Attorney
General Says Requiring DOJ to Comply with Law “Too Risky”
Attorney
General Eric Holder is asking a federal court to absolve the
Department of Justice (DOJ) from complying with the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) because “not to do so would inflict
irreparable harm.” The DOJ action came in response to a suit filed
by Judicial Watch. The suit is aimed at obtaining public information
on DOJ's “fast and furious” scheme to supply guns to Mexican
gangsters.
“There
is no need for the people at Judicial Watch or, for that matter,
anyone to know the details of this now defunct federal undertaking,”
Holder insisted. “My Department has taken the necessary corrective
actions. This belated attempt to poke around into government business
is both unnecessary and destructive.”
While
acknowledging that the FOIA mandates the requested information be
released, the Attorney General asserted that “a higher law argues
against blind obedience to a statute originally aimed at the misdeeds
of a prior Administration. All we are asking is that the nation's
broader interests take precedence over a mere observance of
formalistic rules.”
Holder
further suggested that “something along the lines of the 75-year
sealing of the records on the JFK assassination imposed by the Warren
Commission might be the appropriate model for how we should handle
this. The American people's faith in their government must not be
allowed to be undermined by what, at this point, can only be viewed
as an effort to satisfy 'academic curiosity.'”
Judicial
Watch President Tom Fitton described Holder's stance as “beyond
ironic. At the same time that the Obama Administration is demanding
unprecedented access to all sorts of information about private
citizens who are not charged with any crimes, we see the Attorney
General contending that information relevant to actual crimes
committed during its ill-conceived gun-running 'sting' operation be
swept under the rug. His position is stunning in its ethical, moral,
and legal incoherence.”
Economist
Says Worry about Trillion Dollar Deficits Misplaced
Nobel
Prize winning left-wing economist Paul Krugman maintains that concern
about bloated government spending and multi-trillion dollar debt is
unwarranted.
“The
right-wing enemies of President Obama are playing on the average
person's fears of bankruptcy in order to limit his power,” Krugman
said. “While it may be true that an individual who owes more than
he can pay could face financial ruin, the same is not true for the
Government.”
“A key
difference is that most individuals' income is restricted to what
they can earn by offering services in the marketplace,” Krugman
continued. “Government, though, doesn't have to earn its money by
offering services. If needed it can tax every dollar everyone else
earns. Even more significant, though, the Government can create as
much money as it has to to pay its bills. Over the last decade or so,
the Government has created $10 trillion in new money. This has
allowed Government to fund expanded spending at no cost to itself.”
Though he
conceded that creating new money depreciates the value of each
existing dollar, Krugman argued that “the main victims of this
phenomenon are those who are hoarding cash. If anyone deserves to
suffer it is those who selfishly save money that they could've spent
to help stimulate the economy. The trillion dollar deficits of the
current Administration have enabled the Federal Reserve to
incrementally siphon off what would otherwise be sitting sterile in
these fools' 'rainy day' funds.”
West
Point “Think Tank” Warns against “Far Right” Threat
A report
issued by the Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy
at West Point, N.Y. Warned against the dangers posed by the “far
right” in America.
“There
are elements in America that are excessively concerned with possible
corruption or tyranny stemming from government,” wrote Arie
Perliger, author of the report. “These elements place individual
freedom and self-government ahead of respect for those duly
authorized to govern them. They cannot be counted upon to obey
directives designed for the public good and may evolve into a serious
internal opposition to the government.”
The report
contrasted “the obstructionist nature of these zealots for liberty
with the more socially supportive views of those on the liberal side
of the political spectrum. Rather than cling to out-dated ideas
focused on individual rights, they back the progressive values the
President is attempting to instill in all Americans.”
Perliger
admitted that the thrust of the report “might be difficult to sell
to many West Point students. A lot of the cadets are here out of some
nostalgic notion that they are going to defend traditional values.
Overcoming these misguided notions is a big job, but other countries,
like China, have accomplished it. Armies can be trained to serve
progressive causes. The Commander-in-Chief is counting on people like
me to get it done here.”
Egyptian
President Defends Anti-Semitic Views
Egyptian
President Mohamed Morsi says those criticizing his rants against Jews
“are taking my remarks out of context.”
“It is
easy for those living in comfort to overlook the incessant insult the
Jewish prosperity in Israel inflicts upon its neighbors,” Morsi
complained. “Faced with the same inhospitable environment as we are
in Egypt, the Israelis mock our grinding poverty by living well. They
have no oil wells, no gold mines to make them rich. That they are
makes us look like fools.”
Morsi
attributed Jewish prosperity to “satanic powers. What else could it
be? The Prophet (peace be upon him) clearly depicted them as the
descendants of apes and pigs. Only a deal with Satan himself can
explain how they can rise above the same conditions that stymie
righteous Muslims.”
“The
proper context is that Muslims all over the world are being taken
advantage of by Jews who are in league with the devil,” Morsi
claimed. “Yet this fact is being suppressed by the same
Zionist-controlled media that mindlessly condemn me as being
unjustifiably anti-Semitic.”
The US
State Department issued a brief statement urging that “we not apply
western value systems in situations in which they may not be
appropriate. If we have not walked in a man's shoes can we fairly
judge the path he has chosen? Things that may seem wrong from our
protected perspective may appear right from another.”
Congressman
Says There's No Public Safety Case for Big Magazines
Representative
Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) made a strenuous argument for limiting the
number of bullets a given gun ought to be able to fire before needing
to be reloaded.
“I find
the argument that a person might need more than two or three shots to
defend himself from an assailant unconvincing,” Nadler said. “I
mean, if you're that bad of a shot giving you more bullets seems like
it would be a greater threat to public safety than if the attacker
murders you.”
Nadler
maintained that “a dispassionate look at the numbers is what I'm
arguing for. A victim wildly spraying multiple rounds from a
high-capacity magazine runs the risk of harming multiple innocent
bystanders. Put this next to the prospect of a single victim being
harmed by his assailant and I think most would agree with me.”
The
Congressman pointed out that “there's nothing in the magazine size
restrictions I am proposing that would prohibit a person from hiring
a person trained in the use of firearms to provide armed protection.
It would be safer because trained professionals don't need multiple
rounds to take down an attacker.”
“Fortunately,
for the vast majority of Americans, trained professionals working as
city police are just minutes away in case of emergency,” Nadler
added. “I see no reason to accommodate the paranoid minority who
aren't satisfied with the collective security were are already
providing.”
In related
news, Senator Al Franken (D-Minn) sought to counter the NRA's
suggestion that we protect our school children from homicidal maniacs
by posting armed guards. “That would just add more guns to an
already volatile situation,” Franken asserted. “What I propose is
that anyone attempting to enter a school with a weapon be required to
submit to a battery of mental health tests before being allowed in.
That way we could identify those who are dangerous and get them
treatment instead of just shooting them like the NRA wants us to do.”
President
Promotes “National Day of Service”
President
Barack Obama is asking every American to help celebrate his second
inauguration by “making an effort to serve America and your
community by donating your time to the public good.”
“Too
many Americans are wrapped up in selfish pursuits most of the time,”
the President said. “They place 'making a buck,' spending time with
friends and family, and enjoying life ahead of serving others. What I
am asking is that on the day of my inauguration everyone divert
themselves from these egocentric activities and do something useful
for their fellow human beings.”
Obama
suggested that “participating in a food drive, picking up litter,
or visiting a seniors' home might be good ways to pay society back
for the privilege of living in our great country. If we start by
dedicating one day this year we can work our way toward dedicating
everyday to the general welfare of humanity. This would the proudest
legacy I could bestow upon the world.”
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