Wednesday, January 14, 2015

J.V. Team Cartoon


White House hit for using security as ‘excuse’ for no-show at Paris rally


While the White House points to security concerns as the chief reason why President Obama skipped the anti-terrorism rally in Paris over the weekend, some suggest the Secret Service and his advance team could have made it happen -- if they really tried. 
Instead, critics say the security explanation is being used as an “excuse.” Brad Blakeman, who served on the advance team for George W. Bush’s campaign, said the Secret Service is the “scapegoat” here.
“The president can go wherever he wants to go,” Blakeman said. 
To be sure, presidential travel is a herculean task – particularly for an outdoor, international rally just days after a major terror attack – but it appears little effort was made to explore the possibility of Obama attending the show of unity in Paris, attended by more than 40 world leaders.
A Secret Service official told Fox News that they were not asked or notified about a possible trip to Paris. This coincides with reports that White House aides were caught off guard by the size of the march and didn’t ask the president if he wanted to attend.
So could Obama have dispatched a high-level surrogate? Even the White House acknowledges that should have happened. (Attorney General Eric Holder was in town, but for reasons that aren’t quite clear he returned to Washington instead of attending the rally.)
But could Obama himself have gone?
Possibly, those with experience in presidential travel say.
“There was no more important event than this and if they put their minds to it, the Secret Service and our military could have secured the area,” Blakeman, a top adviser to Bush, told FoxNews.com. “The fact is, we let a friend down and used security as a convenient excuse.”
Blakeman called it “absolute nonsense” that the White House cited security as a reason for Sunday’s no-show.
On Monday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest made the rare concession that “we should have sent someone with a higher profile to be there.”
But he pointed to the short notice for the event and the security apparatus that would come with a presidential visit – and its potential impact on the event itself.
When pressed by reporters on Tuesday, Earnest once again pointed to security concerns but said under different circumstances, “the president would have liked the opportunity to participate in the march, but there were complications.”
Earnest noted the event was organized in 36 hours, took place on foreign soil and was being held outdoors. “Trying to add the president would have had a significant impact because of security in place,” he said.
When asked why Vice President Biden didn’t attend, he pointed to the same logistical considerations.  
But Blakeman said an advance team could have been scrambled “at a moment’s notice.”
“We wouldn’t have to announce we were going ahead of time,” he said. “We’d have planes at our disposal, armored vehicles on the ground. We don’t have to book a flight commercially.”
Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent who ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for Congress last year, said the security explanation is “crap.” He noted that Obama has arranged to travel to large, international gatherings before.
“The Mandela funeral, it was a security disaster but they were able to handle it,” he said, referring to the service for former South African leader Nelson Mandela in 2013.
That’s not to say an Obama visit on 36 hours’ notice wouldn’t be a huge lift for the Secret Service, and potentially cause headaches for the Paris crowd – which the administration claimed was a consideration.
In a statement, the Secret Service said Tuesday “it would have been a challenging advance to have a Secret Service protectee attend the Paris rally based on what we know.”
“Our logistic and security requirements had the potential to affect the planning of the event,” Secret Service spokesman Robert Hoback said.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday defended the White House, saying the Paris rally was a spontaneous event, and presidential travel “is not spontaneous.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did make it to the rally despite the inherent risks in him attending a large-scale gathering. However, he was reportedly asked by French President Francois Hollande not to attend and did anyway.
“As soon as the security problem was resolved, allowing me to come, it was natural that I come here, it was important that I come here, and, therefore, I came,” he claimed.
Secretary of State John Kerry might have been a logical surrogate but was in India at the time. Kerry said he wanted to attend the march but a “prior commitment” in India meant he wasn’t able to; he plans to visit France later in the week.
Though attending the march was mostly symbolic, failing to send a high-level official cost the U.S. an important leadership opportunity on the world stage and has weakened the country’s role in the global war against terror, some lawmakers claim.
“We should have been there and it’s not sending the right kind of signals,” Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., told Fox News on Tuesday.

‘Aggressive’ timetable for launching Obama immigration actions raising concerns


Nearly two months after President Obama announced his immigration executive actions, questions remain over whether the Department of Homeland Security can be ready to process millions of additional immigrants through an already-burdened system.
DHS is on a hiring spree as it sets an ambitious schedule – outlined in a recent memo from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the DHS agency in charge of processing the requests -- for accepting new applicants.
The agency plans to begin accepting applications in late February under an expanded program for those who came to the U.S. illegally as children (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA). And the agency is looking to May to implement the biggest, and most controversial, plank of Obama’s plan – effectively legalizing potentially millions of parents of U.S. citizens and legal residents.
But the colossal effort, on a tight timetable, perhaps inevitably has some questioning whether they can pull it off.
One source inside the Department of Homeland Security told Fox News that so far, not enough has been done to get that machine up and running on time. The source raised the specter of the HealthCare.gov launch.
“There is a state of confusion at DHS,” said the DHS source, who works in immigration enforcement, claiming that “just like ObamaCare, the administration is eager to make an announcement, but infrastructure is lacking to make it happen.”
The administration wants to hire 1,000 workers to help process applications out of a new facility in Crystal City, Va., just outside Washington.
Ken Palinkas, president of the National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council (NCISC), the union representing USCIS employees, said he recently toured the new operations center and it has little in it but leftover furniture from the last government tenant. With the agency aiming for Feb. 20 or so to launch the first phase, that leaves less than six weeks to hire, vet and train these new employees, he told FoxNews.com. 
“They want to do this in February – this is unheard of,” Palinkas said. “I’ve been working in government for 15 years, and I know things don’t get done on time.”
While the administration scrambles to get ready, Republican foes in Congress continue their quest to halt the effort. Republicans are debating legislation this week to block funding for the immigration actions.
But supporters of the program say that beyond leasing new office space and hiring employees, USCIS has been readying for the influx for some time and has learned from the rollout of DACA, which has been processing tens of thousands of young undocumented immigrants since 2012. Further, the administration already has launched a new policy, as a result of Obama’s November announcement, for immigration enforcement and deportations.
“The agency knew for a long time to anticipate something coming,” said Wendy Feliz, of the American Immigration Council. “They have been planning and thinking and modernizing for years. I think ramping it up to five million probably won’t be as hard as you think.”
Under what’s known as “deferred action,” those eligible would be able to work legally and avoid deportation for three years, as well as qualify for services offered by their state. Children and parents would have to demonstrate they have been living in the U.S. continuously since 2010.
DHS officials, meanwhile, describe an across-the-board effort to prepare, including multiple avenues for members of the public to get answers and training for employees.
A DHS spokeswoman stressed that Secretary Jeh Johnson has issued several sets of guidance, and training has begun for the new enforcement and removal program. She noted Johnson met with leaders from several agencies in Texas, and said there has been “extensive communication” with employees, in addition to DHS-sponsored town halls across the country.
As for the looming flood of applications, she said: “USCIS is building the additional capacity needed to begin accepting requests for upcoming immigration initiatives.”
She said additional workers and the new facility “will ensure that every case processed by USCIS receives a thorough review under our guidelines.” The spokeswoman said the USCIS website will be updated with new information “on a regular basis,” and hotlines are available for people to call if they have questions or need help.
Further, the departments of Homeland Security and State recently launched an outreach effort detailing eligibility requirements. The effort, which includes radio and TV ads, is aimed at the Mexican and Central American public, telling them whom the executive actions apply to and urging against more illegal immigration. Separate fliers remind would-be applicants that nobody can apply yet.
An estimated 3.7 million would be eligible for the program affecting parents of legal residents; and roughly 290,000 would be eligible for the expanded DACA.
The example of the 2012 DACA shows a significant number of those who qualify apply, and most who do are approved. According to the Migration Policy Institute, some 55 percent of the 1.2 million who qualified in 2012 have applied in the last two years.
According to their numbers, 682,189 had applied as of July 2014; approval was granted to 587,366. Those approved early in the program already are applying for renewals, which would add to the processing pressure on the agency.
According to the Brookings Institution, renewal applications should be in the 20,000-40,000 range per month until at least June. There have been numerous reports about DACA backlogs threatening a smooth roll-out of the expanded programs.
Meanwhile, a class-action suit filed against DHS and USCIS in July by asylum-seekers who say they have been in “limbo” cited a backlog of more than 45,000 in that program.
“The question is, how prepared is the agency going into this, and what things look like on their end,” said Audrey Singer, a senior fellow at Brookings. She is a supporter of the program who believes USCIS learned a lot in the last two years and will be depending on an “army” of municipal and community-based organizations to help streamline the effort.
According to a New York Times report in late December, the new operations center was leased for nearly $8 million a year, and salaries are expected to cost more than $40 million annually.
Palinkas, who opposes the president’s executive actions, said he’s been surprised at the “aggressive” nature of the roll-out. “My personal opinion is they are working more aggressively for illegal [immigrants] than for people who are legally taking the route [to citizenship],” he said.
Jessica Vaughan, policy director at the Center for Immigration Studies, which also opposes the actions, questioned where the money for the building comes from. “There is no doubt the agency has been planning this action for a quite some time,” she told FoxNews.com. “My idea is they squirreled away money from the fee revenues from other programs to get this off the ground … without authorization from Congress.”
This is the funding stream congressional Republicans are targeting.
Vaughan also predicted that with the influx of new applicants and the president’s ambitious timetable, USCIS agents will be pressured to “rubber stamp” requests. “It’s completely impossible for the agency to accommodate all these applications and process them with any integrity whatsoever,” she said. “This is five times their workload we’re talking about.”
Singer said aside from criminal background checks, applicants must meet specific criteria and provide documentation of their ages and residency.
“Rubber stamping” isn’t an option, she said. “People can speculate all they want. But this is a program the agency is taking very seriously, it’s very high profile and nothing is going to fly under the radar.”

Critics question Syracuse mayor's appointment of Nation of Islam rep to school board


The mayor of Syracuse is drawing criticism after appointing a member of the Nation of Islam to fill an opening on the school board, but the follower of firebrand minister Louis Farrakhan vowed to help the community tackle "the whole problem of race."
Mark Muhammad, 54, an assistant professor at nearby Onondaga Community College and adjunct professor at Syracuse University, was tapped by Mayor Stephanie Miner to fill the last nine months of a term won by a board member who moved out of the city. Muhammad is the city’s local representative for the often controversial offshoot of Islam, led by Farrakhan, who has a long history of making anti-Semitic and racist statements.
"Mark is a positive influence on our community and has been for many years,'' Miner said in a prepared statement. "I am confident he will go on to do good work for the children and families of the school district."
“It’s also troubling that he has chosen not to distance himself from Louis Farrakhan.”- Kyle Olson, EAGnews.org
Critics acknowledge that Muhammad has no history of making inflammatory statements like some made by Farrakhan, who some said called for blacks to kill whites in the wake of the Ferguson, Mo., case involving a police officer's shooting of an unarmed man in August. 
"As long as they kill us and go to Wendy’s and have a burger and go to sleep, they’ll keep killing us,” Farrakhan said in a speech last November at Morgan State University, in Baltimore. “But when we die and they die, then soon we’re going to sit at a table and talk about it! We’re tired! We want some of this earth or we’ll tear this god---n country up!”
But Caleb Bonham, of education watchdog group Campus Reform, said Muhammad's unwillingness to distance himself from such a polarizing figure could compromise his ability to contribute in the new post.
“I hope Mr. Muhammad is more agreeable than the hate-filled rants heard by the Nation of Islam leader, Mr. Farrakhan,” Bonham said. “Our campuses, our universities, our school boards need less hatred and racial division. We are desperate for leaders who, with a pure heart, are interested in educating children and young adults without politics or agendas.”
Muhammad told a local reporter he believes he is uniquely qualified to help the district address key issues.
"I would say that I am probably the best person to address some of these (race) issues,” he said. “This whole problem of race we want to ignore. But it is central, an important part of the discussion that we don't want to have."
When reached by FoxNews.com, Muhammad declined to discuss his ties to the Nation of Islam.
"I am honored to join the Syracuse City School District Board of Education,” he said in a written statement. “We are fortunate to live in a country where we are free to practice the religion we choose; and to work to help others, regardless of their ethnicity, socio-economic or religious background."
Kyle Olson, publisher of education blog EAGnews.org, said it is "troubling that [Muhammad] has chosen not to distance himself from Louis Farrakhan.”

Ohio bartender threatened to kill Boehner, authorities say


A former Ohio country club bartender -- who told authorities that he was Jesus Christ -- threatened to murder House Speaker John Boehner last fall because he believed the Ohio congressman was responsible for Ebola, according to records made available Tuesday.
A grand jury indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Ohio on Jan. 7 identified the accused man as Michael R. Hoyt, a resident of Cincinnati.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE CRIMINAL COMPLAINT
A separate criminal complaint said Hoyt was fired last fall from his job at a country club in West Chester, Ohio, where he served drinks to Boehner, who is a member.
In a subsequent conversation with a police officer, Hoyt said that before leaving, he "did not have time to put something in John Boehner's drink," according to the complaint.
The court paper also said, "Hoyt told the officer he was Jesus Christ and that he was going to kill Boehner because Boehner was mean to him at the country club and because Boehner is responsible for Ebola."
According to the criminal complaint, Hoyt said he had a loaded Beretta .380 automatic pistol and he was going to shoot Boehner. Hoyt volunteered to be taken to a psychiatric hospital, and police took his weapon.
He is currently being held under a court order for mental evaluation and treatment, and U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI believe he "poses a current and ongoing credible threat" to Boehner, the complaint added.
The complaint says Hoyt was treated for a previous psychotic episode about two years ago. He was prescribed medication "which he voluntarily stopped taking" about six months ago, it added.
A senior congressional source told Fox News that Hoyt was committed to a mental institution from October through the end of December but then was released. Once he was out, law enforcement felt strongly enough to move to indict him to get him off the street because of the potential threat posed to Boehner.
“He said some things that really spooked us,” said one senior congressional source who is familiar with the case but asked not to be identified.
As speaker of the House, Boehner is second in line for the presidency in the event of a vacancy. His congressional district includes part of western Ohio.
A spokesman for Boehner, Michael Steel, said the speaker is "aware of the situation and sincerely thanks the FBI, the Capitol Police and the local authorities in Ohio for their efforts."
The Capitol Police could not be reached for immediate comment.
It was not clear why officials waited as long as they did to disclose the charge. The grand jury indictment is dated Jan. 7, but the incident referred to in the papers took place on Oct. 29 of last year, and the complaint itself was filed on Nov. 6.

'Survivor's issue' of Charlie Hebdo sells out in minutes amid backlash from Muslim leaders


The first issue of Charlie Hebdo to be produced since Islamist gunmen killed 12 people at the satirical magazine's Paris offices last week has been flying off the shelves at newsstands across the French capital Wednesday morning amid backlash from Islamic leaders who objected to the cover's depiction of the Prophet Muhammad. 
Sky News reported that lines to buy the magazine began forming at 6 a.m. local time (midnight Eastern) and some newsstands had sold out by 8 a.m. The Associated Press reported that one newsstand just off Paris' Champs Elysee sold out at 6:05 a.m. -- five minutes after opening. At Saint-Lazare, people hoping to buy a copy scuffled when they realized there weren't enough to go around.
"It was incredible. I had a queue of 60-70 people waiting for me when I opened," one woman said. "I've never seen anything like it. All my 450 copies were sold out in 15 minutes."
Sky News correspondent Robert Nisbet reported that one newsstand outside the Gare de l'Est railway station had 75 copies when it opened for business. 
"They all went, they're waiting for more," he said. "You can't get a copy inside the Gare de l'Est railway station at all, such is the demand not just here, but all around the world."
Sky News and the Daily Telegraph reported that some copies had already been listed on eBay, with one seller seeking 511 British pounds ($775). 
The first 500,000 issues of an eventual 3 million print run were scheduled to go on sale Wednesday, with another 500,000 due to be produced tomorrow. A typical print run for the weekly is 60,000 issues. 
"Distributing Charlie Hebdo, it warms my heart because we say to ourselves that he is still here, he's never left," Jean-Baptiste Saidi, a van driver delivering copies well before dawn on Wednesday, told the Associated Press. 
Wednesday marked the one-week anniversary of the deadly terror attack at the magazine's offices by two brothers, Said and Cherif Kouachi, who claimed to be members of Al Qaeda. Twelve people were killed, including eight staffers, among them the magazine's editor and four staff cartoonists. The survivors, working out of offices borrowed from the left-wing daily Liberation, began production of Wednesday's issue two days after the murder of their colleagues.
"For the past week, Charlie, an atheist newspaper, has achieved more miracles than all the saints and prophets combined," the lead editorial in Wednesday's edition read. "The one we are most proud of is that you have in your hands the newspaper that we always made."
The issue will be printed in French and Italian, with online translations available in English, Spanish, and Arabic. Proceeds from the sales will go to aid the families of the victims. 
Not everyone has greeted the new issue with acclaim. In particular, the cover cartoon depicting Muhammad holding a "Je Suis Charlie" sign and weeping drew condemnation from Muslim leaders around the world. 
Al Azhar, the prestigious Cairo-based center of learning for Sunni Muslims said Tuesday that the drawings "do not serve the peaceful co-existence between peoples and hinders the integration of Muslims into European and Western societies."
The Washington Post, citing the SITE Intelligence Group, reported that extremist sympathizers had posted fresh calls for violence on social media, with one Twitter user saying "They want a car bomb this time." 
In France Wednesday, police detained the controversial comic Dieudonne for posts on Facebook that appeared to praise the attacks that left 17 dead in three separate attacks over three days last week. 
Dieudonne's detention for defending terrorism followed a four-year prison sentence involving the same charge for a man in northern France who seemed to defend the attacks in a drunken rant while resisting arrest.
Dieudonne, who popularized an arm gesture that resembles a Nazi salute and who has been convicted repeatedly of racism and anti-Semitism, is no stranger to controversy. His provocative performances were banned last year but he has a core following among many of France's disaffected young people.
His Facebook post, which was swiftly deleted, said he felt like "Charlie Coulibaly" -- merging the names of Charlie Hebdo and Amedy Coulibaly, the gunman who seized a kosher market and killed four hostages, along with a policewoman.

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