"Credibility? What's that?"

The IRS just took any it had left, wiped its ass with it, and flushed it.

IRS Deputy Associate Chief Counsel Thomas Kane said in transcribed congressional testimony that more IRS officials experienced computer crashes, bringing the total number of crash victims to “less than 20,” and also said that the agency does not know if the lost emails are still backed up somewhere.
The new round of computer crash victims includes David Fish, who routinely corresponded with Lois Lerner, as well as Lerner subordinate Andy Megosh, Lerner’s technical adviser Justin Lowe, and Cincinnati-based agent Kimberly Kitchens.

I wonder if they actually expect anyone to believe this bullshit, or if they figure Holder will cover for them no matter what, so it doesn't matter what they throw out?


Some more on the VA system that we were told was proof of how wonderful government-controlled healthcare is.
A female Navy veteran, a victim of sexual assault in the military, was locked in a two-point restraint — her right arm and left leg were strapped to the bedposts. She also had a belt tied around her waist to restrict her movement.
She had been restrained that morning because she was “disruptive and agitated.”
Makes you want to show the doctor what disruptive and agitated really is, doesn't it?
I learned from my nursing staff that the same female veteran was readmitted in February and was kept in restraints for 49 consecutive hours over Presidents Day weekend. They said the doctors didn’t want to come in to evaluate the patient, as required, if she was released and had to be put back on restraints.
Screw the tar and feathers.  Flogging.  With a flagrum, the Roman type with the bronze studs.

Speaking of using your integrity for toilet paper, Rep. Elijah Cummings

is a prime example.  Did everything he could to shield Holder and the ATF clowns in the Gunwalker hearings- including calling people racists- and now says that demanding the head of the IRS show up to answer questions is 'public harassment'.

Of course Cummings would rather have hearings about Target and credit cards; that doesn't involve another Obama weenie lying under oath and stonewalling.


Really, anybody surprised?  The UN has made it plain it's on the side of the Palisimians, so of course it 'returned' the rockets to them.


"What?  you wanted us to ask for permission?  Silly serf, we're the State!"

This goes under "Can't stop the signal":

Build your own Mac-11

As Uncle notes, Why gun control is silly

Speaking of the border,

U.S. Border Patrol agents on the American side of the Rio Grande were forced to take cover Friday night when high-caliber weaponry was fired at them from the Mexican side of the river, sources told FoxNews.com.

"When the shooting stopped, about 40 to 50 people came out on the U.S. side and turned themselves in. So clearly the rounds were being fired to suppress every effort to stop anybody intervening with anyone or anything coming across," Gohmert added. "We have no idea what or how many or whom came across with the other illegal immigrants."
Saw this linked at Insty, and he asked So why didn’t they return the fire?  Answer is, because AG Eric Holder would hang them if they did.  He'd rather see them dead than someone hurt on the other side.  And if you think that's wrong, he'll call you a racist and a domestic terrorist.

Also on the subject,
“One in ten of every adult male crosser[s] in this day and age more than likely already has a violent criminal record here in the United States, has been removed, and is returning. Another one in ten, making it one in five, is bringing with him or her their violent criminal tendencies and records from their own countries of which we don't know yet” Coburn said.
And if you want to stop them, you're a racist.

Y'know, these idiots are going to push this to the point that calling someone racist is going to be ruled justification for challenge to a duel.


Of course it's a local problem; because if it wasn't
it would mean The Lightbringer screwed up(again), and that's not allowable.


In said Lightbringers' hometown,
An 11-year-girl was shot and killed during a slumber party as violence struck Chicago over the weekend, local media outlets reported on Sunday.

At least 40 people were shot, and four killed, in weekend violence in the third-largest U.S. city, the NBC affiliate in Chicago reported.


I can see wanting to make a trip like that, but through Mexico?  Now?


“The way feminists treat the women who disagree with them proves feminism is not as ‘pro-women’ as they would like to believe,” she says. “For as long as I have been active on social media, feminist have dominated it with their whining, constantly attacking me for my conservative, non feminist views. I was delighted to see the movement expand, knowing that I am not the only one who felt this way.”
You'll notice that the article had two people saying how bad this movement is, and only one speaking for it, and the two got a lot more space; bias much?

"Don't give me that, it takes modern machinery and materials to make a gun!"

Try telling them that.

Put people in a situation where they need a means of defense for themselves/their family/their business, they'll get it.  Whether it's legal or not.
With the big guns out of reach, many Egyptians, particularly those in exceptionally poor communities where crime rates are often higher, tend to opt for cheaper weapons known as fards, hand-crafted handguns that shoot 16mm and 12mm shotgun cartridges. These are made locally by blacksmiths using scrap steel originating from discarded water pipes and vehicle spare parts.

Before the revolution, these improvised guns sold for LE300 to LE500. “These are regular blacksmiths, who are very skilled. They make the guns under the table for more money. A kilo of scrap metal worth LE3 can be made into these guns and sold for LE1000,” Ibrahim said.

Behold the Project Bike!

I'd been looking for a small bike to mess with, and thanks to son now possess this: mid-80's Honda XL125.

I wanted something not falling apart, that could be worked on/fixed/repaired and used, and this fit the bill perfectly: the engine actually runs, it definitely needs work but it's all stuff I can do, and it was cheap.

The engine is a single-cylinder overhead-cam four-stroke

which, as noted, runs.  But it do need work.  From the sound the cam chain tensioner and guide are probably shot, which means a good chance the chain needs replacing as well.  Otherwise, in pretty good shape.

No, I'm not missing that piece of case that's not there over the drive sprocket; it doesn't involve a seal or gasket, so not really worried about that; can always fabricate a piece to fit over and screw or weld it in place.

I got started on this before thinking "You know, I should take pictures and blog this!"  Rundown as follows:
The gearshift lever was bent(common); a little time with a torch, vise, big crescent wrench and hammer reshaped it nicely.  Yes, I took it off first.
It originally was street-legal, but most of the lights were gone.  Since I want this for trails and such, I removed
the rear turn signal bases and bracket,
front turn signals(non-working),
headlight case(thing was covered with electrical tape, because what was still there was badly cracked),
and most of the wires for the above(more to go as I trace them out).
The battery was there, but dry and dead.  It went, and the battery box, fairly sound but rusty.  Without lights it'll run without the battery, so there went that weight.
See that yucky stuff on top of the crankcase?  There was a little crack in the fuel line; that's been replaced.
Took the front wheel off to inspect the brakes; about half their life left, and working normally.

The rear brake was a different matter

Drum brake, shoes inside the hub.  And it was stuck; wouldn't engage at all.  So removed the wheel(no, I'm not taking it back off for pictures) to inspect things.  The shoes were fine, the problem was the shaft.  See the lever with the hollow arrow pointing to it?  When you step on the brake pedal, it pulls on that, the shaft(solid arrow) rotates and forces the shoes apart and into contact with the hub*.  Except when it won't rotate.  That sucker was stuck.  Had to put some penetrating oil on both sides where it enters the side plate, then put the lever back on and start working it.  Which required clamping the plate in a vise.  Once had it moving fairly well was able to get it out.  Looked like last time it was ridden some muddy water got in there, and since the thing had been sitting for a long time had dried; a little rust, but mostly seems to be dirt.  Cleaned that off the shaft and out of the hole, lubed, reassembled and it works as it should.

The chain was in pretty good shape, once cleaned and lubed.

I mentioned that it runs, but didn't run very well.  Big problem there was the air cleaner.  On lots of bikes the air filter is a piece of foam that fits over a metal mesh support; you oil the foam, so the stuff the foam itself doesn't catch is trapped by the oil**.  Thing is, it's supposed to be lightly oiled, not 'squeeze the foam and it drips' oiled.  Cleaned the foam, cleaned the mesh(which was also oily as hell), let them dry and then lightly oiled the foam.  Between that and fresh gas, it runs a lot better.

Big thing is going to be finding the cam chain parts, pulling the engine and replacing them.  During which I'll also clean the carburetor thoroughly, and hope I can get everything back together correctly.  Then, over time, clean and repaint the frame and tank, and whatever else needs doing.

We'll see how it goes.





*If you're not familiar with these, the inside end of the shaft is flat.  The brake shoes fit on a pin at the bottom, and the top ends go on each side of the flat.  Shaft rotates and forces them apart.    Put just a dab of grease on the flats(making damn sure not to get any on the braking surfaces) and it'll help smooth things out.

**They make special oil just for the purpose; spray it on, let it soak in, and when the carrier evaporates it gets really sticky.  You can use motor oil in a pinch, which is what I did for now.

Tab clearing

A sticker to really piss off all the right people.


NYPD once again playing "Screw the law, we do what we want."


A car ad about Ted Kennedy that REALLY set things off.


Hilda Solis, another Obama bigshot who broke the law.


Scientist wrote a book.  Sourced, footnoted, the whole works.  Subject offended the correct-thinking people, so they tried to destroy him.

They're still at it.


Chicago still leading the way.  In homicides and violence.


Rainier has a bigger magma reservoir than they'd thought.


They're finally attacking the IRS problem in a way that'll get their attention: cutting their budget.


Yeah, all those worries about islamists were just racism  and paranoia, right?



I think it was Glenn Reynolds who first remarked that a rerun of Carter might be a best-case scenario for the Obama presidency, and it appears he has understated the depth of the problem. This is what happens when you have a president who decides the U.S. can simply check out of world leadership. The Rand Pauls of the world have a point that the U.S. is overextended in the world, and a rethinking of our commitments and grand strategy is certainly a valid undertaking. I noted here two years ago, after John argued that we should withdraw from Afghanistan, that Winston Churchill might well have agreed.

But Obama is not giving us a thoughtful reconsideration of American grand strategy. He’s just bugging out.


This is friggin' disgusting.  The prosecutor and everyone on that grand jury should be punished for this.

We're supposed to trust these people why, again?

The Inspector General of the Justice Department has just released a report detailing the FBI's foot-dragging response to crime lab issues first uncovered in 1996. This is the third report to follow up on the DOJ "task force" and its efforts to right the wrongs caused by "serious irregularities" in its lab. 
 ...
 The problems ultimately lead back to 13 examiners. But those problems were multitudinous. In total, these 13 took part in nearly 8,000 cases, 2,900 of which resulted in convictions. This discovery led to the appointment of a DOJ task force, which then led to... not much.

The new report said the Justice Department "failed to ensure that prosecutors made appropriate and timely disclosures to affected defendants" and that the department "failed to staff the Task Force with sufficient personnel to implement a case review of the magnitude it undertook." The work took far too long, investigators said.

How did this lack of activity on law enforcement's end add up for some of those affected?

[T]hree other defendants, Donald E. Gates, Santae A. Tribble, and Kirk L. Odom, had served sentences in excess of 21 years based in part on FBI hair analyses and testimony that DNA analysis subsequently proved erroneous.

So the EffingBI was more interested in protecting their reputation than the lives damaged and cases screwed, and the DoJ, instead of kicking ass, played the game.  Wonderful, isn't it?
There's a lot more bad news in the report, but nothing really tops the FBI contributing to the death of at least one innocent person. This isn't something that was uncovered after the execution. This information came to light in 1996, but no one involved made any attempt to prioritize affected convictions. Innocent people died or were locked away for years and yet, the DOJ portrays itself as the injured party.

"Decades ago, the FBI corrected the deficiencies that led to the creation of the Task Force," the department noted in its official response, adding that the Task Force's work was "unprecedented both in its magnitude and its complexity."

Really?

The science hour has arrived,

and a fresh set is here

I have to say, my first thought is "You stopped too soon,

he's still breathing.

If some idiot prosecutor does charge him with something, I hope there's a fund for his defense to contribute to.

When a bank has to worry about a DoJ flunky saying this,

the flunky needs to become unemployed, and his bosses as well.  Because you know they're encouraging this bullshit.
The DOJ official reportedly told the banker, “I don’t like this product, and I don’t believe it should have a place in our financial system. And if you don’t agree, there will be an immediate, unplanned audit of your entire bank.”
Of course, it's Eric Holder running the Do'J', so the chances of that happening are near zero.  Which is one more reason he should be removed from that office.

And really, should never have been put in it.

If this story is correct, then Marshalltown High School principal Aiddy Phomvisay

 should be fired.
A star high school athlete in rural Marshalltown, Iowa has been suspended for three football games this fall because he posted a social media image of himself enthusiastically festooned from head to toe in white clothing during school spirit week. In the photo, he made the letter “W” with his hands — which in this case stands for white.
... 
The student’s parents say the the principal of Marshalltown High School called Van Staalduine a racist after concluding that his hand signal was a white pride symbol.
And why was he wearing white?
The school colors at Marshalltown High appear to be red, white and blue. Van Staalduine wore white because school officials had asked members of his class to wear white during school spirit week festivities.
Idiocy.  Sheer, unadulterated idiocy.

A: The 'once again vacation-ready' clown in the oval office should've done this

six years ago.

B: Just because he says they'll 'allow exploration' doesn't mean it'll actually happen.
Geophysical research companies contracted by the oil and gas industry will still need to apply for individual permits before conducting tests and undergo strict environmental reviews.
Considering Empty-Hat Salazar, his successor,  and Obama have been quite happy being under a contempt order over screwing with exploration and drilling in the Gulf; what makes you think they won't game this?  First clue:
The American Petroleum Institute said Interior is keeping in place "arbitrary" restrictions that "lack scientific support," and that will "discourage" exploration.

The enviroweenies are crying the usual doom, and you know the usual suspects in Sodom on the Potomac will be sucking up to them for money and votes.  So I'll believe both the exploration(some may actually happen) and drilling(not while The Lightbringer is in office) when they happen.

Obviously this man is a self-hating race traitor; why else

would he say these things about our sainted AG?
...Many of your fellow citizens are dismayed by your conduct, and our anger has nothing to do with the color of your skin.

You are the first attorney general in the history of the United States to be held in contempt of Congress. This had nothing to do with your skin color, and everything to do with your failure to explain how the United States government provided guns to Mexican drug cartels that were eventually used to kill Border Patrol agent Brian Terry in 2010. This story may have disappeared from the headlines, but many of your fellow citizens are still upset our federal government would ever give guns to foreign criminals. Compounding this tragic error, neither you nor anyone else in the administration has explained what happened the night Terry lost his life. All we really know is that he was at the wrong end of a gun you approved handing over to drug dealers.
No idea whether Holder actually believes the 'racism behind everything' crap he spouts; being what he is, he probably does.  That leftists like to use 'RACIST!' as a way to shut down dissent is just a bonus.


If Professor Liao is serious, the man and those who think this is a wonderful idea is a danger to the human race.
The answer they landed on is human engineering: the biomedical modification of human beings to reduce their impact on the environment. The associate professor suggests that by changing our underlying biology – altering our size or diet, for instance – we could create greener humans.

While these researchers are not seriously proposing that we embark on a worldwide programme of invasively modifying human beings, it serves as an interesting thought experiment that could offer a new perspective on the impact we each have on the planet. “We’re not suggesting that we should mandate these ideas, but it would be good to make them options for people,” says Liao.
Reminds you of something, doesn't it?



Yeah, let's start bioengineering humans to fight Globular Warmering!  Whatever could go wrong with that?

The Eric Holder Justice Department in full flower

James Cole, deputy attorney general in the Department of Justice, testified Thursday that the DOJ heard about the destruction of IRS officials’ emails in the news, even though DOJ has formally been investigating the IRS for more than a year.

“I think we learned about it after that, from press accounts,” Cole told House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee chairman Rep. Jim Jordan at a hearing Thursday on the DOJ’s response to the wave of computer crashes at the IRS that wiped out seven different employees’ hard drives. DOJ has allegedly been conducting a widely-mocked investigation into the IRS conservative targeting scandal for more than a year, and recently announced that a new investigation is underway into the IRS missing emails.
'Allegedly investigating' sounds like a decent description.  And much more polite than 'colluding with the criminals and other officials to pretend to investigate the offenses.'

Cole confirmed at the hearing that DOJ is now “looking into” the IRS commissioner’s delayed response in the IRS emails case.
And the 'looking into' will be delayed as long as possible.

The other day someone commented that it was scary to think how long it would take people to begin to trust these agencies again; with this further level of bullshit, my first thought is 'Will people EVER trust these bastards again?'

Remember the fancy 'This system will detect gunshots

so police can catch the perpetrator!' systems?  Not so much.

But just 20 months later ShotSpotter was judged to be a second failure.

In August 2012 West Midlands Police said of 1,618 alerts produced by the system since November 2011, only two were confirmed gunfire incidents.

What’s more, the force added, ShotSpotter had also missed four confirmed shootings.

The explanation/excuse is on the order of "It woulda worked better if you'd given us more money."  Of course.


Down in Australia, the new government has done what it promised: the carbon tax is gone.

And the Greens are having the screaming outrage you'd expect, so

One more thing for this morning, which must be causing Bloomberg and Watts & Co. a serious amount of indigestion:
The chief of Detroit police credited legally armed residents for a substantial decrease in crime in a city that desperately needs it.

“Criminals are getting the message that good Detroiters are armed and will use that weapon,” said chief James Craig, according to The Detroit News.

“I don’t want to take away from the good work our investigators are doing, but I think part of the drop in crime, and robberies in particular, is because criminals are thinking twice that citizens could be armed.”
With this testimonial included:
Al Woods, an ex-criminal in the city, backed Craig’s claims.

“If I was out there now robbing people these days, knowing there are a lot more people with guns, I know I’d have to rethink my game plan,” Woods told The Detroit News.
I shall now adjourn for a modified version of the Happy Dance(it's raining, and I think dancing in the front yard with a rifle might upset the neighbors).

Son and wife are in town for a few days, so I'm going to spend some more time with them today.  Bloggage will probably be intermittent.

Fear not, the TSA has Top Men working for them....

Justin Gray was flying home to D.C. from Orlando International Airport when according wftv.com, a TSA agent asked to see Gray's passport because his D.C. driver's license wasn't a valid form of identification. Gray works as a reporter in Cox Media Group's Washington bureau.

".@TSA Agent in Orlando never heard of "District of Columbia." Demanded passport because he didn't believe my drivers license was from US!?" Gray tweeted on July 12.


Just as professional as the people running the VA, it seems.

Before the meeting began, one of Miller’s staffers, Lauren Rogan, went to the bathroom, where she saw a notebook by the sink that included the phrase “ignore Rory,” a reference to her colleague Rory Riley.
Circled at the top of the page were the names of two whistleblowers who were cooperating with the committee to expose improper processing of veterans claims in a way that improved agency statistics but did not resolve the cases.
The notebook belonged to Lucy Filipov, acting director at the regional office. It apparently reflected an earlier conversation with Diana Rubens, who at the time was deputy under secretary for benefits.
And, just to make this crap even better,
After the meeting, case files and computers were placed in a room where Filipov insisted Rogan and Riley should work. As the two checked the room, they found the sound and video equipment were active, and they insisted on being moved.

Modern Education, History Division

Back in April, a school district in Southern California required several hundred eighth-grade English class students to write essays based on bizarre propaganda about whether the Holocaust really happened or was just a “propaganda tool that was used for political and monetary gain.”

Before apologizing profusely, Mohammad Z. Islam, the interim superintendent of the Rialto Unified School District initially defended the assignment. After a wave of criticism, he promised to “assure that any references to the holocaust ‘not occurring’” would be stricken from future assignments.

Now, the Los Angeles Daily News has completed an in-depth investigation into PDF files of the actual essays students wrote. Turns out, the school district was flatly wrong when it claimed that no students wrote essays denying the Holocaust.

At least 50 students either denied or expressed doubt that the Holocaust happened.
I realize it makes me a racist right-wingnut, but I wonder if the name of the superintendent might give us any indications in this...

In today's edition of "Who the hell gave these people badges?"

The family who lives on the property said their 10-year-old son was shot in the back of the knee. Sheriff Wooten later confirmed that the boy, identified by the family as Dakota Corbitt, had been shot by one of the deputies at the scene.

But the situation of how the child was shot remains somewhat unclear.

Sheriff Wooten said a deputy, who was not named, was on approaching the property when a dog ran up to him. The deputy fired one shot, missing the dog and hitting the child. It was not immediately clear if the gun was accidently fired by the deputy.
This is very much a 'What the hell exactly went on here?' situation.  Which means I'm wondering if we'll ever hear exactly what happened.  Big dog?  Small?  Wagging tail or barking?  Idiot with finger on trigger, or scared of dogs?  Kid was hit in the knee, could be screwed for life from that.

Bloomberg is buying more astroturf;

wonder if he gets a bargain rate for bulk purchases?
So the statewide advocacy lead (who I’ve never actually heard of) from Moms Demand Illegal Mayors for Everytown, a wholly owned subsidiary of Michael Bloomberg, Inc. has taken over as Executive Director of the only actual anti gun group in the state, in the process throwing the previous chair warmer over the side. In business this would be called a “hostile takeover.”

So let’s find out a bit about our new friend Becky Ceartas.


Speaking of assholes who want to control lives, I give you Grant County, Wisconsin, District Attorney Lisa Riniker.  Who's such a fucking dirtbag that- well, this covers it:
District Attorney Riniker is prosecuting a child, now 7, for a first-degree felony sexual assault that supposedly took place when he was 6. The boy’s alleged crime? His part in a play date with two 5-year-old siblings, a boy and a girl, that degenerated into a “butt doctor” party.
 I'd go with firing, disbarment, and having her ass sued off.  Especially after reading this tidbit:
D’s parents, identified as Jennifer and Kurt D, have filed a lawsuit against Lisa Riniker, and Grant County Department of Social Services investigator Jan Moravits. The suit alleges that D has suffered “anxiety, depression, vomiting, crying and lack of sleep because of the investigation and prosecution” and claims that Riniker delivered a summons to the 6-year-old threatening him with jail for failure to appear. Riniker is also depicted implying that she will seek to remove the couple’s children from their custody if they refuse to sign a consent decree admitting guilt. Riniker’s prosecutorial zeal is not entirely inexplicable. The suit contends that the girl’s father is a highly placed, politically connected official in Grant County, and that social services investigator Jan Moravits, who is said to have accused D’s parents of witness tampering, is the girl’s aunt.
Lawsuits all 'round, for everything they have.  This is such bullshit it's hard to describe.