Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Obama suggests the media should have helped Democrats win elections – TheBlaze
"During President Barack Obama’s “exit interview” podcast with his former advisor David Axelrod, Obama mentioned that he felt the Democrats lost the election in part because the media just wasn’t effectively communicating all the ways rural America has prospered under Obama’s presidency."
Donald Trump, Gunga Din and the return of Manliness as a virtue
Donald Trump, Gunga Din and the return of Manliness as a virtue – Da Tech Guy Blog:
"A few weeks ago we reprinted the first of what will be three pieces on movies and the culture wars on the picture Gunga Din.
When getting permission to reprint these pieces I stated that with the election of Trump the cultural significance of these pieces and these movies had increased.
Why?
Consider this passage from my Gunga Din piece:
Through the entire picture manly virtue is celebrated: It’s celebrated when the survivors of the first battle, after an arduous trek bearing their wounded, form to march into the camp parade in good order. It’s celebrated as Din, with Cutter’s support, dreams of being a soldier instead of a water bearer. It’s celebrated when Cutter allows himself to be taken so Din can give warning. Ballantine refuses to leave his friend in the lurch even for the woman he loves. Cutter and MacChesney endure torture, Din gives his life to warn the regiment, and even the villain of the piece sacrifices himself in the hope of victory for his cause.
These manly values are not only conservative values, but are instinctive human values that since 9/11 the left has been unable to suppress.
The idea of work is a manly virtue, a virtue of labor, sometimes hard and oftimes monotonous but allowing you to support yourself and your family.
And while such labor can seem oppressive, particularly to one who has never done it, it confers dignity and independence.
It says that come hell or high water my wife and my children will be fed and sheltered and it will be done by my own hand.
But it’s even more than that, it’s also conveys an optimism that given time and effort one’s hard work will be rewarded, either by one’s own success or the success that the work allows one’s family to achieve.
This is the rust belt virtue that the industries so despised by the left has rejected.
And that brings us to Donald Trump.
Trump is a person embraces the manly art of doing, not just as a person who works hard, in the value of labor, but the OPTIMISM of doing the idea that working hard brings rewards!
And part of that hard work is to stand up for yourself, and when Trump bluntly defends American labor, American products, American jobs, even when these things carry a risk, he is illustrating the manly virtue of courage, the willingness to accept risk to achieve a right end.
...Those bullies of the left can’t intimidate the rust belt worker who has the courage to defy convention and to say to those who would shun him over said virtue and support for Trump. “Who cares?”
He’s not afraid of the bullies of the left, and that’s why the bullies of the left hate them and Trump so..."
When getting permission to reprint these pieces I stated that with the election of Trump the cultural significance of these pieces and these movies had increased.
Why?
Consider this passage from my Gunga Din piece:
Through the entire picture manly virtue is celebrated: It’s celebrated when the survivors of the first battle, after an arduous trek bearing their wounded, form to march into the camp parade in good order. It’s celebrated as Din, with Cutter’s support, dreams of being a soldier instead of a water bearer. It’s celebrated when Cutter allows himself to be taken so Din can give warning. Ballantine refuses to leave his friend in the lurch even for the woman he loves. Cutter and MacChesney endure torture, Din gives his life to warn the regiment, and even the villain of the piece sacrifices himself in the hope of victory for his cause.
These manly values are not only conservative values, but are instinctive human values that since 9/11 the left has been unable to suppress.
The idea of work is a manly virtue, a virtue of labor, sometimes hard and oftimes monotonous but allowing you to support yourself and your family.
And while such labor can seem oppressive, particularly to one who has never done it, it confers dignity and independence.
It says that come hell or high water my wife and my children will be fed and sheltered and it will be done by my own hand.
But it’s even more than that, it’s also conveys an optimism that given time and effort one’s hard work will be rewarded, either by one’s own success or the success that the work allows one’s family to achieve.
This is the rust belt virtue that the industries so despised by the left has rejected.
And that brings us to Donald Trump.Trump is a person embraces the manly art of doing, not just as a person who works hard, in the value of labor, but the OPTIMISM of doing the idea that working hard brings rewards!
And part of that hard work is to stand up for yourself, and when Trump bluntly defends American labor, American products, American jobs, even when these things carry a risk, he is illustrating the manly virtue of courage, the willingness to accept risk to achieve a right end.
...Those bullies of the left can’t intimidate the rust belt worker who has the courage to defy convention and to say to those who would shun him over said virtue and support for Trump. “Who cares?”
He’s not afraid of the bullies of the left, and that’s why the bullies of the left hate them and Trump so..."
College Fix's top 10 most read articles of 2016: The war on masculinity, whiteness, free speech
College Fix's top 10 most read articles of 2016: The war on masculinity, whiteness, free speech - The College Fix:
"Here are the top 10 most-read articles published this year by The College Fix.
1. TRENDING: Universities work to purge male students of their ‘toxic’ masculinity
Universities across the nation this year took steps to actively purge male students of what’s been labeled “toxic masculinity.”
Examples abounded of campuses hosting training sessions, group meetings, lectures and other programs to effectively cleanse what many campus leaders and left-leaning scholars contend is an unhealthy masculinity in young men today.
2. Cal State LA offers segregated housing for black students..."
Sadly, lots more here. Read on!
"Here are the top 10 most-read articles published this year by The College Fix.
Universities across the nation this year took steps to actively purge male students of what’s been labeled “toxic masculinity.”
Examples abounded of campuses hosting training sessions, group meetings, lectures and other programs to effectively cleanse what many campus leaders and left-leaning scholars contend is an unhealthy masculinity in young men today.
2. Cal State LA offers segregated housing for black students..."
Sadly, lots more here. Read on!
Rush on the ‘dirty little secret’ everybody in Dem Party knows, but would never say it while Obama is still in | BizPac Review
Rush on the ‘dirty little secret’ everybody in Dem Party knows, but would never say it while Obama is still in | BizPac Review:
"Rush Limbaugh believes the Democratic Party has “bitten the dust” and the credit can go to President Obama.
The conservative radio icon berated Democrats Friday on “The Rush Limbaugh Show” for continuing to focus on President-elect Donald Trump instead of looking at their own party moving forward. He also suggested that Obama has “destroyed” his own party.
The conservative radio icon berated Democrats Friday on “The Rush Limbaugh Show” for continuing to focus on President-elect Donald Trump instead of looking at their own party moving forward. He also suggested that Obama has “destroyed” his own party.
Hillary Fan Puts Up New Sign, TRUMP SUPPORTER CHANGES MEANING AGAIN!
LOL: Hillary Fan Puts Up New Sign, TRUMP SUPPORTER CHANGES MEANING AGAIN! (PICS) – American Lookout:
"We reported earlier on a man in Cincinnati who changed the meaning of the “Hillary” sign next door.
He made it this:"
After this went viral, we got an email from the Trump fan in the blue house. He said that he likes his neighbor.
It’s Hillary he doesn’t like.
Now, the Hillary fan next door has changed their sign to this:
If you’re a self-respecting Trump supporter, you can’t let this go.
You can’t just let that sign sit there.
You can’t let people be misled.
You can’t let people be misinformed.
You have to tell people the truth!
That’s what the Trump supporter in Cincinnati did.
He decided to change his neighbor’s message again.
Here’s what he did:
"We reported earlier on a man in Cincinnati who changed the meaning of the “Hillary” sign next door.
He made it this:"
After this went viral, we got an email from the Trump fan in the blue house. He said that he likes his neighbor.
It’s Hillary he doesn’t like.
Now, the Hillary fan next door has changed their sign to this:
If you’re a self-respecting Trump supporter, you can’t let this go.
You can’t just let that sign sit there.
You can’t let people be misled.
You can’t let people be misinformed.
You have to tell people the truth!
That’s what the Trump supporter in Cincinnati did.
He decided to change his neighbor’s message again.
Here’s what he did:
History for December 27
History for December 27 - On-This-Day.com:
Johannes Kepler 1571, George Cayley 1773, Louis Pasteur 1822
Marlene Dietrich 1901, Oscar Levant 1916, Lee Salk 1926
1831 - Charles Darwin set out on a voyage to the Pacific aboard the HMS Beagle. Darwin's discoveries during the voyage helped him form the basis of his theories on evolution.
1845 - Dr. Crawford Williamson Long used anesthesia for childbirth for the first time. The event was the delivery of his own child in Jefferson, GA.
1900 - Carrie Nation staged her first raid on a saloon at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, KS. She broke each and every one of the liquor bottles that could be seen.
1904 - James Barrie's play "Peter Pan" premiered in London.
1938 - The first skimobile course in America opened in North Conway, NH.
1945 - The World Bank was created with an agreement signed by 28 nations.
1947 - The children's television program "Howdy Doody," hosted by Bob Smith, made its debut on NBC.
1978 - Spain adopted a new constitution and became a democracy after 40 years of dictatorship.
Monday, December 26, 2016
Bill O’Reilly Schools Clueless Hillary Supporter On Her Lies About Donald Trump | Yes I'm Right.
Bill O’Reilly Schools Clueless Hillary Supporter On Her Lies About Donald Trump | Yes I'm Right.:
"This one is too good not to share. Bill O’Reilly is an absolutely master of the conservative news segment and Jennifer Rubin is a liberal moron.
When O’Reilly has a liberal in his show, usually they come prepared to debate in a way that seems productive, but rarely is. Most liberals just want to yell and shout over O’Reilly because they think they’re points are more valid at a higher volume. New flash: they’re not. This one is no exception."
When O’Reilly has a liberal in his show, usually they come prepared to debate in a way that seems productive, but rarely is. Most liberals just want to yell and shout over O’Reilly because they think they’re points are more valid at a higher volume. New flash: they’re not. This one is no exception."
PISA worldwide ranking of math, science, reading skills
PISA worldwide ranking of math, science, reading skills - Business Insider:
"The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released the results of its 2015 global rankings on student performance in mathematics, reading, and science, on the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA.
The PISA is a worldwide exam administered every three years that measures 15-year-olds in 72 countries.
About 540,000 students took the exam in 2015.
The US saw an 11-point drop in average score for math, while remaining relatively flat in reading and science."
"The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released the results of its 2015 global rankings on student performance in mathematics, reading, and science, on the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA.
The PISA is a worldwide exam administered every three years that measures 15-year-olds in 72 countries.
About 540,000 students took the exam in 2015.
The US saw an 11-point drop in average score for math, while remaining relatively flat in reading and science."
Wall of apocalyptic-looking 'sea smoke' appears over Lake Superior harbor
Wall of apocalyptic-looking 'sea smoke' appears over Lake Superior harbor | MLive.com:
"DULUTH, MINNESOTA - An ominous wall of fog that would rival something out of a Hollywood disaster film appeared near a Lake Superior port earlier this week.
In a short vide captured by Minnesota photographer Levi Drevlow, a freighter can be seen moving through the Great Lakes harbor in Duluth, Minn. on Wednesday, Dec. 21. In the distance, a massive wall of cloud-like matter can be seen.
And while it looks like something similar to the end of days, it's actually a naturally-occurring phenomenon known as "sea smoke." The same effect occurred in January."
"DULUTH, MINNESOTA - An ominous wall of fog that would rival something out of a Hollywood disaster film appeared near a Lake Superior port earlier this week.
In a short vide captured by Minnesota photographer Levi Drevlow, a freighter can be seen moving through the Great Lakes harbor in Duluth, Minn. on Wednesday, Dec. 21. In the distance, a massive wall of cloud-like matter can be seen.
And while it looks like something similar to the end of days, it's actually a naturally-occurring phenomenon known as "sea smoke." The same effect occurred in January."
Obama Administration Finalizes Social Security Gun Ban - Breitbart
Obama Administration Finalizes Social Security Gun Ban - Breitbart:
"In other words, once the beneficiary has the SSA’s attention–by having someone help with finances–the process of determining mental health status begins, becoming incrementally intrusive. And if a ruling of mental illness sufficient to meet the reporting threshold is handed down, then the beneficiary will be reported to NICS and prohibited from purchasing firearms.
Despite public outcry, the rules have now been finalized. The NRA-ILA reports:
Barack Obama’s Social Security Administration (SSA) issued the final version of a rule that will doom tens of thousands of law-abiding (and vulnerable) disability insurance and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients to a loss of Second Amendment rights under the guise of re-characterizing them as “mental defectives.” "
Despite public outcry, the rules have now been finalized. The NRA-ILA reports:
Barack Obama’s Social Security Administration (SSA) issued the final version of a rule that will doom tens of thousands of law-abiding (and vulnerable) disability insurance and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients to a loss of Second Amendment rights under the guise of re-characterizing them as “mental defectives.” "
Immigrants Will Assimilate? Don’t Count On It Anytime Soon
Immigrants Will Assimilate? Don’t Count On It Anytime Soon | VDARE - premier news outlet for patriotic immigration reform:
In his latest column here (Europeans Will Fight Back Against Invasion–No Matter What The NEW YORK TIMES Wants, December 22, 2016), Pat Buchanan wrote:
In his latest column here (Europeans Will Fight Back Against Invasion–No Matter What The NEW YORK TIMES Wants, December 22, 2016), Pat Buchanan wrote:
Liberals may admonish us that all races, creeds, cultures are equal, that anyone from any continent, country or civilization can come to the West and assimilate. That discrimination against one group of immigrants in favor of another—preferring, say, Lebanese Christians to Syrian Muslims—is illiberal and undemocratic.But people don’t believe that. Europe and America have moved beyond the verities of 20th-century liberalism.The cruel experiences of the recent past, and common sense, dictate that open borders are Eurail passes for Islamist terrorists, who are anxious to come and kill us in the West. We have to deal with the world as it is, not as we would wish it to be.
Specifically regarding whether promised assimilation will happen, we can guess that Buchanan himself is skeptical.
With good reason..."
With good reason..."
And Now, A Beautiful and Touching Christmas Story......
(1) Steve Russo - And Now, A Beautiful and Touching Christmas Story.....
And Now, A Beautiful and Touching Christmas Story... NICU Nurses Sing Preemie Baby A Touching Christmas Lullaby
And Now, A Beautiful and Touching Christmas Story... NICU Nurses Sing Preemie Baby A Touching Christmas Lullaby
Baby Anya wasn’t able to be home for Christmas. Born on Dec. 11, she’s still in the NICU of Sunnybrook Hospital. But two of the NICU nurses make sure that she’s knows that she is loved on this her first Christmas and hope that she spends many more healthy Christmases with her family.
Ted Cruz backs DEFUNDING U.N. in SCATHING statement against Obama's betrayal of Israel - The Right Scoop
Ted Cruz backs DEFUNDING U.N. in SCATHING statement against Obama's betrayal of Israel - The Right Scoop:
"From his statement:
“For eight long years, the Obama administration has worked systematically to undermine the nation of Israel. They actively worked to defeat Prime Minister Netanyahu, and illegally used U.S. taxpayer funds to do so. Never has there been a more anti-Israel Administration, and today’s United Nations vote is the culmination of their systemic agenda to weaken Israel and strengthen its enemies."
"From his statement:
“For eight long years, the Obama administration has worked systematically to undermine the nation of Israel. They actively worked to defeat Prime Minister Netanyahu, and illegally used U.S. taxpayer funds to do so. Never has there been a more anti-Israel Administration, and today’s United Nations vote is the culmination of their systemic agenda to weaken Israel and strengthen its enemies."
Rogue Elements of the CIA Are Operating Against President-elect Trump
Rogue Elements of the CIA Are Operating Against President-elect Trump -- Paul Craig Roberts - PaulCraigRoberts.org:
"...elements in the CIA, or someone claiming to be CIA, are planting stories in the media that Russia hacked Hillary’s emails and used the damning information to elect Trump.
The truth of the emails is not what is in question.
It is their alleged Russian origin.
There is no evidence for this claim.
Wikileaks said the emails came to them as a leak from inside, not from an outside hack, and former top NSA official William Binney has said that if Russia was the source the NSA would have conclusive proof. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/46012.htm
What is striking about this controversy is that it is the CIA, not Russia, that is interfering in American elections.
The CIA is supposed to be concerned with foreign intelligence.
It is not supposed to interfere in US affairs.
Yet it is the CIA that is using fake news to delegitimize a president-elect.
One member of this operation, Bob Baer, has called for a new election on the basis of the claim that Trump was elected by Russian interference. https://www.intellihub.com/there-is-a-plan-to-steal-the-election-from-the-american-people-and-trump-cia-pushes-for-new-election/
The FBI does not support the claim of Russian interference. http://dailycallernewsfoundation.org/2016/12/11/fbi-disagrees-with-cia-on-russian-influence-in-the-presidential-election/
The importance of this issue is that it is rogue elements inside the CIA who are trying to prevent Trump from becoming president.
The important question is: Why?
If neoconservative or military-security oligarchs are willing to so publicly in violation of law operate against an incoming president who could have them indicted and put on trial for high treason, wouldn’t these rogue operators also be willing to assassinate the president-elect?..."
Read on!
"...elements in the CIA, or someone claiming to be CIA, are planting stories in the media that Russia hacked Hillary’s emails and used the damning information to elect Trump.
The truth of the emails is not what is in question.
It is their alleged Russian origin.
There is no evidence for this claim.
Wikileaks said the emails came to them as a leak from inside, not from an outside hack, and former top NSA official William Binney has said that if Russia was the source the NSA would have conclusive proof. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/46012.htm
The CIA is supposed to be concerned with foreign intelligence.
It is not supposed to interfere in US affairs.
Yet it is the CIA that is using fake news to delegitimize a president-elect.
One member of this operation, Bob Baer, has called for a new election on the basis of the claim that Trump was elected by Russian interference. https://www.intellihub.com/there-is-a-plan-to-steal-the-election-from-the-american-people-and-trump-cia-pushes-for-new-election/
The FBI does not support the claim of Russian interference. http://dailycallernewsfoundation.org/2016/12/11/fbi-disagrees-with-cia-on-russian-influence-in-the-presidential-election/
The importance of this issue is that it is rogue elements inside the CIA who are trying to prevent Trump from becoming president.
The important question is: Why?
If neoconservative or military-security oligarchs are willing to so publicly in violation of law operate against an incoming president who could have them indicted and put on trial for high treason, wouldn’t these rogue operators also be willing to assassinate the president-elect?..."
Read on!
Militant snowflake: new insignia for social justice warrior
Militant snowflake: new insignia for social justice warrior
"Dear social justice warriors!
You have so outgrown the old hammer and sickle emblem, it's not even funny.
The working class has betrayed you and can no longer be trusted.
Your new broad coalition is proactively writing a new narrative of safe spaces, microaggressions, dog whistles, snow jobs, institutionalized rapism, and climate denyism.
"Dear social justice warriors!
You have so outgrown the old hammer and sickle emblem, it's not even funny.
The working class has betrayed you and can no longer be trusted.
Your new broad coalition is proactively writing a new narrative of safe spaces, microaggressions, dog whistles, snow jobs, institutionalized rapism, and climate denyism.
Your community organizers have succeeded in creating a spectacular movement of snowflakes who they hope will one day solidify into an impenetrable iceberg that will sink the Titanic of capitalism.
And yet you're still struggling to create an emblem you could put on your armbands, banners, and social media icons.
We hope this design will stick.
Your movement deserves an original catchy symbol.
This emblem will look great on flag an armband, adding a nice touch to your school's interior and exterior.
Put it on your signs during your next campaign of Jew-hatred at your favorite campus.
You can even wear it as you harass passengers you don't like on your flight to San Francisco, and no one will dare take you off the plane once they see your official SJW status.
And feel free to use the SafeSeating™ sign we have made for you earlier.
Beaton: Begging for Christmas | AspenTimes.com
Beaton: Begging for Christmas | AspenTimes.com:
"My recent column, “Panhandling in Paradise,” (The Aspen Times, Aug. 7)described my panhandling experience here in Aspen. You can find it again at http://bit.ly/2aJ1BaB. Spoiler alert: Someone gave me a $100 bill.
But panhandling is not always paradise.
I recently panhandled for a day in the town where I grew up, Colorado Springs.
...The town is home to lots of homeless people these days, and panhandlers are common.
I knew I wouldn’t be the spectacle that I was in Aspen, where panhandling is not only unusual but illegal.
In the back of my BMW I found my cardboard sign reading “SURVIVED CANCER BUT LOST MY JOB” (which happens to be true, though a bit misleading).
It had gotten a little clean in my trunk, so I dirtied it.
Then I put on old jeans and a tattered shirt and set out.
I sincerely hoped that none of my childhood friends would recognize me, but, if they did,
I hoped they would give me money.
My mother, who still lives in town, probably shared the first hope if not the second.
This occupation is embarrassing at first.
After an hour, however, you get over it and wonder why you’re not making more money.
Unless you’ve been a beggar, you can’t imagine how people look while pretending not to see.
I do it, and so do you..."
"My recent column, “Panhandling in Paradise,” (The Aspen Times, Aug. 7)described my panhandling experience here in Aspen. You can find it again at http://bit.ly/2aJ1BaB. Spoiler alert: Someone gave me a $100 bill.
I recently panhandled for a day in the town where I grew up, Colorado Springs.
...The town is home to lots of homeless people these days, and panhandlers are common.
I knew I wouldn’t be the spectacle that I was in Aspen, where panhandling is not only unusual but illegal.
In the back of my BMW I found my cardboard sign reading “SURVIVED CANCER BUT LOST MY JOB” (which happens to be true, though a bit misleading).
It had gotten a little clean in my trunk, so I dirtied it.
Then I put on old jeans and a tattered shirt and set out.
I sincerely hoped that none of my childhood friends would recognize me, but, if they did,
I hoped they would give me money.
My mother, who still lives in town, probably shared the first hope if not the second.
This occupation is embarrassing at first.
After an hour, however, you get over it and wonder why you’re not making more money.
Unless you’ve been a beggar, you can’t imagine how people look while pretending not to see.
I do it, and so do you..."
Climate change expert sentenced to 32 months for fraud, says lying was a 'rush' - NBC News
Climate change expert sentenced to 32 months for fraud, says lying was a 'rush' - NBC News:
"The EPA’s highest-paid employee and a leading expert on climate change was sentenced to 32 months in federal prison Wednesday for lying to his bosses and saying he was a CIA spy working in Pakistan so he could avoid doing his real job.
John C. Beale’s crimes were “inexplicable” and “unbelievably egregious," said Judge Ellen Huvelle in imposing the sentence in a Washington. D.C. federal court. Beale has also agreed to pay $1.3 million in restitution and forfeiture to the government."
John C. Beale’s crimes were “inexplicable” and “unbelievably egregious," said Judge Ellen Huvelle in imposing the sentence in a Washington. D.C. federal court. Beale has also agreed to pay $1.3 million in restitution and forfeiture to the government."
Climate change expert sentenced to 32 months for fraud, says lying was a 'rush'
Climate change expert sentenced to 32 months for fraud, says lying was a 'rush' - NBC News
"The EPA’s highest-paid employee and a leading expert on climate change was sentenced to 32 months in federal prison Wednesday for lying to his bosses and saying he was a CIA spy working in Pakistan so he could avoid doing his real job.
John C. Beale’s crimes were “inexplicable” and “unbelievably egregious," said Judge Ellen Huvelle in imposing the sentence in a Washington. D.C. federal court.
Beale has also agreed to pay $1.3 million in restitution and forfeiture to the government.
Beale said he was ashamed of his lies about working for the CIA, a ruse that, according to court records, began in 2000 and continued until early this year.
“Why did I do this? Greed – simple greed – and I’m ashamed of that greed,” Beale told the court.
He also said it was possible that he got a “rush” and a “sense of excitement" by telling people he was worked for the CIA.
“It was something like an addiction,” he said.
...He also said he used the time "trying to find ways to fine tune the capitalist system" to discourage companies from damaging the environment.
"I spent a lot of time reading on that," said Beale.
...The sentence drew swift reaction from Capitol Hill, including demands from a top Republican for further investigation into the EPA to determine how Beale got away with his fraud for so long.
"The case this morning highlights a massive problem with the EPA," said Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana, ranking Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
He said Beale had stolen taxpayer money under the nose of EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, who for years had been his immediate boss.
...EPA inspector general Arthur Elkins, whose office investigated Beale’s case, said in a statement Wednesday that his office is “actively looking at the EPA’s sloppy internal controls and management actions that enabled Mr. Beale’s frauds to occur…Expect to see the results of more audits from us in the coming months.”
When he first began looking into Beale’s deceptions last February, said EPA Assistant Inspector General Patrick Sullivan, who spearheaded the Beale probe, “I thought, ‘Oh my God, How could this possibly have happened in this agency? … I’ve worked for the government for 35 years. I’ve never seen a situation like this.”
Until he retired in April after learning he was under federal investigation, Beale, an NYU grad with a masters from Princeton, was earning a salary and bonuses of $206,000 a year, making him the highest paid official at the EPA.
He earned more money than the agency’s administrator, Gina McCarthy, according to agency documents.
...For example, one of the reports states, Beale took 33 airplane trips between 2003 and 2011, costing the government $266,190.
On 70 percent of those, he traveled first class and stayed at high end hotels, charging more than twice the government’s allowed per diem limit.
But his expense vouchers were routinely approved by another EPA official, a colleague of Beale’s, whose conduct is now being reviewed by the inspector general, according to congressional investigators briefed on the report..."
"The EPA’s highest-paid employee and a leading expert on climate change was sentenced to 32 months in federal prison Wednesday for lying to his bosses and saying he was a CIA spy working in Pakistan so he could avoid doing his real job.
John C. Beale’s crimes were “inexplicable” and “unbelievably egregious," said Judge Ellen Huvelle in imposing the sentence in a Washington. D.C. federal court.
Beale has also agreed to pay $1.3 million in restitution and forfeiture to the government.
Beale said he was ashamed of his lies about working for the CIA, a ruse that, according to court records, began in 2000 and continued until early this year.
“Why did I do this? Greed – simple greed – and I’m ashamed of that greed,” Beale told the court.
He also said it was possible that he got a “rush” and a “sense of excitement" by telling people he was worked for the CIA.“It was something like an addiction,” he said.
...He also said he used the time "trying to find ways to fine tune the capitalist system" to discourage companies from damaging the environment.
"I spent a lot of time reading on that," said Beale.
...The sentence drew swift reaction from Capitol Hill, including demands from a top Republican for further investigation into the EPA to determine how Beale got away with his fraud for so long.
"The case this morning highlights a massive problem with the EPA," said Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana, ranking Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
He said Beale had stolen taxpayer money under the nose of EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, who for years had been his immediate boss.
...EPA inspector general Arthur Elkins, whose office investigated Beale’s case, said in a statement Wednesday that his office is “actively looking at the EPA’s sloppy internal controls and management actions that enabled Mr. Beale’s frauds to occur…Expect to see the results of more audits from us in the coming months.”
When he first began looking into Beale’s deceptions last February, said EPA Assistant Inspector General Patrick Sullivan, who spearheaded the Beale probe, “I thought, ‘Oh my God, How could this possibly have happened in this agency? … I’ve worked for the government for 35 years. I’ve never seen a situation like this.”
Until he retired in April after learning he was under federal investigation, Beale, an NYU grad with a masters from Princeton, was earning a salary and bonuses of $206,000 a year, making him the highest paid official at the EPA.
He earned more money than the agency’s administrator, Gina McCarthy, according to agency documents.
...For example, one of the reports states, Beale took 33 airplane trips between 2003 and 2011, costing the government $266,190.
On 70 percent of those, he traveled first class and stayed at high end hotels, charging more than twice the government’s allowed per diem limit.
But his expense vouchers were routinely approved by another EPA official, a colleague of Beale’s, whose conduct is now being reviewed by the inspector general, according to congressional investigators briefed on the report..."
History for December 26
History for December 26 - On-This-Day.com:
Charles Babbage 1792- Mathematician and inventor, he is regarded as the pioneer of modern computers., Goerge Dewey 1837, Mao Zedong (Tse-tung) 1893- Chinese statesman
Richard Widmark 1914 - Actor, Steve Allen 1921 - Comedian, actor, composer. First host of "The Tonight Show." Films: The Benny Goodman Story (1955), The Comic (1969), Casino (1995). Scores: A Man Called Dagger (1968) and the CBS musical Alice in Wonderland (1985)., Alan King 1927 - Actor, comedian, producer: Films: Enemies, A Love Story and Casino
1776 - The British suffered a major defeat in the Battle of Trenton during the American Revolutionary War.
1865 - The coffee percolator was patented by James H. Mason.
1956 - Fidel Castro attempted a secret landing in Cuba to overthrow the Batista regime. All but 11 of his supporters were killed.
1982 - The Man of the Year in "TIME" magazine was a computer. It was the first time a non-human received the honors.
1991 - The Soviet Union's parliament formally voted the country out of existence.
1996 - Six-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey was found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, CO.
2002 - The first cloned human baby was born. The announcement was made the December 27 by Clonaid.
2004 - Under the Indian Ocean, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake sent 500-mph waves across the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal. The tsunami killed at least 283,000 people in a dozen countries, including Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Sumatra, Thailand and India.
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