President Obama and Conan O’Brien both cracked jokes at Saturday night’s White House Correspondent’s Dinner in Washington D.C. and the team at NowThis has compiled those jokes into a single video.

Joking with attendees Obama proclaimed that the years are finally catching up to him and he’s not “the strapping young Muslim socialist” he used to be.

The POTUS also took jabs at the standard White House Correspondent’s dinner targets including his GOP opponents and other elite members of society.

At one point President Obama showcased a new hairstyle that looked just like the First Lady’s. Obama proclaimed:

“I thought this looked pretty good but no bounce.”

Check out the best jokes from the dinner in the video above and let us know what you think.

Watch The Best White House Correspondence Dinner Jokes From Obama And Conan O’Brien [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

White House explosions injuring President Obama were claimed by the Associate Press Twitter account just recently at 1:07 PM.

Fortunately, the Associated Press Twitter account was apparently hacked and the reports of two explosions at the White House are totally false.

The original AP Twitter hoax tweet about the White House bombing read: “Breaking: Two Explosions in the White House and Barack Obama is injured”

Within three minutes of the AP Twitter account being hacked, AP representative Hananel jumped on to say, “Please Ignore AP Tweet on explosions, we’ve been hacked.” Twitter suspend the AP account, but not before they posted, “The tweet about an attack at the White House is false. We will advise more as soon as possible.”

Twitter handles from FIFA were hacked by Syrian rebels. Even CBS had two of its Twitter accounts hacked recently. Regardless, people on Twitter are already using the hash tag #APTwitterPassword to make fun of the Associated Press.

Anonymous is already claiming it didn’t hack the AP Twitter account:

Thanks for all the big ups but #Anonymous didn't hack the @AP. #BlameAnonymous

— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) April 23, 2013

The AP Twitter hoax about White House explosions briefly had an effect on the stock markets. The S&P 500 began to dive sharply, dropping from 1,580 down to 1,565 within minutes. But the market quickly corrected after everyone realized it was a hoax.

Back in the real world, the Secret Service expanded White House security after the Boston bombing. So while the tweet may have been a hoax, government officials are taking the threat of a White House bombing seriously.

Were you initially fooled by the AP Twitter hoax saying dual White House explosions injured President Obama? What was your initial reaction?

Here's what happened to the S&P 500 when @AP's Twitter account was hacked and falsely reported White House blasts. pic.twitter.com/sFkhQQqHo6

— Brad Heath (@bradheath) April 23, 2013

AP Twitter Hacked, Hoax Claims White House Explosions Injure President Obama is a post from: The Inquisitr

The White House has suggested that President Obama will veto the CISPA bill if it passes its upcoming House of Representatives vote.

National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Caitlin Hayden issued the following statement:

“We believe the adopted committee amendments reflect a good faith-effort to incorporate some of the Administration’s important substantive concerns, but we do not believe these changes have addressed some outstanding fundamental priorities” and intimated that the president would veto the bill as it stands.”

Hayden further notes that the Obama administration plans to continue its work with Congress in an attempt to create stronger cybersecurity legislation. Hayden added, “we continue to believe that information sharing improvements are essential to effective legislation, but they must include privacy and civil liberties protections, reinforce the roles of civilian and intelligence agencies, and include targeted liability protections.”

As we reported on Wednesday, CISPA passed through the House Intelligence Committee after two amendments were made. The bills text has not yet been made public.

Under CISPA, the government would be able to redact personal information from cyber threat data collected by companies. Under issues of “national security,” the government could receive unredacted copies of information.

The CISPA bill is aimed to streamlining the process that currently prevents governmental and private-sector sharing of infromation about malicious source code, ongoing attacks, and other threats made over the internet.

CISPA’s ultimate goal is to create a far-reaching system that can share information in real-time. Supporters of the bill claim that it will help stop cyber and real-world attacks. Critics of the bill claim that it will give the US government unfettered access to personal information with virtually no oversight.

More than 30,000 websites have stuck together to protest the enactment of CISPA.

Do you think CISPA is going to take away personal privacy by prying into a users internet access without good reason for concern?

CISPA Dead In The Water? White House Suggests Veto is a post from: The Inquisitr

A Pennsylvania man was arrested Wednesday morning after making a bomb threat outside of the White House.

Krzysztof Wasik, 44, of Hazle Township informed an officer near the gates to the White House that there was a bomb in a truck nearby. The bomb, he said, would detonate soon.

Police quickly blocked off access to the surrounding streets and the entrance to a nearby Metro rail station. Crime scene tape was wrapped along Pennsylvania Avenue, blocking off pedestrian traffic. The truck was parked on the 800 block of Vermont Avenue, a block away from the north lawn behind the White House.

Streets were closed for a total of two hours. A local CBS station reports that a “fair amount of security” was present, including the Secret Service technical support team and K-9 units. Police would only describe the situation as an emergency while the investigation was underway.

Secret Service inspected the vehicle for explosives, but none were found. False alarm.

Police reopened the streets and took Wasik into custody.

Bomb threats are not an uncommon occurrence at the White House. Some threats, like today’s, lack the presence of any real explosive device.

Others come masked in protest movements. A year ago a suspected smoke bomb was tossed over the White House fence while over a thousand Occupy protesters gathered outside the gates. It was not immediately clear if a protester was the culprit, and no arrests were made. The president and first lady were away at the time, but they returned while the investigation was still underway.

Wazik’s home of Hazle Township is located roughly 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia and has a population of under 10,000 people.

While bomb threats may not be uncommon at the White House, they are not taken lightly. Krzysztof Wasik has been charged with making felony threats and is being held pending a court appearance. It is not yet clear if he has a lawyer.

Pennsylvania Man Arrested After White House Bomb Threat is a post from: The Inquisitr

Michele Bachmannreally didn’t want to talk to CNN.

The congresswoman led CNN correspondent Dana Bash on a high-speed, high-heel chase Tuesday as she tried to duck questions about some questionable claims she had made during her CPAC conference speech. “She literally raced away from our Dana Bash,” Anderson Cooper said on his show.

Bachmann had claimed that President Obama was living a kingly lifestyle inside the White House on the taxpayer’s dime, claiming that he had hired an expensive professional dog walker and multiple first-rate chefs to prepare meals for the first family.

“The claims of $1.4 billion in White House perks and excess, they fail on the facts in simple fairness,” Cooper said.

Bachmann apparently culled her information from a 131-page self-published book by a long-time Republican lobbyist. The book’s claims are suspect because they don’t provide specific sourcing, and the only scholarly work done on the subject was published in 2010 by the Brookings Institution, a left-leaning think tank.

That report, brought to light by The Washington Post, showed that Bush’s White House cost about $1.6 billion to run. Most of it went to the Secret Service and White House helicopters, not perks. Even if Bachmann’s claims are correct, and Obama is spending most of his White House operating expenses on personal pleasures, his White House is still about $200 million cheaper as of now.

CNN dispatched Bash to follow-up with Bachmann, who soon found herself in a literal race for answers.

“She was moving so fast, I have to tell you it tested my endurance,” Bash recalled. A video shows an out-of-breath Bash asking Bachmann questions about her claims.

“You talked about the excesses that he’s engaged in, the fact that he has a dog walker, which is not true,” Bash said.

“The big point of my speech was about Benghazi,” Bachmann responded. “This was an absolute disaster.” Bachmann also snapped on Bash for bringing up the dog walker.

“But Congresswoman, you’re the one who brought it up!” Bash replied, to which Bachmann began to flee.

“What’s amazing about the quote is she tried to turn it against you as if, how dare you bring up a dog walker, something so petty when because of the horror of what happened in Benghazi,” Cooper said. “It takes a lot to make me speechless. I was speechless,” Bash said.

The video of Bachmann running away from Bash isn’t available to embedding, but you can watch it here.

Michele Bachmann Leads CNN’s Dana Bash On A High-Speed High-Heel Chase is a post from: The Inquisitr

A National Park Service ranger claims the Obama administration forced sequester cuts that were unnecessary. The unnamed whistleblower maintains the agency was overruled after presenting a plan to deal with sequester cuts in a manner that had minimal impact on the public.

The park ranger came forward after the Obama administration allegedly resisted efforts by the National Park Service to reduce the impact of the sequester on visitors. The US park ranger also stated during an interview with Fox News that the White House told the agency to cancel interpretation services, tours, special events, and other educational services. National parks are extremely busy during the spring and summers as outdoor enthusiasts and families take advantage of the free or low-cost attractions.

The National Park Service ranger said, “Apparently, they want the public to feel the pain,” when discussing the allegedly forced sequester cuts. Park service officials have warned the public about campground closures at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, delayed access to Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks, and a reduction in hours at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center. Tens of thousands of Americans who have already booked vacations at the major national parks could be negatively impacted by the changes.

The White House claims such National Park Service cuts were needed due to the $85 billion in sequester cuts. The park service is reportedly experiencing an across-the-board 5 percent budget cut. Republicans and some independent voters are feel President Barack Obama is inflating the impact of the reduction in spending increases for political gain.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, a leaked Agriculture Department email also claims the White House applied pressure for sequester cuts that would be felt by the public. The Obama administration email to the Agriculture Department appears to indicate that the agency was warned not to deviate from the sting that was anticipated to be felt by the cuts.

The regional field officer maintained that the agency had found ways to make the necessary cuts without such a major impact, but was not given permission to follow through with their plan. National Park Service memos currently circulating reportedly indicate that the federal agency was instructed to make it a priority to tell the public how the sequester cuts had impacted them.

National Park Service Pushed To Make Visible Sequester Cuts, Ranger Claims is a post from: The Inquisitr

The unemployment rate dropped to 7.7 percent in February, surprising many economists who believed that the drop in jobless numbers would be slower. The economy created over 236,000 jobs, well over the predicted 160,000.

“The economy has now added private sector jobs every month for three straight years, and a total of 6.35 million jobs have been added over that period,” Alan Krueger, the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, wrote on the White House blog.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that of the 236,000 jobs added; 73,000 were in professional and business services; 48,000 were in construction; 32,000 were in health care; 24,000 were in leisure and hospitality, 23,700 were in retail trade; and 14,000 were in manufacturing.

“The manufacturing sector has added over half a million jobs over the last 37 months, the most for any such period since 1986,” Krueger wrote. “In the last two years the construction sector has added 306,000 jobs, with half of that increase occurring in the last five months.”

Today’s numbers arrive less than a week after the Dow Jones industrial average rose to record-levels when not adjusted for inflation.

Yet not all news is good news. State and local governments lost 10,000 jobs predominantly in education. 340,700 local education jobs have been lost since November 2009. More cuts are also on the way. The sequester budget cuts are expected to slash 750,000 jobs if the full extent of the sequester is felt throughout the entire year.

The monthly employment numbers are subject to change each month. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that 157,000 jobs were created in December. That number has since been revised to 219,000. The numbers are also heavily affected by education levels. The jobless rate is 11.2 percent for people without a high school diploma, 7.9 for those with a high school education, and 3.8 for those with a bachelor’s degree. Many college graduates still find themselves working jobs for which their degree was unnecessary.

The new unemployment rate is the lowest since December 2008. The White House takes this as a sign that the recovery that began in 2009 is gaining traction.

Republicans still maintain that the unemployment numbers are higher than expected:

Positive news in today’s jobs report but unemployment still far above what @whitehouse projected w/its ‘stimulus’ j.mp/Zlwj9f — Speaker John Boehner (@SpeakerBoehner) March 8, 2013

It remains to be seen whether the sequester job losses will begin to outpace the steady rate of job growth in the months ahead.

Unemployment Rate Drops To 7.7 Percent is a post from: The Inquisitr

The White House and breast feeding are two words that typically don’t go together but don’t tell that to political reporter and new mom Rachel Rose Hartman.

Hartman has a new baby, and a job at the White House, so she has recently found herself breast feeding at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Hartman writes: “When I imagined my journalism career, I never pictured myself standing shirtless in a unisex bathroom in the White House. But that is precisely where I found myself in November, as a new mother of a nursing infant returning from maternity leave to cover the president.”

So what are the breast feeding conditions like at the White House?

Hartman initially chided government officials for not providing a private place to breastfeed. Back in 2010, the Obama Administrations outlined several ways to help women in the work place and one of those ways was to provide a private place to breastfeed. According to Valerie Jarrett, chair of the president’s Council on Women and Girls, “One of the most common reasons mothers cite for discontinuing breastfeeding is returning to work and not having break time or a private space to express milk.”

Jarrett cites a study that mothers who breastfed their babies for the first 6 months can provide significant health benefits and lower the risks of diabetes, obesity, asthma, and leukemia.

The Affordable Care Act also requires employers to provide a clean place to breastfeed.

The law reads:”The Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010 requires employers to provide nursing mothers with reasonable break time and a place other than a bathroom that is shielded from view and free from intrusion to express breast milk at work, up until a child’s first birthday.”

But despite the White House’s intentions, Hartman was still stuck in a bathroom breastfeeding her newbornchild.

When Hartman complained to the White House press staff she was told that they were aware of the problem and looking into a solution. There were, however, several obstacles in the way. Yahoo, where Hartman works, doesn’t have an assigned chair for press meetings and definitely don’t have its own private space. There are also a lot of security procedures and journalists aren’t allowed to freely roam the building. Space is also limited at 1600 Pennsylvania and dedicated an entire room to breastfeeding would be tough.

Fox News Channel’s Ed Henry, president of the White House Correspondents Association, eventually found a solution: The Christian Broadcasting Network and CBC/Radio-Canada agreed to let Hartman use their booth at certain times of the day for breastfeeding.

It isn’t a permanent solution but it’s one that Hartman says has changed her life.

You can read Rachel Rose Hartman’s story about breastfeeding in the White House here.

White House Reporter Starts Breast Feeding At 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Obama Administration responded today to a We the People petition to make cell phone unlocking legal, throwing its full support behind the initiative. The petition and White House response follow an October 2012 decision by the Library of Congress to make unlocking cell phones illegal.

Anyone is allowed to create a petition on We the People, a White House website that allows citizens to directly petition their government. The White House has committed to responding to petitions that acquire over 100,000 signatures. The petition to “Make Unlocking Cell Phones Legal” has acquired 114,322 signatures since it was published on January 24. The petition briefly states its primary reason for concern:

“As of January 26, consumers will no longer be able unlock their phones for use on a different network without carrier permission, even after their contract has expired.

Consumers will be forced to pay exorbitant roaming fees to make calls while traveling abroad. It reduces consumer choice, and decreases the resale value of devices that consumers have paid for in full.”

Internet, Innovation, and Privacy Senior Advisor David Edelman wrote the official White House response, entitled “It’s Time to Legalize Cell Phone Unlocking.” He stated:

“The White House agrees with the 114,000+ of you who believe that consumers should be able to unlock their cell phones without risking criminal or other penalties. In fact, we believe the same principle should also apply to tablets, which are increasingly similar to smart phones. And if you have paid for your mobile device, and aren’t bound by a service agreement or other obligation, you should be able to use it on another network. It’s common sense, crucial for protecting consumer choice, and important for ensuring we continue to have the vibrant, competitive wireless market that delivers innovative products and solid service to meet consumers’ needs.

This is particularly important for secondhand or other mobile devices that you might buy or receive as a gift, and want to activate on the wireless network that meets your needs — even if it isn’t the one on which the device was first activated. All consumers deserve that flexibility.”

The Federal Communications Commission also issued a brief statement of its own today:

“From a communications policy perspective, [the recent Library of Congress decision] raises serious competition and innovation concerns, and for wireless consumers, it doesn’t pass the common sense test. The FCC is examining this issue, looking into whether the agency, wireless providers, or others should take action to preserve consumers’ ability to unlock their mobile phones. I also encourage Congress to take a close look and consider a legislative solution.”

Unlocking a cell phone allows a consumer to expand the functionality that comes with their phone. Unlocking a phone is sometimes the only way to uninstall unwanted applications that come pre-installed on a phone or install updates on a device that is no longer supported. Mobile providers have generally looked down on the practice because it allows a consumer to use their devices in ways a provider may not like.

The White House calls for narrow legislative fixes that would make it clear that neither criminal law nor technological locks should prevent consumers from switching carriers when they are no longer bound by a contract. The Obama Administration also urges mobile providers to take steps to ensure that customers can fully reap the benefits and features they expect when purchasing a device. While no binding policy has yet been announced, petitioners can breathe easier knowing the executive branch of government has strongly come out in agreement that cell phone unlocking should be legal.

[Image via ShutterStock]

Cell Phone Unlocking Petition Gains Support From Obama Administration is a post from: The Inquisitr

The White House moved quickly yesterday to rectify a mistake made by President Obama when he mixed up sci-fi film references and dropped a “Jedi mind meld” remark.

Obama made the comment at a press conference to talk about the (now active) sequester. Responding to a question asking why he didn’t just force reluctant Republicans to sign up to a budget deal, Obama said he couldn’t perform a “Jedi mind meld.”

The president’s point was a fair one; however, the fact that he mixed up two pop culture sci-fi behemoths became the story. If you needed proof that geeks really have inherited the earth, simply look at the Twitter furor that exploded after Obama’s gaffe.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, it wasn’t just fanboys and fanboys who were up in arms. ABC’s Z. Byron Wolf, called Obama’s mix up a “sci fi faux pas,” explaining:

“There are Jedi mind tricks, of course, from Star Wars. And there is Vulcan Mind Meld, from Star Trek. But in equating the two, the president erred. He mixed Star Wars and Star Trek.“

Notwithstanding Tech Crunch’s contribution that the concept of a Jedi mind meld does exist in the Star Wars universe in book form, the White House still felt the need to address the mistake head-on.

Mere hours after Obama’s sci-fi snafu, the White House posted a response on their official Twitter account, which may or may not have added fuel to the meme.

“We must bring balance to the Force,” was the message.

The tweet included a photo of the president along with the lines “These cuts aren’t the solutions Americans are looking for” and “To deny the facts would be illogical,” plus a link to a website that promoted “solutions” to the sequester.

As NBC noted, the syntax of both lines substituted dialogue from both the Star Wars universe and Star Trek’s.

What do you think of the whole episode? Was the sequester’s introduction of possibly drastic budget cuts overshadowed at a crucial time, or has Obama’s administration restored its geek-cred and given the nation a bit of light relief?

White House Owns ‘Jedi Mind Meld’ Gaffe, Uses It To Call For Sequester ‘Balance’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

President Barack Obama has spent much of the past few weeks campaigning against the upcoming sequester, painting a dire picture for Americans of the painful budget cuts soon to come. The day of the deadline has now arrived, and Congress has packed up for the weekend. By 11:59 pm tonight, the sequester budget cuts become reality.

The federal budget will bleed out $85 billion over the next 10 months. Over the course of this year, non-defense programs will face a nine percent cut. Defense programs, 13 percent. The dollar amount cut is even across defense and non-defense programs; the US’s defense budget is just smaller, resulting in a greater proportion feeling the damage.

The sequester cuts are designed to be carried out over the course of 10 years, resulting in $1.2 trillion in total.

Some entitlements are spared entirely. Citizens awaiting social security checks in the mail will find the same amount as before. College students can still rely on Pell grants, while lower income families can still rely on food stamps and Medicaid.

On the other hand, many more people may soon need food stamps and Medicaid. Sequester budget cuts may cost many people their jobs. Over 100,000 people may end up homeless after cuts to shelters, housing vouchers, and rural rent assistance.

The Federal Aviation Administration will receive a $600 million funding cut, resulting in fewer air-traffic controllers and fewer flights. The Travel Security Administration will also be hit, resulting in fewer workers and longer lines.

Cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will suffer from 2,700 unfilled positions and 1,400 fewer contractors, impacting their ability to handle large-scale weather forecasting. This comes at a time when a powerful hurricane plummeted the Northeast late in hurricane season and record-breaking snowstorms are burying the Midwest. Cuts to the Department of Agriculture mean less wildfire prevention, and fewer inspections by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration increase the risk of workplace injuries.

Prisons, immigration, preventative health care, child care, federal investigations, and so much more are all affected by these budget cuts. There are many in Washington who are happy to see the federal government take such a sizable hit, but President Obama is not one of those people. President Obama’s sequester fears will come true by midnight tonight, and he will have to govern through his new political reality.

[Images via ShutterStock]

Obama Sequester Fears Soon Become Reality is a post from: The Inquisitr

You know, for the most Internet-savvy administration to date, the Obama White House really doesn’t understand the Internet very well.

White House Says Obama Shotgun Photo Is Not To Be Meme’d is a post from: The Inquisitr

The White House released specifics today on the job growth plan President Obama coined as his “fix-it-first” policy during his State of the Union address. The plan allocates $50 billion for investment in US infrastructure, with 80 percent of that going towards the reparation of highways, bridges, transit systems, and airports most in need of repair.

“Repair and maintenance of our existing roads, bridges and public transportation systems should take priority before we consider investing in new facilities,” The White House said in a press release “This will ensure that our cities are safer and more modern.”

There are 70,000 structurally deficient bridges across the US, a number that Daily Show host Jon Stewart saw as cause for alarm. The White House claims that the plan unveiled today could bring nearly 80 percent of those bridges up to date. Perhaps Stewart can now breathe a bit easier.

The plan calls for a “Rebuild America Partnership” that would attract private investment in the nation’s infrastructure. Part of this initiative involves the creation of a National Infrastructure Bank that would leverage private and public capital to support both national and regional infrastructure projects.

New “America Fast Forward” bonds would replicate the success of the “Build America Bonds” funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The hope is that these new bonds would attract new sources of capital such as from public pension funds and foreign investors that do not receive a tax benefit from traditional tax-exempt debt.

The plan also calls for the implementation of the newly expanded program created under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. The TIFIA program provides direct loans, loan guarantees, and lines of credit to transportation projects and received an 800 percent increase in its funding during the recent surface transportation reauthorization.

The White House asserts that by acting on President Obama’s job growth plan, “we can prove that there is no better place to do business and create jobs than right here in the United States of America.”

[Image via ShutterStock]

Obama’s Job Growth Plan Calls For America To ‘Fix-It-First’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

Other countries are attracting US immigrants frustrated by the many hoops they have to jump through to legally remain in the country. Many of these immigrants have graduated from American universities with degrees funded by US taxpayers, but the US has strict limits on visas for highy skilled workers that often puts immigrants on waiting lists for several years. While the debate in Washington centers largely around what to do with the over 10 million undocumented immigrants living in the country, the economy is facing a drain of highly-educated immigrants trying to immigrate legally, pay taxes, and create jobs.

The Washington Posttells the story of Anurag Bajpayee and Prakash Narayan Govindan. Both are Indian immigrants in the US on student visas set to expire before this summer. They are both postdoctoral mechanical engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and have created a company together hoping to sell a product to oil businesses looking for cheaper and cleaner ways to dispose of contaminated water produced by fracking. Companies have flown them to Texas and North Dakota, and they may be close to securing millions of dollars in financing and hiring 100 employees in the next couple of years.

If the US does not appreciate their talents, another country will. Canada and other countries offer visas to young entrepreneurs who want to start a business within their borders. Americans and US immigrants alike are waiting on a comprehensive plan that will fix some of the country’s immigration woes.

The White House has circulated a “backup” draft bill in case bipartisan talk of immigration reform breaks down. The bill would create a new visa for undocumented immigrants living in the US and allow them to become permanent residents within eight years. The Christian Science Monitor reports that this plan drew immediate criticism from Senator Marco Rubio, one of the eight lawmakers trying to form a comprehensive plan.

“If actually proposed, the president’s bill would be dead on arrival in Congress, leaving us with unsecured borders and a broken legal immigration system for years to come,” Rubio said.

.@eugene_robinson is right: Obama’s leaked immigration plan will let GOP trash the prez — and agree to compromise wapo.st/XhfkHM

— EJ Dionne (@EJDionne) February 19, 2013

Senator Chuck Schumer met with President Obama on Wednesday and urged the administration to give the bipartisan group of eight lawmakers the time to hammer out a deal on their own.

“I am very hopeful that in March we will have a bipartisan bill,” Schumer said on CNN’s State of the Union. “And, you know, it’s obvious if a Democrat — the president or anyone else — puts out what they want on their own, (it) is going to be different than when you have a bipartisan agreement. But the only way we’re going to get something done is with a bipartisan agreement.”

If Washington fails to create an effective solution, it will be other countries that benefit from the departure of US immigrants, and the US economy will suffer from the loss of future employers. Neither political party stands to gain by kicking this can down the road any longer.

[Image via ShutterStock]

Frustrated US Immigrants Sought By Other Countries is a post from: The Inquisitr

A new draft of a White House immigration proposal would clear the way for illegal immigrants to become legal permanent residents and potentially US citizens. Legal permanent residency could become a reality for those illegal immigrants within eight years.

A copy of the White House early draft proposal was obtained by the USA Today. Under the proposal, more security funding would be provided, and businesses would be required to check immigration status of new hires within four years.

Under the bill, illegal immigrants would have the option to apply for “Lawful Prospective Immigrant” visas.

The proposal also provides for some degree of provisional legal status for spouses and children living outside of the United States.

President Obama has never hidden his attempts to bring illegal immigrants into the fold, having fought for the DREAM act and other immigration practices since taking office. However, during his last election cycle, the Latin-American community continued to push President Obama for further control over the immigration issue.

Latinos chose President Obama over Mitt Romney with a margin of 71 percent to 27 percent during the November 6 election. Securing more rights for immigrants based on those numbers is an important factor for Democrats in future elections.

Another immigration bill is also being drafted by Congress.

Attacking the leaked White House bill draft, Republican senator Marco Rubio said it was “dead on arrival.” Rubio claims the new proposal simply rehashes failed immigration policies that would worsen the country’s immigration problem.

According to Rubio:

“If actually proposed, the president’s bill would be dead on arrival in Congress, leaving us with unsecured borders and a broken legal immigration system for years to come.”

The White House has not yet responded to the leaked bill in full.

Currently, there is an estimated 11 million immigrants in the United States.

[Image via maxhphoto / Shutterstock.com]

Leaked White House Immigration Bill Clears Way For Legal Status is a post from: The Inquisitr

The White House is looking for a few good programmers. President Obama’s administration just posted round two of the White House’s Presidential Innovation Fellows Program.

The program is meant to attract a select handful of innovators from various fields. The goal is to “help develop innovation solutions in areas of national significance.”

Posted on the White House’s blog, round two of the Fellow programs includes various project. Among those projects are an open data initiatives and an eBay type platform for small businesses, which will solicit bids on government contracts.

The following Fellows project will include building an “industrial Internet” and the pre-positioning of critical technology infrastructure in case of a natural disaster.

US Chief Technology Officer Todd Park and US Chief Information Officer Steven VanRoekel write:

“We are looking for incredibly talented, entrepreneurial people from a diverse array of backgrounds and with a wide range of experiences.”

The post adds:

“Many of the Fellowship roles require coding and other tech skills, but not all do. We are also looking for gifted and accomplished change agents with skills in user experience design, product management, project management, business development, operations reengineering, and more. In a nutshell, we are looking for people who can help make big things happen rapidly to advance the public good.”

While a majority of the jobs are listed in the technology field, the White House is also seeking non-tech workers for its fellowship program.

You can apply for the program by visiting the official fellowship page at whitehouse.gov/InnovationFellows.

White House Job Ad: Coders Needed For Project Of ‘National Significance’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

A new White House petition calls for armed guards protecting President Obama, vice president Joe Biden, and their families to be replaced by a floating “gun-free zone” around them at all times.

It leaves one to wonder whether the White House will ever regret launching the We the People petition website, which allows Americans a new avenue to have their voices heard on issues they care about. Instead, the service is used to score cheap political points, frame partisan issues with clever melodrama and rhetoric, and requisition the deportation of unpopular news pundits. There was something about a Death Star as well, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

The newest viral petition calls for the Secret Service charged with protecting the first family and various other politicians to be replaced with a floating “gun-free zone.” The petition reads:

“Gun Free Zones are supposed to protect our children, and some politicians wish to strip us of our right to keep and bear arms. Those same politicians and their families are currently under the protection of armed Secret Service agents. If Gun Free Zones are sufficient protection for our children, then Gun Free Zones should be good enough for politicians.”

It’s an interesting political point, granted, but the petition will only get a response from the White House if it exceeds 100,000 signatures (the new limit designed to prevent silly petitions from going viral and requiring a response).

The number of signatures is around 30,000 as of this posting.

I suppose the White House could just keep increasing the signature requirement to prevent silly petitions from poking through the response ceiling, but then that would inspire some kind of criticism about our national debt, and that’s no fun for anyone.

Do you think that the armed security detail surrounding President Obama should be replaced with a floating “gun-free zone?” If so, you can sign the petition here.

White House Petition: Replace Obama’s Armed Guards With Gun-Free Zone is a post from: The Inquisitr

The White House has jumped on the hacking bandwagon by announcing The National Day of Civic Hacking, an event that runs from June 1 to 2.

Twenty-seven cities around the United States will play host to various events where publicly-released data will be used to create “solutions for problems that affect Americans.”

Participating in the National Day of Civic Hacking are the Department of Labor, NASA, the Census Bureau, and various other agencies.

In some cases, very specific challenges will be posed to developers; in other cases, free-reign design concepts will be allowed during hackathons.

Helping to organize the events and providing their expertise will be Code For America, Random Hacks of Kindness, and Innovation Endeavors.

The event has been setup with a website called Hack for Change, which will “provide citizens an opportunity to do what is most quintessentially American: roll up our sleeves, get involved, and work together to improve our society.”

The National Day of Civic Hacking is part of President Obama’s attempt to make federal services available for public access. The POTUS announced plans for his open public access platform in May 2012. The goal of the plan is to create more data-openness between citizens and the US Government.

The Obama administration hopes that a more data open platform will help cut digital services costs over a 12-month period. Data is meant to be delivered over various internet connected devices including smartphones, tablets, and PCs.

Do you think the National Day of Civic Hacking will benefit everyone in the long term?

White House Announces National Day Of Civic Hacking is a post from: The Inquisitr

COMMENTARY | NBC News host David Gregory has been splitting time between fawning over President Barack Obama and breaking the law on national television lately, the latter charge earning him his very own White House petition which seeks legal retribution against the Meet The Press pundit for brandishing a high-capacity gun magazine on national television this week.

Gregory was merely trying to illustrate a political point with an arresting visual aid when he produced a 30-round AR-15 gun magazine during his interview with a National Rifle Association talking head on Meet The Press last Sunday, but he may have unwittingly broken the law by having the magazine in his possession in the first place.

According to DC law, “No person in the District shall possess, sell, or transfer any large capacity ammunition feeding device regardless of whether the device is attached to a firearm.”

Whether it’s a cut-and-dried case or not, the left is once again pretending that the law doesn’t apply to their friends, and the right has practically vowed that they will not rest until Gregory is behind bars for what amounts to a trivial offense. Both reactions have inspired many an eye-roll around the water cooler here at the home office, but that’s beside the point.

The point here is that the White House petition to throw David Gregory in jail for the possession of a high-capacity gun magazine is already halfway to the “official Obama response” mark.

But I suppose the larger point involves the complete, routine abuse of the White House petition website. The service really made a national name for itself when it was used by several states to file secession petitions following the 2012 election, and has sharply gone downhill (like everything on the internet) ever since with petitions to deport Piers Morgan, and even a call to build a Death Star for the US of A’s defense program.

The secession of right-leaning states is about as stupid and childish as left-leaning celebrities who vow to move to Canada should they be forced to suffer yet another Republican president. In fact, it’s the exact same reaction. Piers Morgan is a stuffy extremist windbag, and really ought to tone it down for the sake of his health and my sanity, but he doesn’t deserve to be deported for having a freaking opinion. All things equal, a Death Star would be pretty sweet.

But the “We The People” White House petition website really only exists to show how petty its signatories can be. It’s gone down hill in a matter of months. MONTHS. It’s like a national Facebook. It’s really just become a complaint department for the US. Like any HR outfit, you rally some support, file your complaint, and it’s never brought up again. I mean seriously, President Obama hasn’t responded to any of these stupid petitions, at least not directly, so why do we bother?

“I don’t think they expected it to be used as much and as often as it is,” remarks Newsbusters of the impetus behind the “We The People” website. The real sin is that it was ever taken seriously at all. Give it up, people!

This is for you if you signed any of the above-mentioned White House petitions. Print it up and fill it out diligently. Don’t worry, I’m sending one to the government for setting up “We The People” too.

UPDATE: I’ve had a change of heart, and have decided to use the “We The People” White House petition site to create a petition to stop White House petitions. You can sign it here.

White House Petitions Are Stupid, Stop Signing Them is a post from: The Inquisitr

Sunday, David Gregory will sit down exclusively with President Barack Obama. This will be Mr. Obama’s 11th appearance on “Meet the Press”, his second time as the commander in chief.

In the midst of fierce fiscal cliff negotiations, we’ll hear directly from the president about whether a compromise is even possible. Plus, David will talk with him about other key issues as he prepares to begin his second term as President of the United States, says ABC News.

Perhaps we may even hear about Gregory’s own shenanigans involving the infamous gun clip?

His most recent appearance was on September 20, 2009 in the White House. At the time, the healthcare reform fight was center stage and the President joined MTP to make his case. The full interview is below.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

President Obama To Appear With David Gregory On ‘Meet The Press’ Sunday is a post from: The Inquisitr

Harrold, Texas – As the nation considers gun control laws, Texas already arms its teachers with concealed carry permits for guns as a solution to preventing school shootings like in Newtown, Connecticut. The small Texas district of Harrold is the first district with such an “arm the teachers” policy in the nation. The surprising part is not that an American school is arming its teachers…the surprising part is that they already have been doing so for five years!

Back in 2008, David Thweatt, superintendent of the Harrold Independent School District, explained to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram why school officials approved this “arm the teachers” policy after researching and considering other options for about a year:

“When the federal government started making schools gun-free zones, that’s when all of these shootings started. Why would you put it out there that a group of people can’t defend themselves? That’s like saying ‘sic ‘em’ to a dog. The naysayers think (a shooting) won’t happen here. If something were to happen here, I’d much rather be calling a parent to tell them that their child is OK because we were able to protect them.”

The rules that the school board voted unanimously on are also very strict. For teachers to carry a pistol, they must have a Texas license to carry a concealed handgun, must be authorized to carry by the district, must receive training in crisis management and hostile situations, and must only carry ammunition designed to minimize the risk of ricocheting bullets, which is what air marshals do on airplanes.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the idea to arm the teachers is not a new one to Israel, either. After a school massacre in the 1970s Israel decided to implement a a program of armed citizen guards in their schools. This program is known to work, since Israel has not suffered from a successful school shooting in decades since the program began. In fact, arming the schools has proven to prevent attacks when actual potential killers have been shot dead before they could bring any harm to the children.

Fast forward to 2012 and Harrold district is still arming its teachers with no recorded safety issues for the children…and no school shootings. Thweatt told local news station KENS5 and the Associated Press that he believes this is due to the extra training the teachers undergo:

“Their accuracy is probably going to be 100 percent. The only people who have more shooting training in the State of Texas than my teachers are Highway Patrol. … We don’t have money for a security guard, but this is a better solution. A shooter could take out a guard or officer with a visible, holstered weapon, but our teachers have master’s degrees, are older and have had extensive training. And their guns are hidden. We can protect our children.”

Thweatt said other school districts now want to follow Harrold’s lead:

“I’m getting calls from school leaders all over the country — especially all over the state [of Texas].”

In the awful aftermath of last week’s Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, lawmakers in a growing number of states — including Oklahoma, Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota and Oregon — have said they will consider laws allowing teachers and school administrators to carry firearms at school. Even Texas governor Rick Perry recently gave approval to the idea.

Arming teachers with guns is a deterrent never deployed in a large United States district, and Thweatt hopes it never gets tested in his small town:

“I could imagine those horrible events. I hoped they didn’t happen. I planned for them happening. I want to know at the end of the day I did everything possible — legally and otherwise — to stop kids from being killed in cold blood, and I think we have. Nothing is 100 percent at all. … But hope makes for a terrible plan, hoping that (a tragedy) won’t happen. My question is: What have you done about it? How have you planned?”

A new White House petition is saying that the entire United States should arm the teachers as a solution to school shootings. As of this writing there are 9,320 signers of the petition. Do you think the rest of the nation should plan ahead like Texas by arming school teachers?

Gun Control Laws: Texas ‘Arm The Teachers’ School Policy Uses Concealed Carry Permit is a post from: The Inquisitr

Commentary | Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly is prepared to call for a boycott of Mexico if combat Marine Jon Hammar is not released soon. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Hammar has been in a Mexican jail cell since September. The bogus gun charges the heroic Marine faces could keep him behind bars for up to 12 years.

Bill O’Reilly is an extremely intelligent and reasonable man who is not prone to calling for boycotts or any type of group protest against an individual, company, or foreign nation. He is as angry as most Americans about the false imprisonment of Jon Hammar and has a microphone and a massive viewing audience at his disposal.

The O’Reilly Factor just ended its 50^th consecutive quarter as the top cable news program, according to TV Week ratings statistics. All of the top 10 cable news programs in the third quarter were on Fox News.

During an interview on Bill Hemmer’s Thursday broadcast, O’Reilly called on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama to do far more the free Jon Hammar. The veteran newscaster noted that private behind the scenes negotiations could be ongoing between the Obama administration and the White House to help the imprisoned Marine. But, the O’Reilly Factor host also aptly noted that during a press conference earlier this week, Jay Carney stated he was not familiar with the lot of the combat Marine and therefore could not answer questions on the topic.

Jon Hammar’s parents are understandably worried about their son and want him home for Christmas. The United States sends millions of dollars in aid to Mexico, yet we apparently cannot get enough cooperation to secure the release of a Marine who attempted to follow the proper policy to take an antique firearm with him across the border.

Hammar hurt no one and was not even inside Mexico when he offered his weapon and paperwork for inspection. Bill O’Reilly is known to be a man of his word and it is doubtful that he will back down from his promise to call on all Americans to boycott any activity which would financially benefit the country holding Jon Hammar.

It is our patriotic duty to call and email our Senators to apply as much pressure as possible to help the combat veteran who struggled with PTSD and merely wanted to enjoy a peaceful trip down south as he eased back into civilian life.

Bill O’Reilly Calls For Boycott Of Mexico If Jon Hammar Isn’t Released Soon is a post from: The Inquisitr

Commentary | The Benghazi report by the Accountability Review Board for Benghazi (click for full text report) focused on the events of the attack and whether the State Department could have done anything to prevent the deaths of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans at the Consulate. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the Benghazi report does fault the State Department for failing to put in place a coordinated approach for handling security, and puts down rumors that anyone might have purposefully ignored cries for help, but even then the report does not single anyone out for disciplinary action. Despite this fact, three State Department employees have voluntarily stepped down from their positions.

But the report does not consider the question that made Benghazi a scandal in the first place: who decided to change the initial CIA reports to remove references to purposeful terrorism, favor the Obama administration right before elections, and blame a YouTube video and a random protest for the whole incident?

Secretary Hillary Clinton said on September 12th:

“We are working to determine the precise motivations and methods of those who carried out this assault. Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior, along with the protest that took place at our embassy in Cairo yesterday, as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet.”

Later on, Hillary Clinton was apparently still convinced this was true since she privately told grieving parents that they would arrest the man responsible for the anti-Muslim video. Nakoula Basseley Nakoula was eventually arrested, but fortunately not in violation of free speech rights. According to the Los Angeles Times, Nakoula was guilty of violating the terms of his probation based upon previous charges of bank fraud. As part of these terms he was not even supposed to use the internet…including YouTube.

The Associated Press also reported on September 12th, with the AP following the media narrative set in place by the Obama administration:

“The protest in Cairo and the attack in Benghazi appear to have been responses to an inflammatory anti-Muslim video posted on the Internet.”

On September 16th, five days after the Consulate attacks, Libyan President Mohammed el-Megarif told NPR a version of the Benghazi attack that completely contradicted the Obama administration’s version as told by Hillary Clinton and Susan Rice:

“The idea that this criminal and cowardly act was a spontaneous protest that just spun out of control is completely unfounded and preposterous. We firmly believe that this was a pre-calculated, preplanned attack that was carried out specifically to attack the U.S. Consulate.”

Even earlier, between the 11th and the 16th, I recall hearing radio interviews with witnesses living in Benghazi and everyone seemed to think it was a terrorist attack. But by then the media narrative was set in stone.

On the same day, Ambassador Susan Rice went on record to directly contradict the Libyan President’s statements. Further, she claimed the protests were spontaneous and were related to the protest in Cairo. This claim is apparently so false it’s not even mentioned in the ARB Benghazi report’s timeline of events, although it is briefly mentioned that the “Ambassador was informed by his Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) in Tripoli of the breach of the Embassy Cairo.”

The last date when the media repeated this false information was on December 4 with the Wall Street Journal. Even as late as November 27th the White House was still directly claiming that the Benghazi attacks were in response to protests in Cairo and were somehow related to the YouTube video:

“They saw what was the breach of our embassy in Cairo and decided to act in Benghazi. And as you know, the breach of our embassy in Cairo was directly in response to the video and was started as a protest outside of our embassy in Cairo.

“And I would refer you to numerous reporting — numerous pieces of reporting by serious journalists and serious publications that demonstrate that people who participated in the assault on Benghazi were aware of what was happening in Cairo and were partly motivated by what was happening in Cairo.”

Based upon the closed door testimony of ex-CIA Director David Petraeus we know that someone in either the Federal agencies or the Obama administration changed the CIA reports to downplay Al Qaeda, terrorism, and national defense right before elections. Petraeus said he doesn’t know who deleted the terrorist references from his presentation notes. He even drafted talking points on the Benghazi terrorist attacks for the White House and was surprised by Susan Rice’s announcement.

Susan Rice claims she was only relaying the intelligence information she was handed by the White House. The Rice narrative included Al-Qaeda losing ground and that the Middle East’s public sentiment toward the United States was improving. The Benghazi attack was specifically stated by to not be connected to any U.S. foreign policy decisions by the Obama White House.

Critics say Susan Rice should have known better, and would have had access to the information necessary to correct the story early on. One retired CIA officer went so far as to say that if you accept President Obama’s explanation then “Susan Rice is shockingly guilty of being dumb.”

All this might explain why Susan Rice is apparently no longer in the running for replacing Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. According to NBC, her reason for dropping out was that the confirmation process “was very prolonged, very politicized, very distracting and very disruptive.”

The Obama administration may have hopes that the ARB Benghazi report will put the lid on further controversy. But I predict that critics of the Obama administration will use the Benghazi report as a platform for further attacks on Obama.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is already under the microscope. According to The Hill, former Ambassador John Bolton accused Clinton of lying about having a stomach flu in order to avoid giving public testimony to Congress:

“I think she was waiting for the report so she could find out what it said and then fashion her testimony accordingly. There is nothing more embarrassing than to say something and then have it contradicted and have to change your story later.”

Who do you think is responsible for creating the false information that put a spin on the Benghazi terrorist attacks that favored the actions of the Obama administration immediately before a Presidential election?

Benghazi Report Does Not Answer Scandal Accusations [Op-Ed] is a post from: The Inquisitr

NEWTOWN, Conn., — Seven-year-old Daniel Barden wanted to be a firefighter.

One of the 26 victims slain when Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut last Friday, sadly Daniel never got the chance to grow up.

Today, firefighters from as far away as New York lined the funeral procession as Daniel’s coffin was taken to the St Rose of Lima Church. The firefighters formed an honor guard along the road, tweeted NBC reporter Kimberley Kaplan.

Also in attendance were Daniel’s parents, Mark and Jackie, brother, James, 12 and sister, Natalie, 10.

Described as a “light … always smiling, unfailingly polite, incredibly affectionate, fair and so thoughtful towards others, imaginative in play, both intelligent and articulate in conversation: in all, a constant source of laughter and joy,” these are the memories Daniel’s parents shared with the Wall Street Journal.

The fifth child funeral in a week that has already seen four children buried — Jessica Rekos, James Mattioli, Jack Pinto and Noah Pozner — a further two children will be laid to rest today. Their names are Charlotte Bacon and Caroline Previdi, both were 6-years-old.

Victoria Soto, 27, the first grade teacher who reportedly hid youngsters in her classroom closet and told Lanza that the children were at the other end of the school will also be buried today.

On the same day that firefighters made the journey to Newtown, President Obama declared his intention to tackle the related issues of mental health gun access, gun violence, culture, and control in his second term.

After revealing Vice President Joe Biden will head up a portfolio of proposals, Obama confirmed that he would submit these proposals before Congress when it reconvenes in January.

The press conference today comes as House Republicans underscored their opposition to new legislation on firearms or ammunition, notes the New York Times.

“This time, the words need to lead to action,” Obama said today.

For the sake of Daniel Barden, the 19 other children who will — in total — be buried, and the victims of massacres past, many will be hoping the President is ready for the fight ahead.

Newtown Funerals: Firefighters Line Procession Route For Daniel Barden, 7, Who Wanted To Be One is a post from: The Inquisitr

A new report about the Benghazi attacks was released by an independent panel on Tuesday and concluded that systematic management and leadership failures at the US State Department ultimately led to the “grossly” inadequate security at the Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

In the report, released to the State Department, the panel wrote:

“Systematic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels within two bureaus of the State Department resulted in a Special Mission security posture that was inadequate for Benghazi and grossly inadequate to deal with the attack that took place.”

The Chicago Tribune reports that the report specifically cited the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the Bureau of Near East Affairs in its criticism. They also stated that there appeared to be both a lack of cooperation and confusion over protection at the Benghazi consulate.

Despite the cited failures, however, the Accountability Review Board’s report stated that there are no individual officials who ignored or violated their duties. They are recommending no disciplinary action right now. CNN notes that the State Department sent a notice to all of its employees on Tuesday, which explained what the department will do to implement the report’s recommendations. Part of the notice read:

“To implement the Board’s recommendations, the Secretary has directed the Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources to lead the implementation team, supported by the Under Secretary for Political Affairs, the Under Secretary for Management, the Director General of he Foreign Service, the Executive Secretary and the Deputy Legal Advisor.”

State Department employees were also told that the implementation board met on Tuesday before the report was released and that they will continue to meet to implement the board’s recommendations.

New Benghazi Report Cites ‘Systematic Failures’ Led To Inadequate Security is a post from: The Inquisitr

U.S. Marine Corps captain Matthew Phelps proposed to his longtime partner Ben Schock at the White House on Saturday night … and Schock said yes.

According to TODAY, Phelps’ proposal appears to be the first same-sex marriage proposal ever made in the White House. The couple was taking a Christmas tour of the White House when Phelps decided to pop the question.

Schock agreed to marry Phelps 14 months after the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” officially ended.

Once the couple was engaged, the photo of the proposal was posted online by the American Military Partner Association. After the photograph was posted, it quickly spread through multiple social media sites. The photo on Facebook alone grabbed over 2,000 likes and more than 250 shares

Phelps posted an update on his Facebook account after he proposed. It read:

“Such a special night surrounded by wonderful people in an amazing place, and the best is still yet to come. Thanks for all the wonderful greetings and messages, and thanks to Barack Obama and Michelle Obama for lending us your home for the occasion!”

The Huffington Post reported on Phelps’ decision to propose.

Phelps said in an email:

“I wanted to propose to Ben at the White House because that’s where we went for our first date, to the LGBT Pride Month Reception in June. Although we had met a couple years prior at the 2010 Servicemembers Legal Defense Network annual dinner, we didn’t actually start dating until we both made it back to Washington D.C. two years later.”

Phelps then noted:

“When we received an invitation from the Military Partners and Families Coalition to attend the White House holiday tour on December 15, the coincidence that it would be the six-month anniversary of our first date — and also to the White House — was too big not to capitalize on.”

Schock could not be happier with their decision to get married. He said:

“Matthew has made me the happiest I’ve ever been and I am so fortunate that I get to spend the rest of my life with him.

U.S. Marine Makes First Ever Same-Sex Proposal In The White House is a post from: The Inquisitr

With the news that Westboro Baptist Church plans to picket the site of the Connecticut school shooting, as well as the funerals of the children and educators killed, a petition has been started to legally recognize the church as a hate group.

The latest petition against the Topeka, Kansas church was started on the White House’s website on Friday and has more than 3,600 signatures already — meaning that the White House, according to the website, will need to respond to it.

The petition is short and to the point, reading (in full):

“This group has been recognized as a hate group by organizations, such as The Southern Poverty Law Center, and has repeatedly displayed the actions typical of hate groups.

“Their actions have been directed at many groups, including homosexuals, military, Jewish people and even other Christians. They pose a threat to the welfare and treatment of others and will not improve without some form of imposed regulation.”

It is not the first petition that has been filed against Westboro Baptist Church and it likely will not be the last. The group is known for picketing funerals of soldiers, celebrities, and political figures. They threatened to protest the Aurora theater shooting, as well as the attempted assassination of Gabby Giffords. The group often brings signs that read “God hates you,” “Thank God for dead soldiers,” and “God hates fags.”

Other petitions against Westboro Baptist Church include:

-Petitiononline.com — Boycott the WBC

-Change.org — Shut down the WBC

-Thepetitionsite.com — Disband the WBC

-iPetitions.com — Remove the WBC from tax-exempt status

Do you agree that the Westboro Baptist Church should be legally recognized as a hate group? Do you think it would make a difference if they were?

Petition To Legally Recognize Westboro Baptist Church As Hate Group Gains Strength is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut has led the nation to launch into an increasingly bitter argument over gun control laws. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, this has led to a White House petition that demands lawmakers meet “for a bipartisan discussion resulting in a set of laws that regulates how a citizen obtains a gun.” Some have suggested moderate gun reform and others like Obama are pushing for outright gun bans. A new White House petition is saying that the United States should arm the teachers as a solution to school shootings.

According to the White House website, the signers of the document are petitioning the Obama administration to put:

A gun in every classroom. Arm every teacher and principal to defend themselves and their students during an attack.

If teachers and principals are armed and trained to defend themselves during a school attack there would be fewer casualties and less attempts to attack schools.

Fact: Crime rates decrease when the people are better armed.

It is time we gave our teachers the ability to defend themselves and stop pretending like a door buzzer is enough of a defense. Take a stand for school safety. Arm the teachers and principals today. A gun in every classroom will protect our students from massacres like the one in CT today.

Petitions started on WhiteHouse.gov need a total of 25,000 signatures to elicit an official response from the Obama Administration. The gun control petition blew past 100,000 signers fairly quickly. Other efforts like the Texas Secession met the mark within days after the results of the November Presidential elections. This idea to arm the teachers is not so popular, with only 2,241 signers as of this writing. Although the difference may lie in the media publicity the gun control petition has been receiving.

Arming the teachers with guns is not without precedent. According to Backwoods Home Magazine, Israel began a program of armed citizen guards in their schools after the Maalot massacre in the 1970s, when a large number of children were slain in a terrorist incident. Even with all the violence caused by Hamas and other Muslim terrorist groups, supposedly since this program was enacted Israel has not seen a single child murdered in an Israeli school. In fact, in 2002 one of these citizen guards shot down an attempt at a school shooting.

The citizen guards are not a privatized force operated by a company. Parents volunteer to serve in plain clothes and are trained by Israel’s home guard in how to properly handle concealed semi-automatic pistols. Israel loudly trumpeted the fact that the civilian volunteer guards, indistinguishable from the regular teaching and administrative staff, would be in place. This publicity serves as an effective deterrent to would-be school shooters.

Do you think the United States should arm the teachers as the petition requests or that we should form a school guard system like what operates currently in Israel?

Arm The Teachers: Gun Control Petition Finds Its Political Opposite is a post from: The Inquisitr

In the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, we the people, in order to form a more perfect union, have started a petition to address the issue of gun control on the White House’s official website.

As we have reported before, other petitions this year included a Texas secession petition and a farcical petition demanding that the US government build a Death Star (from the Star Wars film series) as a military deterrent.

Petitions started on whitehouse.gov need a total of 25,000 signatures to elicit an official response from the Obama Administration. Though the Texas secession and Death Star petitions reached the required number, it took days, if not weeks, for the petitions to garner the necessary signatures.

The gun control petition, a response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, gained 25,000 signatures in a single afternoon, the day of the massacre.

One day later, the gun control petition has been signed by nearly 100,000 US citizens, four-times the amount required for an official White House response. It stands at 81,014 signatures as of this posting, and is expected to surpass 100,000 signatures throughout the course of today.

Though concrete details are still coming out in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, 20 children lay dead, in addition to seven more adults including the killer, Adam Lanza.

The gun control debate has already started on social media, with many celebrities calling for stricter gun laws in the wake of the shooting. It is unknown how the Obama Administration will address the issue, but it seems inevitable given the massive amount of public outcry.

Did you sign the White House petition demanding stricter gun control laws in the US?

White House Gun Control Petition Quickly Approaching 100,000 Signatures is a post from: The Inquisitr

In a press conference this morning White House Press Secretary Jay Carney announced that “Today is not the day” to discuss or debate gun control. Buzzfeed.com further reports that Carney avoided questions asking him when might be a better time to discuss the controversial issue.

The press conference was in response to the devastating school shooting that occurred at a Newtown, Connecticut elementary school. Latest reports numbered the deaths at 27, including the gunman.

The shooting came just days after a state of Illinois appeals court overturned a long-standing ban on concealed weapons in the state. This only furthered the debate among those who opposed the court’s decision.

David Frum of The Daily Beast counters Carney’s proclamation by asserting that “every day is the day to talk about gun control.” Frum further explains his opinion in his commentary:

“But we can say that if the United States worked harder to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, there would be many, many fewer atrocities like the one in Connecticut. And I’ll say: I’ll accept no lectures about “sensitivity” on days of tragedy like today from people who work the other 364 days of the year against any attempt to prevent such tragedies.”

According to an FBI Universal Crime Report for 2011, posted on www.fbi.gov:

“Information collected regarding type of weapon showed that firearms were used in 67.7 percent of the nation’s murders, 41.3 percent of robberies, and 21.2 percent of aggravated assaults.”

However another part of the report has some encouraging news:

“When considering 5- and 10-year trends, the 2011 estimated violent crime total was 15.4 percent below the 2007 level and 15.5 percent below the 2002 level.”

There may never be a “good” time to discuss the issue, but immediately following such a tragedy, the issue is going to be prevalent on everyone’s mind.

The video featuring this morning’s press conference appears below:

Today Is Not The Day To Discuss Gun Control, White House Declares is a post from: The Inquisitr

The White House and Justice Department officials are reportedly considering legal action against Colorado and Washington over the recent passing of ballot measures to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.

On November 6, voters in Colorado and Washington became the first states to make it legal to smoke pot recreationally, without a prescription or medical reason.

Colorado’s law does not take effect until January 5 of next year. It will also be a full month before the measures are entered on to the books, and even longer before state officials write up the range of rules, regulations and tax codes for new state-licensed retail marijuana shops.

But the White House and the Justice Department are not amused.

In a statement on Wednesday, a spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Agency said the Justice Department was reviewing the ballot measures and that the agency’s enforcement of federal drug laws “remains unchanged.”

Marijuana use in both Colorado and Washington continues to be illegal under the Federal Controlled Substances Act, and puts their recent voter-initiatives in direct conflict with Federal law which views marijuana as a Schedule I Prohibited Substance.

The White House has recently been holding high-level meetings to debate their response to the decriminalization efforts. One legal option would be to sue both states on the grounds that their ballot measures are contrary to federal law.

If the Justice Department wins that fight it could open a Pandora’s box of debate about whether voters in states have the right to push for laws in contravention of Federal law.

The New York Timesreports that some law enforcement officials want Obama and the Justice Department to take a tough line on this issue. But, equally, it’s believed the President may not want to alienate many Liberal Democrats who support decriminalization as far as recreational marijuana use goes.

“It’s a sticky wicket for Obama,” said Bruce Buchanan, a political science professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

The New York Timessays it spoke to Federal officials on the condition of anonymity. Several admitted the issues has raised “complex legal and policy considerations,including enforcement priorities, litigation strategy and the impact of international anti-drug treaties.”

For now it seems, a decision about the challenge from Colorado and Washington, is still being deliberated. The Obama administration has declined to comment other then referring to the statement the Justice Department issued on Wednesday — the day before the initiative took effect in Washington.

Yesterday, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa toldHuffington Post Live’s Jacob Soboroff, that he does not support the full legalization of marijuana in California.

Los Angeles has continued to struggle with California’s medical marijuana legalization, even after medical marijuana supporters gathered 50,000 signatures to force a referendum on the ban.

Obama And Justice Department Could Get Legal Over Colorado and Washington’s Legalization Of Recreational Marijuana is a post from: The Inquisitr

Detroit, MI – Though President Obama hasn’t even been inaugurated for his second term yet, and is presently working on pressing national issues like the fiscal cliff, one Detroit councilwoman has been expecting a bailout since Election Day and is wondering where her “government bacon” is.

FOX 2 Detroit reports that Councilwoman JoAnn Watson spoke before the Detroit City Council Tuesday, and said that President Obama owes the city a government bailout because they turned out in support of his re-election bid in November.

“Our people in an overwhelming way supported the re-election of this president and there ought to be a quid pro quo and you ought to exercise leadership on that,” said Watson. “Of course, not just that, but why not?”

“After the election of Jimmy Carter, the honorable Coleman Alexander Young [Detroit's former mayor of 20 years and former vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee], he went to Washington, D.C. and came home with some bacon,” she added. “That’s what you do.”

Indeed, Detroit is facing a major financial crisis, and Watson is right when she says that most of the city’s voters turned out for President Obama. Nearly 75 percent of Wayne County voters cast a ballot in Obama’s favor in the 2012 election.

And presidential bailout of cities is not unprecedented. Gerald Ford handed New York City nearly $2 billion in 1975 to help it avoid financial collapse.

As for Watson’s candor, Detroit’s situation is far more dire than most cities in the US. Some financial experts say that they could completely run out of money by the end of the year a mere few weeks away.

The White House has not announced any plans to supply the city of Detroit with relief funds.

Here’s the video of Detroit councilwoman JoAnn Watson asking for some government bacon. Do you think Detroit should expect a bailout for supporting President Obama?

Fox 2 News Headlines

Detroit Councilwoman: ‘We Voted For Obama, Where’s Our Government Bacon?’ [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The White House has given pause on its reported plans to nominate UN Ambassador Susan Rice to the office of Secretary of State after new information regarding the controversial public figure came to light this week.

Though Republicans have long been on the attack against Rice, this past week saw growing concern among Democrats regarding her nomination to Hillary Clinton’s soon-to-be vacated seat as Secretary of State. A deeper look into Rice’s financial profile shows several conflicts of interest regarding her potential nomination, including sketchy ties to Iranian businesses and one-third of her wealth tied to the fate of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. The latter of these criticisms was originally reported by liberal blog Mother Jones, and The Inquisitr reported on the Iran ties last week.

Though Rice is not yet an official contender for the office of Secretary of State, and her investments were not deemed a conflict of interest to her post as UN Ambassador, she would be the final authority on the Keystone XL pipeline if given the position.

The Obama Administration has declined to comment on Rice’s potential role, and one of her spokespersons said that she has done nothing wrong with her investments.

“Ambassador Rice has complied with annual financial disclosure and applicable ethics requirements related to her service in the U.S. government and is committed to continuing to meet these obligations,” Payton Knopf, a Rice spokesperson, told The Huffington Post.

Attacks on Rice go deeper than her controversial involvement in the Benghazi incident, and these new criticisms have caused Democratic allies to question the Obama Administration’s support of the troubled Ambassador.

“Why is it that the White House seems incapable of doing anything to defend Susan Rice,” one Democratic official asked last week. “She is actually a member of the administration, last time I checked.”

If nominated, many expect that Rice would turn away from her controversial investments.

“In the event of her being nominated, we’re confident that she would divest,” said Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, the director of the NRDC’s international program. “For us, the main point is that high-level State Department officials dealing with the Keystone XL pipeline decision should not have any conflict of interests. That means they can’t be invested in Transcanada stock or any other tar sands holdings.”

What do you think? Should Susan Rice still receive the nod for Secretary of State, and is her investment profile an important factor in a possible nomination?

White House Second-Guesses Susan Rice As Secretary Of State is a post from: The Inquisitr

Mitt Romney will be visiting the White House tommorrow for a post-election tete-a-tete with President Obama, in what is sure to be a bittersweet meeting for the former governor of Massachusetts.

Mitt Romney’s White House lunch date was announced this morning by White House press secretary Jay Carney. In a brief statement, Carney confirmed the pair — who bitterly battled over the Oval Office before Obama won in an electoral landslide earlier this month — would have their first visit together tomorrow, saying:

“On Thursday, Governor Romney will have a private lunch at the White House with President Obama in the Private Dining Room. It will be the first opportunity they have had to visit since the election.”

During his late-night victory speech, President Obama committed to working with Romney after the GOP candidate lost with a fortuitous 47 percent of the vote. In his words to the country following Romney’s slow-to-arrive concession speech, Obama praised his opponent and said:

“We may have battled fiercely, but it’s only because we love this country deeply, and we care so strongly about its future. From George to Lenore to their son Mitt, the Romney family has chosen to give back to America through public service, and that is a legacy that we honor and applaud tonight.”

In the speech, Obama vowed to work with Romney and suggested a sit-down like the planned White House lunch tomorrow:

“In the weeks ahead, I also look forward to sitting down with Governor Romney to talk about where we can work together to move this country forward.”

No further details on the White House invite to Mitt Romney were disclosed by Carney.

Mitt Romney, President Obama To Have Lunch At White House Tomorrow is a post from: The Inquisitr

Gennifer Flowers claimed during an interview with WGNO that Bill Clinton called her as recently as 2005 and wanted to come visit. The infamous mistress who allegedly engaged in a 12-year affair with Clinton is now a 62-year-old single lady living in Louisiana.

Flowers claims that she received a phone call from Bill Clinton not long after her divorce. Gennifer had this to say about the alleged conversation with the former president to radio host Susan Roesgen:

“I picked up the phone and it was him. And he wanted to come by my house and talk to me. I was taken aback; that was the last thing I expected. I said, ‘No you can’t come over here.’ He said, ‘I’ll put on a hoodie and I’ll jog up there,’ and I said, ‘No, I want you to leave me alone.’ And that was that.”

Gennifer Flowers also claims that she and Clinton has talked about revealing the affair in the 1990s while he was allegedly struggling to get the attention and recognition he needed to win the White House. Flowers had this to say about the affair headlines:

“I made him a household name overnight. We had had that discussion. He said, ‘My problem right now is that no one knows who I am. I need that name recognition.’ He went on to talk about the other candidates and the advantages they had. When my story came out, he was a household name. I really thought that coming out and telling the truth would set me free, but it didn’t.”

The Daily Mail requested a comment from President Bill Clinton regarding Gennifer Flowers’ claims, but has not yet been granted a response. Flowers previously claimed that she had an extended affair with Clinton while he was the Arkansas governor. Clinton reportedly claimed that he had only engaged in one sexual encounter with Gennifer during the 1970s.

Gennifer Flowers Claims Bill Clinton Called And Wanted To Come Visit is a post from: The Inquisitr

General David Petraeus whistleblower Jill Kelley reportedly believes she has been “unfairly targeted” by the media and feels the real “criminal” in the scandal is Paula Broadwell. Kelley sent multiple emails to Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn asking for help with the paparazzi outside her home, according to the New York Daily News.

The Tampa Bay Times obtained some of Kelley’s emails to Tampa’s mayor. She had this to say while opining about being exploited by the media:

“I wouldn’t care if they [the press] got the facts right and the focus was on the criminal that stalked all of us. But the truth will one day prevail.”

The New York Daily News also notes that both Kelley and her twin sister had supposedly been making inroads at the White House. The pair of sisters had allegedly visited the White House three times in as many months. Jill Kelley and her sibling supposedly twice ate complimentary meals in the Executive Mansion mess hall. The women were reportedly guests of a mid-level White House aide.

Kelley’s “powerful acquaintances” also allegedly include the FBI agent she asked to look into the emails the supposedly received from Paula Broadwell earlier this year. The investigation by the alleged FBI pal unearthed the supposed affair between General Petraeus and Broadwell.

During her email messages to Mayor Bob Buckhorn Jill Kelley allegedly claimed that the Tampa police department gave local 911 tapes to the media. Despite Kelley’s supposed angst, emergency dispatch calls are public record. In the correspondence to the Tampa Mayor, Kelley also allegedly noted concern for her three children, stating she is not currently sending them to school. Her spouse, Dr. Scott Kelley has reportedly been sleeping at his hospital to avoid scrutiny by the media.

Jill Kelley Claims ‘Truth Will Come Out’ About Paula Broadwell is a post from: The Inquisitr

The perks of being the POTUS: President Obama will get a private screening of Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln on Thursday at the White House with the cast and crew of the film in attendance.

Fresh off the heels of his re-election as President of the United States, Obama is celebrating with a movie night at the White House with the cast and crew of Spielberg’s biopic about the 16th president invited, reports MSN.

The film is already earning significant Oscar-buzz for Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance as Abraham Lincoln.

Though we can’t say whether or not President Obama will like Lincoln, we have to appreciate what amounts to a pretty surreal scene: America’s first black president, elected for a second term, watching a film about his predecessor’s ultimately successful efforts to abolish slavery once and for all.

That’s a pretty cool moment for our culture, no matter how you feel about President Obama’s politics. Indeed, critics are weighing Lincoln not just on its cinematographic merits, but also its cultural lessons.

“Go see this movie,” writes A.O. Scott of the New York Times. “Take your children, even though they may occasionally be confused or fidgety. Boredom and confusion are also part of democracy, after all. Lincoln is a rough and noble democratic masterpiece — an omen, perhaps, that movies for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

According to the White House website, the private Lincoln screening will be held at 4:35 pm on Thursday with cast and crew present, though it wasn’t specified whether Spielberg, Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, or Sally Field would attend.

Day-Lewis would provide especially good company though. Last week during an award acceptance speech at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ Britannia Awards, Day-Lewis referred to an empty chair next to him (echoing Clint Eastwood’s RNC speech) and said:

“I know as an Englishman it’s absolutely none of my business, but I’m just so very grateful it was you!”

What would you give to watch Lincoln at the White House with President Obama, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Steven Spielberg?

President Obama Gets Private ‘Lincoln’ Screening At White House is a post from: The Inquisitr

Commentary | The Texas secession movement is gaining steam through a White House petition. A question quite often raised is whether it is even legal for a state, such as Texas, to secede from the Union. I’m not going to consider whether or not Texas, or any other state, should secede from the Union, but I do want to know if they can.

Texas State Representative Charles Perry claims that the truth is Texas cannot legally secede. “It’s not legal contrary to public opinion,” Perry said. “Texas can not secede legally. We gave up that right at the end of the civil war; it was part of becoming the union.”

At first I thought that was the end of the question. I do know the Texas annexation documents don’t authorize Texas the right to secede, which is a reoccurring myth. But then I decided to read the original Supreme Court opinion on Texas v. White written in 1869. The Supreme Court judges of that era wrote that “[t]he Constitution, in all its provisions, looks to an indestructible Union, composed of indestructible States.” A quirk comes in at that the Supreme Court also allows for the possibility of state secession “through revolution, or through consent of the States.”

Why the specific phrasing “through the consent of the states?” It turns out this last attempt at Texas secession began at a convention hosted by those supporting the idea that Texas should join the Confederacy. This was not done with the permission of the United States Federal government or other states, and not all of the Texas state government members supported the Texas secession movement.

In fact, according to the Supreme Court opinion, the Texas “governor and secretary of state, refusing to comply, were summarily ejected from office.” The other reason the Texas secession was rejected was because of a legal distinction:

“It is not to be questioned that this court has original jurisdiction of suits by States against citizens of other States, or that the States entitled to invoke this jurisdiction must be States of the Union. But it is equally clear that no such jurisdiction has been conferred upon this court of suits by any other political communities than such States. If, therefore, it is true that the State of Texas was not, at he time of filing this bill, or is not now, one of the United States, we have no jurisdiction of this suit, and it is our duty to dismiss it.”

This is important because they then make a distinction in terms.

“In the Constitution, the term “state” most frequently expresses the combined idea just noticed, of people, territory, and government. A “state,” in the ordinary sense of the Constitution, is a political community of free citizens, occupying a territory of defined boundaries, and organized under a government sanctioned and limited by a written constitution, and established by the consent of the governed. It is the union of such states, under a common constitution, which forms the distinct and greater political unit which that Constitution designates as the United States, and makes of the people and states which compose it one people and one country.”

Thus, “a plain distinction is made between a State and the government of a State,” which was kicked out of the proceedings by Confederacy supporters. Even though Texas senators and representatives were still serving in the Union, “[in]n that year, acting upon the theory that the rights of a State under the Constitution might be renounced, and her obligations thrown off at pleasure, Texas undertook to sever the bond thus formed, and to break up her constitutional relations with the United States.” This means that the convention for Texas secession was called without authority.

The convention decided that an “ordinance should be submitted to the people, for approval or disapproval, on the 23d of February, 1861″ but then they went ahead with the Texas secession anyway. “During the whole of that war, there was no governor, or judge, or any other State officer in Texas who recognized the National authority. Nor was any officer of the United States permitted to exercise any authority whatever under the National government within the limits of the State except under the immediate protection of the National military forces.”

But then the Supreme Court judges give their opinion that when “Texas became one of the United States, she entered into an indissoluble relation” since “[t]he Constitution, in all its provisions, looks to an indestructible Union composed of indestructible States.” That seems rather rock solid but then comes the caveat:

“The union between Texas and the other States was as complete, as perpetual, and as indissoluble as the union between the original States. There was no place for reconsideration or revocation, except through revolution or through consent of the States.”

In order for this logic to prevail, they claim “Texas was controlled by a government hostile to the United States” and that “Texas continued to be a State, and a State of the Union, notwithstanding the transactions to which we have referred.” Otherwise, the Civil War would “have ceased to be a war for the suppression of rebellion, and must have become a war for conquest and subjugation.”

Thus when Texas attempted to secede during that time it was considered an illegal attempt by rebels within the United States. The Confederate government is not acknowledged as legally existing. When the Civil War ended they contend that no official Texas government was functioning, so it was the duty of the United States to rebuild a republican government in Texas.

It is then stated that the US Federal Congress has the authority to decide these matters: “Under the fourth article of the Constitution, it rests with Congress to decide what government is the established one in a State. For, as the United States guarantee to each State a republican government, Congress must necessarily decide what government is established in the State before it can determine whether it is republican or not.”

A further caveat adds another layer to the complexity of an attempt at a Texas secession: “Nothing in the case before us requires the court to pronounce judgment upon the constitutionality of any particular provision of these acts.” So, technically, it sounds like this legal opinion cannot serve as a precedent for a Texas secession where everyone agrees to the act.

The rest of the opinion focuses on issues, like slavery, primarily relevant to the end of the Civil War and not state secession in general.

So I raise this question: What happens if a legally recognized Texas state government goes before the US Federal Congress and all states pass a bill allowing for Texas to secede from the Union? When the Supreme Court says “consent of the states” I presume they mean all of the states, which requires an unanimous decision. I find this scenario extremely unlikely but, at least in my reading of the Supreme Court opinion, it does seem allowable only in regards to this opinion. I would not be surprised if there is other legal precedent I’m unaware of. Some websites claim there is no law specifically allowing for or forbidding secession.

What do you think about the legality of a Texas secession?

Texas Secession Might Have Some Legal Standing [Op-Ed] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Texas secession petition, in addition to others in several states, has been a strange election postscript in recent days, but, contrary to common belief, the movement itself did not begin with President Barack Obama’s re-election.

Cary Wise is Membership Director at the group spearheading the movement for Texas secession, known officially as the Texas Nationalist Movement. Wise has seen some level of interest among like-minded folk hoping for Texas’ secession but admits that the re-election of the President has galvanized the movement and brought the conversation to the national level.

At a packed meeting of hopeful Texas secessionists last night, Wise said he believes that it is “inevitable” that the state will break away from the Union but the intent right now is to do so non-violently:

“We’re not gonna start a revolution; we’re not gonna go shoot anybody … We’re gonna politically and peacefully, through the pressure of the sovereign people of the State of Texas, we will change this. People ask if Texas independence will really happen. Folks, it is inevitable.”

Texas Nationalist Movement President Daniel Miller told POLITICO that the seeds of Texas secession were sown some time ago but that the perception among those joining now is that the second consecutive election of Barack Obama has turbocharged the movement:

“I am completely aware that Election Day was a catalyzing moment, but I do not believe that the underpinnings of this are solely about Barack Obama … This cake has been baking for a long time — it’s the Obama administration that put the candles on the cake and lit it for us.”

Miller continues:

“This is not a reaction to a person but to policy and what we see as a federal government that is so disconnected from its constituents and absolute no regard for what its purpose was.”

The Texas secession leader also reiterates that the movement is not intended to be violent, saying:

“We walk in the same vein as Gandhi and those guys.”

As of last count, more than 80,000 people have signed the Texas secession petition, but the state is legally prohibited from seceding, lawmakers confirm.

Texas Secession Movement Not New, Leader Says, But Catalyzed By Obama’s Second Term is a post from: The Inquisitr

A “petition to secede” seen for Texas and nearly two dozen other states on the White House’s site for crowdsourcing feedback (We The People at petitions.whitehouse.gov) has become a strange footnote to an unusually divisive election — and you can add petitions to deport those wishing to secede to the list of petitions to secede trending right now.

Coverage of the petition to secede for Texas and other states on The Inquisitr has revealed in the comments a still intensely divided America, our readers expressing solidarity or decrying a lack of patriotism in seemingly equal measures.

And correspondingly, the petition to secede pages have been gaining a growing number of signatures. As we pointed out earlier, those numbering 25,000 or more signers require an official Obama administration response.

The “petition to secede” movement seems to be growing as the trend becomes viral, and a quick glance at recent petitions reveals the three most recently created:

• Peacefully grant the State of Virginia to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.
• Peacefully allow the state of Wisconsin to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government
• Peacefully grant the State of Utah to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.

Now you can add to those petitions ones criticizing the petitions to secede, themselves. It’s like a political Inception meme. One is simply titled “Deport Everyone That Signed A Petition To Withdraw Their State From The United States Of America,” with no wording to elaborate and more than 2,000 signatures.

Another petition requests to “Strip the Citizenship from Everyone who Signed a Petition to Secede and Exile Them,” with signatures climbing in the hundreds as minutes pass. It reads:

“Mr. President, please sign an executive order such that each American citizen who signed a petition from any state to secede from the USA shall have their citizenship stripped and be peacefully deported.”

While the “petition to secede” craze grips America, perhaps one solution will halt the trend — all those wishing to secede from the Union must first correctly spell the word “secede” before their signature is officially counted.

‘Petition To Secede’ Trend Sparks Counter-Petitions To Deport Those Calling For Secession is a post from: The Inquisitr

Commentary | The Texas secession movement has been one of the larger news stories in this post-election news cycle, with the Lone Star State drawing controversy following an online petition signed by Texans wishing to secede from the Union.

The Texas secession movement is perhaps the most vocal product of the Crybaby Caucus, but, due to an overabundance of patience on the part of the White House, the Obama administration could be forced to acknowledge this idiocy.

The Texas secession movement may be perpetuated by those with little depth of understanding for history and what was the most dire, divisive and heartbreaking time in our history — when in a house divided, brother stood against brother in a war that had no foreign casualty. And in its wake, three percent of America’s population lay dead, legions more wounded, bankrupted and destroyed by a segment of the population committed to arresting the inevitable progression of human rights and decency in the United States.

Sound familiar? Of course, through a historical lens the war still deemed the “War of Northern Aggression” to our embarrassment in 2012 looks to most a shameful blip in America’s shining past, a relic of a time where some of us were willing to fight to the death for the right to subjugate others and deny basic rights to a portion of the population.

But perhaps not to the 70,000 plus historically-impaired signees of the Texas secession petition, notably not all from Texas. And Texas is not alone in its secession designs — 22 states have been the subject of similar petitions in the election’s fallout — but the movement has somehow stuck to Texas more effectively than in other jurisdictions.

Not all in the Lone Star State have embraced the ridiculous suggestion America divide over the fact that a Democrat was able to secure a higher number of votes in a free and open election in what can only be described as the will of the majority of American voters, however, both electorally and in the popular vote.

The Austin Chronicle is one notable Texan dissenter, with an op-ed in the liberal outpost’s paper mocking the Texas secession petition written by Richard Whittaker. In it, he opines:

“[The Texas secession petition is] obviously embarrassing stuff for establishment Republicans, who only like playing footsie with the crazies when there’s an election drawing near. GOP consultant Matt Mackowiak recently Tweeted (and then seemingly deleted)‏, ‘Please stop the Texas secession updates. Not helpful, newsworthy, clever or meaningful.’ (To which Dem strategist Jason Stanford acidly replied, ‘What I thought about Birthers.’”

Whittaker adds:

“PS OH in the newsroom: One staff wag suggested that the end result of this petition drive would be the Not Really United States of **** Off in the South and the United States of Democracy and Reason everywhere else.”

While the Texas secession petition would ideally be dismissed as the ramblings of those online who also believe that fossils are a liberal lie planted in the Earth to undermine Jesus and that Obamacare is an irrevocable step toward Communism, mainstream politicians have expressed support.

In a now deleted Facebook diatribe, Peter Morrison, Hardin County Republican Party treasurer, blasted the “maggots” who cast a vote for Obama and fumed:

“We must contest every single inch of ground and delay the baby-murdering, tax-raising socialists at every opportunity. But in due time, the maggots will have eaten every morsel of flesh off of the rotting corpse of the Republic, and therein lies our opportunity.”

Morrison added:

“Why should Vermont and Texas live under the same government? Let each go her own way in peace, sign a free trade agreement among the states and we can avoid this gut-wrenching spectacle every four years.”

Here we shall note that Texas receives back $1.51 of every dollar paid in back from the government, versus $1.09 for those commies in Vermont.

Realistically, the Texas secession petition will obviously go nowhere. Far from a pre-war South, Texans are far too comfortable with their SUVs and Walmart trips and cushy McMansions to mount anything resembling an armed insurrection, and it’s silly to consider this anything other than an idle internet threat.

But the Texas secession petition does reveal a sad, childish, and ultimately unpatriotic rejection of the ideals for which this country is supposed to stand: There should be no glory in partisan gridlock and inflammatory, divisive rhetoric, and any American who professes to love this country should recommit to working together to heal it, not break it.

Yes, the First Amendment to our guiding document of governance allows disgruntled Texans to speak their piece, but we would all be far better served to admit we’re Americans first, and hyperbole and hatred serve no one in moving this great nation forward.

Texas, get a grip.

Texas Secession Petition Mocked By Austin Chronicle: We’ll Send A Prius Down To Pick You Guys Up! is a post from: The Inquisitr

Louisiana secession petition signatures reached the threshold for a response from the White House on Tuesday morning. The White House We The People programs offers all citizens the power to initiate a petition drive. Once a petition reaches more than 25,000 signatures in a 30-day period, the issue is routed to the appropriate office for review and a response issued.

As of Tuesday morning, Louisiana’s petition to secede had 27,028 signatures, according to the Atlanta Black Star. Louisiana celebrated its statehood bicentennial earlier this year. A man identified as “Michael E” of Slidell created the secession petition on November 7, according to The Advertiser.

University of Louisiana at Lafayette political science professor Ryan Teten had this to say about the We the People petition drive:

“It doesn’t represent the state and its population. It’s another form of protest. Given Louisiana’s position and its struggles with education, health care and the economy, cutting out the federal government would be a huge hit to the state. I don’t think succession of any state is a reality. You’re more likely to see people like Puerto Rico, which just voted to have their own statehood, want to join the US.”

Before a resident of any state can add their name to the request for peaceful secession, a user account on the White House website must be created. The process is free and fairly quick. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, American citizens must share their email address, name, and zip code in order to sign a petition for potential review by the Obama administration.

Texas was the first state to garner enough signatures in a secession petition to earn a review from the White House. States which currently have more than 15,000 signatures include Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina.

Secession: Louisiana Petition To Secede Gets Enough Signatures For White House Response is a post from: The Inquisitr

The list of states posting petitions to secede on the White House website grew to 30 by Tuesday morning. Residents filed the petitions to peacefully secede from the United States through the Obama administration’s We the People program. According to the program’s guidelines, if a petition reaches 25,000 signatures within 30 days, it will be reviewed and a response given.

The Texas secession petition had grown to nearly 60,000 signatures by early Tuesday morning, according to the Huffington Post. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the petition cites continued economic difficulties stemming from overspending by the federal government as one of the primary reasons for the drastic action.

The Ohio secession petition is one of the newest ones posted on the We the People section of the White House website. As of Tuesday morning, there were nearly 21,000 signatures supporting the desire to leave the United States and peacefully form a new government.

Before an American citizen can sign a petition via the We the People program, an account must first be created. The registration is free and fast. Citizens must supply their first and last name, email address, and zip code.

Here’s a list of states where citizens have filed secession petitions with the White House website since President Obama was granted four more years in the Oval Office: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Secession: The List Of States Posting Petitions To Secede Has Now Grown To 30 is a post from: The Inquisitr

UPDATE: Governor Rick Perry stated this morning that he does not support the Texas secession movement, according to The Washington Post.

A previous version of this article declared that secession is “unconstitutional.” It has since been changed to read “secession is unprotected by the US Constitution,” which is more accurate.

The Texas petition to secede from the United States may grow to the point at which it requires an official response from the Obama Administration soon.

Since Election day, more than 19 states have officially started petitions seeking outright Civil War-era secession from the United States of America. Texas secession is a long-running joke you hear about as often as various threats to move to Canada when an election doesn’t go one’s way, but the Texas petition this time around is different, primarily because it has surpassed the required number of votes needed to elicit a response from the White House: In this case, President Obama’s White House.

Other states petitioning for secession: Arkansas, South Carolina, Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee, Michigan, Colorado, Oregon, New Jersey, North Dakota, Montana, Indiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, North Carolina, Alabama and New York. Since secession is unprotected by the US Constitution, these states likely aren’t going anywhere, but Texas is at least racking up the signatures needed to get an official response.

The White House’s self-imposed rule for an official response to a state petition is that it acquires over 25,000 signatures within 30 days. The Texas secession petition has gotten 25,318 in under a week.

Here’s part of the Texas secession petition:

“The U.S. continues to suffer economic difficulties stemming from the federal government’s neglect to reform domestic and foreign spending. The citizens of the U.S. suffer from blatant abuses of their rights such as the NDAA, the TSA, etc. Given that the state of Texas maintains a balanced budget and is the 15th largest economy in the world, it is practically feasible for Texas to withdraw from the union, and to do so would protect its citizens’ standard of living and re-secure their rights and liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our founding fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal government.”

The Obama Administration could dodge the official rules for a response, by the way:

“To avoid the appearance of improper influence, the White House may decline to address certain procurement, law enforcement, adjudicatory, or similar matters properly within the jurisdiction of federal departments or agencies, federal courts, or state and local government in its response to a petition.”

My guess? The Texas secession petition goes nowhere, no matter how many signatures it gets. But you never know what might catch the newly re-elected President Obama’s eye.

Do you think that Texas will be allowed to secede from the union?

Texas Secession Petition Growing Fast, Will Require Obama Administration Response Soon is a post from: The Inquisitr

The United States could soon become a lot smaller. Citizens from nearly 20 states have filed petitions on the White House website asking to secede from America and form a new government.

Most of the petitions come from Republican states, but petitions have also been filed in several Democratic and swing states. According to the Washington Post, citizens from Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas are asking to secede from the United States.

One petition reads:

“We petition the Obama Administration to peacefully grant the State of Alabama to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own new government.”

Most of the petitions then go on to describe their right to secede.

One petition reads:

“As the founding fathers of the United States of America made clear in the Declaration of Independence in 1776: When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation … Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and institute new Government…”

It’s important to note that none of these petitions were filed by state governments. Each petition was filed by a citizen who was presumably upset that Obama had won re-election.

But that doesn’t mean that these petitions don’t have support. The Texas secession petition has close to 20,000 signatures. The Texas petition, which was filed by a citizen from Arlington, reads:

“The citizens of the US suffer from blatant abuses of their rights such as the NDAA, the TSA, etc. Given that the state of Texas maintains a balanced budget and is the 15th largest economy in the world, it is practically feasible for Texas to withdraw from the union, and to do so would protect it’s citizens’ standard of living and re-secure their rights and liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our founding fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal government.”

If any state is going to actually secede from the country it will most likely be Texas. Last week Texas GOP official Peter Morrison argued for an “amicable divorce” from the United States.

Morrison said:

“Why should Vermont and Texas live under the same government? They re-elected Obama. He is their president … Let each go her own way.”

It’s unlikely that any of these states actually secede from America, but, if the petitions get enough signatures (25,000 signatures), the White House will have to issue a response.

Do you think Texas (or any of the other states that have filed petitions) should secede? How do you think the White House will respond to these petitions?

Petitions To Secede Filed On White House Website is a post from: The Inquisitr

Father of Benghazi victim Sean Smith is demanding answers from the White House about why help never arrived. Smith was a computer expert working for the State Department and was one of the four Americans killed during the attack at the embassy in Libya.

The grieving father is also a former US Marine. He wants the Obama administration to explain what happened at Benghazi and why multiple calls for help were denied, according to WTSP News. Ryan Smith had this to say during an interview with the news station:

“They haven’t done anything. My son and them dialed 911 for help and they wouldn’t help them. I want whoever did this, whoever didn’t answer their phone, I want them brought to justice too. He was murdered. He was murdered. I want them to get the people who did this.”

Smith contacted Florida Representative C.W. Bill Young and asked for help getting answers to his questions. Young reportedly became a willing ally in the father’s struggle to garner more information.

The Republican congressman had this to say about Benghazi and aiding the victim’s father:

“He wants answers. Just like the rest of the country. They want to know why these American heroes were asking for help and being denied help.”

Father and son had been estranged for quite some time before terrorist attack in Libya. Ryan Smith claims he was reaching out to his son before he was killed. During his interview with WTSP, the father noted there was one positive aspect to out of the horrific tragedy. Ryan now plans to connect with his two grandchildren and other family members living in California.

Smith is working to get a permanent memorial erected in Sean’s honor at the Bay Pines V.A. hospital. He proudly recalled his son being very intelligent and stated he and the other victims did not deserve what happened to them in Benghazi, according to The Blaze.

Benghazi Victim Sean Smith’s Father Wants Answers About Why Help Never Came is a post from: The Inquisitr

President Obama cast his vote today in Illinois and is encouraging voters in eight different states to do the same, BBCreports.

Obama’s challenger, Mitt Romney is campaigning in Ohio, a swing state which could determine who will be in the White House after the election.

A national poll say Romney has a 50 percent-47 percent support among swing voters. The poll was produced by ABC News and found that in regards to the economy, 52 percent of voters supported Mitt Romney and 43 percent opted for Obama.

President Obama’s ballot casting was done in an effort to encourage voters to vote early in swing states.

An estimated 7.2 million people have already cast their ballots and about 35 percent of the electorate will have cast their ballots by election day.

First Lady Michelle Obama cast her absentee ballot on October 15.

President Obama thanked people who had gone out to the polls already, The New York Timesreports:

“For all of you who have not yet early voted, I just want everybody to see what an incredibly efficient process this was thanks to the outstanding folks who are at this particular polling place.”

President Obama still has to focus key states, like Ohio, Virginia and Florida, in order to win the election. In the past, no republican has even taken office without winning Ohio.

Recently, the Obama campaign won a court ruling to keep early voting in Ohio open through the weekend before the election.

Obama has explained his main priorities if he is elected to another term will be to find a budget deal to reduce the US debt and immigration.

President Barack Obama Casts Early Vote In Chicago is a post from: The Inquisitr

The White House looked a little different last night. President Obama issued a proclamation Monday morning declaring October to be National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and, to honor the occasion, the famous residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue became the Pink House.

CNN reports that the White House was “bathed in pink lights” last night in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

In his proclamation, Obama said:

“This month, we stand with the mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, and friends who have been affected by breast cancer, and we recognize the ongoing efforts of dedicated advocates, researchers, and health care providers who strive each day to defeat this terrible disease. In memory of the loved ones we have lost and inspired by the resilience of those living with the disease, let us strengthen our resolve to lead our Nation toward a future free from cancer in all its forms.”

The White House estimates that over 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during 2012. According to CNN, that’s a pretty safe prediction since over 230,000 women were diagnosed last year.

Obama added:

“We honor those we have lost, lend our strength to those who carry on the fight, and pledge to educate ourselves and our loved ones about this tragic disease.”

CNN notes that the Obama administration has worked to give women better access to breast cancer treatment. The Affordable Healthcare Act makes mammograms and other cancer screenings more accessible to women.

Obama added:

“Breast cancer touches the lives of Americans from every background and in every community across our nation … my administration remains committed to ensuring quality health care that includes preventative services for women.”

The Pink House: White House Shows Support For Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a post from: The Inquisitr

Chinese hackers reportedly gained access to White House computer systems. Obama administration sources partly confirmed preliminary reports that systems used for nuclear commands and military communications were breached by computer hackers, Fox News reports. An official called the incident a spear phishing attack against an unclassified network. The government representative also noted that such attacks are not infrequent and mitigation measures are in place to deal with such hacking issues.

It is currently unclear what information was left or taken by the Chinese hackers. A White House Communications Agency staffer allegedly opened an email he was not supposed to open, according to the law enforcement official source which spoke to Fox News.

Spear phishing involves the uses of messages designed to appear as valid when in fact they contain malicious and targeted attempts to gain access to confidential or highly-sensitive information, Business Insider reports. When such an email is opened, a link to a malicious website or an attachment likely allows the hacker access into a system, Invincea CEO and founder Anup Ghosh reports.

The inbound spoof email sent to the White House may have included a weaponized document attachment in the form of a Microsoft Excel file, .pdf, or Word document format, according to Ghosh. The cyber breach is being referred to as Beijing’s most brazen computer attack against the United States by some government officials and computer experts.

White House officials maintain that the Chinese hackers only gained access to a non-sensitive nuclear system, and there is no evidence that information was taken from the government computer system. The cyber attack was reportedly detected and isolated very quickly, and no impact on classified systems occurred.

White House Computers Reportedly Hit By Chinese Hackers is a post from: The Inquisitr

Hundreds of protesters converged upon a US military base in Afghanistan early Monday morning, throwing rocks and burning at least one car. The crowd was reportedly upset about the Innocence of Muslims film which ridiculed the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, USA Today reports. The low-budget movie allegedly depicts Muhammad as a womanizer, a fraud, and a child molester.

During the early morning hours, men threw rocks comprised of cracked pieces of pavement at Camp Phoenix. The US military base is adjacent to a roadway. Preliminary reports indicate that 20 police officers were injured slightly when hit by the rocks, WTSP notes. Shouts of “Death to America” and “Death to those people who have made a film and insulted our prophet” were reportedly voiced by approximately 800 Afghans who assembled near Camp Phoenix.

Police officers fired their weapons into the crowd to deter the protesters from moving toward government buildings in the downtown area. The air around Jalalabad Road in Kabul was thick with smoke after Afghan demonstrators allegedly burnt tires and shipping containers. As the Jalalabad confrontation wound down, rallies emerged on the southeastern section of Kabul. Approximately 50 people gathered in front a mosque and once again shouted, “Death to America.”

As The Inquisitr previously reported, Google, YouTube’s parent company, refused a White House request to remove the 14-minute movie trailer from its video sharing site. Google determined that Innocence of Muslims does not violate the posted terms of service regarding hate speech. The company has temporarily restricted access to the film trailer in some Middle East countries due to “sensitive situations” reportedly prompted by the film.

Middle East Protests Spread To Camp Phoenix: Hundreds Of Afghans Throw Rocks At US Military Base [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr