid Gaffe by Hank Johnson

Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA) is like the gift that keeps on giving. Now infamous for his moronic concern that the island of Guam might "tip over or capsize," Johnson seems to be a habitual imbecile. 

We found another of his gaffes (below) of him calling last year's heavy flooding in Georgia a "national disaster," when in fact it was a "major disaster." Hear Johnson's gaffe at 2:54 in the video below. 

A congressman should know the correct terminology for what his own state is the recipient of. Dear Leader Obama declared it to be a "major disaster," not a "national" one.

Under Stafford Act authority, "major disaster" is defined as:

A major disaster, according to the Stafford Act, is “any natural catastrophe [...] or, regardless of cause, any fire, flood, or explosion, in any part of the United States, which in the determination of the President causes damage of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant major disaster assistance under [the] act to supplement the efforts and available resources or states, local governments, and disaster relief organizations in alleviating the damage, loss, hardship, or suffering caused thereby.” The President issues a major disaster declaration after receiving a request form the governor of the affected state. The governor of the affected state must base a request for a declaration by the President on a “finding that the disaster is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and the affected local governments and that federal assistance is necessary.” (1, p. 9)

US Rep Phil Hare Trips Over His Own Ignorance and Lies

Congressman Phil Hare (D-Illinois) is a liar. He's also an idiot. He's a lying idiot, in fact, and the videos below prove it. On April 2, 2010 a video of Hare was posted (see it below), in which he was asked by a blogger about the constitutionality of the health care bill that was recently passed. "I don't worry about the Constitution on this, to be honest," he said, "I care more about the people that are dying every day that don't have health care."

The video, and Hare's admission to violating his Constitutional oath, immediately got national attention. Hare has since put out his own video, which is a brief and very lame "explanation" of what he told the blogger. As in the blogger video, Hare lies in his own response.

What Hare and other Democrats do not seem to care about is the oath to uphold the Constitution, taken by every member of Congress, which does not allow exceptions to be made. Would Hare also favor unconstitutional legislation to completely ban automobiles because of  "people that are dying every day" in car crashes? That would be unconstitutional, too, but it idiots like Hare could use the same excuse "about the people that are dying every day" for such a law. What Hare and his ilk have done, quite simply, is to take the law into their own hands like a bunch of vigilantes.

WGIL Radio reports: The congressman representing the Galesburg area is once again on YouTube; but this time, he's trying to clean up the potential damage created by the last time he was on YouTube. 17th District Congressman Phil Hare has posted a video to his own YouTube page where he again tries to explain what he said following a town hall meeting Thursday in Quincy. Bloggers and even some radio talk show hosts have claimed Hare said he doesn't care about the Constitution.


WGIL quoted Hare: "I said, and I quote, 'I am not worried about the Constitution on this,' meaning, the health care bill," Hare said. "I was not worried that the health care bill would be ruled unconstitutional. If it had been, I wouldn't have voted for a bill that I knew would be unconstitutional."

Hare, however, admitted to the blogger that he doesn't know how (or if) the health care bill fall within constitutional limits.

BLOGGER: Where in the Constitution does it give you -
HARE: (interrupts) I don't know -.
BLOGGER:  - the authority to -
HARE: - I don't know.

Congressman Hare has shown that he's willing to make exceptions to the Constitution for his favored bits of legislation. That's what he said. What other Constitutional exceptions is he - and other legislators - willing to make? Hare is like a drunk driver who gets ticketed for DUI, then tells the judge that he's really a law abiding citizen in most cases, but he's just not worried about how well he drives while boozed up.



Hare's response:


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