DebateGate

President Obama realizes he can never win the election by legitimate means.

He orders supersecret agent Broadwell to seduce General Petraeus, then later exchange explicit cyber sex emails with him to prepare a diversion for the news.

A film maker in California is hired to make a film portraying the prophet Mohammed as a womanizer, pedophile, and all around bad guy. This film sets the Muslim world ablaze, and demonstrations break out in several Muslim cities. Using this as cover, the White House sends a secretly funded militia to attack the US consulate in Benghazi, using the resulting uproar in the US to throw even more confusion into the election process.

Broadwell is instructed to send threatening emails to a Petraeus family friend, who then calls upon a friend in the FBI who has sent her shirtless photos of himself to give her special treatment and investigate the emails. All this comes to a head when the emails are traced back to Broadwell, whose steamy emails to Petraeus are then discovered.

While the FBI is thus preoccupied with investigating what has now become a sex scandal involving the head of the CIA, an agency that is historically their rival, Obama’s re-election team is free to swing into action and carry out their nefarious plan to steal the election.

His crafty re-election team breaks into a polling place the night before the election and paints a mural of Obama on the wall behind the voting machines. On election day, a judge is sent into another polling place to wear an Obama hat, and a New Black Panther in a leather jacket is posted outside another, all in order to influence the vote.

In St Lucie County, Florida, Democrats go on a wild, drunken voting spree, racking up voting totals of well over 100 percent in many precincts.

General investigated for emails to Petraeus friend
By ROBERT BURNS | Associated Press

ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT (AP) — In a new twist to the Gen. David Petraeus sex scandal, the Pentagon said Tuesday that the top American commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Allen, is under investigation for alleged "inappropriate communications" with a woman who is said to have received threatening emails from Paula Broadwell, the woman with whom Petraeus had an extramarital affair.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in a written statement issued to reporters aboard his aircraft, en route from Honolulu to Perth, Australia, that the FBI referred the matter to the Pentagon on Sunday.

Panetta said that he ordered a Pentagon investigation of Allen on Monday.

A senior defense official traveling with Panetta said Allen's communications were with Jill Kelley, who has been described as an unpaid social liaison at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., which is headquarters to the U.S. Central Command. She is not a U.S. government employee.

Kelley is said to have received threatening emails from Broadwell, who is Petraeus' biographer and who had an extramarital affair with Petraeus that reportedly began after he became CIA director in September 2011.

Petraeus resigned as CIA director on Friday.

Allen, a four-star Marine general, succeeded Petraeus as the top American commander in Afghanistan in July 2011.

The senior official, who discussed the matter only on condition of anonymity because it is under investigation, said Panetta believed it was prudent to launch a Pentagon investigation, although the official would not explain the nature of Allen's problematic communications.

The official said 20,000 to 30,000 pages of emails and other documents from Allen's communications with Kelley between 2010 and 2012 are under review. He would not say whether they involved sexual matters or whether they are thought to include unauthorized disclosures of classified information. He said he did not know whether Petraeus is mentioned in the emails.

"Gen. Allen disputes that he has engaged in any wrongdoing in this matter," the official said. He said Allen currently is in Washington.

Panetta said that while the matter is being investigated by the Defense Department Inspector General, Allen will remain in his post as commander of the International Security Assistance Force, based in Kabul. He praised Allen as having been instrumental in making progress in the war.

The FBI's decision to refer the Allen matter to the Pentagon rather than keep it itself, combined with Panetta's decision to allow Allen to continue as Afghanistan commander without a suspension, suggested strongly that officials viewed whatever happened as a possible infraction of military rules rather than a violation of federal criminal law.

Allen was Deputy Commander of Central Command, based in Tampa, prior to taking over in Afghanistan. He also is a veteran of the Iraq war.

In the meantime, Panetta said, Allen's nomination to be the next commander of U.S. European Command and the commander of NATO forces in Europe has been put on hold "until the relevant facts are determined." He had been expected to take that new post in early 2013, if confirmed by the Senate, as had been widely expected.

Panetta said President Barack Obama was consulted and agreed that Allen's nomination should be put on hold. Allen was to testify at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday. Panetta said he asked committee leaders to delay that hearing.

Panetta also said he wants the Senate Armed Services Committee to act promptly on Obama's nomination of Gen. Joseph Dunford to succeed Allen as commander in Afghanistan. That nomination was made several weeks ago. Dunford's hearing is also scheduled for Thursday.

http://news.yahoo.com/general-investigated-emails-petraeus-friend-060336448--politics.html

You have been missed.

If you need a good antivirus, I recommend Avast. They have an excellent free version.

Enjoy catching up old friend.

Navy SEALs give secrets to game makers
Elite forces reprimanded for giving classified information
Author: By Mike Mount CNN Senior National Security Producer

(CNN) -
Seven U.S. Navy SEALs have been reprimanded for giving up classified information connected to their work so a video game could seem more realistic, according to a Navy official.

The seven were charged with the unauthorized showing of their official combat gear and dereliction of duty for disclosing classified material, according to the official, who is familiar with the investigation.

An investigation found the seven to have worked as paid consultants for two days with the video game company Electronic Arts, the official said.

The work, done around the late spring and early summer, was unauthorized by their commanders and against military regulations according to the official.

All seven are active duty members of SEAL Team 6, considered the most elite of the Navy SEAL community. CBS News, which first reported this story, says at least one of the members was on the raid that killed Osama bin Laden last year.

The seven, all senior enlisted sailors, received their punishment Thursday at their base in Virginia. All seven were given a letter of reprimand and their pay taken for two months. The move essentially prevents their chances for promotion and ends their military careers.

Four other SEALs, who have since transferred to West Coast SEAL teams, are still under investigation, according to the official.

The seven members were consulting with Electronic Arts on the game "Medal of Honor: Warfighter," according to the official. The game touts that it is developed with the help of former and active duty commandos.

"Naval Special Warfare (NSW) takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and conducts investigations to determine the facts. We likewise take seriously the Non-Disclosure Agreements signed by Sailors and adherence to the articles of the Uniformed Code of Military Justice," said Rear Adm. Garry Bonelli, deputy commander of the Naval Special Warfare Center in a statement to Security Clearance.

"We do not tolerate deviations from the policies that govern who we are and what we do as sailors in the United States Navy. The non-judicial punishment decisions made today send a clear message throughout our Force that we are and will be held to a high standard of accountability."

The disclosure of the extra curricular activities of the SEALs comes on the heels of a recently retired SEAL who was on the bin Laden raid and wrote a book about the operation.

The publication of the book released a firestorm of complaints toward the author by the Pentagon, which said the book revealed secret information about how the SEALs operate. Pentagon officials threatened the author with legal action if the book was published.

To date, there has been no further action toward the author, who wrote the book under the name Mark Bissonette.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/Navy-SEALs-give-secrets-to-game-makers/-/475880/17339314/-/i6ebjn/-/index.html

Man behind anti-Muslim film sentenced to prison
By GREG RISLING and LINDA DEUTSCH | Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The California man behind an anti-Muslim film that led to violence in many parts of the Middle East was sentenced Wednesday to a year in federal prison for probation violations in an unrelated matter, then issued a provocative statement through his attorney.

The sentence was the result of a plea bargain between lawyers for Mark Bassely Youssef and federal prosecutors. Youssef admitted in open court that he had used several false names in violation of his probation order and obtained a driver's license under a false name. He was on probation for a bank fraud case.

Shortly after Youssef left the courtroom, his lawyer, Steven Seiden, came to the front steps of the courthouse and told reporters his client wanted to send a message.

"The one thing he wanted me to tell all of you is President Obama may have gotten Osama bin Laden, but he didn't kill the ideology," Seiden said.

Asked what that meant, Seiden said, "I didn't ask him, and I don't know."

U.S. District Court Judge Christina Snyder accepted the plea agreement and immediately sentenced Youssef after he admitted to four of the eight alleged violations, including obtaining a fraudulent California driver's license. Prosecutors agreed to drop the other four allegations under the plea deal, which also included more probation time.

All parties agreed that none of the violations had to do with the content of "Innocence of Muslims," a film that depicts Mohammad as a religious fraud, pedophile and womanizer.

However, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Dugdale argued Youssef's lies about his identity have caused harm to others, including the film's cast and crew. Deadly violence related to the film broke out Sept. 11 and spread to many parts of the Middle East.

"They had no idea he was a recently released felon," Dugdale said Wednesday. "Had they known that, they might have had second thoughts" about being part of the film.

He said they have had death threats and feel their careers have been ruined.

Seiden said his client admits to being the film's scriptwriter but had no other involvement except what he described as being a "cultural adviser."

Youssef, 55, was arrested in late September, just weeks after he went into hiding when the deadly violence erupted.

Enraged Muslims had demanded severe punishment for Youssef, with a Pakistani cabinet minister even offering $100,000 to anyone who kills him.

Federal authorities initially sought a two-year sentence for Youssef but settled on a one-year term after negotiating the plea deal with Youssef's attorneys. Prosecutors said they wouldn't pursue new charges against Youssef— namely making false statements — and would drop the remaining probation-violation allegations leveled against him. But Youssef was placed on four years' probation and must be truthful about his identity and his future finances.

Seiden asked that his client be placed under home confinement, but Snyder denied that request. Youssef will spend his time behind bars at a Southern California prison.

Youssef served most of his 21-month prison sentence for using more than a dozen aliases and opening about 60 bank accounts to conduct a check fraud scheme, prosecutors said.

After he was released from prison, Youssef was barred from using computers or the Internet for five years without approval from his probation officer.

Federal authorities have said they believe Youssef is responsible for the film, but they haven't said whether he was the person who posted it online. He also wasn't supposed to use any name other than his true legal name without the prior written approval of his probation officer.

At least three names have been associated with Youssef since the film trailer surfaced — Sam Bacile, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula and Youssef. Bacile was the name attached to the YouTube account that posted the video.

"This is a defendant who has engaged in a long pattern of deception," Dugdale said. "His dishonesty goes back years."

Court documents show Youssef legally changed his name from Nakoula in 2002, though when he was tried, he identified himself as Nakoula. He wanted the name change because he believed Nakoula sounded like a girl's name, according to court documents.

http://news.yahoo.com/man-behind-anti-muslim-film-sentenced-prison-005040006.html

Is this the 'bail hearing' you were thinking about, Sirs?

DON MEREDITH - Turn out the lights... the party's over - YouTube4.flv

Has Obama Been Good for Millionaires?
By Robert Frank | CNBC

The question of whether Americans are better off than they were four years ago depends, of course, on the American.

For the 12 million unemployed, the answer is most certainly no.

But for many of America's millionaires, the answer may be more affirmative.


A new study from WealthInsight, the London-based wealth-research and data firm (and yes, they are non-partisan), showed that the United States added 1.1 million millionaires between Jan. 1, 2009 and the end of 2011, the latest period measured. There were 5.1 million millionaires in America at the end of 2011, compared with around 4 million at the end of 2008.

That works out to more than 1,000 millionaires a day under the Obama administration. (They defined millionaires as people with total net worth of $1 million or more, excluding primary residence).

"It's true that Obama has been good for millionaires, at least in absolute terms," said Andrew Amoils, analyst at WealthInsight. "He certainly hasn't been bad for millionaires."

Amoils said that quantitative easing and financial bailouts especially helped the finance sector, which accounts for the largest share of millionaires. It also helped that markets recovered in 2009.


The timeframe is worth noting. Measured against the 2007 peak, when 5.27 million Americans had a net worth of at least $1 million, the nation lost 165,360 millionaires. Their combined wealth is down six percent, to $18.8 trillion from a peak of more than $20 trillion in 2007.

We don't know how 2012 will turn out, though if stock markets continue to strengthen, the millionaire count for 2012 is likely to increase. Wealth Insight says the number of millionaires in America will grow to more than six million by 2016, and their combined fortunes will jump 25 percent over the same period.

Where did all the millionaires come from between 2008 and 2011?

Mainly from retail, tech and finance -- and in both blue and red states.

Of the sectors adding the largest number of people worth $30 million or more, the retail, fashion, and luxury goods sector ranked first. That was followed by energy and utilities, then tech, telecoms and finance. Transportation and construction saw the biggest drops.

The number of people worth $30 million or more grew 26 percent in Connecticut since 2008, 20 percent in Kansas, 12 percent in Michigan, showing that the wealth creation was nationwide.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/obama-good-millionaires-193227891.html

This is an older article - updates in red.

Barack Obama or Mitt Romney? How Halloween masks and the Washington Redskins could reveal the next president.

By Rob Manker, Chicago Tribune

Between now and Nov. 6, no shortage of polls and pundits will attempt to predict the big winner on Election Day — Democratic incumbent President Barack Obama or Republican challenger Mitt Romney. Some such indicators will claim to be scientific, others will not. These fall into the latter category.

 The height factor

 The theory: The taller of the two presidential candidates will win the election.

 Accuracy: The taller candidate has won 19 times and lost eight in presidential elections dating to 1896, according to a New York Times analysis conducted in 2008. (Two elections featured presidential candidates of the same listed height — Bill Clinton vs. George H.W. Bush in 1992, and Woodrow Wilson vs. Charles E. Hughes in 1916).

This year: President Barack Obama is 6 feet 1 inch tall; challenger Mitt Romney reportedly is 6-foot-2.

 Resulting prediction: Romney

 The Redskins Rule

 The theory: If the NFL's Washington Redskins win their last home game played before the presidential election, the incumbent party will win the election. If the team loses that game, the incumbent party loses.

 Accuracy: The rule has held true in 17 of 18 cases, with only 2004 an exception — though some proponents of the Redskins Rule argue that because the 2004 incumbent, George W. Bush, had not won the popular vote in 2000, the rule still held.

 This year: The Redskins play the Carolina Panthers at home on Sunday, Nov. 4, two days before the election.

 Resulting prediction: TBD (Washington lost; resulting prediction is a win for Romney)

The World Series factor

 The theory: If an American League team wins baseball's World Series, the Republican candidate will win the election. If a National League team prevails, so does the Democratic candidate.

 Accuracy: The rule has held true in 11 of 15 elections since 1952 — including the last three — but in only 15 of 26 overall.

 This year: The World Series is scheduled to end no later than Nov. 1, featuring the American League's Detroit Tigers versus the St. Louis Cardinals or San Francisco Giants of the National League.

 Resulting prediction: TBD (NL won, resulting prediction Obama wins)

The 7-Election

 The theory: The coffee cup color selected by more customers at 7-Eleven locations will predict the winner of the election — more blue cups taken, the Democrat wins; more red cups chosen, the Republican prevails.

 Accuracy: Cup selection has accurately predicted the outcome of every presidential election since the promotion was introduced in 2000, the convenience store chain says.

 This year: Customers have grabbed blue cups 59 percent of the time and red cups 41 percent, according to 7-Eleven.

 Resulting prediction: Obama

 The masks

 The theory: The party with the better-selling Halloween masks of its nominees on buycostumes.comwill win the election.

 Accuracy: The mask vote has accurately predicted the outcome of each presidential election since 2000, according to buycostumes?.com.

 This year: The masks of Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have been chosen by 52 percent of voters to 48 percent for Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan.

 Resulting prediction: Obama

 The Lakers law

 The theory: If the Los Angeles Lakers reach the NBA Finals in an election year, the Republican candidate will win the presidency.

Accuracy: The Republican has won on eight of nine such occasions — in 1952 (as the Minneapolis Lakers), 1968, 1972, 1980, 1984, 1988, 2000 and 2004. The lone exception? Obama's win over John McCain in 2008.

 This year: The Lakers did not reach the NBA Finals.

 Resulting prediction: This indicator does not apply ... but you might want to keep an eye on those Redskins. (Actually, since they did not reach the finals, the indicator is Obama wins.)

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-10-20/news/ct-talk-presidential-election-indicators-1021-20121016_1_presidential-election-election-day-mitt-romney

Some others:

Since 1940, Scholastic magazine has relied on kids to tell us who will be the next president. The kids have been right 16 out of the last 18 times. Between August 15 and October 10, nearly 250,000 children under 18 from across the country voted for whom they wanted as president in a survey conducted by Scholastic magazine and 51% of the kids picked Obama, 45% Romney and 4% other. Even kids in swing states pinpointed Obama the winner.  Prediction: Obama

And sports, it turns out, is also a crystal ball. USA Today’s Paul Myberg has compiled a few examples of sports results predicting the next president. The most interesting one, ahead of Saturday’s big Alabama-LSU college football grudge match, is that since 1984, LSU won in years when Republicans were elected. Meanwhile, an Alabama victory bodes well for the Democrats. (Alabama won. Prediction: Obama)

http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2012/11/02/how-sports-can-forecast-the-presidential-election/