Month: May 2016

Stephen Moore: EPA Passing ‘Regulations Intentionally Designed to Shut Down Our Domestic Energy Industry’

“It’s not that complicated” to reinvigorate the American economy and fuel a game-changing economic revolution through energy policy, author Stephen Moore told Breitbart News Daily SiriusXM host Stephen K. Bannon while discussing his latest book, Fueling Freedom: Exposing the Mad War on Energy, written with Kathleen Hartnett White. “All we really have to do is get the government out of the way.” The description of the book states: ” Fossil fuel energy is the lifeblood of the modern world. Before the Industrial Revolution, humanity depended on burning wood and candle wax. But with the ability to harness the energy in oil and other fossil fuels, quality of life and capacity for progress increased exponentially. Thanks to incredible innovations in the energy industry, fossil fuels are as promising, safe, and clean an energy resource as has ever existed in history. Yet, highly politicized climate policies are pushing a grand-scale shift to unreliable, impractical, incredibly expensive, and far less efficient energy sources. Today, “fossil fuel” has become such a dirty word that even fossil fuel companies feel compelled to apologize for their products. In Fueling Freedom, energy experts Stephen Moore and Kathleen Hartnett White make an unapologetic case for fossil fuels, turning around progressives’ protestations to prove that if fossil fuel energy is supplanted by “green” alternatives for political reasons, humanity will take a giant step backwards and the planet will be less safe, less clean, and less free.” Moore said, “Let’s build the pipelines. The private sector wants to build pipelines. Let them do that. We should put some restraints on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); they’re passing these regulations that are intentionally designed to shut down our domestic energy industry.” He added, “Can you imagine another country doing that to themselves? That’s economic masochism. And then, finally, we should allow drilling on non-environmentally sensitive public lands.” Moore and White estimate that the U.S. government is sitting on $50 trillion in recoverable oil and gas resources. There’s additional work and information regarding Moore via Heritage: Stephen Moore, who formerly wrote on the economy and public policy for The Wall Street Journal, is the Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Project for Economic Growth, at The Heritage Foundation. Moore, who also was a member of The Journal’s editorial board, returned to Heritage in January 2014 — about 25 years after his tenure as the leading conservative think tank’s Grover M. Hermann Fellow in Budgetary Affairs from 1984 to 1987.

Archaeologists think they’ve found Aristotle’s tomb

Nearly 2,400 years after his death, archaeologists believe they’ve finally found the tomb of Aristotle. Researchers made the discovery during a 20-year dig in the ancient Greek city of Stagira, reports Atlas Obscura. Aristotle was born there in 384 BC, but he died in a different city, Chalcis, about 50 miles north of Athens. Literary sources mention that Aristotle’s remains were moved to Stagira after his death, but his burial site has been a topic of debate for many years, the International Business Times reports. The tomb in Stagira believed to be the philosopher’s is a 32-foot-tall dome with a marble floor and views of the entire city. “The thing is, the archaeologist data is in fine accordance with historical sources,” archaeologist Konstantinos Sismanidis tells CNN. The tomb appears to have been built quickly and later fancied up, reports the Greek Reporter, which has photos. The structure was destroyed in later years by the Byzantines, who built a tower on top of it. Aristotle is seen as “the first genuine scientist in human history,” as Raw Story puts it, studying under Plato and tutoring Alexander the Great. And he’s believed to be the author of more than 200 works This article originally appeared on Newser: Aristotle’s Tomb May Have Finally Been Discovered

Very cool!! 🙂

Appeals Court Delivers Devastating Blow to Cellphone-Privacy Advocates

Courts across the country are grappling with a key question for the information age: When law enforcement asks a company for cellphone records to track location data in an investigation, is that a search under the Fourth Amendment? By a 12-3 vote, appellate court judges in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday ruled that it is not — and therefore does not require a warrant. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld what is known as the third-party doctrine: a legal theory suggesting that consumers who knowingly and willingly surrender information to third parties therefore have “no reasonable expectation of privacy” in that information — regardless of how much information there is, or how revealing it is. Research clearly shows that cell-site location data collected over time can reveal a tremendous amount of personal information — like where you live, where you work, when you travel, who you meet with, and who you sleep with. And it’s impossible to make a call without giving up your location to the cellphone company. “Supreme Court precedent mandates this conclusion,” Judge Diana Motz wrote in the majority opinion. “For the Court has long held that an individual enjoys no Fourth Amendment protection ‘in information he voluntarily turns over to [a] third part[y].’” The quote was from the 1979 Supreme Court case Smith v. Maryland. The 5th, 6th, and 11th circuits have reached the same conclusion. However, there’s been a lot of disagreement within the lower courts and among privacy advocates that the third-party doctrine is consistent with the way people live their lives in the digital age — primarily on their cellphones. A three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit in fact first ruled last August that getting cell-site records in bulk did constitute a search, triggering a warrant requirement. In the case, United States v. Graham, the government obtained 221 days’ worth of records belonging to a robbery suspect in Baltimore. The panel’s opinion relied heavily on a separate legal theory, called mosaic theory, to come to that conclusion: the argument that even if one instance of evidence gathering doesn’t count as a search, asking for a large number of data points can eventually amount to one. For a while, it looked like there might be a split in the lower courts that would require the Supreme Court to reconsider the third-party doctrine. But now that the 4th Circuit has ruled, that seems less likely. Privacy advocates were disappointed:

Yeah.. No kidding.. To read the rest of this article, click on the text above.

How to hire a contractor

Do your due diligence before hiring your contractor. Price should not be the only factor when making the final decision on who will build your dream home. Your home is where you spend most of your time, and you don’t want poor quality construction details staring you in the face, day after day. Make sure you take the proper steps before choosing a contractor.

To see those steps from Gillian Lazanik over at houzz, click on the text above. 🙂

Starnes: Ohio High school students defy atheists, recite Lord’s Prayer at graduation

It was the best kept secret in East Liverpool, Ohio. Just moments before the graduation ceremony at East Liverpool High School on Sunday, the senior class gathered in a nearby auditorium. Together, they decided to do something that would make national headlines. The week before students learned they would no longer be allowed to perform “The Lord’s Prayer” – a graduation tradition dating back some 70 years. The school district banned the song after the Freedom From Religion Foundation complained that “The Lord’s Prayer” violated the U.S. Constitution and promoted religion.” Fearing a possible lawsuit, the district dropped the tradition – which seemed to appease the group of perpetually-offended atheists, agnostics and free-thinkers from Wisconsin. You can read more about these loathsome bullies in my best-selling book “God Less America.” The school district’s decision devastated the entire community — especially students in the high school’s esteemed music program. “It breaks my heart,” choir director Lisa Ensinger told me. “Our students are really sad.” It appeared a cherished tradition would be eradicated to satisfy the bloodlust of a bunch of out-of-town bullies. And that brings me back to the senior class – gathered in that room last Sunday. They were lining up to march when some of them began talking about that long time tradition – now outlawed. “Pretty much everyone was in agreement,” senior Bobby Hill told me. The graduating class had decided to defy the Freedom From Religion Foundation. “The class thought it was wrong that we were being forced to remove it,” Bobby said. Bobby’s father was sitting in the bleachers inside the gymnasium when he received a text message from his son. “He told me when and how they were going to do it,” Mr. Hill told me. “I was thrilled to find out.” Just after the valedictorian welcomed the crowd, the seniors stood to their feet and began committing an act of disobedience. “Our Father which art in Heaven…” “I was very proud to see the youth, our future leaders, decide to stand up for what they believed in,” Mr. Hill said. “I can’t lie—I teared up.” It was an emotional moment – a poignant example of Americans standing up for what they know to be true – for what they know to be right. “I’ve always taught my two boys to stand up for what you believe is right,” Mr. Hill said. “The same lesson my parents taught me. It doesn’t matter if it’s over religion or something else – take a stand.” Technically, the graduation class did not break any rules. They were ordered not to sing “The Lord’s Prayer.” The school district did not say anything about reciting “The Lord’s Prayer.” Clever, kids. Meanwhile, back in Wisconsin those meddling menaces from the Freedom From Religion Foundation are muttering under the breath, “Curses, foiled again.” -Todd Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary, heard on hundreds of radio stations. His latest book is “God Less America: Real Stories From the Front Lines of the Attack on Traditional Values.” Follow Todd on Twitter@ToddStarnes and find him on Facebook

“Clever kids,” indeed!  Thanks for sharing, Todd!     🙂

IRS took $43M from Americans under ‘structuring’ law without evidence

The IRS has seized $43 million from more than 600 individuals by accusing them of violating “structuring” laws even when there has been no evidence of criminal wrongdoing, according to testimony heard at the House Ways and Means Committee today. In 2012, two armed IRS agents went to the farm of Randy Sowers, a dairy farmer for over three decades, to notify him that the IRS had seized the business’ bank account, which held more than $60,000. The agents told Sowers the IRS had done so because of structuring laws. When an individual conducts a cash transaction in excess of $10,000, according to federal law, the bank must file a currency transaction report with the Treasury Department. It is unlawful for an individual to break up or “structure” cash deposits into amounts below $10,000 to avoid federal currency reporting. “At that point, I had never before heard the term ‘structuring,’ and I had no idea that depositing cash in the bank could even potentially be a federal crime,” Sowers said. “Nobody from the bank or the government warned me that under-$10,000 bank deposits could lead to the seizure of our bank account. Indeed, nobody from the government contacted me about our bank deposits until after they seized our bank account.” “I was shocked that the government would even consider bringing criminal charges when I had done nothing wrong,” Sowers said. “The IRS agents who came to the farm told me that the judge who approved the seizure had given them the authority to take anything up to $243,455—the amount of cash deposited in the account over a period of eight months.”

Holy crap!!  This sort of thing should NEVER happen in America!!  The IRS has gotten WAY out of control, and it is time that it was abolished altogether.  To read the rest of this shocking story, click on the text above.  Awful..

Milo: Google’s Disgraceful Memorial Day Dodge

That most curious of American holidays which acts as both a cookout-fueled celebration of the beginning of summer and a sombre remembrance of the men who sacrificed all to maintain our freedom was all but ignored on Google’s homepage. Why? This is the website that has a special logo (called a Doodle) for everything. Whether it is Independence Day in Jordan or the start of the hundreth Tour of Flanders, Google has a special logo to celebrate it. Of course all the stops are pulled out for Earth Day, that most holy of liberal holidays. Google also commonly creates Doodles to celebrate the birthdays of important people. Sometimes their selections are a bit dodgy, with most of their userbase having to Google the honorees to find out why they deserve to be highlighted on the homepage of the Internet. Take for instance Samaun Samadikun, Indonesia’s most important scientist but hardly a household name. In other cases their selections go beyond obscure into the liberal wacko category. You will remember our coverage just two weeks ago on Google’s tribute to Yuri Kochiyama, an extremist who considered Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, and Osama Bin Laden to be swell guys. I suspect Google’s treatment of Memorial Day was rooted in the desire to please the latte-swilling left that considers Yuri Kochiyama a stunning and brave heroine for the ages. Nothing could be more gauche to them than highlighting America’s freedom and those that died to defend it. Google will be quick to point out that below the search bar they did add an American flag with a yellow ribbon, but it is damning with faint praise. The flag wasn’t even a link- imagine the donations Google could have generated if they had linked to a charity for families of those fallen, or perhaps a charity dedicated to fighting the suicide epidemic among vets? The real shocker isn’t that Google snubbed Memorial Day, but rather that there wasn’t a special logo in honour of Harambe, the prematurely perished primate, late of Cincinnati zoo. Google’s preferred user base were up in arms over the death of the gorilla, killed to save the life of a small child that had worked his way into the beast’s habitat. Perhaps the Google exec in charge of politically-correct Doodles had the day off to relax and grill vegan-friendly cuisine with his or her (or xer) family. By all rights, Google should be celebrating American values and those who died to safeguard them. They print new millionaires by the Google busload, and have defined capitalism in the new Internet age. But their preoccupation with left-wing causes and troubling signs like being the most frequent visitor to the decidedly business-unfriendly Obama White House show that Google, like many companies in Silicon Valley, is a schizophrenic mess of high-octane capitalism and lefty ideology. Google should ask itself some hard questions. Would it exist but for those who that sacrificed all for America? Would the advances in technology that resulted from military hardware and eventually enabled Google have happened strictly in the civilian world? If so, when? Would Sergey Brin, Google co-founder and a Russian immigrant, have even been born, or would his family have joined the millions of Russian civilians that perished in World War II? Brin himself at least at one point understood everything he owed to America and by extension its veterans and those who died for their country. According to a Moment Magazine profile from 2007, Brin witnessed the USSR. in its death throes during a 1990 trip with his father. He told his dad “Thank you for taking us all out of Russia”. As a youth Brin, recognized that America, made great by veterans, those who fell in the line of duty, and Americans whose freedom was ensured by those two groups, presented a world of opportunity that the old world did not. The fact that he took advantage of that opportunity to create Google is an immigrant success story as old as the country itself. Google has a few months before Veteran’s Day, which will give them another opportunity to show respect to America’s servicemen. My personal suggestion is that they work with their corporate parent Alphabet to review the ABCs. Here is a head start: B is for Bataan, C is for Chancellorsville, F is for Fallujah, and K is for Khe Sanh. If you need more, just ask a vet where they saw action and, just as importantly, who they lost. -Follow Milo Yiannopoulos (@Nero) on Twitter and Facebook. Android users can download Milo Alert! to be notified about new articles when they are published. Hear him every Friday on The Milo Yiannopoulos Show. Write to Milo at milo@breitbart.com

Well said, Milo!!    🙂