NSA program reportedly helped US gather evidence against North Korea in Sony hack

A program implemented by the National Security Agency to help the U.S. and its allies track the computers and networks used by North Korean hackers was critical in gathering information that led Washington to conclude Pyongyang was behind last year's cyberattack on Sony Pictures.
The New York Times reported late Sunday that the NSA began placing malware in North Korean systems in 2010. Originally, the purpose of the surveillance was to gain insight into North Korea's nuclear program, but the focus shifted after a large cyberattack on South Korean banks and media companies in 2013. 
In the case of the Sony Pictures hack, which knocked nearly the entire company's system offline, investigators believe that the North had stolen the "credentials" of a Sony systems administrator, which enabled them to spend two months familiarizing themselves with Sony's network and plotting how to destroy files, computers, and systems. The attacks themselves, which Sony first reported to the FBI Nov. 24, are widely considered to be in retaliation for the release of "The Interview," a comedy that features an assassination attempt against Kim Jong Un. Pyongyang has repeatedly denied any involvement in the Sony hack.
Skeptics have cast doubt on the official story that North Korea was behind the Sony hack, with many suggesting a disgruntled current or former Sony employee was responsible. Earlier this month, FBI director James Comey said U.S. investigators were able to trace emails and Internet posts sent by the Guardians of Peace, the group behind the attack, and link them to North Korea.
Comey said most of the time, the group sent emails threatening Sony employees and made various other statements online using proxy servers to disguise where the messages were coming from. But on occasion, he said, they connected "directly," enabling investigators to "see that the IP addresses that were being used to post and to send the emails were coming from IPs that were exclusively used by the North Koreans."
A senior military official told The Times that the evidence against North Korea that was presented to President Barack Obama was so compelling that he "had no doubt" the Communist regime was responsible. The White House has imposed new economic sanctions against North Korea as a response to the cyberattack. 
The Times report quotes a North Korean defector as saying that country's military first displayed interest in hacking in 1994, when it sent 15 people to a Chinese military academy to learn the practice. Two years later, the Reconnaissance General Bureau, Pyongyang's primary intelligence service, created Bureau 121, a hacking unit that has a substantial representation in the northeast Chinese city of Shenyang. 
South Korea's military claims that the North has a staff of 6,000 hackers dedicated to disrupting the South's military and government. That estimate is more than double an earlier projection made by that country's Defense Ministry.

Hillary Cartoon

Clinton clearing primary field for potential 2016 run could leave her vulnerable

Mrs Hillary Benghazi Clinton

Hillary Clinton appears to have scared away much of the competition should she seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2016. But her early and practically all-encompassing effort also presents the potential liability that she will sail through the primary season largely untested for the bare-knuckled general election. 
And it could deny Democrats the chance to define themselves to Americans, strategists say.
“It's not good for a party because the Democratic Party needs a real debate about what it's for, who it's for, what it's about and where we'll take the country,” says Dennis Kucinich, a former Democratic congressman, presidential candidate and a Fox News contributor.
The 67-year-old Clinton plans to make an official announcement in early 2015, leaving some doubt about whether she will indeed run. But her frontrunner status is unquestionable.
She has roughly 62 percent of the likely vote and leads all potential Democratic challengers by a numbing 49.5 percentage points.
And those numbers combined with an ambitious public-speaking schedule and the fundraising and cheerleading group Ready for Hillary are making it difficult for potential primary challengers to raise money.
In addition, Clinton’s most formidable, likely primary challenger now, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, insists she’s not running, leaving the Democratic field so wide open that 73-year-old Bernie Sanders, an independent and junior senator from Vermont, is now fourth behind Clinton, Warren and Vice President Biden, according an averaging of polls by RealClearPolitics.com  
“I think you miss the chance to vet ideals,” says Richard Fowler, a Democrat and host of the progressive-leaning “Richard Fowler Talk Show.” “I think that's what elections are about. Elections are about ideals and how ideals … would then turn into policy that will then turn into how we govern.”
Clinton, a former first lady, secretary of State and New York senator, hasn’t been in a campaign-style debate since 2008, when she lost the Democratic presidential primary to President Obama, then a freshman Illinois senator.
Still, a relatively easy 2016 primary, if Clinton indeed runs, would likely save her from the pummeling she took last time.
“You’re likeable enough, Hillary,” Obama said on stage to Clinton, who was the early Democratic frontrunner in that race, too.
Among the tough questions she will likely face, and needs to answer well, include what she knew about security at the U.S. outpost in Benghazi, Libya, in which four Americans were killed in a 2012 terror attack.
Clinton, who is worthy millions of dollars, also will likely have to make a strong case that she will champion the country’s poor and working class, after saying on her 2014 book tour: “We came out of the White House not only dead broke, but in debt.”
“Hillary Clinton, I think, has proven that when you're off the trail for a while, you come back rusty,” said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. “She certainly came back rusty on that book tour.”

Despite horrors of Paris, Obama continues to free terror suspects from Guantanamo

While 40 world leaders marched in Paris to show solidarity against terrorist attacks, Obama not only skipped the event, he remains determined to free as many Al Qaeda, Taliban and affiliated jihadists from Guantanamo as possible.
Just this week he released five Yemenis, four to Oman and one to Estonia, despite their front-line service against U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan. At least one is suspected of serving as a bodyguard to Usama bin Laden.
Like everyone else, Mr. Obama is aware that the Paris massacres aren’t the first mass casualty attacks carried out by extremists determined to kill Christians, Jews and any Muslims who stand in their way of power. 

Ex-Gitmo men have become leaders of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan and Ansar Al-Sharia in Libya. One became a suicide bomber in Iraq. They’ve killed Americans and our allies in each place, most notably in Benghazi.  Between 20 and 30 have reportedly joined the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Madrid, London, Istanbul, Mumbai, Nairobi and Bali — let alone Washington, D.C., and New York on 9/11 — have been rocked for over more than a decade by large-scale terror attacks carried out by those shouting “Allah Akhbar,” Arabic for “God is Great.” Canada, Australia, Belgium, The Netherlands and Bulgaria have suffered through smaller attacks.
And in places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Yemen and Somalia, deadly terrorist attacks on civilian and military targets happen practically every week.
Mr. Obama also knows that nearly one in three former Gitmo detainees are confirmed or suspected of returning to terrorism. 
Ex-Gitmo men have become leaders of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan and Ansar Al-Sharia in Libya. One became a suicide bomber in Iraq. They’ve killed Americans and our allies in each place, most notably in Benghazi.  Between 20 and 30 have reportedly joined the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Yet Mr. Obama continues to free them. 
Mr. Obama believes the fight against Al Qaeda and affiliates is law enforcement action, not a war. Incredibly, he can’t even bring himself to say that we’re defending ourselves against “radical Islam.”
He doesn’t believe enemy combatants should be held without a trial, and he has pushed to extend full constitutional protections for foreign terror suspects on American soil, even those trying to kill countless Americans. 
To his left-leaning political base, Guantanamo represents the Bush administration’s so-called “overreach.” America’s enemies, both foreign and domestic, typically portray detainees as the victims — practically modern versions of Che Guevara, simply fighting the power. 
As Mr. Obama continues to release detainees in an effort to go around Congress and shutter Gitmo by emptying it, Americans ought to know more about who left in 2014.
Five were top Taliban leaders exchanged for a reputed Army deserter; four have suicide operations training; two explicitly said they’ll return to terrorism. Ten were at Tora Bora, Bin Laden’s last stand in Afghanistan. One was arrested for possession of Stinger missiles and uranium “which detainee’s recovered documents indicate was intended for use in a nuclear device,” according to his file. 
Considering how dangerous these men are, why would any American official release them?
They say Guantanamo hurts America’s reputation. Well, if/when another country loses 3,000 people in one single terrorist attack, we’ll see how they react.
They say we must live by our values and the rule of law. Yet during wartime, America has always kept enemy combatants locked up. And isn’t protecting the public an important value?
They say Guantanamo is too expensive per detainee, citing wildly inflated costs as those troops guarding them would just be deployed elsewhere. Even so, how expensive was 9/11? What is the price tag on the lives of Americans killed? With the State Department just issuing a $5 million bounty on an ex-Gitmo Saudi who is now a top Al Qaeda leader, we know exactly how costly that is.
And finally, they say the detainees should be brought to the U.S. mainland, and that no one has ever escaped Supermax. Well, they don’t have to escape if left-wing activist judges let them out. Which is Mr. Obama’s little secret on Gitmo.  
Americans should be outraged at how Mr. Obama is placing his far-left ideology and an ill-advised campaign promise over our lives. 
Congress should act to stop this madness before more Americans are killed.

Chaffetz removes Issa portrait and signals new direction for high-profile, hard hitting Oversight panel

Utah GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the new House Oversight Committee chairman, is explaining his decision to remove the portrait of preceding GOP chairman Rep. Darrell Issa from the panel’s hearing room.
Chaffetz said Thursday the move was not personal but suggested it was indeed ideological.
"I really felt strongly that in that committee room we should be inspired by those we serve, not inspired by past committee chairmen," he said.
Chaffetz has indicated that he will focus more on government reform and committee reports than political scandal and seek fewer headlines.
“Issa didn’t do many reports,” he recently told Roll Call newspaper. He did “big press releases.”
While Issa surrounded his investigations and hearings with political drama and theatrics, his approach brought and sustained national attention to such issues as the Benghazi scandal as well as Fast & Furious, the federal government’s botched gun-tracking program.
Chaffetz will replace the Issa portrait, hung just last month, with photos of American history and life that the committee oversees, including the U.S. postal service, coal mining and civil rights.
Issa’s portrait was reportedly removed with those of other former committee chairmen and will be relocated to a meeting room.
Chaffetz said he first informed Issa and Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, the committee’s top Democrat, of his decision.
He said Issa told him: “You're the new chairman. You can do it as you want.' He was actually very nice about it."
Chaffetz is also replacing more than half of the committee’s 60-member staff for the 114^th Congress, a move, along with removing the portraits, that has reportedly upset some Issa loyalists.

Obama to call for new tax increases in State of the Union address

 

King Unimpeachable.

President Obama plans to call for billions in tax increases on top earners – including a hike in investment tax rates -- in order to fund new tax credits and other measures the White House claims will help the middle class.
The president's proposals, which also include eliminating a tax break on inheritances, are likely to be cheered by the Democratic Party's liberal base when they are announced Tuesday night in his State of the Union address. However, the tax increases are all but certain to be non-starters with the new Republican majority on Capitol Hill.
The president's address -- his first to a Republican-led Congress -- will call for $320 billion in tax increases over 10 years. Aside from funding new tax credits including a tax credit for working families and expanding the child care tax credit, the White House says that money would go to funding measures to make college more afforable and accessible, including the president’s recently announced plan to make community college free for many students.   
The centerpiece of the president's tax proposal is an increase in the capital gains and dividends rate on couples making more than $500,000 per year to 28 percent, the same level as under President Ronald Reagan. The top capital gains rate has already been raised from 15 percent to 23.8 percent during Obama's presidency.
Obama also wants to close what the administration is calling the "Trust Fund Loophole," a change that would require estates to pay capital gains taxes on securities at the time they're inherited. Officials said the overwhelming impact of the change would be on the top 1 percent of income earners.
While GOP leaders have said they share Obama's desire to reform the nation's complicated tax code, the party has opposed many of the proposals the president will outline Tuesday. For example, most Republicans want to lower or eliminate the capital gains tax and similarly want to end taxes on estates, not expand them.
Administration officials pointed to a third proposal from the president as one they hope Republicans would support: a fee on the roughly 100 U.S. financial firms with assets of more than $50 billion. Officials said the fee is similar to a proposal from former Republican Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan, who led the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. Camp's plan, however, was part of a larger proposal to lower the overall corporate income tax rate.
The Obama administration claims that raising the capital gains rate, ending the inheritance loophole and tacking a fee on financial firms would generate $320 billion in revenue over a decade. Obama wants to put the bulk of that money into a series of measures aimed at helping middle-class Americans. Among them:
--A credit of up to $500 for families in which both spouses work. The administration says 24 million couples would benefit from the proposal, which would apply to families with annual income up to $210,000.
--Expanding the child care tax credit to up to $3,000 per child under age 5. The administration says the proposal would help more than 5 million families with the cost of child care.
--Overhauling the education tax system by consolidating six provisions into two, a move that could cut taxes for 8.5 million families. Republicans have been open to the idea of consolidating education tax breaks.
The president's address will also include calls for lawmakers to increase paid leave for workers and enact broad cybersecurity rules.
Obama's call for higher taxes on the wealthy is likely to further antagonize Republicans who are already angry with the president over his vows to veto several of the party's priorities, including legislation to approve construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, make changes to the president's signature health care legislation and block his executive actions on immigration.
Republicans say Obama's veto threats are a sign of a president who didn't get the message from voters who relegated his party to minority status in the November election. New Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the president still has a chance to change his tone.
"Tuesday can be a new day," McConnell said. "This can be the moment the president pivots to a positive posture. This can be a day when he promotes serious realistic reforms that focus on economic growth and don't just spend more money we don't have. We're eager for him to do so."
Beyond rolling out new proposals, Obama's address is also expected to focus on making the case to the public that recent economic gains represent a real and lasting recovery. The approach reflects the White House's belief that it has been too cautious in promoting economic gains out of fear of looking tone deaf to the continued struggles of many Americans.
White House advisers have suggested that their restraint hindered Democrats in the November elections and helped Republicans take full control of Congress for the first time in eight years. But with hiring up and unemployment down, the president has been more assertive about the improving state of the economy in the new year. Tuesday's prime-time address will be his most high-profile platform for making that case.
"America's resurgence is real, and we're better positioned than any country on Earth to succeed in the 21st century," Obama said Wednesday in Iowa, one of several trips he has made this month to preview the speech.
Obama isn't expected to make any major foreign policy announcements. He is likely to urge lawmakers to stop the pursuit of new penalties against Iran while the U.S. and others are in the midst of nuclear negotiations with Tehran. In a news conference Friday, Obama said legislation threatening additional penalties could upend the delicate diplomacy.
"Congress should be aware that if this diplomatic solution fails, then the risks and likelihood that this ends up being at some point a military confrontation is heightened -- and Congress will have to own that as well," he said.
The president also is expected to cite his recent decision to normalize relations with Cuba, as well as defend the effectiveness of U.S. efforts to stop Russia's provocations in Ukraine and conduct air strikes against Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria.

Academy Awards Cartoon

Al Sharpton criticized for calling 'emergency meeting' over Oscar nominations

                                      Obama's Best Bud.

Al Sharpton is being questioned for calling for an emergency meeting of his "diversity task force" Thursday after the Academy Awards nominated only white actors.
“The lack of diversity in today’s Oscar nominations is appalling, and while it is good that 'Selma' was nominated for Best Picture, it’s ironic that they nominated a story about the racial shutout around voting while there is a racial shutout around the Oscar nominations,” Sharpton said in a statement. “With all of the talent in 'Selma' and other Black movies this year, it is hard to believe that we have less diversity in the nominations today than in recent history.”
Sharpton said he will meet next week with allies to discuss "potential actions" ahead or during the Feb. 22 award show.
The Academy's female African American president Cheryl Isaac Burke said she does not believe there is a diversity problem.
"No, not at all," she told Vulture when asked about this year's list of nominees. "The good news is that the wealth of talent is there, and it's being discussed, and it's helpful so much for talent — whether in front of the camera or behind the camera — to have this recognition, to have this period of time where there is a lot of publicity, a lot of chitter-chatter."
Syndicated columnist Deroy Murdock told FOX News Sharpton should focus his efforts elsewhere.
"Given all the problems facing black Americans today, it seems Al Sharpton ought to organize a whole bunch of emergency meetings on real emergencies before he has a total freak out over how the Academy Awards are playing themselves out," Murdock said.
The Blaze's Amy Holmes told FOX News she saw Sharpton's point, but said he did not go far enough. "I think it's ridiculous, it's absurd, it's appalling that not only African Americans, Hispanic Americans and the whole artistic creative community wouldn't be represented at the Oscars," she said, but also added: "We know with Mr. Sharpton, that he's never seen a racial controversy that he couldn't exploit."
Oscar-snubbed actress Jessica Chastain expressed her concerns over the nominations when she accepted her Most Valuable Player honor at the Critics Choice Awards Thursday night.
"Today is Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, so it got me thinking about our need to build the strength of diversity in our industry, and to stand together against homophobic, sexist, misogynistic, anti-Semitic and racist agendas," the actress said. "I'm an optimist and I can't help but feel hopeful about the future of film, especially looking at all of the beautiful people in this room."
The White House also announced Thursday that they will host a screening Friday night of the Martin Luther King, Jr. biopic. 
According to the LA Times, of the 6,028 Academy Award voters 93 percent are white and 76 percent are male. Halle Berry is the only African American female to win Best Actress. Four African American male actors have taken home the award. T.J. Martin is the only African American to win Best Director. Last year, "12 Years a Slave," with a predominantly African American cast, won Best Picture, and African-American actress Lupita Nyong'o won Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film.

Fox News to host first GOP presidential primary debate in August

The Republican National Committee announced Friday that Fox News will host the first 2016 GOP presidential primary debate, from Ohio, in August.
The announcement came during the RNC’s winter meeting in California this week.
In all, there will be nine scheduled debates. Five will be held in 2015 and will take place in Ohio, California, Colorado, Wisconsin and Nevada. In 2016, there will be debates in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida.
The GOP will officially nominate its presidential candidate in July 2016 during the party’s national convention. Naming a nominee in July -- a full month earlier than in previous presidential election years -- will give the GOP nominee more time to campaign and the party more time to rally behind their candidate.

Muslims never guilty of 'terrorist massacres,' Turkey's Erdogan insists

Turkish President Recip Tayyip Erdogan’s increasingly bizarre rhetoric continued this week when he told reporters Muslims have "never taken part in terrorist massacres" and appeared to blame the West for the recent Islamist attacks in Paris.
The NATO nation leader and western ally has moved his powerful nation further from its Constitutionally-mandated secularism in recent years, and has drawn criticisms for not doing more to stop the flow of foreign jihadis, who pass through Istanbul on their way to join Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. But Monday's comments, against the backdrop of near-universal condemnation of the Islamist attack on French satirical tabloid Charlie Hebdo, could further isolate Erdogan from the West.
“As Muslims, we've never taken part in terrorist massacres," Erdogan said. "Behind these lie racism, hate speech, and Islamophobia. French citizens carry out such a massacre, and Muslims pay the price. The West's hypocrisy is obvious.”

"Behind [terrorist massacres] lie racism, hate speech, and Islamophobia."- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Erdogan spoke a day after more than 40 world leaders, including Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, joined in Paris to condemn the Jan. 7 attack and the related shooting of a police officer and siege on a Paris kosher supermarket, Islamist attacks that left a total of 17 innocent people dead. The attacks were motivated by Charlie Hebdo's publishing of caricatures of Muhammad.
“Take note that the acts of terror are not carried out in a vacuum," Erdogan said. "The acts follow a predetermined script and we should be [aware of a] a plot against the Islamic world.”
The comments also came against the backdrop of continuing slaughter of Muslims in Syria and Iraq by Islamic State and Al Qaeda and fresh reports that Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram killed an estimated 2,000 villagers in its latest atrocity. 
In recent months, Erdogan has cracked down on the press and made a series of bizarre statements, some of which seem to have been aimed at elevating his status in the Muslim world. Monday's speech came as he met Abbas at his new, 1,150-room palace amid a ceremonial spectacle that drew ridicule from critics. Sixteen men dressed as ancient eastern warriors, holding replica swords, maces and spears lined a staircase as Erdogan descended to greet Abbas.

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As a key Middle Eastern ally, Erdogan's swerve away from secular rule is concerning, say critics. (Reuters)

The pair saluted the Presidential Guard of Honor before walking to the bottom of the staircase, where they posed for a picture, shaking hands. The scene looked surreal with the costumed men — believed to represent Turkic-Mongolian and Ottoman warriors — standing proudly upright in the background, Al Monitor wrote in a column entitled "Is Erdogan Losing Touch with Reality?"
"The bizarre ceremony, unprecedented in Turkey’s history, instantly became the subject of lampoon on social media, blasted as shallow, ridiculous and problematic, while catching also the attention of foreign media for the same reasons," the publication's Turkey-based columnist Kadri Gursel wrote.
But a more practical concern of Turkey's neighbors and allies is its inability - or unwillingness - to secure its borders with Syria and Iraq has brought increasing international criticism, as jihadists have flocked to the killing fields in Syria and Iraq to fight alongside radical Islamist groups. No less worrying is that the Turkish border has also provided a return gateway to the battle-hardened killers to all too easily re-enter the West, posing massive security threats to democracies of the type seen last week in Paris.
“It’s no easy matter trying to secure extensive borders and stop everyone getting through, as the United States has found on its border with Mexico,” an Israeli government spokesman told FoxNews.com, “but Turkey could be doing more. We used to have very good relations with Turkey and we know just how beneficial those relations were, not only to both sides, but also to the U.S, but it’s disgraceful what Erdogan is saying.”
One of the last remaining supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, Turkey has also put out the welcome mat and provided logistical support to Hamas, the Gaza-based terror organization whose leader Khaled Meshaal was last week reported to have been asked to leave his base in Qatar and reportedly will be granted safe haven by Erdogan.
Erdogan, who did not attend the Paris rally but did send Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, slammed Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for showing up, saying through his spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, it was "unacceptable that Israel’s Prime Minister dared attend" the rally "instead of being brought to account for the women, children and journalists killed in Israel’s offensives in Gaza.”
But Gursel believes there is an underlying explanation for Erdogan's sharp turn away from the West and an embrace of fundamental Islam and its history that at times seems to border on delusional. Last year, the Turkish president overcame a widespread corruption scandal that toppled four cabinet ministers involved his son to win the presidency in August. But all 550 seats of Turkey's legislature, the Grand National Assembly, are up in June, and Erdogan needs the Justice and Development Party that he founded in 2001 to maintain its grip on power. The West and the phantom of Islamophobia could provide a uniting straw man for a winning coalition of voters, not to mention a distraction from the failures of his party and administration 
"More Islam and more Islamism are meant to obliterate the deep marks left by the corruption allegations and evidence against his party and government," Gursel wrote. "The next general elections in June represent a key motivation in his efforts."

Nation's second-largest school district plans to expand dinner program

How about also feeding the parents of these children? 

The nation's second-largest school district is eyeing a move to offer dinner to students at every school.
Students at Kingsley Elementary in Los Angeles eat breakfast, lunch provided for them by the school as well as dinner. The trend around the nation is continuing as nearly 1 million students are served dinner or an after-school snack.
"When kids are hungry, they don't pay attention," said Bennett Kayser, a member of the Los Angeles Unified School District board, which was announcing the expansion Thursday. "This is something that should have started years ago."
Washington and 13 other states began offering dunner as part of a pilot program expanded to all states after the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act was passed in 2010. Schools where at least half the students are low-income and qualify for free or reduced-price lunch are reimbursed for each supper by the U.S. Department of Agriculture..
About 10 million suppers were served to students in the 2014 fiscal year.
Proponents say that since many students stay on campus until the early evening hours, it makes sense to provide an additional meal. In the case of the neediest students, they might not get anything to eat after class other than what is offered at school.
The LAUSD serves supper to 75,000 students and is planning to expand the program to about 150,000 over the next two years. School officials expect to generate $16.6 million in revenue, which would go to expanding the program even further.
Other large, urban districts with dinner programs include Philadelphia and District of Columbia public schools. Wayne Grasela, senior vice president for food services, said the School District of Philadelphia now serves 4,500 dinners each day.
At Kingsley Elementary School, several students said the roasted sunflower seeds, cheese sticks and, depending on the day, sandwiches, salads and chicken they are served function more like a snack than a meal. Some eat another meal at home.
But for others, it's one of the few things they eat after class. Ten-year-old Evelyn Ruballos said she usually only eats crackers when she gets home.
"And then I just go to sleep," she said.

Obama vs. Cameron: British PM takes hard line on ‘Islamist’ extremists, Obama avoids I-word

"Poisonous ideology." 
"Radical, death cult of a narrative." 
British Prime Minister David Cameron was unsparing in his condemnation of Islamist terrorists on Friday, as he stood beside President Obama in the White House. 
Like French officials last week following the deadly attacks in Paris, the PM bluntly described the problem as a "very serious Islamist extremist terrorist threat." 
Obama? The U.S. president stayed the rhetorical course. 
Despite the increasingly tough rhetoric from Cameron, French President Francois Hollande and others, Obama continued to describe the enemy as "violent extremism" and "violent terrorism" -- even "nihilism." 
The following are key remarks from each world leader. See if you can spot the differences: 
Obama: 
"We both recognize that intelligence and military force alone is not going to solve this problem, so we're also going to keep working together on strategies to counter violent extremism that radicalizes recruits and mobilizes people, especially young people, to engage in terrorism." 
"We also look forward to welcoming our British friends to our summit next month on countering violent terrorism, because whether in Europe or in America, a critical weapon against terrorism is our adherence to our freedoms and values at home, including the pluralism and the respect and tolerance that defines us as diverse and democratic societies." 
"This phenomenon of violent extremism, the ideology, the networks, the capacity to recruit young people, this has metastasized and it is widespread, and it has penetrated communities around the world." 
"I do not consider it an existential threat. As David said, this is one that we will solve. We are stronger. We are representing values that the vast majority of Muslims believe in -- in tolerance and in working together to build, rather than to destroy." 
"And so, you know, this is a problem that causes great heartache and tragedy and destruction, but it is one that ultimately we're going to defeat. But we can't just defeat it through weapons. One of the things that we spoke about is how do we lift up those voices that represent the vast majority of the Muslim world, so that that counter-narrative against this nihilism is put out there as aggressively and as nimbly as the messages coming out from these -- these fanatics." 
Cameron: 
"We know what we're up against. And we know how we will win. We face a poisonous and fanatical ideology that wants to pervert one of the world's major religions, Islam, and create conflict, terror and death. With our allies, we will confront it wherever it appears." 
"We will deploy additional intelligence and surveillance assets to help Iraqi forces on the ground, and we will ensure they are better trained and equipped to counter explosive devices. But most important of all, we must also fight this poisonous ideology starting at home." 
"We do face a very serious Islamist extremist terrorist threat in Europe, in America, across the world. And we have to be incredibly vigilant in terms of that threat." 
"It means countering this poisonous, fanatical death cult of a narrative that is perverting the religion of Islam." 
"But here's, I think, the really determining point: You can have, tragically, people who have had all the advantages of integration, who've had all the economic opportunities that our countries can offer, who still get seduced by this poisonous, radical, death cult of a narrative." 
"So, let's never lose sight of the real enemy here, which is the poisonous narrative that's perverting Islam. That is what we have to focus on, recognizing that, of course,  we help ourselves in this struggle if we create societies of genuine opportunity, if we create genuine integration between our communities."

Obama Chicken Cartoon

Obama takes heat for terror approach, Gitmo releases as threat spreads

The Obama administration drew fire Thursday from a growing list of frustrated lawmakers over the release of more Guantanamo detainees -- this time Yemeni terrorists to the volatile Arabian Peninsula -- as concerns mount over the spreading threat of Islamic terrorism, and the administration's refusal to publicly call out Islam's radical elements. 
The Department of Defense announced Wednesday that five Yemeni terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay were released -- with four of the five heading for Oman, Yemen's neighbor. 
The release comes despite knowledge that one of the two assassins who carried out the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris traveled to Yemen in 2011, and met with the radical American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. 
"The administration continues to transfer Guantanamo detainees while providing virtually no details to the American people regarding the risk the detainees present to our country and our allies, as well as the detainees' affiliations with terrorist groups and the conditions of their transfer," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said in a statement on the releases. 
They also cited reports that Oman may have been the entry point for the Paris attacker who traveled to Yemen. "We just sent four Guantanamo detainees, with potential ties to al Qaeda, to Oman -- the same country that reportedly served as the jumping off point" for that travel, they said. 
Amid the drive to release Guantanamo prisoners, more evidence is mounting that Islamic terrorism is spreading around the world -- including a claim of responsibility by Al Qaeda in Yemen for the Paris terror attacks, and the unchecked slaughter of thousands in Nigeria by Boko Haram. Police in Belgium also claimed Thursday to have stopped a "Belgian Charlie Hebdo," with government agents killing at least two in raids aimed at jihadists returning from Syria who were planning to launch terrorist attacks. 
The administration is taking heat not only for the Gitmo transfers, but for its refusal to publicly call out radical Islam as the common thread in these attacks. 
"The president of the United States has concluded that the War on Terror has reached a point that we can safely release people from Gitmo," Graham told Fox News on Wednesday. "The best I can say about him is he's unfocused. That's delusional thinking. The War on Terror has reached a lethal phase, and it is insane to be letting these people out of Gitmo to go back to the fight." 
The Defense Department stresses that most detainees released under this administration "live quietly" in locations around the world. Asked about the latest transfers to Oman, a Defense spokesman said such a decision is only made after "detailed, specific conversations with the receiving country about the potential threat a detainee may pose after transfer and the measures the receiving country will take in order to sufficiently mitigate that threat.
"If we do not receive adequate security and humane treatment assurances, the transfer does not occur," the spokesman said.
Though Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and militants in that region are asserting themselves once again as a global threat, other Islamist groups and self-radicalized operatives are posing grave security risks to dozens of countries. In Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State continues to hold ground in its war against the governments there and its quest for its own nation state. 
In Nigeria, the terror group Boko Haram has seized territory said to be the size of the Islamic State's, while committing mass murders against the civilian population. Earlier this month, as many as 2,000 people were slaughtered by the terror group, rights groups say. 
The Paris terror attack and the raid in Belgium were reminders of the threat from cells in Western Europe. 
But other recent plots and attacks by lone-wolf types have occurred in Canada, Australia and the United States. An alleged sympathizer of the Islamic State terror group was arrested in Ohio on Wednesday after authorities learned that he was plotting a shooting and bombing attack on the U.S. Capitol. 
Yet the administration has been loath to term the problem as radical Islam. 
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest explained that, in their view, "these terrorists are individuals who would like to cloak themselves in the veil of a particular religion." 
He added, "But based on the fact that the religious leaders of that religion have roundly condemned their actions, those religious leaders have indicated that their actions are entirely inconsistent with Islam." 
Earnest said he wouldn't criticize anybody who does use that label. 
This would include the French government, whose ambassador to the U.S., Gérard Araud, told Fox News on Wednesday that "we are at war with radical Islam." 
Graham, also speaking on Fox News, said that "when our president doesn't acknowledge this is a religious-driven war, it's going to be very hard to win it." 
Meanwhile, four of the latest Guantanamo transfers will be going to Oman, and one will be going to Estonia. 
In a statement, the Defense Department said the transfers were "unanimously approved" by all agencies responsible for reviewing them. 
"The United States coordinated with the Government of Oman to ensure these transfers took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures," the DOD said. 
Several Republican senators including Ayotte have introduced legislation to clamp down on Obama's ability to transfer terror suspects out of the detention facility. These senators called for a "time out" on releasing more detainees after the Paris terror attacks. 
The bill would prohibit transfers of terror suspects to foreign countries if there has been a confirmed case where an individual was transferred from Guantanamo and engaged in any terrorist activity. Any transfers to Yemen would be shut down for two years.

Christie discusses possible run for president, tells would-be backers to 'relax'

NEWARK, N.J. –  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he's been delivering a message to potential donors and staffers urging him to jump head-first into a campaign for president: Relax.
Speaking far more openly about a potential White House bid than he has publicly in the past, Christie on Thursday evening did not dispute reports that his team has been working to establish a political action committee that could launch as early as the end of the month. But he said that, despite signs he is moving forward, he has yet to make up his mind.
"I have not yet decided," Christie said during his monthly "Ask the Governor" radio program when asked whether he plans to run.
Christie said he discussed the prospect with his family during the holidays, and that their opinions are central to his decision process.
"What they think matters deeply to me, and just as importantly, what the potential impact of something like this would be on each and every one of them is something that weighs enormously on me," he said.
Christie has been under pressure to begin locking down donors since former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush launched his own PAC earlier this month. That pressure heightened last week when 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney surprised even close confidantes by saying he is seriously considering another run.
Multiple Republican donors who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss Christie's internal moves have told The Associated Press that Christie's team is in the early stages of putting together a political action committee to begin raising and spending money. Christie did not dispute the reports.
"Listen, there's lots of people making lots of suggestions to me about the best way for me to get to continue to get to know the country better and to get input from people around the country about both me and those folks around me," he said. "So there's a whole bunch of different options on the table, but I haven't made any final decisions about what to do."
But Christie insisted that the moves by Bush and Romney have not had an impact on his timeline or decision-making and urged his would-be backers to stay calm.
"What I've told everybody -- supports of mine, potential donors of mine, staff -- is relax. You know, no one's voting for another 12-and-a-half months," he said. "Everybody just calm down, you know?"
Christie has been traveling across the country attending inauguration events for Republican governors he helped elect as chair of the Republican Governors Association. He has been criticized for spending so much time out of the state.
"The people who do that are just the same partisan hacks who wake up every morning wanting to criticize me about something," he said.

Fox News Poll: Voters say White House has mostly failed on priorities

A new Fox News national poll finds that majorities of American voters think the Obama administration has mostly failed at handling illegal immigration, improving the country’s image around the world, handling race relations, improving health care and growing the economy. 
The assessment of the Obama administration’s performance mostly splits along partisan lines, with Republicans heavily critical and Democrats heavily supportive.  Yet half or more of independents say the White House has mostly failed in each of the areas tested in the poll, which was released Thursday.
The worst perceived failing is immigration: 64 percent of voters think the White House has mostly failed on handling illegal immigration, while just 28 percent feel it has mostly succeeded.
Click here for full results of the poll (pdf).
The poll also finds 59 percent feel the administration has failed on improving race relations -- nearly twice as many as say it has succeeded (30 percent). Black voters (60 percent) are much more likely than white voters (24 percent) to say the White House has succeeded at improving race relations.
The administration’s most positive ratings are on national security, where 43 percent of voters say the White House has mostly succeeded at making the country safer.  Yet that’s down 12 points from a record-high 55 percent who felt that way in June 2012. 
More voters -- 49 percent -- currently think Obama has “mostly failed” to make the U.S. safer. 
President Obama pledged to improve the country’s image around the world.  Most voters think his administration has failed on that.  In fact, this area shows the biggest decline: In June 2012, 48 percent felt the White House had mostly succeeded on improving the country’s image. 
Now it’s 32 percent, while 60 percent say the administration has mostly failed to improve the nation’s image.
Another Obama campaign promise was to have the most transparent administration ever.  A 57-percent majority says the White House has mostly failed on this as well.  Just 31 percent feel it has mostly succeeded.
On health care, a signature priority for Obama, 39 percent say the administration has mostly succeeded in improving things, while 55 percent feel the opposite.
Some 40 percent say the administration has improved the economy, while 52 percent think it has failed here too.
Perhaps predictably, more than three-quarters of Republicans say the White House failed in every area tested.  As many as 89 percent feel the administration has mostly failed on handling illegal immigration and as few as 75 percent feel that way on making the country safer.
Among Democrats, on the other hand, half or more say the White House has mostly succeeded in each of these key areas.  The best issues for Democrats are making the country safer and improving health care, as 70 percent say Obama has mostly succeeded at each.  The lowest is race relations: 50 percent of Democrats say mostly succeeded, while 36 percent feel the administration has mostly failed. 
And while half or more of independents say the administration has mostly failed in each of these areas, 66 percent feel that way on handling illegal immigration and 64 percent on improving America’s image.
The Fox News poll is based on landline and cell phone interviews with 1,018 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide and was conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R) from January 11-13, 2015. The full poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Police in Paris, Berlin make arrests in anti-terror raids after Belgian plot thwarted

French police have arrested 10 people in anti-terrorism raids in three towns around Paris, the city prosecutor's office said early Friday.
The prosecutor's office said that the raids were targeting people with links to Amedy Coulibaly, the gunman who attacked a kosher supermarket Jan. 9 and claimed ties to the Islamic State terror group. 
Coulibaly was one of three gunmen who carried out a series of terror attacks that resulted in the deaths of 17 people. Authorities in France and several other countries are looking for possible accomplices. One suspect, Coulibaly's common-law wife Hayat Boumeddiane, is believed to have fled to Syria earlier this month. 
Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported Friday morning that the Gare l'Est train station in Paris had been closed and evacuated due to a bomb threat. A police official, who was not authorized to be publicly named, told the AP that the station was closed "as a precaution," but would not give further details. The Gare l'Est is one of the major stations in Paris, serving cities in Eastern France and countries to the east. 
Also Friday, Berlin police said that they had taken two men into custody on suspicion that they were recruiting fighters and procuring equipment and funding for the Islamic State group, better known as ISIS, in Syria. 
The two were picked up in a series of raids involving the search of 11 residences by 250 police officers. Authorities said the raids were part of a months-long investigation into a small group of extremists based in Berlin. However, they also said there was no evidence the group was planning attacks inside Germany. 
The group's leader, identified only as 41-year-old Ismet D. in accordance with privacy laws, is accused organizing the group of largely Turkish and Russian nationals to fight against "infidels" in Syria. Emin F., 43, is accused of being in charge of finances.
Those recruited include Murat S., a 40-year-old Turkish man who was arrested in September after returning from Syria where had allegedly gone to fight.
In an unrelated raid, German police arrested 26-year-old German-Tunisian dual national into custody Thursday on suspicion he had gone to fight with the terrorist group in Syria. Police made the arrest in Wolfsburg, 120 miles outside Berlin.
The fresh arrests come one day after Belgian police said they had preempted a major terror attack by a matter of hours Thursday, killing two suspects in a firefight and arresting a third in a vast anti-terrorism sweep that stretched into the night in the town of Verviers, located near the German border east of Liege. 
Officials said the militant group targeted in the raid included some who had returned from Syria. Federal magistrate Eric Van der Sypt said the men were "extremely well-armed" with automatic weapons. Belgian media reported that the suspects were targeting police installations. Authorities have previously said 300 Belgian residents have gone to fight with extremist Islamic formations in Syria; it is unclear how many have returned.
Authorities in Belgium signaled they were ready for more trouble by raising the national terror alert level from 2 to 3, the second-highest level. Prime Minister Charles Michel said the increase in the threat level was "a choice for prudence."
"There is no concrete or specific knowledge of new elements of threat," he said.
Earlier Thursday, Belgian authorities said they were looking into possible links between a man they arrested in the southern city of Charleroi for illegal trade in weapons and Coulibaly.
The man arrested in Belgium "claims that he wanted to buy a car from the wife of Coulibaly," Van der Sypt said. "At this moment this is the only link between what happened in Paris."
Van der Sypt said that "of course, naturally" we are continuing the investigation.
At first, the man came to police himself claiming there had been contact with Coulibaly's common-law wife regarding the car, but he was arrested following a search of his premises when indications of illegal weapons trading were found.
A Belgian connection figured in a 2010 French criminal investigation into a foiled terrorist plot in which Coulibaly was one of the convicted co-conspirators. The plotters included a Brussels-area contact who was supposed to furnish both weapons and ammunition, according to French judicial documents obtained by The Associated Press.
Spain's National Court said in a statement it was investigating what Coulibaly did in the country's capital, Madrid, with Boumeddiene and a third person who wasn't identified but is suspected of helping Boumeddiene get from Turkey to Syria.

Charlie Hebdo Cartoon

Charlie Hebdo’s moment: Why some media outlets are afraid to run the cover

In the television business, I like to say that people vote with their remote controls.
In Paris right now, people are voting with their francs.
They are buying up the new issue of Charlie Hebdo in such waves that many French newsstands sold out before 7 a.m. yesterday. The usual print run of 50,000 had been boosted to 3 million, and when that was quickly snatched up, it was upped to 5 million.
If there’s been another time in modern history when an entire country — and much of the civilized world — has come together in a passionate embrace of free expression, it doesn’t immediately come to mind.
I think the cover image — Muhammed shedding a tear, with the headline “All Is Forgiven”—is uplifting. And yet many American news organizations won’t run the cover, even as they report on the story.
The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, CBS and Fox News, among many others, have carried the cartoon. But CNN, ABC, NBC, MSNBC and the New York Times are among those refusing to do so.
This is very different than last week’s debate on the refusal to publish the offensive anti-Islam cartoons from the satirical newspaper, which helped precipitate the deadly terrorist attack at Charlie Hebdo’s office. Many critics called that decision cowardly. But news executives had to weigh the safety of their employees, as well as their usual practice of not running images that are gratuitously offensive to religion. (Yes, I know that some have run anti-Christian images in the past but seem to be more skittish about offending Muslims.)
The new cover, though, represents fresh news on a huge story, and is not offensive except perhaps to a small minority. It does not mock religion. That doesn’t mean that publishing it is without risk. A former British radical leader, Anjem Choudary, told the Independent that the new image was an “act of war,” one that would draw the death penalty in a Sharia court.
But it’s important that the world press not be intimidated, any more than the more than 1 million people who filled the streets of Paris on Sunday.
Margaret Sullivan, the Times public editor, disagrees with her paper’s decision:
“The new cover image of Charlie Hebdo is an important part of a story that has gripped the world’s attention over the past week.
“The cartoon itself, while it may disturb the sensibilities of a small percentage of Times readers, is neither shocking nor gratuitously offensive. And it has, undoubtedly, significant news value.
“With Charlie Hebdo’s expanded press run of millions of copies for this post-attack edition, and a great deal of global coverage, the image is being seen, judged and commented on all over the world. Times readers should not have had to go elsewhere to find it.”
Columnist Joe Concha whacks the news outlets that have just said no:
“As for CNN, MSNBC, the New York Times and NPR, please save your breathless reports about Charlie Hebdo being an inspiration to us all.
“You just rewarded the objective of terrorists everywhere: Intimidation wins, Sharia Law rules, First Amendment loses, expression is silenced.”
Renald Luzier, the cartoonist who drew the cover sketch – and who is alive only because he was late for work last Wednesday – told reporters that his depiction of the prophet was “nicer than the terrorists’ Muhammad.”
It’s clear that the world prefers the peaceful version. Too bad that some news outlets don’t feel comfortable showing it to their readers and viewers.

IRS chief warns of refund delays, poor customer service this tax year

Taxpayers could see delays in getting their refunds this year -- as well as "unacceptable" customer service -- as the IRS commissioner warns budget cuts are forcing the agency to cut back. 
IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, in an email sent to workers and obtained by Fox News, predicted a messy tax season on several fronts. 
"The effect of these cuts will hurt taxpayers and our tax system," he wrote. 
He said the cuts could force the IRS to shut down operations for two days later this year, resulting in unpaid furloughs for employees and service cuts for taxpayers. 
But in the near-term, the commissioner said cuts in overtime and temporary staff hours could cause delays in refunds. 
"People who file paper tax returns could wait an extra week -- or possibly longer -- to see their refund," he wrote, adding: "Taxpayers with errors or questions on their returns that require additional manual review will also face delays." 
He warned that IRS customer service, which already has faced heavy criticism, could be "diminished further." Koskinen set a low bar for what taxpayers can expect. 
"We now anticipate an even lower level of telephone service than before, which raises the real possibility that fewer than half of taxpayers trying to call us will actually reach us. During Fiscal Year 2014, 64 percent were able to get through. Those who do reach us will face extended wait times that are unacceptable to all of us," Koskinen wrote. 
Further, he warned of delays to IT investments of more than $200 million, predicting this would delay "new taxpayer protections against identity theft." 
The IRS has faced tough congressional scrutiny over the last two years in large part over the scandal involving the targeting of conservative groups, and some lawmakers are reluctant to pour more funding into the agency. 
But Koskinen says the agency's $10.9 billion budget is now the lowest level of funding since 2008. When adjusted for inflation, the budget hasn't been this low since 1998, he said. 
He said a short-term shutdown may loom. 
"Unfortunately, this means at this time we need to plan for the possibility of a shutdown of IRS operations for two days later this fiscal year, which will involve furloughing employees on those days," Koskinen wrote in the email. "Shutting down the IRS will be a last resort, but I want to be upfront with you about the problem." 
Koskinen said the agency will extend a partial hiring freeze through the end of the budget year in September. He said fewer enforcement agents will cost the federal government at least $2 billion in lost tax revenue. 
"IRS employees are doing their best to handle the rising demand for their services, but they will simply not be able to keep up," said Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union. "I have urged the IRS not to make any decisions on furlough days this early in the fiscal year and to work with us to find other alternatives."

US announces transfer of 5 Gitmo detainees; 4 to Oman, 1 to Estonia

Everyone with half a brain Knows Why Obama is Letting these Creeps Loose from Gitmo.

The Department of Defense announced Wednesday that five Yemeni terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay had been transferred out of the facility after more than a dozen years in captivity. 
Al Khadr Abdallah, Muhammad Al Yafi, Fadel Hussein Saleh Hentif, And Al-Rahman Abdullah Au Ahabati and Mohammed Ahmed Salam were sent to Oman, while Akhmed Abdul Qadir was transferred to Estonia.
This marks the first time either country has accepted former Guantanamo prisoners for resettlement. The men had been cleared for release since at least 2009 but the U.S. has balked at repatriating Guantanamo prisoners back to Yemen, where the government is battling an Al Qaeda insurgency.
All five were captured in Pakistan and detained by the U.S. as suspected Al Qaeda fighters. U.S. officials later determined it was no longer necessary to detain them but have struggled to find other countries willing to take them in. The men are all in their 30s and 40s, including one who was 17 when he was sent to Guantanamo.
The release of the five brings the number of detainees at Guantanamo Bay down to 122.
The transfers of these individuals comes in the wake of Republican senators introducing a new legislation to clamp down on President Obama's ability to transfer terror suspects out of the detention facility. These senators called for a "time out" on releasing more detainees after the Paris terror attacks.
The measure would repeal current law that allows the administration to transfer prisoners to foreign countries to reduce the population at Guantanamo. The bill also would prohibit transfers of terror suspects to foreign countries if there has been a confirmed case where an individual was transferred from Guantanamo and engaged in any terrorist activity.
Any transfers to Yemen would be shut down for two years.
Obama has pushed to close the detention facility since his inauguration in 2009. However, opponents say that Guantanamo is the best location for terror suspects since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
"Now is not the time to be emptying Guantanamo," Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., said at a news conference hours before the latest transfers were announced, during which she warned of fresh terrorist threats.
The administration has been transferring detainees cleared for movement to other countries. Five men who were held for a dozen years without charge at Guantanamo were sent to the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan for resettlement in late December.
Nearly 30 prisoners were resettled in third countries last year as part of Obama's renewed push to close the detention center.
"We are committed to closing the detention facility. That's our goal and we are working toward that goal," said Ian Moss, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department on Guantanamo issues.

School district to stop interrogating Christian homeschool kids

A Virginia school district has decided to scrap a policy that allowed it to interrogate Christian homeschool teenagers and their parents about their religious beliefs.
Last November Douglas Pruiett and his wife received a letter from Goochland County Public Schools about updated procedures to the district’s requests for religious exemptions for homeschool students.
Under the updated rules, once a child turns 14-years-old, the district requires that homeschool parents reapply for a religious exemption to public education.

It sounds to me like some sort of modern-day religious inquisition – hauling Christian kids in front of the school board to be interrogated about the authenticity of their relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Prueitts have seven children, three of whom were impacted by the revised policy.
“Each application must be completed along with a statement of your bona fide religious beliefs and a statement from your child age 14 or older stating his/her bona fide religious beliefs,” the policy reads.
In other words, the homeschool kids have to prove to the school board that they love Jesus. And then there was this rather ominous paragraph:

“The School Board reserves the right to schedule a meeting with the parent(s) and, in the case of a student age 14 or older, with the student. The parent of a student younger than age 14 may choose to have his or her child attend the meeting. The purpose of the meeting is for the School Board to determine whether the request for exemption is based upon a conscientious opposition to attendance at a public school or at a private, denominational, or parochial school due to bona fide religious training or beliefs. Such meeting will be conducted in a closed meeting of the School Board.”

It sounds to me like some sort of modern-day religious inquisition – hauling Christian kids in front of the school board to be interrogated about the authenticity of their relationship with Jesus Christ.
“The policy provided the school board the right to call the child before them (and I call it interrogation) to defend those beliefs so they could determine whether indeed the child and the parents still held bona fide religious beliefs to qualify for the exemption,” Prueitt said.
His immediate reaction was to reject the district’s mandate – even though his refusal could have had landed the family in court. He cited the Virginia religious exemption statute which gives families a right to an exemption from school attendance based on the religious training the parents are providing to the child – regardless of what the child believes. The local policy, he said, violates that right.
So like a good citizen, Pruiett contacted the school superintendent.
“When I spoke with the school superintendent about this issue he stated that part of the rationale in changing the policy was to allow the board to ascertain if a home schooled child really wants to be home schooled so that they, ‘can be given the opportunity to go to public school,’” he said.
The Home School Legal Defense Association also weighed in – warning the school district they were in violation of state law and there was no legal ground to force the Pruiett family to do what they had been ordered to do.
“We are still a nation of ‘We the People,’” he wrote. “If liberties are taken away, it is because we did not stand. In a wonderful country like ours, we should desire that all our institutions and policies be characterized by a respect for individual God-given freedoms.”
And that brings us to Jan. 13^th when hundreds of parents piled into the Goochland School Board meeting to show their support for the Pruietts and other homeschool families in the community.
The school board heard the will of the people and voted to repeal the policy. They also decided to suspend any religious exemption letters that were sent to other families.
It took a village to change what was a very bad policy – but it’s proof positive that “We the People” can still engage the political process.
“The board acted honorably to repeal this thing,” Prueitt told me.
But it’s also a reminder that the government seems to believe they know what’s best for our children.
“We are Christians and we homeschool our children so that we can instill in them Christian values – from an educational standpoint so that they will acknowledge God in every discipline of life,” Pruiett told me. “You’re not going to find that in public schools.”
So let what happened in Goochland County, Virginia serve as a warning to school boards across the fruited plain. “We the People” will not tolerate busybody school marms meddling in the private religious affairs of American school children.

ISIS control of Syria reportedly expands since start of US-led airstrikes

The Islamic State terror group have increased the amount of territory they control in Syria as the U.S.-led bombing campaign approaches its four-month anniversary, according to a published report. 
The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. government and  independent assessments, say that Islamic State, commonly known as ISIS, has control of a large swath of northeastern Syria and is creeping toward key cities in the country's west, including Aleppo, a center of the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. 
The Journal reports that ISIS' expansion of control can partially be attributed to the U.S. focus on Iraq, where it is working closely with Baghdad to roll back gains made by ISIS last summer. However, as a result, ISIS fighters are flowing into Syria unchecked. In other cases, Syrian rebel groups who once fought against ISIS have been convinced to join their side. 
The paper also reports that nearly three-quarters of the U.S.-led airstrikes in Syria since Sept. 22 have concentrated on the fight for Kobani, a town near the border with Turkey that has seen fierce fighting between ISIS and Kurds. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that the airstrikes had helped Kurdish forces gain an estimated 80 percent of the town, in what would be the first major defeat for ISIS since their current campaign of terror began. 
However, experts tell the Journal that whatever good the strikes have done in Kobani, they have not prevented ISIS from consolidating their control elsewhere, a truth that some U.S. officials readily acknowledge.
"Gaining territorial control in Syria has never been our mission," Col. Patrick Ryder, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, tells the Journal. "That wasn’t the objective of our airstrikes." Ryder calls the Syria airstrikes "shaping" operations, meant to weaken ISIS' hold on key parts of Iraq. 
Matters also are complicated by the lack of a ready-made partner, like the Iraqi government, to take the fight to ISIS on the ground. The U.S. plans currently call for the arming and training of moderate rebels in Syria, associated with neither ISIS nor Assad. However, that plan is still some time from coming to fruition. 
"Absent a partner on the ground in Syria, ours is still an Iraq-first strategy," one defense official told the Journal. "You've got to have forces on the ground."

J.V. Team Cartoon

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

WASHINGTON –  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.