While I was at the day job, there were quite a few developments in the Brett Kimberlin story. The Other McCain has a great starting point for today’s coverage…
FROM AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION
Very busy today, awaiting developments on The Kimberlin Files. However, Da Tech Guy cleverly points out that CNN allowed Arlette Saenz of ABC to beat them on reporting this story, even though the reported SWATting of CNN on-air personality Erick Erickson was a central element of the story.For that matter, CNN contributorDana Loesch is well-informed about the Kimberlin story, and could put CNN’s reporters in direct contact with many others who are involved. But maybe the executives at CNN would rather continue being No. 3 in cable news ratings, and let their competitors scoop them on such an important story, because they are more interested in playing politics than reporting the actual news.
And they wonder why no one is watching?
Here is an excerpt from the ABC News Story…
A number of conservative bloggers allege they have been targeted through the use of harassment tactics such as SWAT-ting (fooling 911 operators into sending emergency teams to their homes), in retaliation for posts they have written, and now Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., has stepped into the matter. He has sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder urging him to investigate the SWAT-ting cases to see if federal laws have been violated.
“I am writing with concern regarding recent reports that several members of the community of online political commentators have been targeted with harassing and frightening actions. Any potentially criminal action that incites fear, seeks to silence a dissenting opinion, and collaterally wastes the resources of law enforcement should be given close scrutiny at all levels,” Chambliss wrote in the letter. “
Regardless of any potential political differences that may exist, threats and intimidation have no place in our national political discourse. Those who choose to enter into that political discourse should not have to worry about potential threats to their or their family’s safety,” Chambliss continued. “While I am certain that local law enforcement is reviewing each of these instances, I am asking you to please look into each of these cases as well to determine if any federal laws may have been violated. Future targets of SWAT-ting, whether engaged in political speech or not, may not be so fortunate as to escape physical harm.”
Adrienne also points out that the story hit the from page of Yahoo News, as they are in a cooperative venture with ABC.
Bob Belvedere at TCOTS points out that Senator Saxby Chambliss sent a letter to AG Holder…
-How about some good news…
= Senator Saxby Chambliss has sent a letter to Eric Holder…
…regarding recent reports that several conservative political commentators have been targeted with harassing and frightening actions. Chambliss demanded that Holder examine these cases to determine if federal laws have been violated.
These dangerous hoaxes, also known as “SWAT-ting,” occur when a perpetrator contacts local police to report a violent incident at a target’s home. These callers are believed to utilize voice-over IP (VOIP) and other less-traditional telecommunications methods to make the call appear to come from the target residence and to hide the caller’s true identity.
In response, a dispatcher sends a SWAT team or other police unit in a heightened state of readiness to the unsuspecting target’s residence. Targets only learn of these false reports when a large police presence descends upon their homes.
In the letter, Chambliss states that “Any potentially criminal action that incites fear, seeks to silence a dissenting opinion, and collaterally wastes the resources of law enforcement should be given close scrutiny at all levels… Regardless of any potential political differences that may exist, threats and intimidation have no place in our national political discourse. Those who choose to enter into that political discourse should not have to worry about potential threats to their or their family’s safety.”
You can read the letter by clicking here [tip of the fedora to Mandy Nagy,@Liberty_Chick].
Also, it has become apparent that…
-Representative Kenny Marchant of Texas-24 has sent a letter to Eric Holder.
The press release:
Marchant Stands for Free Speech and with Conservative Bloggers Under Attack
Washington, Jun 7 – Congressman Kenny Marchant (TX-24) today issued a statement in strong support of free speech and conservative bloggers who are being targeted in dangerous “SWAT-tings” and asked Attorney General Holder to investigate these matters to see if federal laws have been violated by the perpetrators.
Recent reports of SWAT-tings have gripped the attention of the conservative blogosphere and are making their way to more mainstream media outlets. SWAT-tings are elaborate schemes whereby the perpetrator calls a local police department to report a violent occurrence inside the target’s residence. Unbeknownst to the target, authorities have been summoned and police units swarm the residence. These hoaxes are dangerous and are being used by suspicious characters to harass and suppress free speech, particularly that of conservative bloggers.
“I have written a letter demanding Attorney General Holder and the Justice Department fully investigate these SWAT-tings. These hoaxes are clearly intended to silence speech and rational political discourse and incite fear amongst those associated with a targeted blogger. These incidents also spread local law enforcement resources thinly. Any attempt to suppress free speech is one that ought to be taken seriously, and I will lend my voice and support to this cause to ensure that no one’s constitutional rights are violated, no matter what their political beliefs are. No one should be subjected to this treatment and I will not allow SWAT-tings to go unaddressed by the Justice Department.”
A letter has been sent to the Attorney General demanding an investigation into SWAT-tings. The full text of the letter to Attorney General Holder is printed below and a copy of the letter is attached.
In all honesty, the important thing is that there are Congressmen paying attention to this situation. I am only partially sarcastic in saying that if Holder did investigate it, and he won’t, that he would investigate the Bloggers, and treat Kimberlin as he did the Black Panthers.
Michele Malkin is noting the the ACLJ is defending Ali Akbar…
I’ve been telling you about First Amendment lawyers working behind the scenes to help the targets of Brett Kimberlin and his online cabal.
Kudos to the ACLJ for stepping up to the plate in the face of ongoing threats and smears. Just released:
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 7, 2012
ACLJ DEFENDS FREE SPEECH IN BLOGOSPHERE – REPRESENTING TOP CONSERVATIVE BLOGGERS TARGETED FOR HARASSMENT
(Washington, DC) – The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which focuses on constitutional law, announced today it is providing legal representation to a top conservative blogger and his organization that represents hundreds of bloggers who are facing threats and intimidation tactics by those opposed to their viewpoint.
“Free speech is under attack,” said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ. “Conservative writers are now facing threats against themselves, their families, and their livelihoods merely because they’ve aggressively investigated the history and funding of radical liberals. The ACLJ has a long history of successfully defending free speech, and we look forward to defeating this latest attempt to threaten and intimidate conservatives into silence.”
The issue involves targeting a number of conservative bloggers with a dangerous and illegal tactic that’s become known as SWAT-ing (making false 911 calls sending police to the homes of bloggers, claiming a crime has occurred.) The tactic is used in retaliation for posts the conservative bloggers have written.
The ACLJ is representing Ali Akbar, a top blogger and president of the National Bloggers Club, a coalition of 300 conservative bloggers who reach millions of readers. Akbar has seen his mother’s home photographed and placed on the internet. He has also received formal notification that he may soon be sued for publishing truthful information about radical liberals and their wealthy donors.
“I’m grateful for the support of the ACLJ, and I’m confident we’ll defeat any and all legal challenges to our fundamental right to free speech,” said Akbar. “We will not be deterred in our quest for the truth.”
The ACLJ will aggressively defend the constitutionally-protected free speech rights of Akbar and his organizations.
The ACLJ’s representation of Akbar comes as Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) is calling on Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate the SWAT-ting cases to see if federal laws have been violated. In a letter to the Attorney General, Sen. Chambliss wrote: “Any potentially criminal action that incites fear, seeks to silence a dissenting opinion, and collaterally wastes the resources of law enforcement should be given close scrutiny at all levels. . . Regardless of any potential political differences that may exist, threats and intimidation have no place in our national political discourse.”
Led by Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow, the American Center for Law and Justice is based in Washington, D.C. and online at www.aclj.org.
Jay’s blog post is here.
ACLJ’s David French weighs in at National Review. Ditto this:
The radicals have picked a fight with the wrong people. Ali and the bloggers at the National Bloggers Club will not be silenced.Don’t forget: Donate here to support Kimberlin targets.
So, it seems that there is more and more light being shed on the situation. However, from previous actions, we can safely assume that the attempts to silence bloggers will continue. Since these are leftists with whom we are dealing, we should not assume that violence is not out of the questions. Leftists, by their own nature, are rather violent (see Unions, OWS, and the like), so I see that as still being on the table for them. That does not mean that we should be violent ourselves. We have the truth, and the First Amendment, on our side. While it might be a slog for a while, the truth always wins in the end. Leftist tactics are used in the assumption that the target will give up after a war of attrition. Remember Alinsky’s Rule 13…
Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.
As well as rule 8.
Keep the pressure on.
Here’s the trick; if the target hangs on, the tactics fail, because they are based on fear, and lies. Armed with the truth, and refusing to break down or back down causes the attacker increased exposure, both for his tactics, as well as his motives. In other words, the longer we make them act unscrupulously, the more and more people see that they are unscrupulous.
Just think of the unions in Wisconsin. The longer they exposed themselves as thugs, the more and more people saw that they were thugs. And, even with millions spent, and a path of intimidation, violence and destruction, they still lost. This is just another reflection of that reality.
So, let’s keep on going, they more they act out, the more people that see what they really are.
Cross post 6/5. Conservative Heritage Times is not necesarily a populist blog, but nevertheless, I work with the nodes of American rightwing populism. Tim Thomas has a very high standing in the local Against culture, and his recent declaration that he will not play next season to focus on “family, faith, and friends” is taken to heart.
Staying on the sporting life theme, Tim Thomas, Bruins goalie, has told the team and his fans, followers, and detractors, that he is taking next year off, to focus on family, faith, and friends.
Thomas kicked around the NHL, Europe and so forth, and finally, he had gotten a run with the Bruins. After the Stanley Cup victory, he was probably the city’s most beloved sports celebrity (Tom Brady’s act just doesn’t fit with everybody.)
Dr. James Dobson is taking a defiant stand on Obamacare and issuing a loud and clear message to President Obama: “I WILL NOT pay the surcharge for abortion services. … So come and get me if you must, Mr. President. I will not bow before your wicked regulation.”
The evangelical Christian author and founder of Focus on the Family minced no words when he accused Obama of deceiving the American public in his exclusive WND column, “The president’s Obamacare lies.”
Dobson notes that the president issued the following statement on the night of Sept. 9, 2009, when he gave an address to a joint session of Congress in an effort push members of the House and Senate to pass his health-care bill:
“And one more misunderstanding I want to clear up – under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws will remain in place.”
However, he said, “The speech was filled with promises and assurances that have proved to be shockingly false, and the president’s premise was based on deception.”
In numerous speeches, Obama assured his pro-choice constituency that coverage for abortion would be “job one” within his health-care plan, he noted.
“I knew from deep within my soul that the president was not being truthful about this matter of life and death,” Dobson recalled, noting that Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., was so outraged by what he was hearing that he blurted out, “You lie!”
Our long time friend and regular contributor Manos has been keeping us abreast of the day-to-day goings on in Greece for the better part of three years. Suffice it to say, it’s getting worse with very little hope of resolution to the economic and political woes facing the country, as well as its European neighbors.
The following is a first person perspective of the realities on the ground, and what it looks like in the midst of a truly frightening economic collapse that threatens to not only wipe out the financial wealth and life savings of an entire nation, but may potentially lead to a breakdown in the rule of law and civil war between extreme political factions trying to fill the vacuum of power.
This is real, it’s happening right now, and it’s coming to America in due time.
Received via email from Manos June 6, 2012
Hi guys,
The daily life is still the same.
Things keep going because some divine hand still help us.
You wake up in the morning having no mood at all. And it’s this heat which destroys your brain cells. Today, it’s 34 degrees Celsius.
I’ve kept a small amount of around 250 euros, to buy some final provisions. Mostly meat cans, vitamins, and dried bread. I will store them to my parents’ basement, in order to have alternative escape plans.
The rumor about a power shortage is more and more been discussed around people, and alternative media.
It’s being said that the Power Company is no longer having the money to purchase coal and diesel.
We don’t have a generator for home use, so in case of a failure, we must consume all refrigerator food first.
My wife bought two big camping gas devices, with many spare bottles of gas. We can cook all meat and veggies, and then share them with the rest of the family.
My shotgun is full and well equipped. I hope i don’t need to use it.
My car had a small steering wheel failure last Friday, and i had to fix immediately. I don’t know if we have to leave the town in a rush.
I tried to find a small hut in the property but nobody sells at all.
Prices are so low, that they don’t want to sell their properties for nothing. I’m considering to buy a caravan and put it in the biggest olive-field. A small one with 2 beds, light enough to be dragged by my car, costs around 5.000 euros.
Today the stock market is going upwards, but soon enough the final collapse will occur. Spain is going down rapidly.
I’ll keep posting as long as I can. Don’t worry, I’m fully equipped and prepared.
Just take care of yourselves and families.
When the things reach to your neighborhood, you will have to fight.
Your fellow citizens are still living in their utopia. When they realize the danger, they will turn into ruthless beasts.
I pray for you all.
God Bless you
We wish our friend Manos the very best, as his family and countrymen are on the frontlines of an economic collapse that is about to affect every developed nation in the world.
Take his warnings to heart and prepare, because once the final phase of the breakdown begins it will be too late.
We originally shared the story of the Virginia Mob beating over a month ago. By then the original incident was already several weeks old because it was intentionally hidden from the public by the employers of the attacked, The Virginia Pilot. Then a few weeks later, mid-May, four teens were arrested in the case. Since then? (((crickets)))
Thank you Treeper CR for sending a reminder email to the TreeHouse tip-line. Last night on Bill O’Reilly he brought up the issue of the 911 recordings again. The Norfolk Police Dept. still refuse to release the audio from the 911 call. Even now, more than two months after the initial incident. Why?
Obviously there is something in the 911 call the Norfolk police are concerned about the public hearing. Personally, I believe, in part due to the timing of the attack, and in part due to the method deployed, the mob attack was specifically related to racial anxiety drummed up by the Trayvon Martin Case. It would not surprise me at all if on the audio of the 911 emergency call you could hear some of the attackers using the name Trayvon, or other racially toxic expletives.
But regardless of supposition, the police reasoning for NOT releasing the audio has never been clarified. What are they hiding? and Why are they hiding it?
More @ The Conservative Treehouse
Under questioning from Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who read excerpts of the emails at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Justice Department oversight, Holder claimed that the phrase “Fast and Furious” did not refer to Fast and Furious but instead referred to another gun-walking operation known as “Wide Receiver.”
However, the emails refer to both programs -- "Fast and Furious" and the "Tucson case," from where Wide Receiver was launched -- and reveal Justice Department officials discussing how to handle media scrutiny when both operations become public.
More @ CNS
"Could you reduce the workforce of 46,000 screeners and still do the job?" asked U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks.
"No, I don't agree with that. That's a huge number," said TSA Adminstrator John Pistole.
Rogers confronted Pistole in a contentious hearing this morning on Capitol Hill about how TSA is fixing its poor customer service reputation, downsizing its bureaucracy and implementing new programs to speed passenger screening at 450 airports around the country.
Rogers is chairman of the transportation security subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee, and has been a strong critic of the agency's efficiency and effectiveness.
"For most people, you mention TSA and a light bulb goes off and people vent their anger," Rogers said.
More @ al.com
Carteret County Republican activist Jessica Hult had an eye-opening experience as a delegate to the recent NCGOP convention in Greensboro:
“I’ve been a delegate to the state convention a number of times. I’ve been to the national convention. I’ve NEVER had anyone talk to — or treat me — like this. NEVER. They were bullies, and nobody likes bullies.”
The Haymaker caught up with the still-shaken Hult by telephone Wednesday evening. She said her phone has been ringing off the hook with party activists — and a number of attorneys — offering support and assistance.
The episode in question began last Saturday at the Greensboro convention. Hult said she was distributing stacks of THESE FLIERS to individuals who were planning to pass them out to convention-goers as they left the convention hall:
“My first indication that something was up was when I heard someone shouting: ‘There she is! There she is!‘ I looked over to see two guys in suits hurrying over toward me. I didn’t recognize the two men until they got close and I saw their name tags.”
She said the men were NCGOP vice-chairman Wayne King, and Paul Foley — introduced to Hult as “the party attorney”:
“They both appeared to be very upset. Mr. Foley suggested that the fliers I was handing out were not even legal and were likely a violation of campaign finance laws. He wanted to know who I was doing this for, and who was paying for it. I told him these fliers were designed and distributed with the idea of asking questions on behalf of a large portion of delegates here today at the convention.”
Hult said King “didn’t like” the fliers, and wanted examples from her about how he had meddled in primaries or run “decoy candidates.” Hult said King also suggested that the fliers were “slanderous and defamatory”:
“Did I wish they were worded a little better? Certainly. The grammar was questionable. But as far as the points the fliers made, I thought they were valid questions that needed to be asked and answered.”
Hult said she didn’t draw up the fliers:
“I got asked to help pass them out, and I agreed to do it. I am a woman of my word. I do what I promise to do.”
She said, at that point, Speaker Tillis and Senator Bob Rucho joined the discussion. (The event was occurring near where most of the Mecklenburg County delegation was seated.) Hult said Rucho questioned her about the fliers in a very quiet, diplomatic tone. She said Tillis took a different route:
“Mr. Tillis was clearly upset. He put his finger in my face and lectured me very sternly about slander and libel. He was the scariest of them all. If the idea was to physically intimidate me, it was working.”
Hult said she was properly credentialed as a delegate, so she was authorized to be in the convention area. She said she was not aware of any rules or regulations that prohibited the distribution of fliers in the convention:
More @ The Daily Haymaker
Such a rescue plan could involve Germany pledging to underwrite struggling countries' debt, officials said.
British Prime Minister David Cameron was to tell German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin Thursday he and U.S. President Barack Obama believe an authoritative agreement that fully gets the job done must be reached this month -- and there are two crucial summits in which to do it, officials said.
In the last entry we examined developing cover in and around our immediate area of operations (which as usual is our ranch or farm). Referring back you’ll remember cover is the first part of the C in OCOKA (Observation and fields of fire, Cover and Concealment, Obstacles, Key terrain, Avenues of Approach). In this entry we’re going to tackle that second part of the C which is concealment. This topic has been beaten to death in hundreds of manuals, websites, and blogs so I’m not going into a lot of weeds with this one but I’ll frame it more of as what we can do that I haven’t seen addressed for our purpose. What is concealment? Concealment are measures you take to avoid detection, observation, and targeting by the threat. That detection may include not only visual means by either daylight or darkness (night vision), acoustic means (through noise), but also electronic means as well i.e. radio traffic interception. Our efforts in this entry will primarily address countering those three techniques however we’ll touch on some others as well. During this entry I want you to keep one thing in mind – you need to examine your efforts from the threats perspective and what you think its capabilities are. Looking out isn’t going to give you as clear a picture of your efforts as looking in.
More @ The Lizard Farmer
They may get their wish if the agency becomes a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development "Moving to Work" program.
Housing Authority officials are applying to be one of four "Moving to Work" demonstration sites that HUD plans to announce later this year.
A copy of the application on the agency's website says time limits, work or education requirements for able-bodied adults, and rent reforms are among the many sweeping changes under consideration.
"At some point, you've got to have that conversation with the people you serve -- that we want to work with you and get you to a point where you can go out on your own," Housing Authority Executive Director Michael Lundy told The Times last week.
More @ al.com
Has Barack Obama been caught in a lie that could become a major issue in the upcoming election?
During the 2008 presidential election campaign, Obama’s camp categorically denied he was ever a member of the New Party, which sought to elect members to public office with the aim of moving the Democratic Party far leftward to ultimately form a new political party with a socialist agenda.
The denial came amid reports of Obama’s participation with the party, including several articles by WND.
WND previously reported on newspaper evidence showing Obama was listed as a member of the New Party in the group’s own literature.
WND also conducted an exclusive interview with Marxist activist Carl Davidson, a founder of the New Party, who recounted Obama’s participation.
In 2010, John Nichols, Washington correspondent for The Nation magazine, recalled speaking with Obama at New Party events in the 1990s.
“When we spoke together at New Party events in those days, he was blunt about his desire to move the Democratic Party off the cautious center where Bill Clinton had wedged it,” wrote Nichols in a January 2009 piece published at Progressive.org.
Now, researcher and author Stanley Kurtz, writing at National Review Online today, reports on documentation from the updated records of Illinois ACORN at the Wisconsin Historical Society that “definitively establishes” that Obama was a member of the New Party.
More @ WND
Ancient American Indian burial mounds in southern Illinois have been damaged and possibly looted, prompting the state's historical agency to call for the public's help in identifying the culprits.
Last month, someone dug several holes in a portion of Kincaid Mounds State Historic Site, a town and religious center of the Mississippian culture of 1,000 years ago in what is now rural Massac and Pope counties, the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency said Friday.
The culprits were probably searching for "grave goods" that Native Americans buried with their dead, although it's unclear if any artifacts or human remains were taken, the agency said. More damage was done to the site recently when an all-terrain vehicle or truck was driven on one of the mounds, where "No Trespassing" signs are posted and ATVs are prohibited, the agency said.
"The criminal disturbance of these human burials in Kincaid Mounds is unconscionable," said Amy Martin, the agency's director. "We hope to apprehend those who are responsible, which will serve as a deterrent to others who may be considering the desecration of our state's heritage."
More @ pjstar
But these shelters do not always look like you maybe imagine.
At the beginning of everything, when all the shelling and shooting started most of the folks wanted a secure basement. Those who had one, often moved there permanently, to avoid hell outside.
Other folks started with all kinds of ideas how to create their own little fortresses. First thing was to secure any kind of openings of houses. Think about those scenes when people flee from hurricane and nail their windows with wood planks, just in case of SHTF you have to protect all openings not only from wind but from bullets, shrapnel and people who want to get in.
In most of the cases people used sand bags, dirt bags or any kinds of junk piles combined with plywood over that. Then they added a small hole for something like an exhaust pipe or chimney and attached some kind of improvised or real wood stove etc.
I remember story that if you used two pieces of plywood, and put pillow between that you made perfect device for stopping smaller caliber bullets, and smaller pieces of explosive devices. The cushioning did the trick. People used that a lot.
After some time when people started to learn from bad experiences and stories they heard about things changed. Folks realized that being in the basement is not a good option, because they can be easily trapped inside.
I am talking about situation when you and your family are hidden inside basement, even if you have enough food, water, even if you are pretty good with weapons and have enough ammo, it can be tricky if you do not have few more exits from the basement, you could be easily get caught there and killed (or like in some cases burned or smoked out).
More @ SHTF School
Evan and Dixie. Best friends beginning in the second grade at Tarboro Edgecombe Academy.
Gladys, who received the worst whipping of her life as a child at Dixieland. Her parents would go to the fields each day admonishing their children to stay home, but Gladys and her siblings liked to come up the road a short distance and play here, as it was deserted at the time. One day they stayed too late, their father found them and even though they crawled under the foundations to get away, their efforts were for naught!:)
Faded grandeur. I've redone it twice, but kinda' like the way it is now.
