The Water Cooler is written by Washington Times staffers.
By Jennifer Harper — Published June 18, 2013 Comments
It portends to be a fierce demonstration: The Tea Party Patriots will assemble at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday for an "Audit the IRS" rally in support of conservative groups that were subject to uncomfortable scrutiny by the federal agency in recent years. The tea partyers will have some high profile company. Independent media maven Glenn Beck plans to be there, despite his own misgivings about visiting the veritable heart of big government. "There are many things I don't believe in anymore, and Washington is one of them. And I despise that city now. Because it has just become a symbol of corruption to me, a symbol of grotesque growth, where the rest of us are suffering in the rest of the country," Mr. Beck told his radio audience, upon announcing that he was going anyway, and would speak at high noon. "I will go and stand," Mr. Beck declared. ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published June 18, 2013 Comments
Wilted lettuce, egg shells, potato parings: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg hopes local city folk will compost their kitchen scraps in the name of green-minded citizenship, or, uh, incur a fine. "This is a rotten idea for the Big Apple," says Jeff Stier, the New York City-based director of risk analysis for the National Center for Public Policy Research. He's quick to point out that his group supports voluntary composting. "In fact, we already have voluntary composting where residents can send kitchen scraps to gardens around the five boroughs," Mr. Stier notes. "But we live in a big city, not on a farm, and while composting is a great idea in certain circumstances, it doesn't make sense to mandate that all New York residents save their rotting food," he says. "Consider the increased risks from disease-carrying vermin, a problem the city still hasn't conquered, from all of the pre-compost material ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published June 17, 2013 Comments
Tallying the names of those who think National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden is a hero? There's another entry to add to the motley list, which already includes Michael Moore, Glenn Beck and Ron Paul. "Snowden is a hero," proclaimed Hollywood director Oliver Stone during an appearance at the Shanghai International Film Festival in China on Monday, a proclamation met with "thunderous applause," according to Hollywood Reporter correspondent Richard Trombley. "Stone went on to praise the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, and whistleblower Bradley Manning. He condemned President Obama's administration for prosecuting six whistleblower cases despite campaign promises of a more progressive administration," Mr. Trombley said in his dispatch. Mr. Stone also helped conduct a seminar titled "How Does Film Have Its Influence on Real Life", moderated by state-owned newspaper China Daily film critic Raymond Zhou, who attempted to keep the discussion cultural rather than political. Yes, well. Mr. Stone ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published June 17, 2013 Comments
It's the Republican Party, future version - minus political glitz, and with a focus on hard work. GOPAC, the political action committee established in 1979 to groom future campaign heavyweights, is hosting an "Emerging Leaders Summit" in New York City through Wednesday. to herald the prowess of 20 state lawmakers and officials who are up to the challenge of a party at the crossroads. Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus is there to cheer them on and offer a boot camp of sorts for the many obstacles faced by state legislators. "There has never been a more critical time for the Republican Party to ensure we have prepared leaders who can move our party and nation forward," says GOPAC Chairman Frank Donatelli. Here are the new GOP up-and-comers: Florida State Representative Jason Brodeur North Carolina State Representative Justin Burr Illinois State Representative John Cabello Virginia Delegate Peter Farrell Tennessee State ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published June 17, 2013 Comments
Are gifted, committed leaders shunning the expensive, combative political arena? Maybe so. Voters are not convinced that the best among us have been elected, according to a new Fox News poll. It found that 71 percent of registered U.S. voters wonder if the nation's political leaders are the best people we can find to lead the country; 85 percent of Republicans and 56 percent of Democrats agree with that. Voters have a barely tepid reaction to politicians, meanwhile: only 23 percent feel "confident and proud" of the people in leadership roles; 11 percent of Republicans and 38 percent of Democrats agree. The survey also confirmed what most people already worry about: 64 percent overall say the federal government is too big; 87 percent of Republicans and 43 percent of Democrats agree. Almost two thirds - 63 percent - have "not much" or no trust in the federal government; 83 percent ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published June 13, 2013 Comments
"Regardless of your political party there are some themes that I believe we should all agree on: Government must reinforce the value of the individual and life. Government must have programs to help individual independence flourish and not reinforce dependency. Votes must not be purchased by corrupt organizations or individuals on false missions of mercy. Freedom cannot be compromised anywhere. Anti-Americanism needs to be answered every place, every time. By every one of us." And so said Fox News CEO and founder Roger Ailes on Wednesday night, upon receiving the Bradley Foundation Prize, a $250,000 annual award meant to recognize those who have strengthened the cause of freedom. Mr. Ailes has already donated the money to charity. "I mentioned earlier that American culture is unique and must be included in all discussions of culture. It is America that has fed more and freed more people on earth than all the ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published June 13, 2013 Comments
The Faith and Freedom Coalition's "Road to the Majority" conference is up and running - and already making a very big noise. One of the first speakers in the three-day event was Sen. Rand Paul; the Kentucky Republican had much to say about the fate of faith, American taxpayer dollars and peacemaking on the world stage. "It is clear that American taxpayer dollars are being used to enable a war on Christianity in the Middle East and I believe that must end. When Pope John Paul II spoke about a 'culture of death,' he talked about 'a war of the powerful against the weak'," the lawmaker told his audience. "As Christians, we know we must always stand with the most defenseless. I believe that no civilization can long endure that does not respect life from those not yet born to life's last breath. I am the sponsor of a life ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published June 13, 2013 Comments
When news broke that the IRS had targeted conservative groups, the "Big Three" broadcast networks were hot on the trail. NBC, CBS and ABC ran 96 stories about the matter for the first two weeks - May 10 through 23, according to an analysis released Thursday by the Media Research Center. Thirty one more stories followed during the next week. But this week? There was only one story, which aired Tuesday on ABC. "When the IRS scandal first broke, even reliably liberal network reporters saw it as a real threat to President Obama and his political agenda. The fact that they have so quickly dropped it from the news agenda is just more evidence that the broadcast networks filter their so-called 'news' through a partisan lens," says Geoffrey Dickens, deputy research director at the watchdog group. "After all, does anyone doubt that if an identical scandal had erupted during the ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published June 12, 2013 Comments
"Americans' views of former president George W. Bush have improved, with 49 percent now viewing him favorably and 46 percent unfavorably. That is the first time since 2005 that opinions of him have been more positive than negative," says Jeffrey M. Jones, a Gallup analyst. Republicans still give the former president a kindly 87 percent favorability rating in a survey released Tuesday. That's up 14 points from a similar poll four years ago. Predictably, less than a quarter of Democrats have warm feelings toward Mr. Bush. Still, it's better than the previous survey, when only 10 percent of Democrats gave him a positive review. Find the complete poll here.
by Jennifer Harper — Published June 11, 2013 Comments
Ron Paul is definitely not done yet. Now chairman of the Campaign for Liberty, the former congressman and independent presidential hopeful has spoken out against government collection of phone and internet data and the dramatic circumstances that brought the situation to public radar. "The Fourth Amendment is clear; we should be secure in our persons, houses, papers, and effects, and all warrants must have probable cause. Today the government operates largely in secret, while seeking to know everything about our private lives - without probable cause and without a warrant," Dr. Paul says. "The government does not need to know more about what we are doing. We need to know more about what the government is doing," he notes. "We should be thankful for individuals like Edward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald who see injustice being carried out by their own government and speak out, despite the risk. They have done ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published June 10, 2013 Comments
There's a predictable silence in the mainstream media about the Faith and Freedom Coalition's three-day Road to Majority conference, which begins Thursday at a bustling hotel two blocks from the White House. The event boasts a veritable who's who list of conservatives and Republicans ready, willing and able to rumble. Among the speakers: Sens. Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Mike Lee, Ron Johnson and Jeff Sessions; Reps. Paul Ryan, Michele Bachmann, J. Randy Forbes and Louie Gohmert; Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Sarah Palin, Jeb Bush, Allen B. West, Rick Santorum, John Bolton, Michael Medved, Pat Robertson, Herman Cain and Donald Trump. The conference mission, a spokesman says, is grass roots: "The conference will energize, train, and equip our top activists and chapter leaders on voter registration, voter education, get-out-the-vote, lobbying their legislators, building a church and neighborhood organization, and utilizing social media to mobilize supporters." By Election Day 2014, ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published June 9, 2013 Comments
"Booz Allen can confirm that Edward Snowden, 29, has been an employee of our firm for less than 3 months, assigned to a team in Hawaii. News reports that this individual has claimed to have leaked classified information are shocking, and if accurate, this action represents a grave violation of the code of conduct and core values of our firm. We will work closely with our clients and authorities in their investigation of this matter." 'And so reads the statement from Booz Allen Hamilton, a management and technology consulting giant - and current employer of the man who shared the clandestine details of the National Security Agency with The Guardian Newspaper and The Washington Post. Mr. Snowden's story itself has riveted the attention of both press and public. See his video here. The Guardian revealed his identity Sunday, at Mr. Snowden's request.
by Jennifer Harper — Published June 6, 2013 Comments
It's Day One of the 61st Bilderberg Conference, now underway at the swank Grove Hotel in the town of Watford, 20 miles northeast of London. Though police have no specific intelligence about terrorism threats against the very private meeting of global luminaries, the area is essentially cordoned off. There is a no-fly zone overhead. The hotel is surrounded by a new concrete and wire barrier now deemed "The Great Wall of Watford" by the local press. Pedestrian, auto and even boat traffic has been halted near the hotel through Sunday. Barricades are everywhere. It's a challenge. Law enforcement must keep flocks of costumed protestors, activists, performers, stray journalists, bloggers, broadcasters, conspiracy theorists and musicians at bay. The uninvited have gathered on streets, meadows and camp grounds, convinced that the uber-powerful are deciding the planet's fate over coffee. The noisy riffraff crowd pine for an encounter with - or at least ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published June 5, 2013 Comments
Mitt Romney has returned to the public radar seven months after losing the presidential election, granting carefully parsed out interviews and timely statements that get more aggressive with each news report. As the week plays out, it's all about "Experts and Enthusiasts," a three-day summit organized by Mr. Romney that begins Wednesday in Park City, Utah pairing up high-profile politicians, tycoons, investors and the proverbial "thought leaders" of the Republican Party. On the motley guest list: Rep. Paul Ryan, Sen. Rand Paul, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Obama strategist David Axelrod and Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman. "They represent very different perspectives in the Republican Party," says Mr. Romney. said. The conference has a $5,000 registration fee, incidentally. Eldest son Tagg Romney also plays a role: his private equity firm Solamere Capital is a partial sponsor of the meeting. But there's recreation afoot as well. There will also be skeet shooting, ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published June 4, 2013 Comments
Do we care if politicians wear flag pins and do underage soldiers who fight for their country overseas deserve a beer at home? Should kids say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, and should "Born in the USA" replace the "Star Spangled Banner" as the national anthem? These and other questions of national identity and Americana have been addressed in a new 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair survey released Monday. Among the findings: Forget a personal amnesty program: 92 percent of Americans would not marry someone they did not love to make them a U.S. citizen; 96 percent of Republicans and 92 percent of Democrats agree. Meanwhile, 79 percent of Americans overall say it makes "no difference" to them if a politicians wear an American flag pin or not; 64 percent of Republicans and 86 percent of Democrats agree with that. Of interest to our younger troops: 71 percent agree with his ...
