9/11 | Babalú Blog

The silence of Pope Francis in the midst of violent repression in Cuba is deafening

September 22, 2015 by Alberto de la Cruz

Despite the cracked skulls and beating of defenseless Catholic women, Pope Francis is determined to not insult his hosts in Cuba.

Via The Wall Street Journal:

Cuban Dissidents Sidelined During Pope Visit

Some members of opposition groups say government kept them from attending papal events

HAVANA—Cuba’s use of what one dissident leader calls a policy of “low-intensity” repression to keep a few political opponents from going to papal events Sunday threatens to overshadow a visit by Pope Francis intending to focus on reconciliation.

A small number of dissidents were briefly detained over the weekend when they tried to greet the pope in Havana, where he said mass and met with Cuban leaders Raul and Fidel Castro on Sunday.

Among them was Berta Soler, head of the Ladies in White dissident group, who was twice detained over the weekend as she tried to attend papal events. Another one was Miriam Leiva, an independent Cuban journalist who was also detained twice when she tried to greet the Pope at events in Havana she had been invited to attend.

“We are very few, but why is the government so worried that they repress us so much?” said Elizardo Sánchez, the president of the Cuban Human Rights and National Reconciliation Commission, which monitors human rights violations in the country. His organization estimates that there are about 60 political prisoners in Cuba.

Pope Francis, who on Tuesday celebrated mass in the eastern city of Holguín, has yet to comment on the detentions of the dissidents. So far, he has offered only veiled criticism of Cuba’s tightly controlled society, where first Fidel Castro and now his brother Raul have presided for 56 years.

Continue reading HERE.

Never forget September 11, 2001

September 11, 2014September 11, 2014 by Ziva Sahl

In memoriam.

Gordon McCannel Aamoth. Edelmiro (Ed) Abad. Maria Rose Abad. Andrew Anthony Abate. Vincent Abate. Laurence Christopher Abel. William F. Abrahamson. Richard Anthony Aceto. Erica Van Acker. Heinrich B. Ackermann. Paul Andrew Acquaviva. Christian Adams. Donald L. Adams. Patrick Adams. Shannon Lewis Adams. Stephen Adams. Ignatius Adanga. Christy A. Addamo. Terence E. Adderley. Sophia B. Addo. Lee Adler. Daniel Thomas Afflitto. Emmanuel Afuakwah. Alok Agarwal. Mukul Agarwala. Joseph Agnello. David Scott Agnes. Joao A.D. Aguiar. Lt. Brian G. Ahearn. Jeremiah J. Ahern. Joanne Ahladiotis. Shabbir Ahmed. Terrance Andre Aiken. Godwin Ajala. Gertrude M. Alagero. Andrew Alameno. Margaret Ann (Peggy) Jezycki Alario. Gary Albero. Jon L. Albert. Peter Craig Alderman. Jacquelyn Delaine Aldridge. Grace Alegre-Cua. David D. Alger. Ernest Alikakos. Edward L. Allegretto. Eric Allen. Joseph Ryan Allen. Richard Dennis Allen. Richard Lanard Allen. Christopher Edward Allingham. Anna Williams Allison. Janet M. Alonso. Anthony Alvarado. Antonio Javier Alvarez. Telmo Alvear. Cesar A. Alviar. Tariq Amanullah. Angelo Amaranto. James Amato. Joseph Amatuccio. Paul Ambrose. Christopher Charles Amoroso. Spc. Craig Amundson. Kazuhiro Anai. Calixto Anaya. Jorge Octavio Santos Anaya. Joseph Peter Anchundia. Kermit Charles Anderson. Yvette Anderson. John Andreacchio. Michael Rourke Andrews. Jean A. Andrucki. Siew-Nya Ang. Joseph Angelini. Joseph Angelini. David Angell. Lynn Angell. Laura Angilletta. Doreen J. Angrisani. Lorraine D. Antigua. Seima Aoyama. Peter Paul Apollo. Faustino Apostol. Frank Thomas Aquilino. Patrick Michael Aranyos. David Gregory Arce. Michael G. Arczynski. Louis Arena. Barbara Arestegui. Adam Arias. Michael J. Armstrong. Jack Charles Aron. Joshua Aron. Richard Avery Aronow. Myra Aronson. Japhet J. Aryee. Carl Asaro. Michael A. Asciak. Michael Edward Asher. Janice Ashley. Thomas J. Ashton. Manuel O. Asitimbay. Lt. Gregg Arthur Atlas. Gerald Atwood. James Audiffred. Kenneth W. Van Auken. Louis F. Aversano. Ezra Aviles. Alona Avraham. Ayodeji Awe. Samuel (Sandy) Ayala.

Arlene T. Babakitis. Eustace (Rudy) Bacchus. John James Badagliacca. Jane Ellen Baeszler. Robert J. Baierwalter. Andrew J. Bailey. Brett T. Bailey. Garnet Edward (Ace) Bailey. Tatyana Bakalinskaya. Michael S. Baksh. Sharon Balkcom. Michael Andrew Bane. Kathy Bantis. Gerard Jean Baptiste. Walter Baran. Gerard A. Barbara. Paul V. Barbaro. James W. Barbella. Ivan Kyrillos Fairbanks Barbosa. Victor Daniel Barbosa. Christine Barbuto. Colleen Ann Barkow. David Michael Barkway. Matthew Barnes. Melissa Rose Barnes. Sheila Patricia Barnes. Evan J. Baron. Ana Gloria Pocasangre de Barrera. Renee Barrett-Arjune. Arthur T. Barry. Diane G. Barry. Maurice Vincent Barry. Scott D. Bart. Carlton W. Bartels. Guy Barzvi. Inna Basina. Alysia Basmajian. Kenneth William Basnicki. Lt. Steven J. Bates. Paul James Battaglia. W. David Bauer. Ivhan Luis Carpio Bautista. Marlyn C. Bautista. Mark Bavis. Jasper Baxter. Lorraine G. Bay. Michele (Du Berry) Beale. Todd Beamer. Paul F. Beatini. Jane S. Beatty. Alan Beaven. Larry I. Beck. Manette Marie Beckles. Carl John Bedigian. Michael Beekman. Maria Behr. (Retired) Master Sgt. Max Beilke. Yelena Belilovsky. Nina Patrice Bell. Andrea Della Bella. Debbie S. Bellows. Stephen Elliot Belson. Paul Michael Benedetti. Denise Lenore Benedetto. Bryan Craig Bennett. Eric L. Bennett. Oliver Duncan Bennett. Margaret L. Benson. Dominick J. Berardi. James Patrick Berger. Steven Howard Berger. John P. Bergin. Alvin Bergsohn. Daniel D. Bergstein. Graham Andrew Berkeley. Michael J. Berkeley. Donna Bernaerts-Kearns. David W. Bernard. William Bernstein. David M. Berray. David S. Berry. Joseph J. Berry. William Reed Bethke. Yeneneh Betru. Timothy D. Betterly. Carolyn Beug. Edward F. Beyea. Paul Michael Beyer. Anil T. Bharvaney. Bella Bhukhan. Shimmy D. Biegeleisen. Peter Alexander Bielfeld. William Biggart. Brian Bilcher. Mark K. Bingham. Carl Vincent Bini. Gary Bird. Joshua David Birnbaum. George Bishop. Kris Romeo Bishundat. Jeffrey D. Bittner. Balewa Albert Blackman. Christopher Joseph Blackwell. Carrie Blagburn. Susan L. Blair. Harry Blanding. Janice L. Blaney. Craig Michael Blass. Rita Blau. Richard M. Blood. Michael A. Boccardi. John Paul Bocchi. Michael L. Bocchino. Susan Mary Bochino. Deora Frances Bodley. Bruce Douglas (Chappy) Boehm. Mary Katherine Boffa. Nicholas A. Bogdan. Darren C. Bohan. Lawrence Francis Boisseau. Vincent M. Boland. Touri Bolourchi. Alan Bondarenko. Andre Bonheur. Colin Arthur Bonnett. Frank Bonomo. Yvonne L. Bonomo. Sean Booker. Kelly Ann Booms. Lt. Col. Canfield D. Boone. Mary Jane (MJ) Booth. Sherry Ann Bordeaux. Krystine C. Bordenabe. Martin Boryczewski. Richard E. Bosco. Klaus Bothe. Carol Bouchard. John Howard Boulton. Francisco Bourdier. Thomas H. Bowden. Donna Bowen. Kimberly S. Bowers. Veronique (Bonnie) Nicole Bowers. Larry Bowman. Shawn Edward Bowman. Kevin L. Bowser. Gary R. Box. Gennady Boyarsky. Pamela Boyce. Allen Boyle. Michael Boyle. Alfred Braca. Sandra Conaty Brace. Kevin H. Bracken. Sandra W. Bradshaw. David Brian Brady. Alexander Braginsky. Nicholas W. Brandemarti. Daniel R. Brandhorst. David Reed Gamboa Brandhorst. Michelle Renee Bratton. Patrice Braut. Lydia Estelle Bravo. Ronald Michael Breitweiser. Edward A. Brennan. Frank H. Brennan. Michael Emmett Brennan. Peter Brennan. Thomas M. Brennan. Capt. Daniel Brethel. Gary L. Bright. Jonathan Eric Briley. Mark A. Brisman. Paul Gary Bristow. Victoria Alvarez Brito. Marion Britton. Mark Francis Broderick. Herman C. Broghammer. Keith Broomfield. Bernard Curtis Brown. Capt. Patrick J. Brown. Janice J. Brown. Lloyd Brown. Bettina Browne. Mark Bruce. Richard Bruehert. Andrew Brunn. Capt. Vincent Brunton. Ronald Paul Bucca. Brandon J. Buchanan. Greg Joseph Buck. Dennis Buckley. Nancy Bueche. Patrick Joseph Buhse. John E. Bulaga. Stephen Bunin. Christopher Lee Burford. Capt. William F. Burke. Matthew J. Burke. Thomas Daniel Burke. Charles Burlingame. Donald James Burns. Kathleen A. Burns. Keith James Burns. John Patrick Burnside. Irina Buslo. Milton Bustillo. Thomas M. Butler. Patrick Byrne. Timothy G. Byrne.

Why didn’t Pres Obama address the nation about the military action in Africa?

October 7, 2013 by Silvio Canto Jr.

Looking for President Obama!

Maybe I got spoiled watching presidents from Nixon to GW Bush. I really want our president to go on TV and tell us about military operations and their objectives. We deserve it, specially those of us with sons in the military.

Over the weekend, the Navy Seals attacked terrorist targets in Africa.

Again, where was President Obama? Why didn’t he make a brief statement on TV?

Perhaps President Obama does not want to talk about the new war developing in Africa.

This is not the Al Qaeda that we heard about during the 2012 campaign:

“The Administration has seemed reluctant to act forcefully against al Qaeda in Africa lest it undermine President Obama’s claim that the terror network is defeated. The raids are a tacit admission that Mr. Obama has been overselling victory, but we’re nonetheless glad to see the U.S. going back on offense.”

Al Qaeda is alive and well. It’s time for President Obama to admit it publicly and tell us that we are back on offense.

We need to be on offense against terrorists.

I hope that we are taking these latest captured terrorists to GITMO for a little Q&A. No Miranda rights!

Benghazi: The Other 9/11 Anniversary

September 11, 2013 by drillanwr

As we remember September 11, 2001, let us now include those victims of last year’s September 11, 2012 terror attack in Benghazi, Libya while representing and working for the United States of America under the Obama administration:

U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens

U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith

Former U.S. Navy SEAL Glen Doherty

Former U.S. Navy SEAL Tyrone S. Woods

In addition are those 30 other American staff/workers survivors those men named above bravely fought for, until the end of their own lives, to lay down protective cover so that they could make an escape from the violence, fire, and death … and now are being threatened and gagged by the Obama administration to prevent them from telling their stories to the American people and to the U.S. Congress still investigating this terror attack on our embassy venue in Benghazi, Libya. Aside from all the pre-attack, attack and post attack unanswered question that remain, the core question of exactly why we were there and what we were doing burns hot among the smoldering embers.

It has officially been a year and the Obama administration has not told the truth about what led-up to that night a year ago, what and why it happened, and why they have been covering-up the facts for a year after initially compounding lies and false blame…

MORE:

IBD: One Year Later — No Justice For The Benghazi Four

CNS News: Benghazi One Year Later: WH Still Pledging to Bring Attackers to Justice

Washington Times: A year later, White House vows justice for Benghazi attackers

In Memoriam, 9/11

September 12, 2013September 11, 2013 by Val Prieto

This post will remain on top all day. Please scroll down for other stories.

In memoriam.

Getting Tangled in The Shyster Lawyer’s Fishing Line

May 13, 2013May 13, 2013 by drillanwr

Let me preface my post by saying that, yes, the Obama administration’s “talking points” editing on Benghazi are important. This entire administration, from the top down, intentionally and continually lied to the American people. Without the willingness of the MSM to participate and take this administration’s word for everything this would not have stood all these last eight months. And now the MSM appear pathetic and frustrated as they discover, question, catch-up, and painfully opine, yet, set their attention now on saving Hillary Clinton’s bacon for 2016. However, lost in this are the bigger points that still need addressed. The “Stand Down” order that kept military defenses from trying to reach our people under attack on 9/11/12 in Benghazi, and that only … ONLY … the Commander-in-Chief could have given. That is the primary issue. The “talking points” redacting is even third to the fact the State Department completely ignored Amb. Stevens’s repeated warnings for weeks that the security situation in the Benghazi area was deteriorating, and his requests for more security to be assigned to the American diplomatic holdings there were denied. Other nations, including ours, had sustained attacks prior to the deadly attack on 9/11/12, some of those other nations pulling their diplomatic personnel out of the volatile area as a result of those attacks. Why were our people still there, and with little dependable and trustworthy security, and on the anniversary of 9/11/01? The “talking points”, while a distraction from the major issues within this terror attack, are important as well because their intent was/is to hide those power points.

Since the Benghazi whistleblowers testified, and contradicted the White House narrative, the Obama-ops and talking-heads have been out claiming/insisting Obama called Benghazi “terrorism” the day after the 9/11/12 attack on our compound there. Mmm-kay, so why then did Obama and Clinton keep pushing the video for weeks and months, if that were true? This video that appears nowhere in the un-edited or the edited versions of the email exchanges. Nowhere in his day-after statement did Obama say the Benghazi attack(s) were “terrorism”. As a matter of fact, as the transcript shows (not counting his “Good morning” opening), these are paragraphs 4 & 5 of his statement (SoS Hillary Clinton by his side) on the attack:

The United States condemns in the strongest terms this outrageous and shocking attack. We’re working with the government of Libya to secure our diplomats. I’ve also directed my administration to increase our security at diplomatic posts around the world. And make no mistake, we will work with the Libyan government to bring to justice the killers who attacked our people.

Since our founding, the United States has been a nation that respects all faiths. We reject all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others.

Clearly his reference to ‘respecting all faiths’ and ‘rejecting all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others’ were alluding to the offensive anti-Muhammad video Obama, Clinton, and others would repeatedly cite as the cause of the spontaneous protest in Benghazi. And this is the first sentence of paragraph 6 which points back to paragraph five’s scolding of the Muhammad video:

But there is absolutely no justification for this type of senseless violence…

These are paragraphs 11, 12 & 13. The word “terror” is mentioned only once throughout the entire text of the statement in paragraph 13 (there are 16 – counting his closing sign-off remark), and it follows 11 & 12 that primarily discuss the anniversary of the 9/11/01 attacks and the troops (and their families) who have fought and died/were wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, Benghazi being mentioned as an after-thought in this section of Obama’s statement:

I have no doubt that their legacy will live on through the work that they did far from our shores and in the hearts of those who loved them back home. Of course, yesterday was already a painful day for our nation as we marked the solemn memory of the 9/11 attacks. We mourn with the families who were lost on that day. I visited the graves of troops who made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan at the hallowed grounds of Arlington Cemetery, and had the opportunity to say thank you and visit some of our wounded warriors at Walter Reed. And then last night we learned the news of this attack in Benghazi.

As Americans let us never, ever forget that our freedom is only sustained because there are people who are willing to fight for it, to stand up for it, and in some cases lay down their lives for it. Our country is only as strong as the character of our people and the service of those, both civilian and military, who represent us around the globe.

No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for.

It is a classic Obama dangling-factoid that can be argued both as, “No, he never called Benghazi ‘terrorism'” and (as they are now) “Yes, Obama called Benghazi ‘terrorism’ the day after the attack” … positioned just the right way within his statement so as to be able to swing either way by not being directly committed to or connected to any one specific subject within the rest of the vague context. He does this consistently with every statement/speech he reads to the American people. He commits to nothing. It is pure Obama “voting present” shyster-lawyer-style, generalizing so as to be able to be argued either way when called on it … as they are now.

Benghazi: The Writing Is On The Wall

May 9, 2013 by drillanwr

After Wednesday’s Benghazi hearing with the whistleblowers it is obvious there is way more there there with this story waiting to be uncovered. Today Speaker John Boehner has called for the release of the emails between the State Department and White House regarding Susan Rice’s talking points four days before her Sunday show tour.

There are two good summations (and more) of the whistleblowers Benghazi hearing in the House yesterday. Have a look to get caught up:

Hotair: “Benghazi – what’s new”

The Blaze: “Here Are the 5 Key Things to Take Away From Wednesday’s Benghazi Hearing”

CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER:

It’s clear the ambassador himself who was slain is the one who was really begging for more security. Everybody understands it was rated as a facility that was extremely insecure. That’s one element.

The other element is at the time of the attack, what happened? And I would ask another question, where was the commander in chief in all of this? The one man who can authorize and order troops to move above everybody and instantly is commander in chief. Where was he for these hours when the fight was raging? Has anybody asked it? Has anybody answered that? (Special Report, May 8, 2013)

The democrats questioning the Benghazi whistleblowers yesterday were in full and shamelessly obvious CYA mode for the administration, and quite frankly were so despicable and disgusting at it that even FOX News contributor (liberal democrat) Kirsten Powers ripped them a new one last night on Bill O’Reilly’s show. So, how bad were the democrats on the committee?

“This Could Be the Weirdest Exchange from Wednesday’s Benghazi Hearing”

House Democrat Eleanor Holmes Norton On Beghazi: “What’s The Big Deal Here?”…

After slamming the media for giving any attention to the counter-points of the White House Benghazi narrative preaching to the whistleblowers that they need to accept “death is a part of life” and that their duty now is to “protect their fellow State Department employees”, Rep. Elijah Cummings continues to push the lie the Benghazi deaths can be blamed on GOP budget cuts.

And what would this all be without the MSM’s complicity in it?

Greg Gutfeld: “The media is Obama’s scandal condom.”

PJM: “The MSM and Benghazi: Will Their Coverage Harm Obama Administration?”

Mark Levin goes nuclear over the media’s Benghazi coverage (audio).

MRC: “Fox News Channel Viewers Get to See 108 Minutes of Live Benghazi Hearings; MSNBC? Nothing” (Let me just say that during the Reagan administration’s “Iran-Contra” investigation I recall the alphabet networks dumping regular afternoon programing to cover the Congressional hearings.)

Breitbart: “Rubio Hammers Hillary, Congratulates Fox News on Benghazi”

Reason: “Benghazi Hall of Shame”

As I have continually pointed out, CBS News investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson has been the lead grave-digger in this MSM-buried story on Benghazi. Her own network has gone into self-preservation mode, and is now declaring Attkisson’s journalism has become an “advocacy”…

CBS News executives see Attkisson wading dangerously close to advocacy on the issue, network sources have told POLITICO. Attkisson can’t get some of her stories on the air, and is thus left feeling marginalized and underutilized.

Given the unfolding and glaring “conflict of interest” between the CBS News leadership and the White House speech writer, I think this is CBS’s lame-assed attempt at pre-“firing” Attkisson, in order to demonize her and painting themselves as victims of her work/professional ethic. I believe they are also setting it up, and bloodying her up, so that none of the other alphabet networks (probably with their blessing) will offer her a position, and then ONLY FOX News will hire her. CBS can then say, ‘SEE! She’s a rightwing anti-Obama hack! We knew it! She’s working for the GOP!!!’ THIS is exactly what happens when the MSM completely forsakes their own journalistic craft and responsibility for political agenda promotion. Bernie Goldberg is right … the MSM is so into the liberal/left mind-set and agenda they are completely unaware of how lost they really have become. I am trying to come up with a term for it, like “Stockholm Syndrome”, because right now they have painted themselves into such a narrow corner with Obama that they now fear any dissention(s) they might voice to the White House talking points will result in the sort of blow-torching FOX News has been enduring for the last 5-6 years. Given CBS’s low-ratings you might think they would try to save themselves and pull themselves out of the fire, and use Sharyl Attkisson as their Joan of Arc. But no. Well, perhaps they will. Recall what the French did with/to their own Joan of Arc when they were finished with her.

Benghazi for Dummies

May 6, 2013 by drillanwr

Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit calls this weekend’s CBS report on Benghazi “DEVASTATING!” … The people who are actually seriously looking at the Benghazi timeline and the following cover-up by the Obama administration at the highest seats know that if this were a republican administration the MSM would not only be calling for a Watergate-like impeachment (and “frog-marching”) right now, but would not have sat on this story during the 2012 election cycle…

Throughout the night, sources say Americans on the ground in Libya at times felt helpless and abandoned.

“We relied on Washington for dispassionate assessment,” one eyewitness told CBS News. “Instead, they [Washington officials] were asking us what help we needed. We answered: ‘Send reinforcements!’ ”

But they were told immediate help wasn’t available.

Embassy personnel say they repeatedly asked the Defense Attache on site in Tripoli for military assistance.

“Isn’t there anything available?” one Embassy official says he asked. “But the answer was ‘no.’”

“What about Aviano?” the official pressed, referencing the NATO air base with US assets in northeastern Italy. “No,” was the answer.

Two of the four Americans killed that night died hours after the first attack began…

…Counterterrorism sources and internal emails reviewed by CBS News express frustration that key responders were ready to deploy, but were not called upon to help in the attack. National Security Council Spokesman Tommy Vietor told CBS News the CSG was not needed.

(Emphisis Hoft’s)

You can read the full CBS report by the tireless Sharyl Attkisson here.

How deep and bad has the Benghazi cover-up been? The State Department’s Benghazi investigation panel is now under investigation…

The hearings with the “whistleblowers” in front of Congress are schedulaed for this Wednesday at 11:00 a.m., and will be live-fed on C-SPAN. Some of the testimony will involve “then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a key aide effectively tried to cut the department’s own counterterrorism bureau out of the chain of reporting and decision-making”. Oh, and since the proverbial cat-is-out-of-the-bag, democrats are now throwing Susan Rice under the bus and acting all shocked … or something. One more point, the White House and democrats will now feed the MSM the talking-point that the Benghazi attack was a result of GOP-forced budget cuts the State Department and Hillary Clinton has to deal with. That would be more total bullshit. And neither was some stupid Youtube video to blame. The fact here now is I think it’s safe to speculate that the White House and the MSM are undoubtedly in brain-grinding jam-sessions to find someway to discredit and trash the “whistleblowers” who will be testifying and contradicting the White House’s narrative on Benghazi. Maybe one of them has an over-due library book?

And so, since some confused Americans have not even heard a snippet of information about this terrorist attack on Americans (on the anniversary of the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks), and are unaware the administration’s and the MSM’s deliberate cover-up makes Nixon’s “Watergate” look like a child’s fib over a raided cookie jar, here is a simple starting point to explain what “Benghazi” is:

This is the U.S. Consulate under attack on 9-11-12 in the city of Benghazi, Libya. Four American citizens were murdered, including our Ambassador Christopher Stevens and U.S. Foreign Service Officer Sean Smith. It is where former Navy SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty disobeyed the order to “STAND DOWN” and not fight back as they fought for over seven hours to defend our soil there, giving their lives so that 30 of our people could escape with their lives…

This is veteran American actor (the late) Ben Gazzara … THIS is not Benghazi.

UPDATE: “Fans” and “fecal matter” comes to mind…

“Breaking: Sharyl Attkisson tweets reveal Obama admin lies; US Special Forces stopped from going to Benghazi; Update: ‘Might have saved American lives’”

Sharyl Attkisson @ CBS News: “Diplomat: U.S. Special Forces told “you can’t go” to Benghazi during attacks”

Benghazi: The Impeachy-Keen Cover-Up That Just Won’t Die

May 4, 2013May 4, 2013 by drillanwr

According to White House Press Sec. Jay Carney the other day when somebody from FOX News dared ask a question regarding Benghazi at the daily press briefing, “Benghazi happened a long time ago”. In the Obama Administration Thesaurus that equals then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s “What difference does it make?!?” outburst in front of Congress a couple months ago. That’s just wonderful if you are not the family of either of the four dead Americans (or current U.S. diplomats, and/or their the families, in dangerous posts around the globe), but the administration (and its media) that just wants it to go away.

Doug Ross offers, “DAMNING: The Complete Benghazi Timeline in Spreadsheet Format”. Go to the link to see the entire spreadsheet. WOW!

It is now clear to me that:

a) Hillary Clinton lied under oath to Congress.

b) Barack Obama went to sleep knowing that a U.S. Ambassador and other Americans were under terrorist attack.

c) Barack Obama awoke refreshed the next day to begin fundraising.

d) The entire Executive Branch lied repeatedly to the American people to save Obama’s chances for reelection.

Could someone drag John Boehner out of whatever bar he’s in, wake him up, and let him know: There is more than enough material for impeachment proceedings to begin and criminal charges levied against Hillary Clinton.

Ross linked to this report from PJM’s Roger Simon

On October 27th, 2012, only days before the presidential election, I wrote:

If Barack Obama is reelected, will he face impeachment over Benghazi — a yet more unpleasant and far more wrenching result than to lose an election?

It could happen — and in my estimation should happen — the way revelations are playing out over the bloody terror attack that took four American lives and has led to weeks of prevarication and obfuscation. […]

That post was a follow-up to my item from the previous week saying that Obama should resign over Benghazi, which was linked to by Drudge, and created a minor brouhaha. Between those two posts, a number of people accused me of being overheated. I even started to feel that way myself. (Hey, I’m a screenwriter. Dramatic license comes with the job description.)

No longer. Reading Stephen F. Hayes’ new article in The Weekly Standard — “The Benghazi Talking Points” — I am beginning to feel like Nostradamus. I’m not ready to make any predictions, but let’s put it this way…

Barack Obama is bloody lucky he’s a Democrat, because if he were a Republican, he’d be in deep trouble right now, close to the brink of extinction. Only his increasingly pathetic loyal media claque can save him. It will be interesting to see if they do so at the expense of their own reputations.

Read in full…

Three whistleblowers (those who managed to escape death on 9/11/12 from the Benghazi attack, completely because of the former Navy SEALS who stood their ground while repeatedly yelling for help from the administration, and continually being told to “Stand down” … for hours until they were killed) are set to testify at a hearing before Congress next week. The administration is already trying to smudge the reputations of those diligently involved in looking for and demanding the truth. The whistleblowers identities were revealed today.

Ace of Spades HQ also had a nice lay-out of this as it was “Flaming Skull” Breaking News yesterday afternoon, in which Ace put it simply:

“They lied”

What difference does it make?

That’s an odd question– if it made no difference to you, Hillary, why did you lie about it?

It’s a very strange assertion to make that something doesn’t matter if that same person spent hours and hours crafting a lie about that something.

This is not going away because it should not.

P.S.: This post would not be complete without pointing out MSM malpractice. In addition to ignoring the Benghazi story and cover-up all these months, NBC once AGAIN selectively edits and manipulates context of a video in order to push an agenda. This time Joe Biden was speaking at a memorial for the four Americans killed in the Benghazi terror attack. The editors at NBC selectively pulled parts of the video and used it to claim Biden was pushing for more gun control. You can see both the edited and full videos here.

February 26, 1993 (Updated)

February 27, 2013February 26, 2013 by The Universal Spectator

Twenty years ago today, I happened to be in New York City on the last day of a consulting gig with a large international bank. As I left the offices of the bank to walk to my hotel to checkout, I decided to stop for a bite to eat on the way to LaGuardia for my flight. It was a little after noon as I was sitting finishing my meal when I heard all hell break out on the street, the most sirens I had ever heard in my trips to NYC — and that’s saying a lot. Dozens of police, fire trucks, and fire rescue were heading in one direction: downtown. I asked around but nobody seemed to know what was going on; in those pre-internet days the only way to get news was print, radio or TV — and I had a dearth of all three heading to the airport and boarding my flight.

As soon as I was able to, I used a new-fangled toy aboard my flight: an AirFone (remember those?). I called home to find out everybody was worried sick about me and the terrorist attack in New York. Needless to say I was more than a bit shocked and surprised. That terrorist attack was the first attempt to destroy the World Trade Center towers by the blind Sheikh Abdul Rahman and Ramzi Yousef, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s nephew. I don’t remember visiting New York City after that for a long time. It turned out that that day was my last opportunity to see the Twin Towers in all their glory.

I regret it to this day.

Hillary on Causes for Benghazi Attack: “What Difference Does It Make?!?”

January 23, 2013 by drillanwr

Yep, she said that…

So, according to the woman who pushed an innocent video-maker out front as the blame for the Benghazi attack and murders, and then had to climb out over the landslide of mounting evidence to the contrary, the reason we were attacked is not important.

Well, I wonder how the democrats, then Senator Hillary Clinton, and the MSM would have reacted to somebody in the Bush administration for such a disregarding and countering question to the 9/11 Committee?

The democrats on the Senate committee were in full personal praise of Hillary Clinton, and had no real concern for her department’s failures that resulted in the deaths of four Americans.

As I suspected, Sec. Clinton took the Eric Holder low-and-gravel-road of saying she didn’t see/read any alarming memos from Amb. Stevens prior to the Benghazi attack, and his death and the deaths of three other Americans, while on her watch. She, with the help of the democrats on the sitting committee, made claims of budget cuts as being responsible for the lack of security. That contradicts prior testimony from her office…

“It has been suggested that budget cuts are responsible for a lack of security in Benghazi, and I’d like to ask Miss Lamb,” said Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R., Calif.). “You made this decision personally. Was there any budget consideration and lack of budget which lead you not to increase the number of people in the security force there?”

“No, sir,” said Lamb.

Nor did she take responsibility for the talking points Susan Rice used on Sunday TV talk shows shortly after the attack (*BUMP-BUMP*)…

And Sen. Rand Paul reads Hillary a brief list of things her department spent money on, in spite of alleged lack of funding for Benghazi…

Translation: “I would’ve fired your ass…”

And here is another example of more important spending by the State Department (I knew there’d be a way to blame “climate change/global warming” for Benghazi) than security for our ambassador and other Americans hired by our government in a post-overthrown Libya…

In a May 3, 2012, email, the State Department denied a request by a group of Special Forces assigned to protect the U.S. embassy in Libya to continue their use of a DC- 3 airplane for security operations throughout the country.

The subject line of the email, on which slain Ambassador Chris Stevens was copied, read: “Termination of Tripoli DC-3 Support.”

Four days later, on May 7, the State Department authorized the U.S. embassy in Vienna to purchase a $108,000 electric vehicle charging station for the embassy motor pool’s new Chevrolet Volts. The purchase was a part of the State Department’s “Energy Efficiency Sweep of Europe” initiative, which included hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on green program expenditures at various U.S. Embassies.

In fact, at a May 10 gala held at the U.S. embassy in Vienna, the ambassador showcased his new Volts and other green investments as part of the U.S. government’s commitment to “climate change solutions.”

The event posting on the embassy website read: “Celebrating the Greening of the Embassy.”

While the embassy in Vienna was going green, the consulate in Benghazi was getting bombed, and little was done to stop it.

Here is a short list of questions that were NOT asked this morning, but hopefully will be covered by the House GOP this afternoon when they greet Sec. Clinton:

1. Who ordered the “stand down”?
2. Who ordered the “stand down”?
3. Who ordered the “stand down”?
4. Who ordered the “stand down”?
5. Where are the 30 survivors, Sec. Clinton?
6. Where are the 30 survivors, Sec. Clinton?
7. Where are the 30 survivors, Sec. Clinton?
8. Why did you tell one of the parents of one of the fallen Navy SEALS that you would get the director of the video you were holding responsible for their son’s death?

Basically Sec. Hillary Clinton said, This is a hard job, ya know…

Here is my summary of Sec. Clinton’s testimony in front of the Senate committee this morning…

Sec. Clinton’s full testimony transcript here.

MORE: Report: “Some Algeria Attackers Are Placed at Benghazi”

Just as She Prepares to Exit the Administration Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Heads to The Hill…

January 22, 2013 by drillanwr

Tuesday Judicial Watch released a scathing report against the State Department’s and Barack Obama’s actions both before and after the Benghazi attack…

“The September 11, 2012, attack in Benghazi resulted from a wide range of strategic and tactical failures by State Department officials,” according to the report. “Chief among them was the fateful decision to circumvent established security regulations by designating the diplomatic post in Benghazi a ‘Special Mission Compound,’ ignoring repeated requests for additional security resources by Diplomatic Security personnel on the ground.”

The report also criticized the State Department for being “well aware of the escalating violence in Benghazi and the political threat it posed to the U.S mission there.”

The report criticized the president and administration officials for continued insistence that the attack was triggered by “an obscure Internet video.”

“Our concern is that security has taken a back seat to politics at the State Department,” stated Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton in a press release. “The willingness of the State Department and the White House to lie about the Benghazi attack does not inspire confidence that the Benghazi security failures will be seriously addressed. In the meantime, our diplomatic personnel may remain at risk as politicians and bureaucrats avoid accountability.”

A final cable sent to the U.S. State Department in Washington D.C. by Amb. Stevens just hours before his death in Benghazi does not bode well for the Secratery or the State Department as Stevens strongly warned of escalating violence in the area and the untrustworthiness and lack of reliability of the local Libya security assigned to Stevens. And why did the State Department drastically draw down security just as security threats were on the rise months ahead of the Benghazi attack? Some in Congress are looking for a full review of the facts and questions, and expecting answers.

Now we will see how much Sec. Clinton recalls of that night, September 11, 2012, when a U.S. ambassador was being murdered, and three other Americans were being killed while defying orders to “Stand down”, in Benghazi. That is if she doesn’t have a note from her doctor saying she has some amnesia…

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to be on Capitol Hill Wednesday, to give long-awaited testimony about State Department security and the attack that left four Americans dead in Benghazi, Libya.

Clinton, who had to postpone testimony because of health issues, is scheduled to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at 9 a.m. and the House Foreign Affairs Committee at 2 p.m. Wednesday. She will be the only person giving testimony in the hearing called, “Terrorist Attack in Benghazi: The Secretary of State’s View.”

More than four months have passed since an act of terrorism killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans in Libya. Clinton was expected to testify about a report on security failures in Benghazi in December, but first a concussion and then a blood clot near her brain kept the out-going secretary of state away from Capitol Hill.

The report led to the firing of three State Department employees from their posts and one resignation because of ”systemic failures and leadership deficiencies at senior levels in securing the compound.” The departing staff are still on administrative leave, however, meaning they are still State department employees.

More…

Meanwhile CBS investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson, one of the only journalists in the media to dig deep into Obama’s and Holder’s “Fast and Furious”, is losing patience with the Obama administration’s “toxic mixture of silence, prevarication, and obfuscation” in the face of many unanswered questions about Benghazi.

What did Clinton know, and when did she know it?

Since this might be one of Clinton’s last actions while under the administration’s employ, we wonder if, and how much, the MSM will pay attention to and cover this hearing.