Univision: Juarez drug cartel leader ‘El Diego’ was captured with Fast and Furious weapons
Published: 10:10 PM 10/01/2012
When Mexican authorities took Juarez drug cartel carnage king Jose Antonio Acosta Hernandez — better known as “El Diego” — into custody, he had weapons from Operation Fast and Furious on his person, the English-language transcript of the Spanish-language television network Univision’s special investigation into the scandal shows.
“According to investigations, ‘El Diego’ forms the link between this massacre and Fast and Furious,” an anchor read on air in Spanish Sunday evening, referring to two different mass killings drug cartel operatives used Fast and Furious weapons to conduct as Univision reported.
“When he [El Diego] was captured in Chihuahua in the summer of 2011, he was found with weapons that the American government had allowed to enter Mexico,” the anchor added.
Room 101 Daruma
Four Kicks by Crowned Heads
Viaje – Honey and Hand Grenades, 5th Anniversary,
Oro Collector’s Edition, Oro, Platino, Satori
Available now at
The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood!
~Gary, Barbara and Collin
The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood | 10 Chestnut Street | Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450
Phone: 201-447-2204 | Email: info@tobaccoshop.com
Hours: Monday – Saturday 10:00AM – 5:30PM and Thursday Night 6:30PM – 8:30PM
U.S. Consulate in Benghazi Bombed Twice in Run-Up to 9/11 Anniversary
Oct 2, 2012 4:45 AM EDT
Jihadists twice set off explosives at the consulate prior to the incident that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens, and announced threats on Facebook about escalating attacks on Western targets in the run-up to the 9/11 anniversary, according to whistleblowers reaching out to House Republicans.
In the five months leading up to this year’s 9/11 anniversary, there were two bombings on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi and increasing threats to and attacks on the Libyan nationals hired to provide security at the U.S. missions in Tripoli and Benghazi.
Details on these alleged incidents stem in part from the testimony of a handful of whistleblowers who approached the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in the days and weeks following the attack on the Benghazi consulate. The incidents are disclosed in a letter to be sent Tuesday to Hillary Clinton from Rep. Darrell Issa, the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the chairman of the oversight committee’s subcommittee that deals with national security.
The State Department did not offer comment on the record last night.
Lead Singer of the band Creed, Scott Stapp, at Bookends October 4th @ 5:00pm
Scott Stapp, Thursday, October 4th @ 5:00pm*New Time
Lead Singer of the band Creed, Scott Stapp, will sign his new book: Sinner’s Creed.
Books available Oct 2nd.
Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.
Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.
While we try to insure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed. We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.
Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
The Christie administration announced Monday a new four-year contract it has reached with the state’s second-largest public employee union.
The agreement — ratified by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 1 in September – provides for no salary increases for the first two years.
The union’s nearly 9,000 members will receive a 1 percent salary increase in the contract’s third year and 1.75 percent in its fourth year.
Those raises are identical to ones agreed to by the other civilian bargaining units the state has already reached agreements with, including the Communications Workers of America, which represents 35,000 state workers. (Campisi, The Record)
Lawmakers seek to tighten rules on public contractors
State lawmakers hoping to strengthen scrutiny on contractors privatizing government services moved forward with a measure to make vendors deliver savings, while also tightening rules on cost-cutting.
“If you are going to privatize your services, you need to be able to substantiate that you are saving money,” said Sen. Fred Madden, chairman of the Labor Committee and a Democrat from Gloucester County, explaining the motivation for two previous bills that Monday were merged into one.
Madden urged lawmakers to find a “balance” between two different concerns: that governments determine that private contractors provide services which are really less expensive, while also blocking the contractors from simply paying their workers less than state employees would earn in pay and benefits. (Fletcher, The Record)
Tax Foundation Estimates New Brackets Based on Inflation Rate
Washington, D.C., October 1, 2012— The Tax Foundation, based on recently released data from the federal government, has estimated federal income tax brackets for tax year 2013, as detailed in a new analysis published today. Analyst Nick Kasprak also examines alternate brackets that would come into effect if Congress were to vote to extend the Bush-era tax cuts and other policies, or if President Obama’s 2013 budget plan were passed.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released its August 2012 consumer price index figure, which is typically the final piece of information needed to determine the next year’s tax brackets. Brackets are adjusted for inflation based on the consumer price index from September to August of the previous year. Given that the CPI-U (consumer price index for all urban consumers) average for the previous twelve months is 2.57% higher than the previous year, parameters for tax year 2013 will be roughly 2.57% higher than for 2012.
“Projecting tax brackets for 2013 is more complicated than usual, given the uncertainty surrounding the potential expiration of the Bush tax cuts and some more recent stimulus bill tax cuts,” said Analyst Nick Kasprak.
Despite the complication caused by multiple expiring provisions, however, the different tax parameters are adjusted for inflation in more or less the same way, meaning that the Tax Foundation can project next year’s parameters under a variety of scenarios with a high degree of certainty.
Even though taxpayers will not start filing their 2013 tax returns until January 2014, tax year 2013 parameters are needed in advance so that the Internal Revenue Service can produce instructions for 2013 income tax withholding, which will begin in January. Therefore, the inflation adjustments for any tax year must be based on Consumer Price Index data from portions of the previous two years.
Tax Foundation Fiscal Fact No. 328, “Next Year’s Tax Brackets” by Nick Kasprak is available online.
The Tax Foundation is a nonpartisan research organization that has monitored fiscal policy at the federal, state and local levels since 1937. To schedule an interview, please contact Richard Morrison, the Tax Foundation’s Manager of Communications, at 202-464-5102 or morrison@taxfoundation.org.
Bigger Government, More Cronyism, Less Economic Freedom
Ryan OlsonSeptember 28, 2012 at 3:15 pm
Recent news about the Obama Administration’s divestitures from AIG and GM—in some cases at a loss of billions of dollars—stands as a reminder of the privilege and cronyism that permeates our economy.
As favoritism grows with the size of the government, economic freedom continues to be eroded by policies like bailouts, loan guarantees, and tax exemptions. Privilege has replaced the good public economic policies of freedom. The influence of a select few is eroding our economic values and introducing perverse incentives and inefficiencies that hurt our competitiveness.
This is what Matthew Mitchell of the Mercatus Center argued in a recent lecture at The Heritage Foundation. Drawing from prior research, Mitchell argues that cronyism—manifested in regulations, subsidies, bailouts, tax credits, monopolies, loan guarantees, non-competitive bidding, and protectionism—is becoming all too common in our public policy discourse:
[Economic] privileges limit the prospects for mutually beneficial exchange—the very essence of economic progress. They raise prices, lower quality, and discourage innovation…[padding] the pockets of the wealthy and well-connected at the expense of the poor and unknown.
Such privileges strike at the heart of our society’s values and affect every American. This allocation of certain privileges to certain groups also has dire consequences for our economy, hurting the American consumer by reducing competitiveness and raising prices.
The result has been declining economic freedom. According to the most recent Index of Economic Freedom, published by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal, freedom from corruption in the United States has fallen by 5 percentage points over the previous year due to increasing levels of cronyism and corruption.
In order to get our economy back on track, policymakers should embrace free enterprise and reduce subsidies and regulations that act as government-sponsored protection for a select few. Everyone should have the right to compete in the marketplace on an equal basis.
America’s leaders need to represent all Americans, not just a privileged elite. Thus, we need policies that help all Americans, not just the ones who can afford lobbyists and large campaign donations.
U.S. Gov’t Employees Among Top Campaign Contributors to Obama; Bankers Among Top Contributors to Romney
By Penny Starr
October 1, 2012
(CNSNews.com) – U.S. government employees and their families have thus far contributed $396,550 to President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign, making them one of the top five sources of cash for the campaign to reelect the president, according to Opensecrets.org.
Employees of the U.S. State Department and their families have, by themselves, contributed $213,256 to the Obama reelection campaign. Standing alone, State Department employees and their families are the 17th largest contributors to the Obama campaign, ranking just above the employees and family members of Wells Fargo, who have contributed $202,216 to the Obama campaign.
Pat Caddell: Media Have Become An “Enemy Of The American People”
Former Democratic Pollster
In recent remarks to an AIM conference, “ObamaNation: A Day of Truth,” former Democratic pollster and analyst Pat Caddell said, “I think we’re at the most dangerous time in our political history in terms of the balance of power in the role that the media plays in whether or not we maintain a free democracy.”
Caddell noted that while First Amendment protections were originally provided to the press so they would protect the liberty and freedom of the public from “organized governmental power,” they had clearly relinquished the role of impartial news providers.
Nowhere was this more evident than during the tragic death of a U.S. ambassador in Libya that was lied about for nine days, because the press and the administration did not want to admit it was a terrorist attack.
“We’ve had nine days of lies over what happened because they can’t dare say it’s a terrorist attack, and the press won’t push this,” said Caddell. “Yesterday there was not a single piece in The New York Times over the question of Libya. Twenty American embassies, yesterday, are under attack. None of that is on the national news. None of it is being pressed in the papers.”
Caddell added that it is one thing for the news to have a biased view, but “It is another thing to specifically decide that you will not tell the American people information they have a right to know.”
Digital Age overload: ‘Internet addiction’ to be classified as mental illness
Published: 01 October, 2012, 14:21
Edited: 01 October, 2012, 21:19
Think twice the next time you play a videogame or surf the Net: ‘Internet-use disorder’ is set to be added to the list of mental illnesses in the worldwide psychiatric manual. Kids are identified as being especially at risk.
The international mental health encyclopedia known as the ‘Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ (DSM-IV) will include Internet-use disorder as a condition “recommended for further study” in its forthcoming May 2013 edition.
Psychologists believe that Internet addiction should be categorized like other addiction disorders as it has similar symptoms, including emotional shutdown, lack of concentration and withdrawal.
Parents have noted their children becoming angry and violent when their electronic gadgets are taken away from them, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. In other instances, kids preferred to play a videogame over eating or social interaction.
AS ECONOMIC GROWTH REVISED LOWER, MENENDEZ SEEKS TO KILL 700,000 JOBS
Middletown, September 27… The Commerce Department today revised second quarter economic growth down to 1.3% from the previous estimate of 1.7%. This weakened growth figure is further evidence that the policies Senator Menendez supports are simply not working and are unable to lower our nation’s unemployment. Yet, Senator Menendez proposes more of the same- higher taxes on small businesses that will kill at least 700,000 jobs. For that, he has earned the Outrage of the Week.
“Our nation’s economic growth is worse than we thought and Senator Menendez wants to double down on more of the same,” said Senator Joe Kyrillos. “The solution for robust economic growth and jobs is not taxing 700,000 jobs out of extinction, but giving small businesses the certainty they need to grow and expand. Time and again, Senator Menendez has promised us better, but has given us much worse. If he can’t provide strong economic growth, then it’s time for him to get out of the way.”
Preview of Univision’s “bombshell” report on Fast & Furious
POSTED AT 5:31 PM ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2012 BY ED MORRISSEY
The Obama administration clearly hoped that the Department of Justice’s Inspector General report on Operation Fast and Furious would be the last word on the scandal. which has been tied to hundreds of deaths in Mexico and the murders of two American law-enforcement officials. However, a new report from Univision to be broadcast tomorrow, previewed here by ABC News, may put the issue back on the front pages. One source called Univision’s findings the “holy grail” that Congressional investigators have been seeking:
Former Republican Presidential Candidate, Rick Santorum at Bookends October 3rd @ 6:30pm
Rick Santorum, Wednesday, October 3rd @ 6:30pm
Former Republican Presidential Candidate, Rick Santorum, will sign his new book: American Patriots. Books available Oct. 2nd.
Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.
Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.
While we try to insure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed. We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.
Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
