Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Syria's Assad taking advantage of US strikes on IS to launch fierce assault on rebels

Syria's Assad taking advantage of US strikes on IS to launch fierce assault on rebels

Observers say embattled president trying to recoup areas lost to opposition forces in regions where US not attacking Islamic State.
Associated Press
Published: 10.22.14, 08:30 / Israel News
BEIRUT — Syrian President Bashar Assad is seizing an opportunity presented by the US-led coalition's war against the Islamic State group to pursue a withering air and ground campaign against more mainstream rebels elsewhere in the country, trying to recapture areas considered more crucial to the survival of his government.


As US and allied jets swoop freely over towns and cities under control of extremists in northern Syria, the Syrian army has scaled back its air activity over areas of IS control, doing as little as possible there to avoid confrontation. Instead, Assad's troops are now focusing their energies on the country's two largest cities, Damascus and Aleppo.

"Whereas previously the Syrian regime had some interest or some level of obligation to take direct action against ISIS, to the extent that the American military is now doing this, the Syrians don't have to do it," said Christopher Harmer, senior naval analyst at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.

Smoke rises from a US strike on IS in the Syrian border town Kobani (Photo: AP)
Smoke rises from a US strike on IS in the Syrian border town Kobani (Photo: AP)

While few people think the American and Syrian militaries are actively cooperating or coordinating their operations, there appears to be a tacit alliance, ensuring at the very least that Syrian military operations would not come into conflict or friction with any American or allied aircraft.

The overall strategic picture of the war has hardly changed since the coalition strikes began in Syria and neighboring Iraq. Syrian rebels have intensified their operations in some areas, particularly south of Damascus, making noteworthy advances in Daraa and Quneitra provinces. But at least for now, Assad is successfully hanging on to areas where it counts for his survival, and rebels fighting to topple him are increasingly demoralized and mistrustful of US pledges of support.

The US on Monday airdropped weapons and other assistance over the Kurdish Syrian town of Kobani — something it hasn't done for other Syrian rebels, some of whom are fighting Assad and IS at the same time.

Activists say the Syrian military has meanwhile escalated its attacks against more mainstream rebels — a mix of moderate and more Islamic factions.

On Tuesday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it had documented more than 200 government airstrikes — including deadly barrel bombings — in the past 36 hours, most of them targeting rebel-held areas of Aleppo, the Damascus suburbs and southern Syria.

"Every day there is a massacre in eastern Ghouta," said activist Hassan Taqieldeen, referring to the sprawling eastern suburb of Damascus that includes Douma. "The regime carries out at least 20 air raids on any given day," said Taqieldeen, who is based in the town of Douma.

Harmer said there is no doubt the Syrian government is trying to exploit the international focus on the Islamic State group to energize its fight elsewhere.

"If ever there was a time when the Syrian regime had everything lined up for them to do so, this is it," he said. "It is in a very favorable position and it's got the opportunity to execute major offensives around Damascus and Aleppo. I just don't think they have the resources to do it successfully."

On the ground, the army has made some progress, but its successes have been incremental and are subject to the constant ebb and flow of battle lines.

Last month, with all eyes on Kobani, Syrian government troops victoriously entered the northeastern Damascus suburb of Adra, days after they captured the nearby Adra industrial zone. Troops also broke into part of the capital's district of Jobar on the edge of the city after pummeling it to bits, but the rebels are so entrenched there that entire neighborhoods are connected by underground tunnels reaching into the heart of the capital.

Earlier this month, government forces advanced in northern Aleppo province, laying claim to a cluster of villages, including the strategic region of Handarat. The capture tightens government control of areas linking the contested city of Aleppo with other parts of the province.

"The Assad regime has intensified its campaign of airstrikes on mostly residential areas across Syria, and particularly in Aleppo," said Hadi Bahra, head of the Western-backed main Syrian opposition group in exile.

In a statement Tuesday, he said more than 300,000 people in rebel-controlled areas in Aleppo could be subjected to a "protracted starvation campaign" by Assad's forces, a tactic the Syrian government has previously used to force rebels to surrender in the suburbs of Damascus and Homs. More than 190,000 people have been killed in Syria's conflict, which began in March 2011 with largely peaceful protests against Assad and turned into civil war after a brutal military crackdown.

US officials dismiss the premise that the American-led military campaign may be helping Assad. They insist that while Assad has lost legitimacy in Syria and should go, the administration's first priority is to go after what poses a threat to Americans.

"Our present military action in Syria is focused on threats presented by ISIL and other extremists," Alistair Baskey, a spokesman for the White House's National Security Council, told The Associated Press.

Last month, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said attacking Assad's regime "is not the focus of our international coalition and not the focus of our efforts."

Such statements are bound to be gratifying to Assad, who has long contended that he is fighting terrorists and extremists in Syria.

In an interview with the AP on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings in New York last month, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem insisted Syria was pleased with the US targeting of IS militants in his country, even suggesting the air campaign should be widened to include all extremists.

Taqieldeen, the activist, said he couldn't understand the international fixation on Kobani when there are millions of other Syrians threatened with death from the skies every day.
 
 

"The joke around here is that we should change the town's name from Douma to Doumani. Maybe if it rhymes with Kobani it will resonate with the Americans and they will notice us, too," Taqieldeen said.

Michael Zehaf-Bibeau: ISIS Tweeted Pic of Canadian Muslim Shooter in Ottawa; Coordinated w/ Monday’s Muslim Attack in Canada?

Michael Zehaf-Bibeau: ISIS Tweeted Pic of Canadian Muslim Shooter in Ottawa; Coordinated w/ Monday’s Muslim Attack in Canada?

By Debbie Schlussel
Michael Joseph Hall a/k/a Michael Zehaf-Bibeau a/k/a Michael Abdul Zehaf Bibeau a/k/a Abdul Zehaf Bibeau a/k/a Abdul Zehalf Bibeau is the shooter behind today’s murderous attacks in Canada’s capital of Ottawa. Shocker: he’s a Muslim. And his picture was tweeted out today by an ISIS-connected account, “Islamic Media.” His story is just like that of Martin Couture-Rouleau a/k/a Ahmad Rouleau, the Manboob Jihadist–the Islamic terrorist who, on Monday, murdered a Canadian soldier as he ran over two Canadian soldiers in an act of jihad . . . or as HAMAS CAIR calls it, “#myjihad”. And it appears that their attacks were coordinated.
michaelzehafbibeau







Just like Rouleau, he’s originally from Quebec and just like Rouleau, he converted to Islam and is a suspected ISIS operative. It can’t be a coincidence that both of them fomented their terrorist attacks this week. It sounds coordinated. Both of them were interviewed by Canadian authorities and had their passports taken away as both had sought to go to the Middle East to fight for ISIS.
Bibeau has a long criminal rap sheet, too.
Hmmm, there must be some mistake here because Ben Affleck told me it’s “racist” to link Muslims to terrorism and violence (despite the fact that Islam ain’t a race). So maybe this is a hoax and Bibeau is really a Wiccan using a Muslim name to trick us.
Yeah, that’s the ticket!
More about Abdul Zehaf Bibeau here.
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Watch: Krauthammer Just Unleashed “Total Humiliation” On Obama And Actually Feels Sorry For Him

Watch: Krauthammer Just Unleashed “Total Humiliation” On Obama And Actually Feels Sorry For Him

He really goes for the throat in this one.


Charles Krauthammer said these midterm elections will continue to be a “total humiliation” for President Obama because of the lack of support and allegiance his fellow Democrats are showing him during the election.
“…He was a citizen of the world, the most interesting, most sought after rock star, a political rock star on the planet. And now he’s got to hide under his desk until November,” Krauthammer said. “This is a total humiliation for him and every once in a while he can’t take it, so it pops out.”
Krauthammer also compared the image of Obama from 2008 to now. He can’t even be seen out with Democrats during their campaigns for fear of pushing away voters.

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“This is a guy who six years ago had a worship service at a Denver stadium, being cheered by people while he was behind Greek columns. A few weeks earlier, he’d been the hero of 200,000 Germans in Berlin,” Krauthammer said.
Now Obama cannot even be mentioned while speaking to Democratic candidates without them going silent.
Krauthammer joked that he “would extend a little bit of sympathy” to Obama because “he’s under stress.”

Read more at http://www.westernjournalism.com/democrats-avoiding-obama-during-midterms-is-total-humiliation/#xIcPkTe6VeVYRPZJ.99

CDC admitted disease imported as states data reveals illegal immigrant links

CDC admitted disease imported as states data reveals illegal immigrant links

Jeff Hulbert of Annapolis, Maryland, holds up a sign in front of the White House on October 17, 2014 in Washington, D.C. Hulbert is protesting the entry of Ebola into the country through air travel.
Jeff Hulbert of Annapolis, Maryland, holds up a sign in front of the White House on October 17, 2014 in Washington, D.C. Hulbert is protesting the entry of Ebola into the country through air travel.
Photo by Allison Shelley/Getty Images
In straightforward defiance against the White House position of non-transparency, previous communication from the Center for Disease Control discovered Tuesday acknowledged that 97 percent of the measles found in United States this year could be attributed to “importations from at least 18 countries.”
Barbara Smith (R), a nurse with Mount Sinai Health System, and Bryan Christensen, a doctor for the CDC Domestic Infection Control Team for the Ebola Response, demonstrate to put on protection.
Barbara Smith (R), a nurse with Mount Sinai Health System, and Bryan Christensen, a doctor for the CDC Domestic Infection Control Team for the Ebola Response, demonstrate to put on protection.
Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images
Soon, after school doors opened this semester, doctors and hospitals across the country began tackling massive flare-ups of infectious diseases and severe respiratory illness among children. Experts have called these outbreak unprecedented.
“It’s worse in terms of scope of critically ill children who require intensive care,” noted Children’s Mercy Hospital’s division director for Infectious Diseases, Dr. Mary Anne Jackson. I've practiced for 30 years in pediatrics, and I’ve never seen anything quite like this.”
While analyzing hundreds of documents, articles, and releases for this article, this examiner discovered on Tuesday that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) disclosed in a May 29, 2014 press release that “nearly all cases of measles this year have been associated with international travel by unvaccinated people.” As thousands of illegal immigrants from South and Central America crossed over the U.S.-Mexico border, the CDC recognized that this was “the largest number of measles cases in the United States in the first five months of a year since 1994.”
By the end of May, CDC also declared that 97 percent of the measles cases “were associated with importations from at least 18 countries. More than one in seven cases has led to hospitalization.”
From Jan. 1 to Oct. 11, 2014, the CDC announced that 599 confirmed cases of measles were reported with 18 outbreaks in 22 states. In 2013 and 2012 there were only 187 and 55 cases reported.
Measles, respiratory illness, tuberculosis and other communicable diseases continue as a prime concern for the millions of Americans conflicted about the perpetual arrivals of illegal immigrants pouring into the country. While some diseases have emerged from the Philippines, Africa, Asia and Europe, the unprecedented amount of undocumented aliens is a major issue.
Even Hollywood is taking notice as actress Tori Spelling was reportedly admitted and placed in quarantine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in California Monday for respiratory concerns that some media say could be Enterovirus related.
Hospitals throughout America are reporting record breaking numbers as their emergency rooms are overwhelmed beyond capacity. Figures as of October 20, 2014 show the largest reported cases of these mystery illnesses included over 4,300 children at Children’s Hospital Colorado. In just one day 540 children visited the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and 340 cases were reported by a Mobile, Alabama children’s hospital. Many hospitals have ceased admitting children temporarily as they determine ways to deal with the outbreaks.
Medical labs testing confirm many of these cases are Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68). The Obama Administration has been working overtime to keep the reporting and narrative away from blaming the ongoing illegal and undocumented immigrant invasion into the country. Media reports show at least eight known deaths from EV-D68 in the U.S. in 2014.
Perhaps the White House doesn’t want Americans to know that out of over 70,000 illegal immigrant children who crossed into the U.S. almost 48,000 came from Honduras, Guatemala and Salvador. In these countries measles and the EV-D68 virus are quite common. If we include these children’s family and friends, not listed an “unaccompanied,” over a quarter of a million people from Central and South America have entered the U.S. illegally this year.
From 1970 to 2005 there were only 26 cases of EV-D68 ever reported in America. The number in 2014 is approaching 1,000 cases, with about 10 percent of those cases known to be causing a polio-type virus that has left children crippled.
Information from doctors, nurses, law enforcement and staff workers at immigration housing and transition facilities exposed enormous fears about the infectious diseases aliens were carrying as they process and care for them. Thousands of these illegal children have been placed into public schools, seen in hospitals, and are receiving medical care, without meeting normal immunization requirements that American children are expected to have.
In San Antonio, Texas, news regarding chicken pox, tuberculosis and respiratory diseases flourished at the Lackland Air Force facility. The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center facility in Artesia, New Mexico was forced into “lock down” mode because disease was so prevalent this summer. Providence Memorial Hospital located in El Paso, Texas, a major port of entry for illegal aliens, recently revealed that more than 700 infants had been exposed to tuberculosis, the most dangerous infectious disease in the world.
The CDC reports that the current case count for Whooping Cough, or Pertussis, is 1874. There have been two deaths reported and the percentage of cases hospitalized is 10.9 percent. From January 1 to the week ending Oct. 4, 2014, mumps, conceivably carried in from children of Central America regions, has spiraled to 1,024 cases across America. Last year at this time it was 525 according to the CDC’s Weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report.
While information from government agencies is sporadic and patchy, an analysis of data and reports confirms and supports the link between the illegal immigrant invasion and infectious disease outbreaks in the U.S. this year. The CDC admitted it “does not know how many infections and deaths from EV-D68 occur each year in the United States” because it is considered an un-reportable disease.
During the week of October 5-11, 2014, the CDC reports that 282 specimens tested positive for influenza activity in the U.S.
State-by-state highlights of the link between the infectious diseases and the known immigrant activity are given:
Alabama. The Department of Public Health says they continue “investigating clusters of respiratory illnesses in children.” About 50 children have been evaluated as part of the investigation with five results testing back positive for EV-D68 so far. The department indicates they are “not counting potential cases on an individual basis so it is unknown how many people in Alabama have been infected with D68.”
Two major clusters of respiratory illness in children are occurring in Mobile and in north Alabama. Over 200 undocumented children were sent to Jefferson and Marshall Counties.
Arizona has reported over 11,800 cases of infectious diseases in 2014, compared to a five year median average of 8,667. By this time last year, Arizona had only once case of Mumps. As of September 1, 2014 there have been nine cases reported.
Maricopa County, which received at least 205 of the immigrant children this summer, the most of any county in the state, also reports record breaking cases of infectious disease. This includes 840 cases of hepatitis, 578 cases of invasive MRSA, over 400 cases of various Strep, 217 reports of Pertussis, 183 cases of viral aseptic meningitis, and at least one infant death from influenza. While not transferred from person to person, the state has been burdened with another disease. There were 3,298 cases of Coccidioidomycosis reported in the county, almost 4,800 have been found statewide.
Arkansas. The Department of Health reported they received confirmation through laboratory testing from CDC that EV-D68 is in the state. Pulaski County received about 70 illegal immigrants out of the almost 300 transported to Arkansas.
“While the Ebola virus carries a very low risk to the general public, the timing of its arrival coincides with seasonal rise of another, far better known and dangerous virus,” said Governor Mike Beebe this week. “Flu season is beginning in Arkansas and across the U.S. and the flu causes thousands of American deaths every year.”
Both senators from Arkansas, Democrat Mark Pryor and Republican John Boozman, called on President Barack Obama to ban Ebola stricken countries in West Africa from traveling to the U.S. All four members of the State’s U.S. House delegation also called for a ban.
California. Health officials revealed that at least 14 patients have tested for EV-D68 on October 3, 2014. Over 40 illegal immigrants were quarantined in July because of an outbreak of scabies and lice.
The number of cases of EV-D68 (first number) are broken down in by the known number of illegal immigrants (second number) sent to these counties: San Diego 8/98, Alameda 6/281, Solano 2/unknown, Long Beach 3/unknown, Los Angeles 6/2,313, Santa Clara 5/160, Orange 3/235, Riverside 2/147, San Francisco 4/208, Santa Cruz 1/unknown, Ventura 1/52, Contra Costa 1/117, Berkley 1/unknown.
One of the children has suffered paralysis, although an October 1 report from neurologists say that up to 25 children in California may have suffered from polio-like illness that has caused some degree of paralysis. The first case of EV-D68 was reported on September 18, 2014.
Colorado is one of the hardest hit locations in the world for the EV-D68 virus. At least 10 children have been struck with paralysis in the Denver area. Arapahoe and Denver Counties received at least 67 and 64 undocumented immigrant children respectively.
Since the middle of August the Denver area has treated over 4,600 children at different hospitals and urgent care centers. Many of them had to be admitted. Just this month alone, 692 children, with 54 being hospitalized, have been treated.
Connecticut. Influenza has been reported in New Haven, Hartford, Fairfield, New London, Windham, Tolland, Middlesex and Litchfield. EV-D68 has been confirmed. In the last month, 10 deaths in New Haven and Bridgeport (each) were attributed to Pneumonia and Influenza. There were 11 such deaths in Hartford. Among the over 500 undocumented children sent to that state, Fairfield (291), New Haven (60) and Hartford (60) Counties received the majority.
Delaware. For some unexplained reason, the states weekly flu incident summaries have been pulled for weeks 21-39 are not available. However, Wilmington health officials have reported deaths from Pneumonia and Influenza in the last 30 days. EV-D68 has been confirmed. Of the almost 200 immigrant children received by the state, at least 132 went to Sussex County.
Florida. A confirmed case of EV-D68 in a 10-year-old girl was reported in Polk County on Oct. 6 just two days after 28 counties reported increases in influenza activity. Some 35 counties reported flu like activity was at a plateau for that week. These counties have been hit the hardest (as of Oct. 8): Calhoun, Citrus, Columbia, Dade, Desoto, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Indian River, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Liberty, Madison, Monroe, Santa Rosa, St. Johns, Taylor, Union, Walton and Washington.
There have been 140 deaths due to influenza and pneumonia in 2014 from Jan. 1 through the end of September.
The following counties are known to have received undocumented children (known numbers provided):
Miami-Dade (1,248), Palm Beach (891), Lee (275), Orange (244), Hillsborough (161), Martin (98), Manatee (63), St. Lucie (53), and Seminole (50) Counties. This is just a partial list as Florida has received over 4,400 children.
Georgia. Atlanta has experienced 30 deaths in the last 30 days attributed to pneumonia and influenza. EV-D68 has been confirmed. Savannah has reported 13 cases. Out of over 1,600 children sent to Georgia, the following counties received the given number of children: DeKalb (386), Gwinnett (314), Cobb (164), Hall (101), Cherokee (80) and Fulton (73).
Idaho. Boise had 13 deaths related to Pneumonia and Influenza in the last 30 days. EV-D68 has been confirmed. Only 15 undocumented children are known to have been sent to Idaho.
Illinois. The number of deaths for the last 30 days in these cities are attributed to pneumonia and influenza: Chicago (38), Rockford (15), and Peoria (15), EV-D68 has been confirmed. So far just over 800 children were taken in by Illinois. Among those known, were these counties: Cook (215), DuPage (80) and Lake (61). Cook County has reported 11 cases of EV-D68.
Illinois has seen an increase to 116 cases of mumps so far in 2014 from 23 last year. The federal government, through a Health and Human Services grant of $20,809,351 established a shelter for the immigrants to locate in Chicago.
Indiana. Fort Wayne has reported pneumonia and flu related deaths in the last 30 days totaling 11. Indianapolis had 56 such deaths. EV-D68 has been confirmed. Approximately 400 children were sent to Indiana with 151 going to Marion and 50 to Elkhart Counties.
Iowa. EV-D68 has been confirmed. Over 200 children were sent to Iowa to live with sponsors.
Kansas. At least 262 cases of pertussis have been confirmed Pottawatomie County, which also reported more than 100 confirmed cases of measles as of Oct. 20, 2014. Sedgwick and Johnson Counties have reported 13 cases of measles. The state has experienced 1002 reports of Hepatitis so far this year. EV-D68 has been confirmed. Wyandotte County, which received at least 60 undocumented immigrant children has experienced 84 cases of Hepatitis as of Oct. 18, 2014. At least 250 children were sent to sponsors in Kansas.
Kentucky. Lexington had 12 deaths related to flu and pneumonia in the last 30 days. EV-D68 has been confirmed. Jefferson County received over 100 of the 350 known children sent to Kentucky.
Louisiana. Shreveport reported 12 deaths related to flu and pneumonia in the last 30 days. EV-D68 has been confirmed. Among the 1,500-plus children sent to the state, almost 600 were hosted by Jefferson Parish. Other Parish counts known include Orleans (256), East Baton Rouge (191), St. Tammany (58) and Lafayette (54).
Maine. EV-D68 has been confirmed in York County. Maine has received less than 50 undocumented children as of Oct. 1.
Maryland. Baltimore has had a high number of deaths, 40, this last 30 days due to flu and pneumonia reports. EV-D68 has been confirmed. The state has received over 3,500 children including over 1,100 in Prince George’s County. Other county counts include Anne Arundel (174), Baltimore City (300), Baltimore County (240), Frederick (156), Howard (110) and Montgomery (919).
Massachusetts. Boston reported 25 deaths related to flu and pneumonia in the last 30 days. EV-D68 and paralysis in some children has been confirmed. Some of the county counts for children include Suffolk (423), Essex (238), Middlesex (215), Worcester (79) and Bristol (71). The state received over 1,200 children to live with sponsors.
Michigan. At least 35 cases of EV-D68 and some with paralysis in children have been confirmed. A toddler was reported as the latest victim on October 13, 2014. Washtenaw County has one confirmed case of paralysis of a 7-month-old. Grand Rapids had 18 deaths related to flu and pneumonia in the last 30 days. Kent, Michigan has reported 31 cases of EV-D68 virus with two leading to paralysis and one death. Detroit has not reported their information for the past four weeks.
Missouri. There are 13 reported cases of measles in Kansas City Missouri. EV-D68 and paralysis in some children have been confirmed. St. Louis reported 13 deaths related to flu and pneumonia in the last 30 days. Less than 200 children have been known to have been placed in Missouri, although various reports indicate the total could be more.
Montana. At least seven cases of EV-D68 have been confirmed. Counties effected include Yellowstone, Jefferson, Musselshell and Cascade.
Nebraska. Omaha has reported 22 deaths related to flu and pneumonia in the last 30 days. EV-D68 has been confirmed.
New Hampshire. Over 125 deaths related to flu and pneumonia in the last 30 days have been reported in the New England states. EV-D68 has been confirmed.
New Jersey. EV-D68 has been confirmed in at least 18 cases. The counties are Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic, and Sussex. A 4-year-old preschool boy died on September 25 in Mercer County.
These counties are known to have received undocumented children: Atlantic (53), Bergen (154), Camden (85), Essex (277), Hudson (271), Mercer (170), Middlesex (171), Morris (200), Passaic (80), Somerset (75) and Union (468).
New Mexico. Albuquerque has reported 36 deaths related to flu and pneumonia in the last 30 days. EV-D68 has been confirmed. Homeland Security Jeb Johnson visited an Artesia facility to house the illegal immigrants in July. He cited the facility as a model. Two weeks later the facility was placed on lock-down because of a serious outbreak of chicken pox.
New York. The number of “patients admitted to the hospital with laboratory-confirmed influenza or hospitalized patients newly diagnosed with laboratory-influenza” increased 60% on the week of October 11 from the previous week according to Department of Health data. EV-D68 has been confirmed.
New York is now home to at least 5,000 of the immigrant children. Some of the counties housing the aliens include: Suffolk (1,400), Nassau (1,207), Queens (686), Kings (409), Bronx (404), Westchester (300) and Rockland (205).
The state has receiving centers for undocumented immigrant children at locations in Irvington, Mahopac, Syosset, New York City, Valhalla, Dobbs Ferry, Kingston and Poughkeepsie. New York has experienced 109 cases of mumps as compared to just 28 at this point in 2013.
North Carolina. Charlotte has reported 20 deaths related to flu and pneumonia in the last 30 days. EV-D68 has been confirmed. Over 1,700 undocumented immigrant children were transferred there.
North Dakota. EV-D68 has been confirmed.
Ohio. The Ohio Department of Health confirmed on Oct. 20 that although there are no confirmed cases of Ebola in the state, 142 people are being monitored for symptoms. 46 are in Cuyahoga County, 40 in Summit County and 56 in other counties: Belmont, Erie, Franklin, Geauga, Hamilton, Hardin, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Median, Portage, Putnam, Stark, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties. EV-D68 has been confirmed.
Since March 22, there have been 377 cases of measles reported in Ohio. This includes Ashland (46), Coshocton (44), Holmes (64), and Knox (195) Counties. Other counties include Richland, Stark, and Crawford.
Cleveland has reported 62 deaths related to flu and pneumonia in the last 30 days. Columbus reported 42, Dayton reported 26 and Toledo reported 14 such deaths. There have been 536 reported occurrences of mumps in Ohio in 2014 (vs. 11 last year). Hamilton County has received at least 152 immigrant children so far this year.
Oklahoma. EV-D68 has been confirmed. Tulsa has reported 28 deaths related to flu and pneumonia in the last 30 days. Oklahoma has received about 500 immigrant children.
Pennsylvania. EV-D68 has been confirmed. There has been several case of measles in Allegheny County and at least one case in Dauphin County.
Rhode Island. At least one death, of a 10-year-old girl last month, has been attributed EV-D68 and a Staph (aureus sepsis) infection. In the past month 9 death have been attributed to Pneumonia and Influenza in Providence. The state has received over 200 children.
South Carolina. Over 2,000 hospitalizations, with over 80 deaths associated with flu and pneumonia were reported this year for the state. EV-D68 has been confirmed. Although the number of illegal immigrants sent to the state is unclear, at least 500 were transferred including Greenville (124), Beaufort (68) and Horry (50) Counties.
Tennessee. The total state reported 9,161 patients with influenza like illness during the week of Oct. 5-Oct. 11, 2014. Measles has been reported in Madison, Shelby, Gibson, Hardeman and Hamilton Counties. The Volunteer State has received well over 1,000 immigrant children, including Davidson (282), Shelby (249), Hamilton (138), Sevier (111), and Knox (78) Counties.
Texas. Deaths related to flu and pneumonia in the last 30 days: San Antonio 54 Houston 45, Dallas 34, Austin 23, Corpus Christi 20, and El Paso 16. EV-D68 has been confirmed. Cases of H1N1 flu virus were found at Brownsville and San Antonio detention facilities for the illegal immigrants. Other diseases reported by law enforcement, nurses and staff at the facilities include malaria, dengue fever, scabies, tuberculosis, and other historically uncommon illnesses.
San Antonio has received the highest amounts of grants for housing the immigrant children.
Utah. Salt Lake City has reported 42 deaths related to flu and pneumonia in the last 30 days. Ogden has reported 11. EV-D68 has been confirmed.
Virginia. Virginia is housing and caring for over 4,000 illegal immigrants with most going to Fairfax, Prince William and Loudoun Counties. Richmond has reported 9 deaths related to flu and pneumonia in the last 30 days. EV-D68 has been confirmed.
Washington. Tacoma has reported 38 deaths related to flu and pneumonia in the last 30 days. Seattle has reported 10 deaths and Spokane had 16. EV-D68 has been confirmed. There have been at least 27 cases of measles this year, including a man in Kitsap Country who traveled to San Juan County. Whatcom County has seen an outbreak. Grant County had at least one case.
West Virginia. EV-D68 has been confirmed.
Wisconsin. Milwaukee has reported 14 deaths related to flu and pneumonia in the last 30 days. EV-D68 has been confirmed in that state. Wisconsin’s mump cases was 2 in 2013 by this time. Now it has risen to 61.
Wyoming. EV-D68 has been confirmed.
Many doctors across the nation see the recent announcement of beefing up airport security to prevent disease from entering the country as a joke.
Dr. Mark Gendreau, vice chairman of emergency medicine at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, Mass., calls the new protocols at major airports “more political and trying to calm the crowd than being effective.”
The hunting for temperatures at the airports are “a very expensive means of trying to look for a needle in the haystack,” Dr. Gendreau states.
Dr. Jane Orient, Executive Director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, is especially concerned about illegal immigrants from Central American children bringing these viruses into the U.S. Dr. Orient says a key measure to combat spread of these diseases is to devote more resources to border security.
She admits that the upsurge in illegal immigrant children being dispersed around to locations across the U.S. could very well be much of the causes of these viruses. “We don’t know for sure the government is being real tight-lipped about this, and it only takes one infected child to infect the whole classroom,” Dr. Orient said.
It is becoming especially difficult for the Obama Administration to designate truths are merely rumors when startling statistics go against their political agendas. Each Wednesday, the Center for Disease Control releases some updates, but the data is according to their authority to determine the appropriate information to release.
The fact that the highest rates of TB in America are along the Mexican Border States is hard to push as just coincidence, blame past administrations or opposing political parties.

NASA releases actual sound recordings from space – and they’re spine chilling

NASA releases actual sound recordings from space – and they’re spine chilling

Editor
by Tristan Rayner in Exhale on Tuesday 21 October 2014
“There’s no sound in space,” you cry. “Space is a vacuum, you dolt!” Yes. It’s true. But what if, say someone like NASA, put up some special instruments to listen to electromagnetic vibrations on the Voyager space probe, and translated it into actual sound? Well, it could be the best music you’ll hear all day.
These recording include the sounds of Saturn’s rings, Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter, and even what Earth sounds like from millions of kilometres away.
The sounds are interpretations of non-sound vibrations, and you’ll hear that they’re complex and strange and fascinating all at once. And some of them are downright spine-tingling; the rings of Uranus are weirdly ambient, Earth itself is almost romantic, while Uranus sounds like strong wind passing through a crack. We’re not even joking!
Earlier in the year, acts like Beach House, Porcelain Raft, Spiritualized, The Antlers, and others put together a 14-track album using actual recordings from the Voyager space probes to create music, soundscapes and tracks.
This is one of our favourites, from Spiritualized Mississippi Space Program, “Always Forgetting With You (The Bridge Song)” – a bare-bones acoustic track that combines reverb, synth, chimes, and other intergalactic sound effects to pleasing effect.

About the Author

Tristan Rayner is the Managing Editor of Techly – and has a passion for tech, digital life, sport, and being told he looks better in person.
See more from Tristan Rayner

Muslims Take Poor Man With Down Syndrome, And Saw His Head Off

Muslims Take Poor Man With Down Syndrome, And Saw His Head Off

By Theodore Shoebat
Muslims, all members of ISIS, took a poor man with down syndrome, and sawed his head off. According to one report:
The list of atrocities attributed to the Islamic State continues to grow, with new reports that ISIS jihadis executed a developmentally disabled man and have attacked other civilians with white phosphorus.
The new accusations come by way of Russia Today, which interviewed Bazran Halil, a Kurdish journalist who, with his wife, has been documenting the atrocities of the Islamic State in the Syrian city of Kobani.
ISIS militants have reportedly been wreaking havoc and terrorizing the citizens of Kobani, according to the newest reports. Speaking with Russia Today, Halil said ISIS’ actions in the region go beyond the pale.
“There was a man with Down’s Syndrome,” Halil recounted. “He could not understand the situation to flee or to run away from the frontline. When ISIS arrived, they beheaded him and take his photo and shared them on social media and said, ‘We killed an atheist, a Kaffir.’”
These Muslims kill people with mental handicaps, because they are no different than Nazis who wanted to annihilate anyone with mental handicaps.
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION THAT WILL SAVE CHRISTIAN LIVES FROM ISIS

Ebola Czar Vanishes from Democracy Alliance Website

Ebola Czar Vanishes from Democracy Alliance Website

Ron Klain no longer listed as a trustee for Third Way
BY:

Third Way, a progressive think tank with ties to the Democracy Alliance, has removed newly appointed Ebola czar Ron Klain from its website, following a Washington Free Beacon report.
The Free Beacon reported Friday on Klain’s status as a trustee for Third Way, and his past experience lobbying on behalf of a drug company that was accused of denying life-saving drugs to dying cancer patients.
The choice of Klain to head the administration’s emergency response to Ebola was criticized as a political move. Klain is a political operative with no medical experience and a former advisor to former Vice President Al Gore, Vice President Joe Biden, and President Barack Obama.
Third Way claims to be the voice for the “vital center,” though the group advocates for immigration reform, gun control, and a “credible alternative to neoconservative security policy.”
Third Way is also listed on the Democracy Alliance’s “Progressive Infrastructure Map,” which includes organizations that are “politically active and progressive,” and “strategically significant.”
Third Way received a special note of appreciation from the Democracy Alliance for playing “instrumental roles in building a stronger, more integrated progressive infrastructure.”
On Friday, Klain was listed as a member of Third Way’s Board of Trustees, with a biography that noted Kevin Spacey portrayed him in the HBO movie “Recount.”
“He gained national notice as General Counsel for the Gore Recount Committee in 2000, in recognition of which he was selected as one of National Law Journal’s ‘Lawyers of the Year,’ and portrayed by Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey in HBO’s film ‘RECOUNT,’” a biography of Klain had read on the group’s website.
Klain’s name and bio have since been removed from Third Way’s website.
Screen shot of Third Way website with Klain removed from Board of Trustees
Screen shot of Third Way website with Klain removed from Board of Trustees

Klain joined Third Way’s board in 2011, with co-founder and President Jonathan Cowan also praising Klain for being played by Spacey.
“And while we have a very distinguished Board, no one else has played such a significant role in American politics that they have been portrayed in a movie by an Oscar winner,” he said.
Klain said he was “delighted to be playing an active role with an organization that I believe in.”
Klain was still active in the organization as of June, when he produced a memo for Third Way on debate prep strategies for Democrats.
Requests for comment from Third Way were not returned by publication of this story.

Democracy Alliance-Linked Drug Company Lobbyist Made Ebola Czar

Democracy Alliance-Linked Drug Company Lobbyist Made Ebola Czar

Ron Klain appointed despite no medical background
BY:

The new Ebola czar has ties to a secret liberal dark money group and once worked as a lobbyist for a prescription drug company that denied experimental drugs to dying cancer patients.
Ron Klain, a former adviser to former Vice President Al Gore, Vice President Joe Biden, and President Barack Obama, currently is president of Case Holdings and is general counsel to the investment firm Revolution LLC.
Klain is also a trustee for Third Way. Claiming to be the voice for the “vital center,” Third Way is a progressive think tank that advocates for immigration reform, gun control, and a “credible alternative to neoconservative security policy.”
Third Way is also listed on the Democracy Alliance’s “Progressive Infrastructure Map.”
The map, which is detailed in a report by Politico’s Kenneth Vogel, includes organizations that are “politically active and progressive” and “strategically significant.” Third Way is one of the groups listed with a note of special appreciation for playing “instrumental roles in building a stronger, more integrated progressive infrastructure.”
The Democracy Alliance solicits contributions from liberal millionaires and billionaires and serves as a “pass through” between those donors and top liberal advocacy groups, including the Center for American Progress, Media Matters for America, and Democratic Super PAC Priorities USA.
Klain is also on the Board of Directors for the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
He will be in charge of the administration’s emergency response efforts to Ebola, despite having no medical or health care background.
Klain did lobby on behalf of a prescription drug company that was accused of withholding life-saving drugs from dying patients.
While working at O’Melveny & Myers after he left the Clinton administration, Klain helped ImClone push back on a congressional investigation into the company’s procedures for granting cancer patients experimental drugs.
The company only granted 30 so-called “compassionate use” supplies out of more than 10,000 requests, according to Politico. Klain and his team lobbied House members on the Oversight committee for ImClone before a hearing that featured family members of cancer patients who died while waiting for the company to grant them use of an experimental drug.
Klain and his firm were paid $40,000 to lobby for ImClone for two weeks.

Congress Calls for Investigation into VOA for Pro-Iran Corruption

Congress Calls for Investigation into VOA for Pro-Iran Corruption

VOA Persia has cozy relations with the Iranian regime, critics say
Hassan Rouhani
Hassan Rouhani / AP
BY:

Congress is calling for an investigation into Voice of America’s (VOA) Persian language news service as a result of what they say is the station’s systemic pro-Iran bias and cozy ties to the anti-American ruling regime, according to a letter sent recently to Secretary of State John Kerry.
Lawmakers and Iranian dissidents have long accused VOA’s Persian News Network (PNN) of producing sympathetic coverage of the Iranian regime and blacklisting prominent Iranian opposition voices from appearing on the air.
The call from Congress for an investigation into these alleged practices comes just a month after the Washington Free Beacon revealed that PNN had banned from the network a prominent Iranian opposition member and placed him on a so-called “black list” after he attacked Iran’s ruling regime for sponsoring terrorism.
Nine House lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are now demanding that the State Department launch a formal investigation into potential mismanagement at PNN, according to a letter sent to Kerry on Wednesday and obtained by the Free Beacon.
“We request that you [Kerry] look into this matter and investigate any possible mismanagement and slanted coverage of news by VOA-PNN, including the oversight of management, staffing, and content,” the lawmakers wrote.
Those members concerned about PNN’s coverage include Reps. Steve Cohen (D., Tenn.), Dana Rohrabacher (R., Calif.), Steve Stockman (R., Texas), Trent Franks (R., Ariz.), Howard Coble (R., N.C.), and several others.
The lawmakers say that their Iranian-American constituents have been complaining about PNN’s failure to cover Iran’s human rights abuses and other matters that are potentially embarrassing to the ruling regime.
“We have received complaints from our Iranian-American constituents that VOA-PNN programs have neglected to adequately cover the abysmal situation of human rights violations in Iran, particularly the alarming and dramatic rise in executions,” they write in the letter.
“During [Iranian] President Hassan Rouhani’s first term in office, nearly 900 hangings have been ordered with very few of these executions receiving VOA-PNN coverage,” they say. “In our efforts to protect and give voice to vulnerable populations, we must ensure that VOA-PNN upholds its mission to provide truthful news and does not suppress the voices of those Iranians seeking human rights protections and Democratic change in their country.”
In addition to a significant rise in executions, including one scheduled for a female rape victim who spoke out against her attacker, Iran has continued its pursuit of nuclear weapons and support for terrorism in the Middle East.
PNN critics, including former staffers and guests, have discussed systematic corruption at the network that includes a policy of censoring those who criticize the regime and those who may reveal information damaging to the network’s senior officials, some of whom have had ties to the Iranian regime.
“We are concerned that this network, which is meant to promote freedom and democracy through objective news and information, may have harmed instead of helped the plight of Iranians seeking to claim their human rights,” the lawmakers state in their letter.
Iranian-American community leaders welcomed Congress’ call to investigate PNN.
Majid Sadeghpour, political director of the Organization of Iranian-American Communities-US (OIAC), said that U.S. taxpayers expect better of VOA.
“Regrettably, while VOA-PNN has given voice to the pro-Tehran crowd inside the Beltway, it has censored the views of those who seek a democratic, secular, and non-nuclear republic in Iran,” Sadeghpour said in a statement provided to the Free Beacon.
Regime opponents who have been invited onto PNN say that their comments have been censored, and in some cases they have been thrown off the air.
Nikahang Kowsar, an Iranian cartoonist, journalist, and regime critic, told the Free Beacon that he was booted off PNN’s airwaves in March in the midst of an interview for discussing corruption in Iran’s oil industry that could be traced back to high-level officials.
Kowsar was being interviewed on VOA Persian’s Last Page program when the host was apparently ordered to cease the interview.
“I was waiting for the second round of questions” when a PNN host claimed that “he was told and ordered not to ask any more questions to me,” recalled Kowsar. “Then a gentleman from the studio came and disconnected my microphone.”
Kowsar said he was shocked by the experience. He later petitioned the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which oversees VOA and PNN, about the incident.
“When I was in Iran I went to prison for drawing a cartoon, I was cut off from national TV … I was censored in Iran, so somebody who has been censored inside the Islamic republic is not news. But being in the VOA studios in the U.S., the land of the free, and then learning that I have to be censored is … news.”
“If VOA is the channel that wants to talk about American values and freedom of speech and is run by people who have the Islamic republic mindset, that’s not nice,” Kowsar said.  “In a way you see that the Islamic republic has exported its values to the heart of Washington and I can’t tolerate that.”
In September—a few months after Kowsar was booted off air—Majid Mohammadi, an Iranian-American academic and critic of Tehran’s hardline regime, was purportedly placed on the station’s “black list” for comparing the Islamic Republic to the terror group Islamic State (IS, ISIS, or ISIL).
“After the program, I was called and one of the staff members of PNN (Mr. Homan Bakhtiar) told me that Mr. Mohammad Manzarpour, the editor, has put me in the black list and PNN will no longer contact me for providing my expertise on Middle East issues in VOA Persian programs,” Mohammadi later wrote in a letter to the BBG.
PNN editor Manzarpour has been singled out for particular criticism by several of the station’s critics and even former employees who have worked with him.
Manzarpour, they allege, has had ties to the Iranian regime and uses his platform at PNN to censor information he finds objectionable.
Manzarpour, his critics note, has previously worked for Iran’s Atieh Bahar Consulting company, which helps foreign companies invest in Iran’s oil sector and “acts as intermediary between them and the government,” according to the Iranian American Forum.
Manzarpour’s previous ties to Atieh Bahar could influence his editorial decisions at PNN, Kowsar said.
“There is something wrong over there, a virus,” Kowsar explained. “You feel there is a sort of conflict of interest over there. Why should somebody coming from Atieh Bahar be in charge of the editorial staff over there?”
“When he cuts me off from a program relating somehow to the oil [industry] … you feel something sketchy over there,” he said.
Setareh Derakhshesh, the director of the VOA-PNN, admitted to the Free Beacon last month that the network has had issues and that she is working to rectify the appearance of a pro-Iran bias.
“We are very well aware [of the issues] that VOA Persian had,” she said at the time. “We have actually rebranded” in recent years and are “aware of the bad press and infighting and the one sidedness.”
However, VOA Persian has “turned a corner and made changes,” she said. “We still have a long way to go but we know we are improving.”

Ted Cruz: A GOP Led Congress Will Expose an Obstructionist Obama

October 21, 2014 9:13 am  
(USA Today) - By all signs, Americans are preparing to send Washington a clear message in the 2014 elections.
The question is, will Washington listen?
Republicans — poised to take control of Congress — should set our sights on three big goals to make Americans feel confident in their futures once again: jumpstart the economy, safeguard constitutional liberties, and strengthen our national security.
SPECIAL: Join the Tea Party REVOLUTION! The Obama Regime must be dismantled!
Here are ten critical priorities for the 2015 Congress:
First, embrace a big pro-jobs, growth agenda. For six years, the Obama economy has been trapped in stagnation, hurting millions. A Republican Congress should immediately help Americans get more jobs by embracing America’s energy renaissance. This means passing legislation to make it easier to build energy infrastructure, such as the Keystone pipeline. But, we need an energy policy that’s bigger than Keystone. An effective energy plan would also protect innovative energy technology, such as hydraulic fracturing, from being handcuffed by the federal government. We can also open up land for exploration and ensure that American companies can export liquefied natural gas around the world. And, lastly, stop the EPA from implementing rules that will destroy coal jobs and drive up our electricity bills.
Second, pursue all means possible to repeal Obamacare. There is a reason Obamacare has miserable 37% approval ratings: it has caused millions to lose their jobs, be forced into part-time work, lose their health insurance, lose their doctors, and pay skyrocketing premiums. It simply isn’t working. We should pass repeal legislation (forcing an Obama veto), and then pass bill after bill to mitigate the harms of Obamacare. Prevent people from having their healthcare plans cancelled, prohibit insurance company bailouts, eliminate the provisions forcing people into part-time work, and repeal the individual mandate.
Perhaps, President Obama vetoes every one. But each has powerful appeal with the electorate who are hurting under this law, and Democratic senators may not be quite so eager to join their 2014 colleagues in losing their jobs over Obama’s refusal to listen to the people.
In 2017, I believe a Republican president will repeal Obamacare in its entirety. In the interim, we should pass positive healthcare reform to start over, allowing the purchase of insurance across state lines, expanding health savings accounts, and making health insurance, personal, portable, and affordable.
Third, secure the border and stop illegal amnesty.Today, we’re facing a humanitarian crisis of 90,000 unaccompanied children at the border, along with growing national security threats. We should welcome and celebrate legal immigrants who follow the rules, and at the same time honor the will of the people and prevent any more illegal amnesty.
Fourth, hold government accountable and rein in judicial activism.We need real oversight of the administration’s lawlessness and abuse of power. The IRS’s illegal targeting of citizen groups, the wanton violation of religious liberty and privacy rights, the lawless implementation of Obamacare, the EPA’s assault on manufacturing jobs and war on coal, and the debacle of Benghazi — all should be the subject of careful, sober Senate hearings.
And the Senate should stop confirming activist judges who will impose their own policy preferences, such as striking down state marriage laws. We must uphold the Constitution.
Fifth, stop the culture of corruption.Crony capitalists are standing in the way of commonsense reforms, whether it’s abolishing the Export-Import Bank or keeping theInternet tax-free forever and unconstrained by job-killing regulations. We can stop the Washington corruption, in part, by reining in corporate welfare, imposing a lifetime ban on members of Congress becoming lobbyists, and fighting to pass a constitutional amendment to require term limits for Congress.
Sixth, pass fundamental tax reform, making taxes flatter, simpler, and fairer. Moving towards a simple flat tax would treat all Americans more fairly and end the massive time and costs wasted in dealing with the IRS; we should let taxes become so simple that they could be filled out on a postcard. Ultimately, with a Republican president, we should abolish the IRS and end its abuse of power and violation of Americans’ constitutional rights.
Seventh, audit the Federal Reserve. Americans are seeing near-zero interest rateson their savings accounts while median incomes are falling, and millions of people are facing higher gas prices, food prices, electricity prices, health insurance prices. Enough is enough, the Federal Reserve needs to open its books — Americans deserve a sound and stable dollar.
Eighth, pass a strong balanced budget amendment. We should pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution to stop out-of-control spending by Congress and the president. More than $17 trillion in national debt shows how badly we need structural reforms to stop bankrupting our kids and grandkids.
Ninth, repeal Common Core, so that local curriculum is not mandated by Washington bureaucrats. We should also do all we can to expand educational choices for parents and children and allow every child access to a quality education, regardless of race, class, or zip code.
Tenth, deal seriously with the twin threats of ISIL and a nuclear Iran, including passing legislation that strips American citizens who join ISIL of their U.S. passports so they cannot return home and wage jihad against innocent men and women. We must rebuild our military, protect our nation, and restore America’s leadership in the world.
We should lead boldly. No Washington games. We will either pass a serious agenda to address the real priorities of the American people — protecting our constitutional rights and pulling us back from the fiscal and economic cliff — or the Democrats will filibuster or veto these bills. And, if they do so, we will have transparency and accountability for the very next election.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/10/19/ted-cruz-republicans-election-congress-priorities-jobs-obamacare-column/17267261/
- See more at: http://www.teaparty.org/ted-cruz-a-gop-led-congress-will-expose-an-obstructionist-obama-62941/#sthash.E2oRbmGg.dpuf

Ted Cruz: A GOP Led Congress Will Expose an Obstructionist Obama

October 21, 2014 9:13 am  
(USA Today) - By all signs, Americans are preparing to send Washington a clear message in the 2014 elections.
The question is, will Washington listen?
Republicans — poised to take control of Congress — should set our sights on three big goals to make Americans feel confident in their futures once again: jumpstart the economy, safeguard constitutional liberties, and strengthen our national security.
SPECIAL: Join the Tea Party REVOLUTION! The Obama Regime must be dismantled!
Here are ten critical priorities for the 2015 Congress:
First, embrace a big pro-jobs, growth agenda. For six years, the Obama economy has been trapped in stagnation, hurting millions. A Republican Congress should immediately help Americans get more jobs by embracing America’s energy renaissance. This means passing legislation to make it easier to build energy infrastructure, such as the Keystone pipeline. But, we need an energy policy that’s bigger than Keystone. An effective energy plan would also protect innovative energy technology, such as hydraulic fracturing, from being handcuffed by the federal government. We can also open up land for exploration and ensure that American companies can export liquefied natural gas around the world. And, lastly, stop the EPA from implementing rules that will destroy coal jobs and drive up our electricity bills.
Second, pursue all means possible to repeal Obamacare. There is a reason Obamacare has miserable 37% approval ratings: it has caused millions to lose their jobs, be forced into part-time work, lose their health insurance, lose their doctors, and pay skyrocketing premiums. It simply isn’t working. We should pass repeal legislation (forcing an Obama veto), and then pass bill after bill to mitigate the harms of Obamacare. Prevent people from having their healthcare plans cancelled, prohibit insurance company bailouts, eliminate the provisions forcing people into part-time work, and repeal the individual mandate.
Perhaps, President Obama vetoes every one. But each has powerful appeal with the electorate who are hurting under this law, and Democratic senators may not be quite so eager to join their 2014 colleagues in losing their jobs over Obama’s refusal to listen to the people.
In 2017, I believe a Republican president will repeal Obamacare in its entirety. In the interim, we should pass positive healthcare reform to start over, allowing the purchase of insurance across state lines, expanding health savings accounts, and making health insurance, personal, portable, and affordable.
Third, secure the border and stop illegal amnesty.Today, we’re facing a humanitarian crisis of 90,000 unaccompanied children at the border, along with growing national security threats. We should welcome and celebrate legal immigrants who follow the rules, and at the same time honor the will of the people and prevent any more illegal amnesty.
Fourth, hold government accountable and rein in judicial activism.We need real oversight of the administration’s lawlessness and abuse of power. The IRS’s illegal targeting of citizen groups, the wanton violation of religious liberty and privacy rights, the lawless implementation of Obamacare, the EPA’s assault on manufacturing jobs and war on coal, and the debacle of Benghazi — all should be the subject of careful, sober Senate hearings.
And the Senate should stop confirming activist judges who will impose their own policy preferences, such as striking down state marriage laws. We must uphold the Constitution.
Fifth, stop the culture of corruption.Crony capitalists are standing in the way of commonsense reforms, whether it’s abolishing the Export-Import Bank or keeping theInternet tax-free forever and unconstrained by job-killing regulations. We can stop the Washington corruption, in part, by reining in corporate welfare, imposing a lifetime ban on members of Congress becoming lobbyists, and fighting to pass a constitutional amendment to require term limits for Congress.
Sixth, pass fundamental tax reform, making taxes flatter, simpler, and fairer. Moving towards a simple flat tax would treat all Americans more fairly and end the massive time and costs wasted in dealing with the IRS; we should let taxes become so simple that they could be filled out on a postcard. Ultimately, with a Republican president, we should abolish the IRS and end its abuse of power and violation of Americans’ constitutional rights.
Seventh, audit the Federal Reserve. Americans are seeing near-zero interest rateson their savings accounts while median incomes are falling, and millions of people are facing higher gas prices, food prices, electricity prices, health insurance prices. Enough is enough, the Federal Reserve needs to open its books — Americans deserve a sound and stable dollar.
Eighth, pass a strong balanced budget amendment. We should pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution to stop out-of-control spending by Congress and the president. More than $17 trillion in national debt shows how badly we need structural reforms to stop bankrupting our kids and grandkids.
Ninth, repeal Common Core, so that local curriculum is not mandated by Washington bureaucrats. We should also do all we can to expand educational choices for parents and children and allow every child access to a quality education, regardless of race, class, or zip code.
Tenth, deal seriously with the twin threats of ISIL and a nuclear Iran, including passing legislation that strips American citizens who join ISIL of their U.S. passports so they cannot return home and wage jihad against innocent men and women. We must rebuild our military, protect our nation, and restore America’s leadership in the world.
We should lead boldly. No Washington games. We will either pass a serious agenda to address the real priorities of the American people — protecting our constitutional rights and pulling us back from the fiscal and economic cliff — or the Democrats will filibuster or veto these bills. And, if they do so, we will have transparency and accountability for the very next election.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/10/19/ted-cruz-republicans-election-congress-priorities-jobs-obamacare-column/17267261/
- See more at: http://www.teaparty.org/ted-cruz-a-gop-led-congress-will-expose-an-obstructionist-obama-62941/#sthash.E2oRbmGg.dpuf

ISIS Claims Direct Rocket Hit On US Embassy In Baghdad (VIDEO)

ISIS Claims Direct Rocket Hit On US Embassy In Baghdad (VIDEO)

| October 22, 2014 | 6 Comments

ISIS has reportedly struck the U.S. embassy in Baghdad in what could be the furthest incursion yet into Iraq’s capital.

On Tuesday the Islamist militant group took credit for a mortar attack against the embassy in Baghdad. The group bragged about the attack on social media, claiming that there were likely casualties.
“Four rockets strike Green Zone in #Baghdad; helicopters hovering over the Green Zone; ambulances heading that way after strikes!!” one ISIS militant noted on Twitter. Just one day before the alleged attack, retired Lt. Col. Oliver North claimed that sources in Iraq believed ISIS was planning a “major attack” against the embassy in Baghdad.
 They know Baghdad. They’ve lived in Baghdad,” North said of the militants reportedly planning the attack.
“They are at the gates of Baghdad. They’re coming for us,” he added.