Category Archives: Humor
Pleading the Fifth to the IRS?
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| IRS Exempt Division head, Lois Lerner |
Lois Lerner, the head of the IRS Exempt Division gave some interesting “non-testimony” at the House Government Oversight Committee hearing on the IRS Investigations of Targeting Conservative Groups, Chaired by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA 49th).
Lerner’s attorney had publicized that she would invoke her Constitutional Fifth Amendment privileges of not potentially incriminating herself through testimony. Yet Lerner gave an impassioned opening statement which was an apologia proclaiming her innocence.
And then Lerner clammed up, refusing to take questions from Congress by invoking her Fifth Amendment rights.
Representative Trey Gowdy (R-SC 4th), a former Federal Prosecutor, insisted that Lerner had waived her Fifth Amendment privilege with her opening statement as well as authenticating documents. Chairman Issa dismissed Lerner and her counsel, with the possibility that she may be called back to testify.
Newt Gingrich raised an interesting item of intellectual jujitsu–
This celebrity oriented culture ought to ask Wesley Snipes and Lauren Hill how that strategery (sic) works out in the real world.
Impeach-Mint: A New Flavor for a Hot Scandal Summer in the District of Calamity
The summer of 1973 was a hot time in the District of Calamity when it seemed like every day news broke about scandals connected to the White House, which eventually lead to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.
In the span of one week, three emerging scandals have embroiled the Obama Administration. The long festering Benghazi Bungle became critical, with the straight-forward testimony of three career diplomat whistle blowers before Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa’s (R-CA 49th) House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The fact that Libyian Chief of Mission Gregory Hicks was a Hillary Clinton for President supporter and twice voted for President Obama added fuel to the fire, as the Congressional probe could not be deftly dismissed as a partisan witch hunt.
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| Libyan Chief of Mission Gregory Hicks testifying before Congress |
On Friday at an American Bar Association meeting, the head of the IRS Exempt Organization Division Lois Lerner apologized for targeting conservative groups for special tax-exempt scrutiny. At first this was attributed to a couple of low level IRS agents in Cincinnati and was part of a Friday DC data dump. But it became clear that such intimidation occurred all over the country for several years. Then it came out that right wing groups teaching about the Constitution received the “special” treatment. This was odd since the educational element was sine qua non for a 501(c)(4) organization. The drip-drip continued when it was exposed that conservative Jewish groups were interrogated about their feelings about the State of Israel.
If that was not bad enough, the Associated Press reported that , Eric Holder’s Department of Justice surreptitiously surveilled a score of journalist’s phone records for two months supposedly to plug a leak about a planned terrorist attack. The Obama Administration scrutinized reporters’ home, cell and office phones for two months, without informing the Associated Press. As the Associated Press was cooperative once it learned of the DOJ investigation which calls into question whether such a broad and secret warrant was necessar. .
With the daily drip of scandal, it seems like it will be a hot summer in the city. It might be time for Ben and Jerry to craft a culinary creation to make this summer of scandal more palatable with Impeach-Mint.
It is dubious if this fanciful flavor would ever get off the drawing board, as progressives would waffle at profiting from the indiscretions of an ideology whom they idealized as a light worker of hope and change.
h/t: Mad Magazine
A Brief Call for Cellular Change
An important aspect of living in the Twenty-First Century is mobile communications. Many have severed their ties to landlines. People use the internet for e-mail, entertainment, information and productivity. And cellular telephony allows people to take their pocket computers disguised as smartphones everywhere, with the expectation that the devices can be used ubiquitously.
Although the advances in electronics allow for incredible capabilities, the reliability is not perfect and seemingly every option of cellular providers has some disadvantages.
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It is unwise to think that there is only one answer for everyone on choosing a cellular provider. Cost can throttle choice. Coverage can vary widely. People also use their phones differently. The best advice is to know yourself and investigate thoroughly.
So many people are seduced into being locked into a carrier with the “New Every Two” mentality. While wear and tear and technological improvements can make this replacement cycle appealing, the shiny new “toy” comes at a cost of another two year commitment and possible changes in contractual terms. A couple of years ago, AT and T alienated I Phone owners by altering the “all you can eat” data plans. New customers had a cap. Some old AT and T I-Phone customers also complained that when they wanted to upgrade that their grandfathered unlimited data plans not convey.
One other calculus which consumers need to consider is convergence. Cellular technology can act as a phone, a credible camera, a GPS system, a reading device, a mobile computer etc. When calling for a cellular change, the savvy consumer will explore how his chosen plan and his handset can take advantage of convergence. For example a usable hot spot capability can connect a laptop or a tablet making a separate device a redundant expense.
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Personally, my household has been a contract customer with several of the big four cellular carriers, but we dote on the terms of the contract and will not take the phone upgrade temptation track. As the market has changed, I am developing an openness to pre-paid models that have lower monthly costs but lack the subsidized phone. Recently, I was almost ready to switch, I noticed that my chosen MVNO had a limited selection of phones which had LTE capability. While I was willing to wait for LTE to officially arrive shortly in the District of Calamity (sic), the limited phone choice prompted me to investigate further.
It was a good thing that I studied the details, as the only LTE phone did not provide a hotspot option, which was a deal breaker for me. I was willing to pay $15 a month for a Hot Spot with 2.5 GB full 4G LTE, as I could drop a NetZero low capacity Hot Spot and get better service. This plan has not been ruled out but tabled for better choices.
In the cellular industry, things can change pretty quickly. It may be that Amazon puts out a Kindle Phone in which Amazon acts as a MVNO. Like the Kindle, Amazon may sell their devices at near cost and bank on the ease of future purchases through Amazon to pull out the profitability. This option is appealing as Amazon’s customer service has been top rate (unlike certain phone companies) and my prior Kindle ownerships have hooked me into their system. But opting for Amazon would still require scrutinizing the calling plans and handsets and correlating hem to my household’s needs.
Choice is great but it can be confusing and requires some sacrifices. Then again, there’s always the Obama phone.
But the Lifeline program is rife with abuse and Congress is considering cutting back on the program, which has tripled in size since 2009 to cost $2.2 Billion per year. Considering President Obama’s troubles with surreptitiously seizing phone records of scores of Associated Press employees, cutting back on the Obama phones might be prudent.
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Reflecting on the Special Role of Mothers
Few pangs of pain compare with childbirth. Carol Burnett tried to explain labor pains to blissfully ignorant men by suggesting that they pull their lower lip over their forehead.
But rather than ruminate over what is anatomically impossible, a couple of Dutch guys had this pangs of life electronically stimulated. (Nota bene– Use the Close Caption button in the video to get an English translation of the guys feeling their pain).
Aside from the jarring pain associated with childbirth, good mothers also feel the bonds of pain with their scion as they raise their children.
Yet as a Doctor of the Church, St. Therese of Lisieux pointed out: “The loving masterpiece of the heart of God is the heart of a mother.” Billy Graham took great solace that his mother was always praying for him.
While the Evangelist Extraordinaire may not have a Marian devotion, Catholic scholars such as Dr. Scott Hahn, Dr. Edward Sri and Steve Ray note that Mary as the Queen Mother and Queen of Heaven would have some special sway in the Kingdom.
So on this day that we take the time to reflect on the blessings of our mothers, I am thankful that my maternal unit bared my pain, as it was a manifestation of the love of God on Earth.
