Op-ed:
Delay, Delay, Delay...No Ifs, Ands, or Buts
By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots on http://www.americanpbn.com/

“I plan to fulfill my constitutional duties to nominate a successor in due time...”
- Barack HUSSEIN Obama words on hearing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's passing

This past Saturday a beacon of conservatism passed away as Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died peacefully in his sleep while a guest at the Cibolo Creek Ranch, in Texas. Scalia had attended a private party that night before excusing himself to retire early saying he did not feel well after having gone quail hunting the previous day.

Scalia, 79...who in 2008 wrote the 5-4 ruling striking down Washington’s ban on handguns by finding that the Second Amendment does indeed protect an individuals right to keep and bear arms in their own home...was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986, spending three decades on the High Court where his judicial philosophy and judicial interpretation of statutes, for the most part, followed the 'doctrine of originalism'...meaning Scalia basically followed the words of the originally drafted and ratified Constitution to the letter instead of today's much used statements from members of Congress about the meaning and purposes of laws...in other words legislative history.

Scalia, the very man who described liberal justices as “cloaking their personal preferences in legal opinions,” was also a vocal critic of Supreme Court opinions that did not provide lower courts and litigants with what's called 'clear guidance' based upon his understanding of the Sixth Amendment, which sets out defendants’ rights in criminal prosecutions including protecting criminal defendants from what he called 'intrusive searches.' And Scalia also affirmed the rights of state juries to award punitive damages as they...not the courts...see fit.

And while Justice Scalia's death is sad in and of itself, his death at this point in time will directly affect the upcoming court rulings on abortion rights, affirmative action, immigration, political redistricting, public-sector unions, and voting rights, just to name a few. But even more important is that Scalia's death now leaves a vacancy on the High Court that by Obama's hand can shift the balance of power to the left. And Obama has basically threatened to do just that with his statement to nominate a justice in “due time,” and he'll try to do it through a recess appointment, and he'll chose a liberal activist judge who will legislate from the bench instead of interpreting the law as is their job description.

So while the Appointment Clause of the Constitution (Article II, Section 2, Clause 2) states that the president "shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint ... Judges of the Supreme Court" the Democrats claim that by not allowing Obama to do so even though he has less than a year to go in his presidency, would allow any 4-to-4 lower court decisions 'standing' as the final word. And of course the Democrats do not want that as that would not allow them any legal precedent in regards to possibly overturning votes that lean conservative. And Democrats especially do not like that matters that come to the court for emergency rulings during the summer, matters which normally take five votes to issue a 'stay of proceedings,' might actually be allowed to proceed on 4-to-4 votes, and that includes executions.

Now think about this, Obama's appointment would take office immediately and said appointee would serve a term that under the rules could last until the next session of Congress ends in late 2017. There would of course be challenges to the legality of such a maneuver, but those challenges could take longer than the appointment itself would run...and guess what...there's a Senate recess going on right now that could very well be the “due time” Obama is talking about. Remember, a Senate recess of less than three days is not long enough to allow Obama to initiate his recess appointment power, because as per the law the Senate’s recess must be at least ten days in length and right now that window is open until February 22nd at 12 noon, and if he did so by trying to circumnavigate the law this would end up as a protracted and very long battle about legalities between lawyers on both sides of the issue.

Are you getting the seriousness of the situation 'We the People' are now facing...I hope so.

And with Scalia’s death happening at the worst time possible, the political diatribe has now been reset to include a major political battle coming just ahead of the presidential election leaving Senate Republicans with two choices. The first choice consists of parts A, B, and C...A: does the Senate finally stand strong and united against any and all Obama might try to appoint even if it means filibustering...B: do the Republican Senators take a recess appointment off the table by returning from recess immediately and taking no further recesses until the next president has been chosen...and C: do they counter those who say this is just plain wrong by giving a bit of history about appointment stalling, as in the fact that an 11-month delay is nothing compared to the longest vacancy on the High Court. And that vacancy was the 27 months between the Tyler and Polk administrations before the Civil War, with the longest vacancy since the High Court went to nine justices in 1869 being the 391 days during the Nixon administration when Justice Abe Fortas resigned in 1969...a record that would stand until March 12, 2017.

Or does the Senate opt for the second choice as they have done so many times since 'We the People' turned the Congress red...as in do they once again cower in fear of the race card being used against them and give in to Obama's wants as they've done so many times before...and we know that sadly that is a possibility.

So while Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid issued a statement that most Republicans felt helped to fuel the heated fight that lay ahead by stating that “The President can and should send the Senate a nominee right away," and that “Failing to fill this vacancy would be a shameful abdication of one of the Senate's most essential Constitutional responsibilities," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell countered his remarks by publicly stating...and rightfully so...that he has no intention of moving any Obama appointee to a floor vote this year. “The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice...therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president,” were his words...and they were words echoed by both Senate Republicans and the Republican candidates who said the seat must stay vacant until the next president takes office in January 2017.

And two in specific said it best for while the other candidates did express their heartfelt condolences in regards to Scalia's passing, only Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz promised “unprecedented obstruction” in the nominating process.

"I do not believe the President should appoint someone," Florida Senator Marco Rubio said, warning that Obama would "ram down our throat a liberal justice."

“Justice Scalia was an American hero. We owe it to him, & the Nation, for the Senate to ensure that the next President names his replacement...” were some of the words of Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

But unfortunately, while McConnell, the Senate Republicans, and the candidates are right in their thinking, history shows that presidents have made recess appointments, and two did so in an election year. In fact, there actually have been a dozen such recess appointments with nine of the 12 taking place before the Civil War, and with the remaining three taking place after the Civil War when the Court became nine members. Stanley F. Reed was nominated by FDR in 1938, and confirmed during an election year. And Dwight D. Eisenhower did the same when he appointed William Brennan to the Court in 1955, but he wasn't confirmed until after Eisenhower's re-election in 1956. And Eisenhower did a recess appointment again in 1958, with the appointment of Potter Stewart.

And while Republicans raised the possibility of using the 'Thurmond Rule' as a reason to condemn Obama's actions if he does try to do a recess appointment...with the 'Thurmond Rule' being an unofficial rule suggesting that no lifetime judicial appointments should move forward in the last six months or so of a lame-duck presidency....here's a real scary thought no matter if Obama does a recess appointment or a standard nomination...as in who would Obama nominate. And that in and of itself could have Obama playing games for his end game has been since day one to turn the High Court's political face to the left without us being able to legally stop him...as in he'll throw the worst or the worst out first hoping the Republicans will compromise with him on someone a bit more center of hard left. And the worst of the worst would have Obama nominating none other than former Attorney General, Mr. Fast and Furious Himself...Eric Holder...knowing full well that he will never pass the Senate vetting process.

So who meets Obama's liberal criteria while at the same time being, he hopes, more palatable to Senate Republicans...how about the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Justice Sidney Runyan Thomas, a Democrat appointed by Bill Clinton in 1996 and who authored the opinion in Nadarajah v. Gonzales, a 2006 civil rights case about an immigrant who had been held indefinitely, is a man who shares Obama's GITMO stance. Or how about Sri Srinivasan, the federal appeals court judge confirmed unanimously in 2013 for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which has been traditionally a 'so-called' stepping stone to the Supreme Court. Or what about Merrick Garland, somewhat more moderate in his leanings and a man who serves as chief judge on the D.C. Circuit court...could he be the compromise choice that would satisfy Republicans...I sure hope not as compromises for that important of a position rarely works out the way our side intended.

And the bottom line in all this is that Senate Republicans must not under any conditions or circumstances allow lame-duck President Barack HUSSEIN Obama to appoint anyone to assume Scalia's position...that must wait until the next president takes office. And since the Supreme Court does not resume after its June recess until October, a wait of just 3-additional months until the next president is sworn in is not an unreasonable request, and a request that would serve this country well. But then again Barack HUSSEIN Obama has no desire to serve this country well...what with his goal being the tearing down of America in order to rebuild her in a socialist third-world sort of way...just saying.

Op-ed: 
Screwed By the Senate Yet Again
By: Diane Sori

“It allows Republicans to show they are committed to ending Obama’s amnesty once and for all in the next Congress. If we agree it is indeed unconstitutional, we have no business funding it when the GOP controls Congress.”
- Senator Ted Cruz (TX.) before the vote on the 'CRomnibus' spending bill

Ted Cruz (along with Mike Lee) tried...he really did...but the Senate rejected his Constitutional proxy 'Point of Order' on Obama's immigration executive action when he directly targeted the funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

Rightfully using the spending bill as leverage to try and stop the implementation of Obama's executive ordered immigration reform, Cruz tried to defy RINO party leaders and their hanger-ons who cut deals with Obama and Reid to try and assure smooth passage of the $1.1 trillion spending bill. So in an attempt to force a Senate vote on said action as a condition for approving this disastrous bill, Cruz presented the argument that the bill violated the Constitution (and it surely does) because it would fund Obama’s plan as it rewrites current on-the-books immigration laws without any say whatsoever from Congress. And Cruz made sure he presented this to the Senate chamber in such a way that it was in keeping with long-standing Senate practices.

"If you believe President Obama's amnesty is unconstitutional, vote yes...if you believe Obama's amnesty is consistent with the Constitution, then vote no." Cruz had said in his trying to get his fellow Republicans to understand the severity of what they were voting on.

And yet the Senate rejected Cruz's arguments for NO other reason than the Senate is still controlled by the Democrats and a large number of turncoat RINOS until...and it can't come soon enough...January 6th when the 114th Congress is sworn in at noon.

Had the Senate sided with Cruz, this "mess of a bill" as he called it, would have been sent back to the House to have an amendment added to it that would have stopped the funding for Obama's unilateral immigration reform. But by a vote 22-74 against Cruz...and with less than half of the Senate’s 45 Republicans voting with him*...this still Harry Reid led Senate proved once again to be deaf to the wishes of 'We the People'...wishes that we shouted loud and clear back on November 4th.

And for those Republicans that voted against him...those like Sen. Bob Corker from Tennessee who had the audacity to call what Cruz did “irresponsible”...RINO extraordinaire Sen. Lindsey Graham from South Carolina who blamed Cruz's actions for causing the garnering of less votes than it would have gotten without him butting in... and Senator Orrin Hatch from Utah who said Cruz's antics irritated a lot of people... it will be remembered by true Conservatives next time they are up for re-election. And just know that payback will once again...as it was just some six or so weeks ago...be a b*tch.

And with that, the 1,603-page $1.1 trillion spending bill...reminiscent in length of the nightmare ObamaCare bill isn't it...and the last major piece of legislation for this year...was passed by the Senate late Saturday night thus avoiding another possible government shutdown. But I say they should have shut the whole damn Obama government down, especially since essential services by law would continue to be funded. And as an added bonus by shutting the government down Obama could go play golf and thus do NO more harm to this country while he was doing so.

In a vote of 56 to 40** the so-called 'CRomnibus' bill (the combined continuing resolution and omnibus funding bill) will now provide funding for NOT only the dreaded ObamaCare, but for most government departments and agencies through fiscal year September 2015, that is except for the Department of Homeland Security which will only be funded through the end of February. And the Republicans say they intend to use the time between now and then to try and find ways to defund and halt Obama's easing of deportation rules...ain't going to hold my breath for that one...but with the new Republican controlled Congress being seated come January there is a possibility...albeit a remote one...that they can pull it off...that is if the party unites and stops all the in-fighting.

But this very in-fighting between the RINOS versus the Conservatives and TEA Party Republicans...in-fighting NOT of Cruz's doing in my opinion...has now afforded 'Prince' Harry Reid the opportunity to move ahead next week...before this lame-duck Congress goes on Christmas break...with the 24 Obama nominees who most likely would NOT have been approved come the new Congress...nominees like 13 district court judges, 11 nominees to administration posts including customs enforcement officials and Carolyn Colvin to head the Social Security Administration along with the ubber liberal Vivek Murphy for Surgeon General.

Just a bit more of anything but happiness thanks to the RINOS who would NOT support Cruz.

But what was even more surprising about this final vote is that six Democrats actually sided with the Republicans against passage but NOT because they saw Obama's actions as wrong but because of two provisions in specific that they did NOT like...one a provision that weakens the Dodd-Frank Act's restrictions on banks that allows the banks to back their bets with taxpayer-backed insurance, and the other a provision that allows for an increase in the amounts that wealthy donors can give to major political parties. In fact, some Democrats claimed that these two provisions would have allowed already wealthy Wall Street employees to earn even more money, which they believe Republicans in turn would use to 'reward,' if you will, those who backed the spending deal.

Accusing the Republicans of kick-backs now aren't they.

But NO matter who voted which way, the bottom line is that 'We the People' are screwed and stuck with a monstrosity of a spending bill. And while the bill as passed does block funding of the 'risk corridors' (insurer's cost projections that in reality could cause individual plans to end up costing more than the insurers projections) that under ObamaCare could lead to a government bailout of the insurance companies at a huge cost to the American taxpayer, and does cut a bit more funding to the EPA to a tune of $60 million as well as prohibiting the IRA from targeting conservative organizations because of the way they chose to exercise their First Amendment rights, this 'CRomnibus' bill very unwisely caps spending for all-important national defense at $521 billion...very dangerous in this ever-expanding violent day and age of the islamic terrorist.

So as this sitting Congress soon retires for the holidays and as a new Congress gets ready to be seated, at least we start 2015 knowing we NO longer will have to deal with 'Prince' Harry Reid blocking every bill that originates with Republicans. But sadly, we also know that at least for now, work visas are still on the horizon for at least five million Obama-made legal ILLEGALS and all because the RINOS amongst us did NOT get that Ted Cruz was right...once again.
_____________________________________________________

* Republicans voting with Cruz were Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.), John Boozman (Ark.), Richard Burr (N.C.), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Deb Fischer (Neb.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John Hoeven (N.D.), Johnny Isakson (Ga.), Mike Johanns (Neb.), Mike Lee (Utah), Jerry Moran (Kan.), Rand Paul (Ky.), Rob Portman (Ohio), James Risch (Idaho), Pat Roberts (Kan.), Marco Rubio (Fla.), Tim Scott (S.C.), Jeff Sessions (Ala.), Richard Shelby (Ala.), Jon Thune (S.D.) and David Vitter (La.).

** Democrats who voted against the 'CRomnibus' spending bill: Sherrod Brown (OH.), Al Franken (MN.), Joe Manchin (WV.), Claire McCaskill (MO.), Bernie Sanders (VT.), Elizabeth Warren (MA.). Republicans who voted against the 'CRomnibus' spending bill: Mike Crapo (Idaho), Ted Cruz (TX.), Dean Heller (NV.), Mike Lee (Utah), Jerry Moran (Kan.), Rand Paul (KY.), Rob Portman (OH.), James Risch (WI.), Marco Rubio (FL.), Tim Scott (S.C.), Jeff Sessions (Ala.), Richard Shelby (Ala.), David Vitter (LA.).

Op-ed: 
A Report That Should NEVER Have Been
By: Diane Sori

"Under any common meaning of the term, CIA detainees were tortured."
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein

Fact: Barack HUSSEIN Obama loves NOTHING better than to apologize for America as he continuously tells the world what's wrong with this country and especially what he perceives to be wrong with our military.

And now he's done it again via the just released Senate report condemning the CIA for tactics used in 'enhanced' interrogation of the enemy. But this time his actions go beyond mere words into outright condemnation of this country as he and his fellow Democrats...thorns in the side of American patriotism and allegiance...still do NOT get that waterbording and other so-called 'enhanced' interrogation techniques used on islmic terrorists in the aftermath of 9/11 should be heralded and applauded NOT demeaned or condemned for there was and still is NO politically correct nor civilized way to deal with those out to kill us all.

Need I remind both Obama and his islamic sympathizing Democrats of that sunny day back in September of 2001 when life as we know it here in America changed forever. Need I remind them that on that day 3000 innocent Americans lost their lives when islam...YES islam...declared war on our county. Need I remind them of the pictures of our fellow countrymen leaping to their deaths trying to escape the fires of hell that would have engulfed them are now and forever engrained in our collective consciousness or the shock and heart-stopping moment when we gasped in horror as two buildings fell forever entombing those many of us held dear.

Sadly, I guess I do need to remind him and them of the past, as well as remind us all of today's ongoing mass executions of Christians; of women and children being burned alive; of children being beheaded; of men...including American men...being beheaded; of crucifixions; of women and gays being stoned to death; of children and women being gang raped; to name but a few. This, my dear reader, is the ongoing face of islam and it has NOT changed since 632 AD.

And the Democrats complain about a little waterboarding of the enemy...please... give me a break.

And sadly, bringing up techniques used by our people to secure information from those who did and still do these evil and vile acts is being done for NO other reason than for political fodder, political gain, and political expediency, all in a misguided attempt to pay 'We the People' back for their and Obama's mid-term shellacking of just a few short weeks ago.

Issued after months of negotiations with Obama and his people about what should or should NOT be censored (redacted), five hundred pages...including an executive summary and conclusion...out of a still-classified 6,700-page report were released. And after reviewing six million documents the committee requested and secured from the CIA...or so they claim...those investigating said they could find NO example of what the CIA called "unique, life-saving intelligence gleaned from coercive techniques."

This lynch-mob of sorts could find NO examples but you know what...who really gives a damn what they could or could NOT find as the recipients of these techniques...techniques that included sleep deprivation, slapping and slamming terrorists against walls, keeping them isolated from the general prison population for prolonged periods of time, threatening some with death, and using the technique known as 'waterboarding' on the worst of the worst (George W. Bush acknowledged in 2010 that his administration had waterboarded Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-professed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks and said that he would "do it again to save lives") just shows that the folks on this committee care more about the barbarians who delighted and relished in the spilling of American blood than they do about the Americans whose blood was spilled.

This committee claimed the CIA misled both Congress and the Obama White House about the use of these so-called 'enhanced' techniques...'torture' they called it...by saying they were NOT effective and did NOT produce critical information that would have led to the killing of Osama bin Laden and other known operatives. But I beg to differ for the very techniques the Democrats condemn did in fact lead to the capture of other key al-Qaida leaders and operatives thus saving the lives of countless American troops in the process.

And the troops I speak of are the very troops who had their hands tied behind their backs by Obama because he wanted them to 'win the hearts and minds' of the enemy...our enemy NOT his enemy...instead of killing those trying to kill them.

And of course Obama had to chime in when the Senate report was released and once again side with those whose bloodlines he shares for these legally used techniques were what worried this man while America's enemy cutting the heads off fellow Americans sent him running off to the golf course. By declaring these past practices...and the key word here is 'past' as these techniques are NO longer used thanks to the CIA having to cater to Obama's liberal sensibilities of having these practices discontinued when he took office...to be "contrary to our values" and pledging that, "I will continue to use my authority as president to make sure we never resort to those methods again," meaning he'll be using his infamous pen and phone to once again protect his brethren instead of protecting those he and his cronies have now placed in harm's way.

So too did 'Prince' Harry Reid chime in saying, "Not only is torture wrong, but it doesn't work...it got us nothing except a bad name." But you know what...who cares what our enemies think or say about us for its time our enemies feared us NOT laugh at us as they are doing now.

And anyway, all this is being done for revenge against those who dared to do what Obama and the Democrats will NEVER do...as in bring these barbarians to justice...and taking out Osama bin-Laden solely to win an election is NOT what I'm talking about. Also, in NO way is what was done by the CIA "a stain on our nation's history" as Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein called it, for the only stain on our nation's history is that we now have traitors amongst us who by their very actions are now helping to 'aid and abet' the enemy for the enemy now knows what we might do to certain 'key' prisoners. And know that they will surely use that knowledge against both our troops and any U.S. civilians caught within the still ongoing war zone, let alone use it as fodder for recruitment to seek their own revenge of sorts.

Thankfully, former Bush CIA officials challenged the report and so did Senate Republicans. Accusing Democrats of inaccuracies, sloppy analysis, and picking and choosing evidence to reach their predetermined conclusion, the only think I can add to all this is a statement issued by former Vice-President Dick Cheney, "The only thing I would have done differently than the Bush Administration was to kill them once we had gotten all the information we could get out of them."

And how right he is.

Op-ed:   

A tale of a pipeline going nowhere

By: Diane Sori

“If Republicans want to legislate, I’m still willing to offer them a vote on Keystone in exchange for passing energy efficiency.”

- Harry Reid's LIE before he blocked the vote on both bills

We all know the Obama administration has repeatedly rejected, delayed, and thumbed their nose at approval for the Keystone XL Pipeline, construction of which would have put thousands of Americans back to work and would have helped to cut our dependence on foreign oil...on Arab oil. In fact, even after the pipeline was deemed to have minimal impact on the environment, our traitor-in-chief...whose signature is the needed last step for approval of the pipeline...recently announced a final decision on said pipeline would be put-off 'indefinitely'...meaning until after the November mid-term elections. But the reality is that of course he would as passage would upset his brethren's sensibilities as well as help to turn the tide of the election in favor of the Republicans who have championed the pipeline since day one.

And now on top of this...and just like I predicted in last Thursday's op-ed (Kerry and the pipeline...more reasons to seethe http://thepatriotfactor.blogspot.com/2014/05/op-ed...)...Harry Reid has indeed blocked the vote on the bi-partisan Shaheen-Portman’s 'Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act'...blocked the vote on five Republican amendments attached to the bill including ones to speed up natural gas exports and oppose EPA regulations on future power plants...blocked the vote to approve and start construction on a pipeline that is good for state, local, and national economies...blocked the vote on a pipeline that would increase tax revenues and jump start economic activity across the board.

And he's blocking the vote by using a parliamentary maneuver known as 'filling the amendment tree' (a procedure used by the Senate Majority Leader to offer a sufficient number of amendments on a specific piece of legislation to 'fill the tree' so that NO other senator can offer an amendment) to do his dirty work. And this translates into Harry Reid just having done Obama's bidding for him. 

Piggy-backing on the specific amendment seeking to prevent the EPA from imposing new greenhouse gas regulations on coal-burning power plants, and with all 45 Republican Senators and up to a dozen Democratic Senators supporting the bill, going to vote would have finally forced a long-awaited decision on the project to be made after years of Obama's stonewalling a vote...after years of Obama catering to the environmental lobby.

Saying Reid was "stifling the voice of the American people" by refusing to allow amendments to the energy bill, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell objected to 'Prince' Harry's offer to call for an up-or-down vote on the energy bill alone (a bill to supposedly increase energy efficiency in residential, commercial and federally-owned buildings, increase conservation efforts, and train workers to be better prepared to work with energy-saving technologies) but he promised a separate vote on Keystone would be forthcoming...yeah right...like any promise Reid makes can be taken as truthful...I think NOT.

Now the Senate will once again miss a chance to approve or disapprove both the Shaheen-Portman energy bill and the pipeline bill...and Harry Reid and Barack HUSSEIN Obama could NOT be happier.

And the shame in all this is that the $5.54 billion Keystone XL pipeline (running 1,179 miles from Hardisty, Alberta, to Steele City, Nebraska, where it would connect with existing pipelines to refineries on the Gulf Coast, and with the U.S. segment being 875 miles long, going through Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska)...is owned by TransCanada (a U.S.-friendly Canadian corporation that builds, maintains, and owns oil and gas pipelines, power plants, and natural gas storage facilities in North America) and would have created 13 plus thousand construction jobs alone for Americans (NOT counting the adjunct industries needed to service those actually working on the pipeline; NOT counting the pipeline ancillary jobs including 7000 manufacturing jobs, service workers, engineers, surveyors, occupational health and safety professionals, managers, teamsters, etc; and NOT counting so-called 'spin-off jobs' jobs which come after the pipeline is complete and oil begins to flow, which TransCanada believes could be up to 118,000 jobs created), as well as having helped streamline energy production while at the same time being environmentally sound. 

And here's the kicker that Harry Reid chooses to ignore...according to a series of national (including Gallop and Pew) and state-specific polls and surveys released last week, the Keystone XL Pipeline is overwhelmingly supported by 61% of the American people with only 27% opposing the pipeline (in fact, about 82% of Republicans, 65% of independents, and 51% of Democrats back the project, and 85% believe the pipeline will create a significantly high number of jobs). And true to form, NO matter the wishes of the American people and NO matter the number of jobs that would be created by the pipeline, Harry Reid...good Democrat and Obama loyalist that he is...is placing the special interests of major Democratic donors...as in the rabid environmentalist groups who are NO holds barred fighting the pipeline...is placing the personal wants of both Barack HUSSEIN Obama and his muslim brethren ahead of what's best for America and the American people. 

Par for the course of a far-left zealot whose cohorts include 'Botox-Queen' Nancy Pelosi and Hillary 'What Does It Matter' Clinton...and let's NOT forget he's the man who is up to his eyeballs in dirty dealings concerning the feds government land grabs. And remember, Harry Reid could care less about any project that would create jobs that help facilitate long term economic development and recovery, enhance state revenues, and bring our country closer to energy independence.

So the bottom is that as long as Harry Reid controls a Senate that still has a Democratic majority, the battle over the pipeline will continue on and come to a grinding halt vote-wise as the environmentalists continue to squawk that the pipeline will worsen global warming and result in hazardous oil spills (NO it will NOT)...and who most importantly pad Harry Reid's pockets...against those on the right who say Obama should have approved the pipeline long ago to create jobs and lessen our dependency on foreign oil.

And now, sadly, that battle continues because one man had the power to block the vote. Something is wrong here...very wrong indeed.

Op-ed:  

Kerry and the pipeline...more reasons to seethe
By: Diane Sori 

 

"Compliance with a subpoena for documents is not a game."
- Darrell Issa's response to John Kerry's refusal to testify on Benghazi

What a surprise this is NOT as our ever-loving Secretary of State, John 'Swiftboat' Kerry, will NOT comply with the subpoena he received to appear on May 21st before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. But hey, this is the very same man who last year went yachting and kayaking as Egypt was on fire.

In a statement released by State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf, it appears Kerry had prearranged plans to be in Mexico on the day Issa wanted him to testify, but if truth be told he needs to cancel those plans and reschedule them for another time as right now Benghazi trumps all, and anyway Mexico needs him butting into their business as much as Israel needed him butting into theirs.

“We were all surprised, quite frankly, that instead of working with us and reaching out to us and offering first an invitation to testify, that Chairman Issa jumped immediately to subpoenaing the Secretary,” Harf said.

Typical response as Issa knew what the answer would be NO matter what date he put on the subpoena as this administration and all in it are masters of excuses and running away...as in Obama jetting off to a Las Vegas fundraiser in the immediate aftermath of the Benghazi attacks. And while the State Department spokeswoman did say they are still open to discussing a possible Kerry appearance before Issa's committee at some other point in time...like they really have a choice...this stonewalling just delays the inevitable as Benghazi is NOT going away NO matter how the Democrats wish it would. Remember, the reason Issa issued the subpoena in the first place is that all in the Obama administration refuse to give answers... truthful answers that is. And NO matter how much the Democrats whine that the Issa investigation...along with the newly announced 'select committee' headed by Trey Gowdy...is NOTHING but political posturing by the Republicans it...Benghazi... still is NOT going away...period.
 

And know that political posturing has NOTHING to do with this subpoena as the reason John Kerry is being called to testify is because he...the man who became Hillary 'What Does It Matter' Clinton's replacement and who now has access to all the Clinton State Department's Benghazi documents....and now his State Department failed to produce all the documents "to meet its legal obligations" relating to the Benghazi attack and the State Department's response to it when Issa asked for them.

“This disregard for the rule of law is even more disturbing considering your agency’s role in encouraging governments throughout the world to respect the rule of law and the authority of representative government brought to office through free and fair elections,” Issa said in a letter to Kerry.

And of course playing tit-for-tat the State Department's response was, "We strongly disagree with that...We've produced tens of thousands of documents." Yeah they have but NONE of what they produced dared to produce the truth about what happened that fateful night...all the released documents proved was the existence of LIES and cover-ups...something Issa and the rest of us already knew.

And then adding to this is that last week Speaker of the House John Boehner...after fearing for his Speaker position and only because of that...announced he is creating a 'select committee' to examine all things Benghazi and that Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) would head the investigation that would include seven Republicans and five Democrats...that is if the Democrats do NOT boycott this election-year investigation that could add to their election problems on top of the problems they're now encountering because of ObamaCare.

Again thinking only of themselves and getting re-elected to their cushy jobs instead of doing what's right for the country and doing what's right for the families of Christopher Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty...the Democrats prove their loyalties continue to lie with the Obama agenda instead of with the truth. 

 

And so as we wait for the vote to authorize the 'select committee'...expected to come sometime this week...'Prince' Harry Reid is trying to stall yet again a Senate vote on the Keystone XL Pipeline...a pipeline that would put thousands of Americans back to work...because supporters of the bill want it voted on as an amendment to an energy efficiency bill that is up for vote next Tuesday. NOT yet announcing how amendments will be handled, Reid knows a standalone vote on the Keystone bill would avoid the risk of it becoming part of said energy efficiency bill...a bill that could result in a veto from Obama.

57 Senators...three short of the 60 needed for passage...have put forth a bi-partisan bill to authorize an immediate start to construction of the pipeline. Sponsored by Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and John Hoeven (R-ND) this bill would try to bypass the Obama administration's long review process that would essentially stall a vote until after the November mid-terms. And Reid just might pull it off because right now there is NOT enough support to overcome a filibuster from Democratic opponents of the pipeline...you know those Democrats in the money pockets of the big environmental lobby.

So now we have the Benghazi investigation getting much unneeded added drama thanks to Mr. Swiftboat himself and 'Prince' Harry once again being a thorn in all things good for America...and you wonder why I'm seething again...but hey...Michelle Obama says her life is more difficult than a soldier’s so all must be OK on the home front...yeah right.

Op-ed:

'Trespassing cattle' vs. the feds 

By: Diane Sori

“We’re not pointing guns at anyone but we’re sure getting a lot of guns pointed at us.”
– Carol Bundy, wife of Nevada rancher

Ruby Ridge...a classic example of government gone horribly wrong. Briefly, Ruby Ridge was the 1992 confrontation where Federal agents surrounded separatist Randy Weaver’s mountaintop cabin near Naples, Idaho (40 miles south of the Canadian border) after Weaver failed to appear in court to address charges of possessing an illegally shortened sawed-off shotgun. Starting with the U.S. Marshals Service trying to serve a warrant for his arrest, it escalated into firefight after agents shot the family dog and ended with the deaths of Weaver's 14-year old son Samuel, Weaver's wife Vicki, and US Marshal William Degan.

Three people killed for NOTHING before the incident ended, with Weaver and family friend Kevin Harris being arrested. Weaver was acquitted of all charges except missing his original court date and violation of his bail conditions, and was sentenced to 18 months and fined $10,000. Credited with time served, Weaver served four additional months in prison, and Harris was acquitted of all charges.

And now 22 years later it's as if the government hasn't learned anything from what happened at Ruby Ridge for once again its engaging in the same outright criminal misconduct and behavior that this time could escalate into a full-fledged range-war of sorts...and all because of some so-called 'trespassing cattle' grazing on federal land where some 'endangered' tortoises wander about...or is it.

Oh give me a home where the 'trespassing cattle' roam...

Bringing in a show of force that includes dozens of armed agents in SUVs and helicopters, the Bundy Ranch...the last cattle ranch in Clark County Nevada...is now in the cross hairs of the EPA and Federal Law Enforcement officials over 'trespassing cattle'. And as federal agents surround Cliven Bundy's 150-acre ranch...blocking his access to public lands...federally hired contract cowboys have started to seize his cattle...rounding up hundreds of heads of cattle to date...cattle whose crime was sometimes grazing on public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Guess the cattle couldn't read the signs posted because they missed school the day they taught that by crossing the boundary they would be grazing on the habitat of the 'protected' desert tortoise, trespassing on land that has been off-limits for cattle since 1998.

Off-limits for cattle but NOT for tortoises...give me a break.

And while BLM officials claim that “For more than two decades, cattle have been grazed illegally on public lands in northeast Clark County,” and as they bloviate that “BLM and (the National Park Service) have made repeated attempts to resolve this matter administratively and judicially. Impoundment of cattle illegally grazing on public lands is an option of last resort," the standoff has turned dirty with Bundy saying he's grazed cattle on the land for decades, and that his father and father's father did so before him.
 

So as the government continues to push the story of this battle being over the habitat of the now federally protected desert tortoise, this battle is really about BIG intrusive government vs an American citizen. And with federal officials saying BLM enforcement agents were brought into the dispute because Bundy 'supposedly' made comments that the agency perceived as threats, and with The Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group, saying that federal action for getting the 'trespassing' cattle off their land was long overdue, you just know the situation will go from bad to worse.

“When threats are made that could jeopardize the safety of the American people, the contractors and our personnel; we have the responsibility to provide law enforcement to account for their safety,” 

- National Park Service spokeswoman Christie Vanover

So let's put this all into perspective...some grazing cattle...grazing on a minutely small portion of the Gold Butte 600,000 acres owned by the federal government must now be rounded-up with some killed in the process (the BLM has denied killing any cattle intentionally only saying that there may be some cases where a cow would need to be euthanized...yeah right) just so they do NOT continue to graze on the burnt and dried out grass on a plot of land that some desert tortoises dig holes on, hide under rocks on, and get their feet burnt on...desolate empty land that NO one goes to.

You'd think this bureaucratic idiocy...but like everything else our federal government does there is more to this than 'trespassing cattle' vs. a tortoise.

And the truth is that this battle goes back to 1993 when Clovin Bundy stopped paying grazing fees to the government, saying he did NOT have to continue to make payments because his Mormon ancestors had worked the land since the 1880s, giving him certain rights to the land.

While willing to pay grazing fees to Clark Count but NOT to the BLM...who claim Bundy now owes the federal government some $1.1 million in unpaid grazing fees...the simple truth is that the federal government is trying to regulate and bully this 'last man standing' off his land just as they did by regulating 52 of his fellow ranchers off their rightfully and legally owned land.

Kudos to Clovin Bundy for standing strong against a federal government run amok.

And now tensions are escalating as people in the nearby town of Bunkerville are standing strong with Bundy to try and stop the feds from taking...NO...from stealing...the cattle off the land. Saying the feds are now using "heavy-handed tactics," BLM and park rangers have actually started to taser those standing against them and in support of Bundy. In fact, Ammon Bundy, the son of Cliven Bundy, said the rangers tased him twice, and one woman has even said that federal officers hit her with their vehicle while she was protesting against them.

“No cow justifies the atmosphere of intimidation which currently exists nor the limitation of constitutional rights that are sacred to all Nevadans.” - Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval

So the bottom line in all this is the fact that the Bundy family, who settled in Bunkerville more than 140 years ago, now claim an 'inherent right' for the cows to graze in the disputed area. Refusing to pay BLM grazing fees since 1993, Clovin Bundy has argued in court filings that his ancestors worked the land long before the BLM ever came into existence, thus giving him rights that pre-date federal involvement. Bundy also says the issues he's now facing are Nevada states' rights issues NOT issues needing federal intervention.

And right he is on all accounts.

But you know what...when all is stripped away this fee...this regulating of 52 of his fellow ranchers off their land...this all amounts to NOTHING more than extortion... plain and simple.

And where is Harry Reid in all this...Nevada is his state after all...for this nonsense of 'trespassing cattle' is nothing more than an illegal federal land grab. In fact, some rummages have been heard that this is all about water rights as Las Vegas is running out of water, so the feds are trying to steal the land of the very last cattle rancher in southern Nevada. And with the feds ready to stop at NOTHING to get what they want, this could turn into another Ruby Ridge but on a grander scale...a more deadly scale...a scale that could make the old fashioned range-wars of years gone by look like a walk in the park.

So as BIG government tries once again to trample on the rights of 'We the People'...this time one brave man is fighting back and it took some 'trespassing cattle' to carry the banner into the fight.

Op-ed...

One of the many ugly truths about ObamaCare

(Dori's Journey Home)
By: Diane Sori

A few weeks ago I told you about a dear friend of mine who has glioblastoma...brain cancer.

Yesterday I was with her when her doctor give her the horrific news that she has two to six weeks left of life...probably closer to two. 

So because of the 12-week bureaucratic delay in getting her insurance company to approve further treatment...paperwork delays that are the hallmark of ObamaCare ...her brain tumor had time to grow much larger and in fact to multiply, in addition to sending 'feelers' deep into her brain. There is NO hope, NO cure, and NO miracles as her brain... the very essence of who she is...is being 'eaten up' as it necroses. And again, thanks to ObamaCare, there is NO true quality of life for her remaining days but I, and another good friend, will be by my dear friend's side helping her husband make her passage 'home' as peaceful and painless as humanly possible.

 
And something every single person in this country needs to know, as many are facing serious illnesses that will need Hospice in the end, is that thanks to ObamaCare certain insurance companies participating in the exchanges...even if the dying person holds those company's policies privately... will only provide 15-days of round-the-clock end of life nursing care. This means that if God forbid you cannot get an extension, your loved one will be left on the own with NO one to help with specialized professional end-stage palliative care.

And as we all know NOTHING in this life is written in stone for what is expected to be two weeks of life could stretch out to four weeks...and then what. So to Barack HUSSEIN Obama, 'Prince' Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and all their Congressional ilk...especially the idiot Democrats who voted for this monstrosity before they even read it...and back to Harry Reid again who said these cancer horror stories were made up lies...I hope you all rot in hell...period.

Op-ed:

On judges, ObamaCare, and the nuclear option...issues joined at the hip 

By: Diane Sori  

In a lawless power grab that broke all the rules in order to change the rules to favor Barack HUSSEIN Obama's leftist agenda...and knowing that Republicans will most likely retake the Senate and keep the House in 2014...the Senate under Harry Reid's hand invoked the 'nuclear option'...thus heralding in the start of at least one very dangerous year of  'unilateral rule of government' where the will of the Democratic majority will trample on the rights of the Republican minority.

And the utter hypocrisy in this is that in 2005, when he was Senator Barack HUSSEIN Obama, this most miserable excuse of all presidents was against anyone wanting to initiate the 'nuclear option' saying it was nothing but a partisan move to push a partisan agenda.  But now with his approval ratings sinking to an all-time low (37% at last check) and as ObamaCare falls apart before his LYING eyes... all that has changed and in a last ditch attempt to save ObamaCare and his legacy...and to stack the bench with left-leaning judges...Barack HUSSEIN Obama signaled his cohort Harry Reid to ram through the 'nuclear option' so that starting with this Congress, only a simple 51 vote majority is needed to push through ALL of his executive branch and leftist judicial nominees (except for Supreme Court nominees) by removing them from the possibility of facing a Republican filibuster.

And this is critical as any and all challenges to ObamaCare will probably be handled by the Federal Court of Appeals which Obama can now stack with loyal to him appointees.

In a mostly partisan 52 to 48 vote...three Democrats...three Democrat of conscious including Senators Carl Levin of Michigan, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and Mark Pryor of Arkansas....sided with the Republicans against the 'nuclear option' and to those men I say thank-you for seeing this move as NOTHING but a less than honorable way to stack the courts with 'serving Obama alone' judges, and opening the door to God only knows what else as ending the filibuster...a maneuver used in the Senate for well over 200 years as a way of keeping the executive branch in line...for ending of the filibuster for nominations could very well end the filibuster for legislation as well.
 

And that is truly something every American needs to fear.  

“Over the past five years, we had an unprecedented pattern of obstruction in Congress that has prevented too much of the American people’s business from getting done…Today’s pattern of obstruction isn’t normal. It’s not what our founders envisioned,” Obama croaked at his photo-op press conference showing his support for the 'nuclear option.'

But it was 'Prince' Harry Reid, after claiming that it was the Republican's blocking of Robert Wilkins...the Obama wanted appointment to be a judge on the powerful D.C. Court of Appeals...that led to this remark made before the vote was taken, "Republicans have routinely used the filibuster to prevent President Obama from appointing his executive team or confirming judges," Reid said on the Senate floor. "We're burning wasted hours and wasted days between filibusters. I could say instead we're burning wasted days and wasted weeks between filibusters. It's time to change. It's time to change the Senate before this institution becomes obsolete."

And in response to Reid's nonsense, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the move “utterly absurd” and accused Democrats of setting up “one set of rules for themselves and another for everybody else.” He told Democrats “you may regret this a lot sooner than you think.”

By the way...who is Harry Reid to dare speak of wasted hours...wasted days...how about the fact that the Senate is only in session between 120-190 days per year with the average being 140 days out of 365 days...now that is wasted hours and wasted days when Reid and his cohorts should be working doing the job 'We the People' elected them to do instead of following in Obama's footsteps of countless vacations at our taxpayer expense...but I digress (but rightfully so...)

But Reid's entire premise for wanting the 'nuclear option' is based on LIES because Republicans only blocked 30 (with some just temporarily blocked) of Obama's nominees. So oh how wrong...as always...Prince Harry is for to date the total number of Obama judicial nominees to be confirmed by the Senate is a whopping 211, including two Supreme Court Justices, 39 judges to the US Courts of Appeals, 168 judges to the US District Courts, and two judges to the US Court of International Trade...with the vast majority confirmed with bi-partisan support.

 

Now please pray tell me how those numbers are indicative of Republicans blocking all the confirmations of Obama nominated judges...it simply is NOT true...thus lending more credence to the fact that this move by Reid and the Senate was strictly political...done to deflect attention away from the ObamaCare fiasco and for that reason alone...for even the 'in-the-pocket-for Obama' media has started to shy away from him.

And so to dig the knife of NOTHING but revenge deeper into the Republicans backs for NOT embracing ObamaCare...as in how dare those 'bad' Republicans try to blame the media anointed 'savior' of us all for its fundamental flaws...yesterday Obama suddenly and oh so conveniently announced numerous appointees to the federal judiciary. But the sad reality of this is that Barack HUSSEIN Obama is willing to throw the judiciary into chaos just so he can try to salvage his unworkable namesake health care plan. And there goes the fledgling but growing bi-partisan show of support for actually repealing ObamaCare for now Democratic Senators dare NOT cross party lines as all but three voted 'yea' for the 'nuclear option'...a most vile maneuver of political trickery.  

So now Obama can and will stack the federal courts with even more left-leaning liberal judges and will NOT acquiesce to the voices of the majority of Americans who want NO part of ObamaCare.  And with this new power we best keep our eyes peeled and watch out Second Amendment and pro-lifers. 

And so Obama's bag of tricks has been opened via Harry Reid.  Thinking he's pulled the coup of all coups with the 'nuclear option' he now has announced a delay in the sign-up period for next year's deadline on ObamaCare until AFTER the 2014 elections, because he now is assured of Senatorial support for this.  And NO matter that all this 'nuclear option' shenanigans is just a political ploy to hide next year's sticker shock when people visit the exchanges, Obama hopes that voters will NOT hold their Representatives and Senators responsible come election day for the health care disaster... but oh how wrong he is as the American people are smart enough to see this as a political ploy and NOTHING more...especially after his LIES upon LIES upon LIES.

Truth be told Barack HUSSEIN Obama could care less about this year's 5.1 million cancelled policies that have thrown the lives of millions of hardworking, taxpaying Americans into chaos as his liberal progressive agenda trumps all, and under his administration the American people be damned.

And so the importance of taking back the Senate and keeping the House in 2014 is a must for the only way to stop Harry Reid's blatant grab for power and Barack HUSSEIN Obama's total misuse of power is to vote the whole damn bunch of Democrats OUT in both the House and Senate...and only then can we focus on impeaching this most incompetent, narcissistic, traitors ever to hold the office of President of these United States.

Op-ed: 
Some simple words long overdue
By: Diane Sori

The 3 Musketeers…Barack HUSSEIN Obama, ‘Prince’Harry Reid, and his Botox Queen…the one and only Nancy Pelosi.

America’s very own ‘Axis of Evil’ with their all-consuming leftist partisan ideology existing only to inflict as much pain as possible on ‘We the People’ and doing so in the most hateful, spiteful, and vindictive of ways.

Mocking, denigrating, ridiculing, and always finding fault with ‘We the People’ every chance they get...have you ever heard these three speak kindly of America or the American people…I think NOT. Have you ever heard these three speak with pride about American exceptionalism…American entrepreneurship…American accomplishments…I think NOT.  Have you ever heard these three bursting with pride over the victories of our military or speaking with tears in their eyes honoring the many acts of valor done by our troops and veterans…again I think NOT.

Everything they do…every program they initiate…every bill they pass, do NOT pass, or sign as in Obama’s case, revolves around fueling the fires of class warfare or of removing the scab on what was once slowly healing old racial wounds.  And these three have NO desire to improve the lot of America’s ‘working poor’ for their goal is to make sure the ‘working poor’ are beholden to the Democratic Party for their day to day existence…to make sure they NEVER bite the hand that feeds them…to make sure they vote Democratic until hell freezes over.

These three relish in the fear they create…in the rendering impotent of any and all who oppose them…who challenge them…who call them to task.  These three feed political arguments NOT with facts and figures but with innuendos, lies, and suppositions contrived by speech writers influenced by the likes of Alinsky, Che, and Fidel Castro.

Socialists hiding behind the guise of calling themselves Democrats, Reid and Pelosi have turned a once honorable if opposing party…the party of JFK…into a rabble-rousing bunch of hoodlums, haters, race-baiters, and blind followers of a media created teleprompted so-called ‘savior of us all’ who has proven to be anything but.

Proving to be anything but as Barack HUSSEIN Obama challenges our country’s laws; strips away one by one our Constitutionally given rights; removes God from our schools…from our public assemblies… from our military funerals; bows down to and caters to our enemies… and all in his quest to become King…to become titular leader of his oh so wanted islamic caliphate as he allows the sharia to creep into the fabric of our American society…as he allows the Muslim Brotherhood to infiltrate the halls of American government…as he allows the U(seless) N(ations) wanted and sanctioned Agenda 21/One World government nonsense to reach our shores…and it has started with the indoctrination of our children via Common Core.

And ‘Prince’ Harry Reid and ‘Queen’ Nancy Pelosi willingly aid this most vile man as they feed into his plans…as they calculatingly create planned chaos to defame the opposition…to try and weaken the enemy from within…the enemy known to them as ‘We the People.’  The TEA Party are terrorists …the Republicans are just rich, gun-toting, race haters and NO more…you know the rhetoric…you’ve heard the words…you know the lies
.

‘Fast and Furious’…Benghazi…IRS and spying scandals…and of course the dreaded ObamaCare with its joke of a website…mere ‘bumps in the road’…questions unanswered... truths unspoken… cover-ups…the blame game…all the hallmark of an administration run awry…but running with the support of the sheeple, the apathetic, the ‘sponges’ with their hands out, the turncoat RINOs, and of course with the media who turns a blind eye to all things Obama…to all things leftist…to all things muslim…

Stimulus failures…an economy in the tank…jobless numbers really rising… sequestration woes…a manufactured debt ceiling crisis…and out and out default lies…acquiescing to our enemies… stabbing Israel in the back…defaming our veterans…closing open-air parks in a government shutdown that was laughable at best….

But now six Senate Democrats up for re-election in 2014 seem to have suddenly ‘seen the light’ as they jump ship on ObamaCare’s dismal start…on the individual mandate the heart of the law…but you know what…I’ll take it as its but one more nail in the coffin of the legacy of a man on whose shoulders…by whose own hand…the chaos in America now rests.

And try as they might that is something the media can NO longer hide.