Posts Tagged ‘left’

Tom Fitton

DOJ Steers Countrywide Settlement Cash to Leftist Groups With Dem Ties

by Tom Fitton

The untold story of the Obama Administration’s widely reported, $335 million discrimination settlement with Countrywide Financial Corporation is that, under a secret Justice Department program, a chunk of the money won’t go to the “victims” but rather leftist groups not connected to the lawsuit.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) will determine which “qualified organizations” get leftover settlement cash and Democrat-tied groups like the scandal-plagued Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) and the open-borders National Council of La Raza (NCLR) stand to get large sums based on the hastily arranged deal which got court approval in just a few days.

Judicial Watch has investigated this controversial arrangement and in 2010 sued the DOJ to obtain information about the policy directing big portions of cash settlements from its civil rights lawsuits to organizations not officially connected to the cases. In response to JW’s lawsuit, the DOJ was forced to acknowledge that it has no official guidelines regarding “qualified organizations” that get leftover settlement funds and that it doesn’t monitor how the money is used.

In the Countrywide case, details of the unscrupulous arrangement are buried deep (page 10 of the 17-page settlement) in the court document where Bank of America’s Countrywide Financial Corporation agrees to pay to resolve allegations that it discriminated against qualified black and Hispanic borrowers. The lender denies all of the charges, but wanted to end the case and caved into the government’s terms.

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Media Trackers

Wife of Wisconsin State Employee Suggests Gov’s Wife, Sons be Raped

by Media Trackers

On Sunday, the Green Bay Press-Gazette posted a link on its Facebook page to an Associated Press story detailing state aid cuts to organizations that help victims of sexual abuse. After that story was posted, a reader left a comment expressing outrage that the state would cut such aid, and asserted that perhaps Governor Scott Walker’s wife or children should become victims of sexual assault so the governor could see the how devastating the state aid cuts really are.

The first comment reads:

Another thing Walker has destroyed . . . well just more people that will sign for recall walker now . . . is he really that ignorant to even attack victims at their lowest . . . what a real prize, maybe someone should rape and victimize his wife and daughter if he has any . . . or even sons, then he will wish he supported this service a lot more.

The women, Nancy Butzlaff, appears to have been the first to comment on this particular story on the Press-Gazette’s Facebook page. Not too long after her comment, another woman, Jenni Kone-Keeler, suggested that perhaps the governor himself should become the victim of a sexual assault or some assault-related crime. One conservative activist, Lauren Stephens, said that the comments were left up on the Press-Gazette’s Facebook page for close to nine hours before the paper removed them.

According to Butzlaff’s personal Facebook page, she is married to Robert A. Butzlaff. A search of a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel database found a Robert A. Butzlaff who works for the state of Wisconsin as a corrections officer and made over $63,000–including overtime pay–in 2010.

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Trevor Loudon

The Ayers Brothers Connection: Coaching #OccupyChicago, Calling for School ‘Occupations’

by Trevor Loudon

Former Weather Underground terrorist leader, and long time colleague of president Barack Obama, Bill Ayers  is actively supporting the Occupy Wall Street movement, in his home town of Chicago – while his education activist brother Rick Ayers wants to see the movement extended to the nation’s schools.

In an October 16 interview with Chicago Sun-Times journalist Laura Washington, Bill Ayers described the” Occupy” movement as a “North American Spring,” akin to the “Arab Spring” still playing out in North Africa and the Middle East.

Said Ayers:

These kinds of movements expand our consciousness of what’s possible…Every revolution seems impossible at the beginning, and after it happens, it was inevitable.”

Ayers’ support took a more practical form October 19, when the retired UIC professor led a “teach-in” with Occupy Chicago protesters on “ non-violent direct action” at the group’s  HQ (in front of the Federal Reseve Bank at Jackson and LaSalle).

Ayers  detailed the tactics and history of the Civil Rights movement, drawing analogies to the group before him. “You created power where there was none,” the famed agitator said.

Ayers spoke naturally to the crowd of 40, who sat in rapture, registering their approval by lifting silent fingers.

“It’s critical that you maintain your independence,” Ayers told the crowd – warning them not to be  co-opted by labor unions or the Democrats. History, Ayers told the assembled activists, shows his preferred approach to political power. “Martin Luther King didn’t go begging for a meeting with Lyndon Johnson,” Ayers said. “Lyndon Johnson begged for a meeting with Martin Luther King.”

The protesters seem to have already followed Ayers’ advice. The group turned down Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposition for a meeting, demanding the misdemeanor charges from last Saturday’s arrest of more than 170 activists be dropped first.

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Ron Capshaw

#OccupyWallSt: What I Saw at the Revolution

by Ron Capshaw

First the smell.

One doesn’t require an Orwell-like preoccupation (“the working class smells”) with the olfactory sense to be fixated on the stench issuing forth from ground zero of the Wall Street protests. The familiar dog-urine smell of the subways mixes with the body odor issuing forth from the unshaven armpits of the female placard-wavers and the eye-watering effluvia of defecated-upon cop cars.

Then the appearance. There are those who follow the current fad of deliberate dorkiness–Clark Kent glasses, baggy clothes, carefully torn sweaters. Mingling with them are cigarette-wavers in mobster leather coats and the aged with their wire-like hair and the pitted, sallow complexions of the old crones by the guillotines of Revolutionary France. They are all dressed warmer than the weather warrants, as if they are in another, colder city like say, St. Petersburg. For a group so worried about what Wall Street is doing to their America, they exhibit no worry lines on their foreheads; instead they have snarl ones.

I came to New York after a ten year absence (I left in August 2001), expecting that Sept. 11th had made the city into more of a police state, especially with the anti-libertarian Bloomberg in charge. The violations I left the city over were still there: tickets were still issued if you ran out of gas, sat on a crate, smoked a cigarette in a restaurant. To me the establishment of New York was a mix of corporate types and screaming lefties, all united in the sentiment of money as the measurement of everything (once in a grad school seminar, I heard a self-described Trotskyite insult a conservative opponent by showing that she owned a better quality backpack than him).

That kind of fashion snottiness is still there among the protestors. Anyone staring at or questioning them receive a bellow about their terrible haircuts or bad ties. But there is a palpable fear in the air among segments of the establishment. There are cops who seem to want to lash out, but there are others who seem to hide behind their plexi-glass shields. The favored gesture of the New Yorker is holstered among the corporate types attempting a day at the office.

They seem aware that the Left no longer owns the media.

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Brandon Darby

Emails Expose the True Nature of the #Occupy Movement

by Brandon Darby

My history with many of the key organizers of the “Global Movement for Peace and Justice” has allowed me to see right through the Mainstream Media and Democratic Party’s attempts to promote and build the #Occupy Movement as a “grassroots effort” which “spontaneously” arose.

I’ve known that the #Occupy Movement is nothing less than a current manifestation of an international revolutionary push in which I myself used to play a significant role. This “movement” holds at its core that America is the largest enemy to world peace and freedom. As many know, my views began to change in our movements’ efforts to help the residents of the devastated New Orleans 9th Ward. My experiences in leadership allowed me to meet and interact with many “relief” and “protest” groups from around the world. I ultimately came to the conclusion that many of these organizations and individuals were intent on destroying our country – I decided to expose them through working undercover with The FBI.

This movement has once again reared its ugly head and done just what it always does – convincing moderate Democrats to inadvertently provide cover, both physically and in the media, for radical efforts to damage our system and our nation. As can be expected, I’m part of a citizen-led effort to expose them for what they are.

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Jim Hoft

‘Banker’ James O’Keefe Gets In on the Fun–Totally Punks Occupy Wall Street (Video)

by Jim Hoft

It’s all about the Benjamins, baby!

Occupy Wall Street protesters asked “Wall Street banker” James O’Keefe for capital investing yesterday. They wanted funding for the “Constitutional World Federation” they are planning. Another protester goes into detail about funding for the Occupy Wall Street protest came from Almagamated Bank. They’re all for capitalism, but only if it benefits them.

James O’Keefe scores another win against the hypocritical left.
Via Project Veritas:

Andrew Breitbart

‘Capitalism: Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?’: My Journey Through #OCCUPYLA

by Andrew Breitbart

Me and my very own SEIU “minder” take a journey onto the streets, up to the banks, and into the minds of the grassroots and populist (I swear. No, really. This is really, really spontaneous stuff) #OccupyWallStreet movement. (Side note: my strategy to go incognito by not wearing any product in my hair was an utter failure.)

John Nolte

9/11 Only Paused the Left’s Attack on America

by John Nolte

My memories of September 11, 2001 are likely little different than those of so many others. Thankfully, no one I knew died in those attacks, but I mourned just the same; and in that way one can ever truly recover from such a thing, I still do and always will mourn.

Ten years on, my emotions have evolved, however. Because for ten years I’ve watched the Left, much of Hollywood and almost all of the news media turn against our country for mercenary, partisan political reasons. And none of this surprised me. In the aftermath of the atrocity as solemn celebrities hosted benefit concerts and Democrats sang “God Bless America” on the Capitol steps, I knew it wouldn’t last and that over time they would become America’s enemy within in the fight to protect herself. I never even took a moment to hope I was wrong. Why waste the energy.

If you recall, we had seen it all before. We saw it when after spending years undermining a war of liberation with the Killing Fields of Cambodia as a direct result, the Left never once stopped to second guess themselves.

With great pride I watched my cousin Kyle join the military when the war was at its ugliest and just last week my grandson Mikey left boot camp and started his hazmat training with National Guard. With horror I’ve watched the Left use every dishonest trick and tool at their disposal to make their jobs harder.

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Publius

Bummer Summer: Left Now Complaining about Obama

by Publius

From The Associated Press:


Liberals argue that he caved on the debt ceiling. Unions are upset over his handling of unemployment and labor issues. Hispanics brought the immigration debate directly to his campaign doorstep.

President Barack Obama’s summer of discontent has been marked by rumblings within his Democratic political base over his willingness to fight congressional Republicans and his approach to fixing the economy.

Liberals disappointed with Obama for compromising with the GOP during the debt-ceiling showdown now are calling on him to hold firm against Republicans this fall. They want him to push a bold jobs agenda while drawing a strong line on taxes and protecting Medicare and Social Security.

In recent weeks, the gripes have become so loud that the president himself acknowledged them during his Midwest bus tour this week.

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Ron Nehring

Left Hijacks ‘Non-Partisan’ Redistricting in San Diego

by Ron Nehring

New revelations exposing how labor unions shamelessly rigged the “non-partisan” redistricting process in San Diego is providing case study for how the critical process of drawing legislative district lines can be hijacked by the radical left using multiple front groups.

The “independent” redistricting commission in San Diego, America’s 8th largest city, is charged with drawing lines for the city’s eight (soon to be nine) council districts in a fair and non-partisan manner.  In a city where Democrats have failed to elect a mayor in decades and just lost a seat on the city council in 2010, taking control of the redistricting process was a top priority, starting with the formation of the city’s redistricting commission.

Local television reporter Steve Bosch blew the lid off how the unions worked through two local left wing groups to plant liberal activists on the commission and control its staff.

Empower San Diego is the first union front group used to help recruit, cultivate and put forward potential appointees to the redistricting commission, whose members were selected by retired judges. The group brags on its website that it “directly helped recruit and support seven applicants” for the redistricting commission, three of whom were ultimately appointed.  The group is clearly ideological: it “advances progressive values and fosters local civil society by promoting civic participation and facilitating collaboration among community-based organizations.”

The three liberals the group succeeded in planting on the commission are:  Theresa Quiroz, a “community advocate” who is the “co-chair of the Affordable Housing Coalition” and – surprise! – the Vice President of Empower San Diego; Carlos Marquez III, the “Director of Community Programs and Public Affairs for the San Diego LGBT Community Center,” and David Potter, who has a long record of making financial contributions to Democrat candidates for a variety of offices.

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Stacy Drake

Frank Bailey’s Betrayal of Sarah Palin

by Stacy Drake

The story of the leaked manuscript of former Palin aide Frank Bailey is getting a lot of traction as the mainstream media finds ways to maximize and defend the indefensible. Andy Barr and Ben Smith from Politico have taken it upon themselves (obviously without legal council) to run a story repeating distorted claims by a troubled ex-employee, with the goal of smearing Governor Palin in mind. Barr and Smith ponder why it is that no publisher has signed on to print Bailey’s manuscript, which he has been trying to sell for almost 18 months. On top of the legal ramifications, there are many reasons.

They do note that Bailey chose an anti-Palin writer and a “critic” of Governor Palin to help pen the text. What they didn’t state is that “critic,” a man by the name of Ken Morris, is a known leftist who has a history of pulling obsessive stunts directed towards Governor Palin, and that the other writer, Jeanne Devon, is a legend in the Alaskan left-wing blogoshpere for her unhinged, freakish behavior aimed at hurting the governor. These aren’t just people who disagree with her politics. These are people who have spent a lot of time, money, and integrity trying to damage Governor Palin.

Now, just who is Frank Bailey? Other than what’s on the surface – that being his connection as a former employee of the former Governor of Alaska. What was his role in her administration and why did he chose to publicly stab his former employer in the back? The Politico article notes:

A Palin ally, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that Bailey and Palin corresponded and that the former aide had access to Palin’s passwords and her email account. But the Palin ally said that the content should be viewed through the lens of Bailey being “the quintessential disgruntled employee” who had been denied senior jobs he sought, cut out of Palin’s vice presidential campaign, and been caught up in the “Troopergate” scandal.

This man felt as though he had been denied a senior post in the administration. I have read his manuscript by the way, and can tell you that this guy thought he was doing a bang-up job for the governor. However, the evidence doesn’t support his assertion. After all, Bailey was the only member of Governor Palin’s administration who had ever been recommended to receive ethics training by a state investigator. I am not going to release any detailed information that isn’t public already, but there are some pretty pointed lies within this manuscript that only take a few minutes on Google to figure out.

While working for Governor Palin, part of Bailey’s job was to set up and maintain her email accounts. He had direct access, by way of knowing her password codes, to all of her messages. What he did with that access was highly unethical, a serious breach of trust, if not the law. If indeed all the emails are actually hers in the first place.

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Liberty Chick

Was WikiLeaks Right? Did Union Organizers and the U.S. State Dept Help Plan Egypt’s Uprising?

by Liberty Chick

Last evening on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow took a few moments on her show to jab at the Beltway press, suggesting that the press in DC is so annoyed at being “sidelined” by the Egypt story that it’s “clawing and scratching to find some partisan story to tell here.”  Maddow then proceeded to slam a list of conservative politicians and bloggers, including freshman Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, Michigan Congressman Thaddeus McCotter, former UN Ambassador John Bolton, and blogger Pam Geller.

One other story that Maddow called out was from RedState.com, to which she mocked the suggestion that unions and the U.S. state department are involved in the Egypt protests and quipped, “What, no ACORN?”


The author of that post is a friend of mine and fellow BigGovernment contributor, who, in addition to blogging at RedState.com, also runs Labor Union Report.  I was surprised when I saw his post called out on Maddow’s show.  Not only is he not usually a typical target of MSNBC’s brand of snark, but it was obvious that Maddow – or whomever does her research – had not even read the post beyond paragraph two.  If they had, they would have noticed that the information came from a few familiar sources:  the Huffington Post and WikiLeaks. And those sources contained some potent information that’s directly related to the current uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

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Andrew  Marcus

Next Chapter Of The Progressive Marxist Revolution – G8/G20

by Andrew Marcus

This weekend (starting today) looks like it is shaping up to be the next chapter in the ongoing Progressive-Marxist revolution now underway across the globe. Previous chapters of the revolution include, but are not limited to, the 1999 WTO meeting in Seattle, the “anti-war”* protests during the Bush presidency, the 2004 and 2008 protests against the Republican conventions, the Bank of America protests, the Gaza Flotilla movement, etc…  *The asterisk marks the discredit earned by the “anti-war” movement through their silence since President Obama took office, despite the continuation of the wars allegedly being protested against.

g8g20-poster

Here is their description of the event they are holding Saturday night:

GET OFF THE FENCE
Confrontational Anti-Colonial, Anti-Capitalist
Convergence in solidarity with the
People’s First Demonstration
26 June 2010, 1pm, Queen’s Park
And then onwards to the Fence

If you want to understand the art of confrontational anti-capitalism, look no further than this Organizing Manual produced by one of the leading organizers of confrontational street (and flotilla) demonstrations. Pay special attention to the sections entitled, “198 Methods of Nonviolent Action” and “Tools for White Guys who are Working for Social Change and Other People Socialized in a Society Based on Domination”. Below is an excerpt from their section about the intentional tactic of getting arrested.

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Will Morrisey

Public Opinion, the American Way

by Will Morrisey

`Left’ and `Right,’ Americans today call their political life out of joint, and therefore
painful. A news cycle cannot go by without another show of genteel hand-wringing over Tea-Party activists and radio-show callers—their rage, their seemingly endless array of `phobias,’ the menace they pose to decent people everywhere. Complementarily, Americans on the `Right’ are outraged or, more precisely, morally indignant. This has nothing to do with the thought-crimes and sentiment-felonies of racism, sexism, homophobia; rather, as seen in the recent passage of health-care legislation in the face of public opposition,, conservatives see a representative form of government that no longer, well, represents the majority of Americans.

yelling.JPG

Both sides feel a dislocation in America, a dislocation of public opinion from government.

In our Constitution “we the people” announce that we rule ourselves, through our elected representatives. But our eyes and ears tell us that our elected representatives listen not to us but to party leaders and other purveyors of elite or `advanced’ opinion, `expert’ opinion, `academic’ opinion. The Right deplores this; the Left says, `Thank God!’—or it would, if the Left did not now insist on a chaste separation of religiosity from state.

If public opinion in some form rules and thus preoccupies republican regimes, how should it rule? What is the proper relationship between citizens, their opinions, and their government?

As the designers of what Madison called the first “purely republican” regime in the modern world the American founders thought carefully about the role of public opinion in popular self-government. None thought more clearly than did Madison himself. And today, no one thinks more clearly about Madison than the Villanova University scholar, Colleen Sheehan. In her recent book, James Madison and the Spirit of Republican Self-Government (Cambridge University Press, 2009) Sheehan she explains how Madison understood both the promise and the perils of American political life, particularly as they center on the question of public opinion.

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