Did IRS Official Lois Lerner Waive Her Right to Plead the 5th Amendment?

Let me say up front so that nobody tries to accuse me of anything - I have NO IDEA what IRS Official Lois Lerner's involvement was or wasn't in the latest IRS scandal.  She could be guilty.  She could be innocent.  I haven't the foggiest.  And for the purpose of this post, I don't care.  The only issue this post is concerned with is whether or not she waived her 5th Amendment rights by stating at the beginning of her Congressional hearing yesterday that she was innocent of any wrong doing and had not broken any laws.

Per NPR this is what Lerner said at the beginning of her statement:

"I have not done anything wrong. I have not broken any laws, I have not violated any IRS rules or regulations, and I have not provided false information to this or any other congressional committee."

After making this statement, she then proceeded to take the 5th Amendment on all other questions.  As you can imagine, this didn't go over too well with the House Committee members:

Instead of simply taking the scorn of lawmakers for a day, repeatedly invoking the Fifth Amendment to avoid self-incrimination, and then moving on, she chose defiance. And her bravado has prompted House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) to say she has waived her constitutional right to not comment. Now, he plans to haul the director of the IRS’s tax-exempt department back to the committee for questioning. “When I asked her her questions from the very beginning, I did so so she could assert her rights prior to any statement,” Issa told POLITICO. “She chose not to do so — so she waived.”  Lerner shocked the committee room in the opening moments of Wednesday’s hearing by delivering an opening statement denying any wrongdoing and professing pride in her government service.

So, did Lerner waive her right to plead the 5th by making her opening statement that she was innocent?

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Anthony Weiner Will Run for Mayor of New York City

Former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner Will Run for Mayor of New York City

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Obama Morehouse Graduation Speech May 19, 2013

President Obama gave the keynote speech at America's only all-male Historically Black College, Morehouse:

HBO Game of Thrones Recap: Second Sons

The previous two episodes were heavy on setup and exposition. After Sunday's show there are only two episodes remaining. The first few installments set viewership records for the show, last week's show not so much. There were murmurs across the net that the show runners were making too many changes from the books. I deliberately don't like talking about the books here because (1) I don't want to give spoilers-see warning below, (2) I don't want to be the smug condescending arrogant jerk who compares everything to the books and (3) the show and books are significantly different and ought to be enjoyed and understood separately. I have been surprised by some things and disappointed by others just as people who haven't read the books have been. I love the books but Benioff's and Weiss' creation stands on its own. So all that aside what happened in Sunday's episode? Was it another snoozefest intermittently interrupted by torture? Well maybe. There was only minor torture this week. We spent a lot of time in King's Landing. 

We open up with Arya grabbing a big rock and considering the proper way to smash the sleeping Hound's head in. But The Hound wasn't sleeping and coolly advises Arya that if she wants to kill him she had better do it right the first time otherwise he'll break both her arms. Charming fellow that Hound. Arya thinks she's being taken back to King's Landing but The Hound profanely informs her that he's taking her to The Twins, The Frey stronghold, for the wedding between Roslin Frey and Edmure Tully. The Hound intends to ransom Arya back to her brother and mother.

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That's What's UP - The Urban Politico Radio Hour

That's What's UP - The Urban Politico Radio Hour

Join us Sunday, May 19th at 5pm (ET) as we talk about the Politics of the United States and beyond.

This week's discussion:

• IRS-Gate
• The Associated Press-Gate
• The Right Still Talking About Benghazi-Gate
• Game of Thrones

 

Listen Live Online HERE 

Or Call In to join our discussion (424) 675-6844

Movie Reviews- Gangster Squad, Mama, Stand Up Guys

Gangster Squad
directed by Ruben Fleischer

This film is a little light on story and gloriously heavy on scenery, costume and surroundings. It's a trip to heaven if you are into late forties and early fifties clothes, cars, and art deco architecture or happen to yearn for a simpler time when men were men, women were dames and there was no problem that couldn't be solved with two fists and a .45. Gangster Squad is inspired by history but is not bound by it. It takes lots of liberties with the story. So if that appeals to you this movie could be worth your while. Despite some surface similarities it is nothing like LA Confidential, The Big Sleep or any other films with conflicted heroes or outright anti heroes. No here, the good guys are good, the bad guys are very bad and that's pretty much that. And all the girls are crazy about sharp dressed men...

I wrote about LA mobster Mickey Cohen before here. In Gangster Squad, Cohen (Sean Penn) is the quintessential bad guy. Quick tempered with a very broad NU YAWK accent, Cohen is the rising star bad guy in Los Angeles. He's got his fat little fingers in everything, prostitution, narcotics, gambling, bookmaking, loansharking, you name it he does it. A former boxer, Cohen is quick with his fists and doesn't mind throwing a beating to hapless subordinates. He doesn't like mistakes. Of course if you get off with a beating count yourself lucky as the quite sadistic Cohen has many other ways to enforce discipline, most of which involve removing you from the planet. Cohen's only rival for power in California is the older and more cautious Mafiosi Jack Dragna (Jon Polito) who is worried about Cohen's strength and insolence.

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Obama, Holder, Clinton: Benghazi, and DOJ AP Subpoenas

Well well well, what a difference a day makes. It was seemingly just yesterday when the President was having his inauguration and sneering at people who didn't trust the government, or thought that they were taxed enough already, thank you very much. And it wasn't that long ago that rather than answer direct questions about her role in the Benghazi situation, Secretary Clinton was screeching "What difference does it make" at questioners.

Well Madame Secretary it may make some difference after all. Yes indeed. You know just like it makes a difference that you didn't actually land under sniper fire in Bosnia. With that record of truthfulness you might understand that people don't necessarily want to take your word on something without proof.
( When you have a moment after reading this post please check out this excellent C-SPAN discussion with CBS investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson. It's very long and not strictly speaking necessary for this post but it does clarify a great many of the issues raised by this scandal)

                          

Or it may not, it could all indeed be much ado about nothing  h/t field negro
We don't know yet. What we do know is that Cheryl Mills, Secretary Clinton's Chief of Staff, called Gregory Hicks, the deputy Chief of Mission in Libya, and expressed her firm displeasure that Hicks had spoken to Representative Jason Chaffetz. She was also peveed that Hicks was raising questions about the initial official explanation on Benghazi. Hicks claims that his job and competence were harshly questioned and that he was demoted. We also know that Hicks stands firm that there was a stand down order that prevented a possible rescue mission from taking place. 

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IRS Example: Where the Workplace and Politics Collide

Okay – so, maybe I’m biased. Or, maybe I’m privy to similar situations where there wasn’t much to report; however, that didn’t stop the media from making something out of nothing.  Who knows?  I do know this, if we just listen to the political spin or what passes for journalism then we’re left only with the results the pundits want you to hear.  Usually this is smothered in partisanship and lacking in impartiality and facts.

First and foremost, you all know that I’m a staunch supporter of the Federal government.  I DEEPLY feel it provides an absolutely necessary counter balance to a private sector whose principle objective is profit – even at the expense of the public.  

With that being said, there exists the necessity of trust.  Without it, the whole thing falls apart.  Rightfully so, the public sector has a level or responsibility that doesn’t exist in the private sector.  The results of some actions can lead to the loss of property, freedom, and in some cases, life.  Therefore, it is paramount for the public sector to maintain its integrity.  That means, it can’t do things like singling out conservative groups for extra scrutiny.  

HOWEVER, I also add caution and patience.  Speaking from experience, the truth rarely sees the light of day when one side sees a political vulnerability to exploit.  

Does this mean that there aren’t folks within the government who don’t mind the rules?  Of course not.  That expectation is unreasonable.  However, the devil is in the details, as they say.  

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Reason #1,352 Why Affirmative Action is Still Needed: SCOTUS Saw 1 Black Lawyer During Entire Term

We are, at this moment, what I suspect is perhaps a week away (give or take a day) from the Supreme Court's decision in Fisher v. University of Texas which many Constitutional scholars (including yours truly) expect will be the end of Affirmative Action in higher education.  Well, for public schools anyway.  Private colleges will, of course, still be able to practice whatever Affirmative Action programs they wish no matter what the Court decides in Fisher.  But stepping back from that case for a moment, the bigger question that Fisher and other Affirmative Action cases have been trying to grapple with for the past 30-40 years is whether or not Whites and other minorities in this country are on an even playing field today.  And the answer that we keep coming back to time after time is: not really.  Don't get me wrong, we've come a long way.  We've made important strides.  We even elected a Black President which, in the minds of many Whites, is the sine qua non that racism is over in America...even though many of those same Whites spent the next 4 years actively tearing down the first Black President through personal attacks which had nothing to do with policy.  But hey, let's not focus on the negative right?  We've progressed a great deal as a nation when it comes to race relations.  This is true.  Nevertheless, despite this progress the numbers do not lie:

Per AP:

In roughly 75 hours of arguments at the Supreme Court since October, only one African-American lawyer appeared before the justices, and for just over 11 minutes.

The numbers were marginally better for Hispanic lawyers. Four of them argued for a total of 1 hour, 45 minutes.

Women were better represented, accounting for just over 17 percent of the arguments before the justices.

In an era when three women, a Hispanic and an African-American sit on the court and white men constitute a bare majority of the nine justices, the court is more diverse than the lawyers who argue before it.

The arguments that took place from October to April were presented overwhelmingly by white men. Women and minority lawyers whose clients' cases were heard by the court were far more likely to represent governments or be part of public-interest law firms than in private practice, where paychecks are much larger.

The numbers generally reflect the largely white and male upper reaches of the biggest and richest private law firms, where there have been small gains by women and minorities in the past 20 years. A recent survey by the Association for Legal Career Professionals found that more than 93 percent of partners in law firms are white and nearly 80 percent are men.

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HBO Game of Thrones Recap: The Bear and the Maiden Fair

This episode was penned by George R.R. Martin himself. For those who care about such things it had significant differences from the books. If you don't like that I suppose you could take it up with GRRM. =) Of course I would prefer you didn't as time spent responding to your outraged missives is time that GRRM's not writing the next book.  Anyway we open up on the Wall. The Wildling party has made it to the other side. Jon confronts Orell about the little issue of cutting the rope and dooming Jon and Ygritte but Orell says that's business. I liked this if nothing else because we get to briefly see a less emo and more forceful Jon Snow. Ygritte asks questions about the North's battle tactics and makes fun of what she sees as excessive regimented styles but it's apparent that she's somewhat nervous. Later Orell makes a play for Ygritte's wildling love (or at least Ygritte's wild thing) but she shoots him down by confirming that she loves Jon Snow. Embittered on a personal level as well as still not trusting Jon, Orell warns Ygritte away from Jon. Ygritte mistakes a windmill for a castle and has no cultural frame for understanding Jon Snow's more traditional expectations for women. She mocks them. Jon gives an impassioned speech about the futility of the Wildlings attempting to invade and defeat the North. From the way Ygritte looks at him you get the feeling that she might even believe this herself but can't stand to hear Jon say it. It's well acted, I thought. Ygritte reminds Jon that come what may they belong to each other.

The Stark-Tully army is delayed by rain in marching to the Twins for the Tully-Frey wedding. Catelyn is not happy about this. After Robb and Talisa have played hide the sword in the scabbard and find my wedding ring , Robb is temporarily not blinded by Talisa's beauty. Robb notices that Talisa is writing a letter to her mother. Talisa lets Robb know that's she's pregnant, something that makes Robb even happier than he already was.

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Happy Mother's Day!!!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL!

There is no radio show today. Hopefully you've done something nice for your Mom or in memory of her. The radio show will return next Sunday with what I expect will be a rather interesting number of different topics. Thanks.

Book Reviews- Unfinished Business, The Fall of Rome, Tarnsman of Gor, Elric of Melnibone

Unfinished Business
by Joseph D. Pistone

Joseph Pistone is a retired Italian-American FBI agent who is famous for his undercover work.  I wrote before about him here. You may remember the movie Donnie Brasco starring Johnny Depp. Pistone was "Donnie Brasco". He penetrated the Mafia, initially the Colombo Family and later the Bonanno Family. He was so convincing as a supposed jewel thief, hijacker and tough guy that he was ultimately proposed for formal membership ("being made") and given murders to accomplish. The FBI ended his assignment before he could be made, which still irritates Pistone today. Nevertheless Pistone gathered a wealth of information on the Bonanno Family and other organized crime families. It greatly embarrassed the Bonannos to have almost given their highest seal of approval to an FBI agent. Pistone duped the Mafia so thoroughly that when his direct Mafia sponsors and associates were informed that Pistone was an agent, they refused to believe it and for days thought/hoped that "Donnie" had been kidnapped and brainwashed. The higher ups, the bosses, underbosses and ranking captains who had been introduced to "Donnie" weren't just embarrassed. They were angry. And when people like that get angry, other people die. "Donnie's" captain was called into a management meeting. His body was later found with its hands chopped off. A soldier who had had close dealings with "Donnie" was lured out of hiding and murdered by his own blood relatives. The Mafia is not known for forgiving mistakes.

Pistone's operation reverberated throughout federal and state law enforcement investigations, indictments and convictions for several years. There were hundreds of indictments and convictions based in whole or in part upon Pistone's information. At least that's what Pistone says. He can speak without fear of contradiction as anyone who could contradict specific allegations is either dead or in prison. The man has a very healthy ego but I think most successful undercover agents would need one. For years he pretended to be someone else while surrounded by and working closely with thieves, murderers and a few psychopaths. Some criminal associates had extremely good memories. One mistake in his cover stories and that would have been it for Pistone. With the conclusion of active investigations he decided to revisit his story and share some dirty laundry. He's more forthcoming than he was previously.

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Urban Beat: World Trade Center Becomes Tallest Building in America Topping Out at 1,776 Feet

Per CNN:

New York (CNN) -- Construction workers bolted a 408-foot spire into place atop One World Trade Center on Friday, symbolically capping New York's comeback after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.

The spire brings the iconic building to a height of 1,776 feet -- an allusion to the year the United States declared its independence. It also makes the building the tallest in the Western Hemisphere and the third-tallest in the world.

The company developing the building in partnership with the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey confirmed the installation.

While the building still has significant construction before its scheduled 2014 opening, the installation brought cheers from New Yorkers, and from people around the country.

 

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Al Sharpton's new MSNBC show

I made a New Year's Resolution to stop watching PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton. I generally feel his heart's in the right place. I respect some of the work he's accomplished. But I think he's a horribly annoying television host. Constant outrage combined with inflexible partisanship and continuous yelling is not my cup of tea. I preferred the previous fellow at that time slot, Cenk Uygur. I'd much rather see someone like Ta-Nehisi Coates or Boyce Watkins in the role now. MSNBC has become a mirror image of FOX. So the other day when I made the mistake of breaking my resolution and turning on MSNBC between 6 and 7 PM imagine my surprise to learn that Al Sharpton, Eugene Robinson and Professor Cornel West have agreed to host a new prime time talk show for MSNBC starting for the fall season! 
The new show is titled "Loud, Confused and Confusing".*

Here's a cut from their pilot:

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Ariel Castro Charged w/ Kidnapping and Rape in Cleveland 10-Year Kidnapping Case

By now you've probably heard about the horrendous story of the 3 young women and the 6 year-old daughter of one of the women who have been rescued from a house in Cleveland where they were being held captive for 10 years.  Finally today the man who owned that home, Ariel Castro, has been formally charged by the state prosecutor with several counts of rape and kidnapping.

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