The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

More information needs to come to light regarding the recent outbreak of news regarding the IRS for me to fully conclude on the matter. However, at this point, I have a feeling that like with many conservatives calling Benghazi a massive cover-up and scandal being quite an exaggeration, the IRS ordeal is also getting blown out-of-proportion. What seems to be getting ignored by a very large majority of the media is the the effect the 2010 Citizens United ruling had on this whole process. After the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Citizens United by a count of 5 to 4, the number of groups applying for 501(c)(4) status rose from 1,500 in 2010 to 3,400 in 2012 - more than twice the number reported just two years earlier, prior to the Citizens United ruling. For those that don't know, 501(c)(4) status is the section of the federal tax code which governs nonprofit groups whom are dedicated to "social welfare." Given that definition, such groups are prohibited from being ...

This next report is kind of funny, yet sad at the same time. Following the party's losses in the 2012 elections, Republicans have been stating that they need a brand change - to reach out more to different demographics since they were dominated by pretty much everyone whom wasn't 60 or above and sported a sagging pair of balls. To this point, this has been largely unsuccessful and that became no clearer than when this following news story broke today. Pablo Pantoja was appointed to be the State Director of Florida Hispanic Outreach by Republicans, in hopes that he could trim the Democrats' advantage in the state among Hispanics, which factored in largely to President Obama narrowly winning the state this past November. But, Mr. Pantoja recently had an epiphany or something of the sort and made the following announcement via an e-mail he sent yesterday: "Friend, Yes, I have changed my political affiliation to the Democratic Party. It doesn't take much to see...

As I've said before, while I love fact-checking to the point where some may call me obsessive about it, even I will admit that sometimes fact-checkers go too far. I brought this up a couple weeks ago when Republican New Jersey Governor was fact-checked for saying his favorite cartoon at four years of age was Scooby-Doo . Since that cartoon wasn't around when he was four, the fact-checker made it known to the world that this couldn't be true. That resulted in a facepalm on my part. I can't even remember what my favorite shows were when I was ten years old, let alone four. Give the guy a break. It's not like he was trying to woo the vote of a 4-year old kid, or if he runs for the presidency, the undecideds will potentially break the other way due to Scoobygate. That brings me to another such scenario, and actually, this one may be worse than Scoobygate, if you can believe that. At least with Scoobygate, the fact-checker contended that Christie could get a "pass...

Not long ago, Republican Kentucky Senator Rand Paul sent this e-mail on behalf of the National Association on Gun Rights: "Dear fellow Patriot,     Gun-grabbers around the globe believe they have it made.     You see, only hours after re-election, Barack Obama immediately made a move for gun control…     On November 7th, his administration gleefully voted at the UN for a renewed effort to pass the “Small Arms Treaty.”     But after the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut — and anti-gun hysteria in the national media reaching a fever pitch — there’s no doubt President Obama and his anti-gun pals believe the timing has never been better to ram through the U.N.’s global gun control crown jewel.     I don’t know about you, but watching anti-American globalists plot against our Constitution makes me sick.     This Spring, the United Nations went back into session to finalize their radical so-called “Small...

House Oversight Chairman and man least likely to believe the lyrics to the song "I'm Too Sexy" are about him - Darrell Issa (Republican - California) - just recently told Megyn Kelly of Fox News the following regarding President Obama and the Benghazi attacks: "The president sent a letter to the President of Libya where he didn't call it a terrorist attack even when at the time the President of Libya was calling it pre-planned Sept. 11 terrorist attack. The words that are being used carefully - like you just said, 'act of terror' - an 'act of terror' is different than a 'terrorist attack.' The truth is, this was a terrorist attack, this had Al Qaeda at it." Mr. Issa, if you would be so kind, could you differentiate the terms "act of terror" and "terrorist attack" for me please? I have a feeling I'll be waiting awhile... In light of the before-mentioned quote, I have a hunch Mr. Issa will engage in the fol...

Benghazi has been back in the news lately, especially over at Fox News, which is soon to change its name to BSN or Benghazi Spin Network (yes, BS'n). But while Fox News, Congressional Republicans, and other conservatives obsess over Benghazi more than Screech Powers obsessed over Lisa Turtle, most Americans wish Congress would focus on something other than the September 11th attack of last year, according to a poll just released by Public Policy Polling . According to this poll, the public trusts Hillary Clinton over Congressional Republicans on Benghazi by a 10-point margin (49 to 39). Also, Clinton's approval hasn't declined at all due to the attacks, as it remains at +8 (52% approval, 44% disapproval), just like it was in a poll taken in late March. The poll also showcased that Congressional Republicans are still less popular than Oscar the Grouch when he first awakens in the morning, as they're at a net -21 (36% approval, 57% disapproval). That's the least i...

Wanna know of a sure-fire way to get everybody at a party drunk? Play a game I like to call "Getting Foxed with Benghazi." Here's how you play. First, you grab a bunch of shot glasses, bottles of liquor, and pass them around. Next, turn on the Fox News channel. Lastly, whenever someone on Fox News utters the word "Benghazi," you take a shot. This will guarantee that everyone is drunk and passed out within 15 minutes. You're welcome. In all seriousness, however, talk of Benghazi has been floating about Congress and the airwaves at a greater clip than Gerard Butler, Katherine Heigl, and Nicolas Cage star in bad movies. Congressional Republicans and conservative talking heads have compared Benghazi to Watergate and Iran-Contra more than I've been compared to Tom Hanks by drunks. As a result, the right and left are pointing fingers more than Hugh Hefner's gotten laid. The right's general talking point is that four Americans died in the attacks an...

Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Titus Young is not having a good week. He was arrested twice two Sundays ago for driving under the influence and for attempting to take his car from a tow yard. Well, Titus Young is back to his old tricks, as yesterday he was arrested yet again, this time for attempted burglary, assaulting a police office, and resisting arrest. So, yeah, just remember, no matter how bad your week has been, be grateful you're not Titus Young! http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9267427/ex-detroit-lions-receiver-titus-young-arrested-third-week

In the past few days, I've heard some Congressional Republicans and seen some conservative friends write that President Obama should be and will get impeached over Benghazi. I'm sorry to disappoint all of them, but that's not going to happen. Obama isn't even the main target, which I'll get into more in a separate blog later today. While Republicans control the House of Representatives, which is where the impeachment proceedings would start, Democrats control the Senate, where impeachment proceedings would end. Democrats control 55 of 100 seats in the Senate, and in order to impeach a president, two-thirds of the Senate must favor that option. In other words, if all 45 Republican Senators voted to impeach President Obama, 22 Democratic Senators would have to as well, or 40.0% of all Democratic Senators. There's less chance of that happening than of Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson performing gospel songs together during their tour this summer.

Former House Speaker and future star of the TV show I Wanna Be a Bachelor - Newt Gingrich - doesn't seem to be very up-to-date with the latest technology. When recently talking about an iPhone via YouTube, Gingrich said: "We're really puzzled. We've spent weeks trying to figure out what to call this. If it's taking pictures, it's not a cell phone. if you can get Wikipedia or go to Google, that's not a cell phone. If you can watch YouTube, that's not a cell phone. This device is something new and different. I've been calling it a handheld computer. What would you call this, so that we can explain it to people?" That would be a smartphone, Newt. The iPhone has been around for about 6 years. I wonder if it regularly takes Newt about 6 years to finally tune in to new technology. I imagine he said the following when he checked out the Playstation 3 last year - 6 years after it first became available: "We're really puzzled. We've ...

This morning, I had the pleasure ::tries not to laugh:: of seeing a post on Facebook with a picture which said, "Obama lecturing us on gun rights is like getting parenting tips from Casey Anthony." I had to read this over several times and I imagine the look on my face was reminiscent of a person who just woke up at 6 am with a hangover, and is not exactly sure where they are. I suppose if we want to look at the comparison from a very vague, simplistic manner, then I suppose one could make the argument that since Casey Anthony was an awful parent, the post is merely trying to suggest that President Obama is an awful lecturer on gun rights. That's the only halfway feasible explanation I can come up with, however. Casey Anthony and her boyfriend appeared to be very careless with their daughter, which factored in to the child's death. They then allegedly attempted to cover up the girl's death out of sheer panic when they discovered she had indeed died. So no, i...

Facebook cracks me up on holidays (not literally, but I do always have lotion with me, just in case), especially birthdays. I mean, sure, it's nice to be told, "Happy Birthday!!!" However, when standing back and thinking about it, it's also kind of strange to be told such things from people I haven't talked to over the phone, let alone seen in the past 10-15 years. It would be incredibly strange to receive phone calls or cards in the mail from these very people wishing me a happy birthday, would it not? In any case, with today being Mother's Day and all, I'm having to chuckle at some of the statuses on the before-mentioned social networking site. I can't tell you how many times I've read the following statuses this morning: "Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!" "Happy Mother's Day to my mom - the best mom in the world!" With the first status, my immediate thought is, "Who else would we wish a Ha...

Republican Texas Senator John Cornyn may have been in office for 11 years, but he still has a lot to learn about the judicial nominating process. Just this past week, Cornyn ranted about the judicial nominee vacancies in Texas, claiming that the seats have been open for over 1,000 days, and that it's President Obama's responsibility to fill in those vacancies with his own nominations. Democratic Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse had a few things things to say on the matter, as he responded to Cornyn's rate with the following - "I don't see why you need additional judges when there have been multiple vacancies that have been left without nominees for years. I have an issue with that." Cornyn responded with, "The president's got to nominate somebody before the Senate can act on it." The long-standing tradition is for the state's senators to bring forth nominees to the president and for the president to then work with the senators ...

With the Minnesota House approving a bill by the count of 75-59, which would make it the 12th state to allow same-sex marriage, Republican Representative Peggy Scott said, "My heart breaks for Minnesota. It's a divisive issue that divides our state. It's not what we needed to be doing at this time. We want to come together for the state of Minnesota, we don't want to divide it." Fellow Minnesotan and gay marriage opponent Julie Burt reacted to the vote with these words: "I feel sorry for our world. But the world has turned. The world has turned to a place that wants immediate gratification. And it breaks my heart. Breaks my heart for my children and my grandchildren." Yes, my heart also breaks for these heterosexual Minnesotans, whom have never had to deal with condemnation from Christians, Supreme Court hearings, robo calls, votes, muggings - violence or discrimination of any kind due to their orientation, like homosexuals have. My heart does brea...

Republican Minnesota Representative and person voted most likely to need an exorcism in the next year - Michelle Bachmann - has called on the nation to join together in a "National Day of Prayer and Fasting" on September 11th. Bachmann said, "Our nation has seen judgment not once but twice on September 11 and that's why we're going to have a '9-11 Pray' on that day. Is there anything better that we can do on that day rather than to humble ourselves and to pray to an almighty God?" I'm not going to come out and suggest Ms. Bachmann is either right or wrong in her beliefs, because I can't objectively do that, regardless of her beliefs. However, just those two sentences she constructed make me laugh some, because they don't make a lot of sense, especially when placed in such a close proximity to one another. Bachmann refers to God as "almighty" or omnipotent (all-powerful), yet also contends that the United States has been ...

Sometimes I really wonder why articles are written, and this has especially been the case over at ESPN in recent weeks it seems. Well, ESPN is at it again, thanks to Kevin Seifert's recent article, entitled, "Nick Fairley: Lions will be Super." When Seifert asked Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley about his thoughts on the upcoming season for his team, Fairley said, "I expect big things. I am going to say we are going to the Super Bowl because I am competitive, and that is what I want for the team, and it is one of the goals. I am sure we are going to take it game by game and day by day." Seifert then commented on Fairley's statement by saying history wasn't in the Lions favor, having gone just 4-12 a year ago. Come on... For how many years have players been saying exactly what Fairley said in the run-up to the regular season? What did Seifert expect Fairley to say? "Gee, I don't know, man. We were just 4-12 a year ago, so if we g...

Clothing store Abercrombie & Fitch and CEO Michael Jeffries, in particular, have come under fire recently for their catering to the thin and excluding even average-sized individuals. As author of the 2010 book The Rules of Retail - Robin Lewis - said, "He (CEO Jeffries) doesn't want larger people shopping in his store, he wants thin and beautiful people." Lewis added, "He doesn't want his core customers to see people who aren't as hot as them wearing his clothing. People who wear his clothing should feel like they're one of the 'cool kids.'" The largest jeans size at Abercrombie & Fitch is a 10 - three sizes below the national average. There are also no XL's for women. In a 2006 interview with Salon , Jeffries said, "We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don't belong [in our clothes], and they can't belong. Are exclusionary? Absolutely." ...

Last night, I ran across a picture on Facebook posted from an old acquaintance of mine in high school, which almost prompted me to unfriend him. The picture showcases a very young looking Ronald Reagan, who appears to be providing a monkey with milk from a bottle. Underneath the photo are the words, "Rare photo of Ronald Reagan babysitting Barack Obama in early 1962". I've included the link to the picture if anyone is curious to see it for themselves. Once I clicked on the photo and skimmed through the commentary, I'd say that roughly 3 out of 4 commentators bashed the photo, while the other 1 out of 4 said to lighten up and that it was just a joke. I love how racists attempt to mask their prejudices through jokes and telling people to not take matters so seriously - to lighten up. No matter how the original poster of this photo wants to think of it, the picture is racist. It's not even borderline racist. It's flat-out racist. The term "monkey"...

While many men, especially among Congressional Republicans, seem to feel that the purported wage gap between men and women is just a myth, a new report illustrates otherwise. In an April report just released by the NWLC (National Women's Law Center), it showed that for a woman just to break even with a man when it comes to lifetime earnings, she'd have to work 12 more years than him. Over the course of 40 years, the average full-time working woman makes $443,360 less than the average full-time working man. This isn't fair and this isn't right. In order to try and equalize pay for equal work between men and women, please write your local Congressmen and women, sign petitions, and spread word. Two such petitions you can sign are at the following links: http://www.dccc.org/pages/equal-pay http://www.change.org/petitions/senator-durbin-we-stand-with-you-to-fight-for-equal-pay-for-women http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/09/gender-wage-gap_n_3245967.html

If any of my readers are curious to check out my Facebook business page, where I regularly post writings, pictures, video clips, and book deals/information, please visit the following link, "like" the page, and spread word to whomever you feel would be interested: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCraigRozniecki?ref=hl If anyone would like to give my Twitter page a gander, "follow" me, and pass word to friends, feel free to check me out at this link: https://twitter.com/CraigRozniecki Likewise with my Tumblr page, where I regularly post writings and photos - if you'd like to look at that page, "follow" me, and spread word to friends and family, you may do so at the following link: http://www.tumblr.com/blog/rozzy81