Rubio camp dodges absenteeism issue by shooting messenger

How a libertarian TV host became the focus of a Bush-Rubio fight - Washington Post - David Weigel:

January 14, 2016 - "Atlanta-based TV commentator Ben Swann is used to seeing his work recycled. Early in his career, in New Mexico, he racked up awards for spot news reporting. After President Obama took office, he launched a video series called 'Reality Check,' the sort of behind-the-news feature that assures his audience that they are being rescued from the lies of the day.... The twist: Swann is an extremely skeptical libertarian....

"In 2013, he filmed a short independent documentary about the 'Rethink 9/11' campaign in New York, which had bought a billboard to drum up support for a fresh investigation into the collapse of the 7 World Trade Center building.... Swann admitted that the video could hurt him....  'Probably the people we got the most pushback from were libertarians, who said: Hey, don't talk about this. You'll look like you're crazy,' said Swann. 'Everybody who asks those questions gets smeared. All of a sudden, you're a truther'....

"Wednesday afternoon ... the New York Times's Maggie Haberman spotlighted Swann's cameo in an ad by the pro-Jeb Bush super PAC Right to Rise. Swann's October 'Fact Check' segment on Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio's voting record in the U.S. Senate was the one RTR used to quickly explain his absences. Matter-of-factly, Haberman noted that Swann had 'examined questions about whether 7 World Trade Center could have collapsed as authorities said it did, and allegations that the gunman in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings didn’t act alone.' Swann told The Washington Post that he did not receive a request for comment until the post went up....

"But just the whiff of "9/11 trutherism" pulled Rubio's campaign into the fray. Rubio's rapid response pro, Joe Pounder, cited it as more proof of Bush's desperation.

.@JebBush so desperate to launch false attacks on @marcorubio that they are using a 9-11 and Sandy Hook truther http://nyti.ms/1JLdHN9
5:28 PM - 13 Jan 2016

"Here was an ad hominem attack, defined. No one had disputed Swann's 'Reality Check' segment — and no one was really explaining how he talked about conspiracy theories. Consistently, he has explored them as a reporter, asking why other people are asking questions. He is as likely to debunk the questions as to leave them open....

"After Swann saw his reputation battered on Twitter, he noticed that Pounder, in his old role at the oppo shop America Rising, had promoted his work at least twice.... In 2012 ... it did not matter that Swann was a libertarian-leaning reporter who would check into oddball theories instead of quickly dismissing them. In 2016, with Rubio under attack, this began to matter a great deal."

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/01/14/how-a-libertarian-tv-host-became-the-focus-of-a-bush-rubio-fight/
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Documents shed new light on origin of ISIS

ISIS, Al Qaeda And The CIA: The Documented Connection | Zero Hedge - Tyler Durden:

December 17, 2015 - "The Middle East is fertile ground for conspiracy theories, and one growing to towering heights these days says the US created the Islamic State.  But while the US may well have aided ISIS in its formative days with covert supplies of weapons and CIA funding (directly or indirectly, via Turkey leading political families) the one nation most responsible for iteration after iteration of 'terrorist organizations' is Saudi Arabia which 'created' not only the Islamic State, but al-Qaeda, al-Nusra, and many other Sunni Jihadist groups.

"The US has long been aware of this, of course, and it has provided material support to some of them in the distant past, for example to the Taliban in the war against Russia. But the more reasonable among us have questioned recent claims that the US intentionally created the Islamic State, a group of the same lineage as the Saudi terrorists responsible for 9/11....

"Thanks to the resurrection of 'J Pierpont Morgan', these doubts and questions are no longer reasonable.... Yesterday ['Morgan'] tweeted three public source documents that conclusively show a Senior CIA Spy - a major figure in operations from South America to the Middle East - is lobbying the US Government to destroy Iraq and formally create an independent Sunnistan on behalf of a Sunni terrorist.

"That terrorist joined the Iraq insurgency in 2004 under the Al-Qaeda Iraq banner, and was given hundreds of millions of dollars by the CIA and CENTCOM to defect, joining the US-led coalition in the now famous 'Surge.' Known as H.E. Shaykh Abdalrazzaq Hatem al-Sulayman, this self-described prince is the head of a 4 million strong (mostly Sunni) tribe in Anbar, and lived the high life on US taxpayer money - that is until Obama declared AQ and AQI dead, bolted from Iraq and pivoted toward Asia....

"His Eminence [then] created an insurgency called The Anbar Tribes Revolutionary Council in 2013, and solicited funds from Sunni Monarchs and individuals throughout the GCC [Gulf Co-operation Council]. The goal: destroy Baghdad and restore the Sunni to power in Iraq. His allies: the Ba’ath and ISIS.

"In late 2014 Sulayman connected with Jonathan Greenhill, 'former' Senior Operations Officer at the CIA who set up shop in DC as a lobbyist. Makes sense. CIA Spy since the early 1980s, probably living oversees under non-official-cover, comes home to lobby Congress. Anyway, Mr. Greenhill incorporated the Greenhill Group, and Sulayman retained him....

"[O]ne of the most important spies in the CIA, one with a major role in the Near East (probably Iraq), definitely was retained as a lobbyist by Sulayman. And Sulayman retained him to 'create an autonomous Sunni region in Iraq or an independent Sunni State.' In other words, destroy Iraq by formally creating and recognizing Sunni-Jihadi-stan. Or a safe-zone for Sunni terrorists. Or what it actually is, a caliphate."

Read more: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-12-17/missing-link-islamic-state-iraq-and-now-documented-cia-connection
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Over 1.3 million killed In U.S.-led "War On Terror"

At Least 1.3 Million People Killed In US War On Terror - Ben Swann's Truth In Media - Rachel Blevins:

March 31, 2015 - "A recent report found that in the estimated number of casualties from the United States’ “War on Terror,” at least 1.3 million people were killed in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. While the report emphasizes that this is a 'conservative estimate,' 1.3 million is 10 times higher than the number of casualties previously reported by mainstream media in the US.

"The report, titled Body Count: Casualty Figures after 10 Years of the War on Terror, was put together by the groups Physicians for Social Responsibility, Physicians for Global Survival and International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. They recorded the lives taken in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan from 2003 to 2013 which occurred as a result of the 'War on Terror' declared by the United States in the aftermath of September 11, 2001....

"According to the report, the total estimate of 1.3 million casualties was a 'conservative estimate,' due to the fact that the total number of deaths in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan 'could also be in excess of 2 million, whereas a figure below 1 million is extremely unlikely'....

"'This investigation comes to the conclusion that the war has, directly or indirectly, killed around 1 million people in Irag, 220,000 in Afghanistan, and 80,000 in Pakistan,' stated the report. 'Not included in this figure are further war zones such as Yemen'....

"The report cited multiple studies, which claimed that by 2008, there were already 'over one million Iraqis' that had died as a result of war, occupation and indirect consequences.

"In Afghanistan, the report found that from Oct. 2001 to Dec. 2013, 55,000 individuals defined as members of the 'Taliban' were killed, along with 22 journalists, 281 NGO workers, 1,700 civilian employees of the US government, 3,000 private US security forces, 3,409 ISAF and OEF solders, 15,000 Afghan security forces, and between 106,000 and 170,000 Afghan civilians.

"The report stated that in Pakistan, from 2004 to 2013, while 26,862 individuals described as 'militants' were killed, 45 journalists, 5,498 Pakistani security forces and 48,504 Pakistani civilians were also killed. Between 416 and 951 civilians were killed by drone strikes."

Read more: http://truthinmedia.com/report-at-least-1-3-million-people-killed-in-us-war-on-terror/
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NSA impersonated Facebook to hack, infect computers

Leaked Documents show NSA Impersonated Facebook to Infect Millions of Computers | Ben Swann Truth In Media:- Joshua Cook:

March 14, 2014 - "With the intention to infect millions of computers with malware, the National Security Agency impersonated popular social networking site Facebook.

"According to documents leaked by Edward Snowden, the clandestine initiative enabled the NSA to break into targeted computers and to siphon out data from foreign Internet and phone networks.

"Journalists Glenn Greenwald and Ryan Gallagher reported in The Intercept: 'In some cases the NSA has masqueraded as a fake Facebook server, using the social media site as a launching pad to infect a target’s computer and exfiltrate files from a hard drive. In others, it has sent out spam emails laced with the malware, which can be tailored to covertly record audio from a computer’s microphone and take snapshots with its webcam. The hacking systems have also enabled the NSA to launch cyberattacks by corrupting and disrupting file downloads or denying access to websites.'"

"The Facebook exploit was called QUANTUMHAND and was first used on a few hundred hard-to-reach targets, whose communications could not be monitored through traditional wiretaps.

"After that, the NSA planned to spread it to millions of computers around the globe using an automated system known internally as TURBINE. TURBINE gave members of the NSA’s Tailored Access Operations (TAO) unit the ability to tap into, or destroy, computers on a massive scale, documents show."

Read more: http://benswann.com/leaked-documents-show-nsa-impersonated-facebook-to-infect-millions-of-computers/
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T-shirt maker wins legal fight against NSA & DHS

Exclusive: Business Owner Sues The NSA & DHS and WINS! | Ben Swann Truth In Media - Ben Swann:

February 20, 2014 - "A small business owner and T-shirt maker who had his products forced off of internet marketplaces by the NSA [National Security Agency] has won his fight against the agency.

"Dan McCall is the owner of Liberty Maniacs which is a T-shirt company based out of Minnesota....

"The NSA has backed off its claim that McCall’s T-shirt 'The NSA' had infringed on their intellectual property rights.... Shortly after the NSA began getting McCall’s shirts pulled from online marketplaces like Zazzle.com, DHS or the Department of Homeland Security began doing the same thing claiming that T-shirts that mocked their agency were also infringing on intellectual property.

"McCall’s lawyer recently contacted him saying that both agencies wanted to settle. This is a huge victory for those who believe in Liberty and are taking a stand against federal agencies that are bullying the public ... to be able to force the NSA and DHS to contact online marketplaces and admit that they were wrong to try to force his products off the marketplaces and that McCall does in fact have every right to create his parody shirts."

Read more: http://benswann.com/exclusive-business-owner-sues-the-nsa-dhs-and-wins/
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Federal Judge lets TN Libertarian use party name on ballot

Federal Judge Rules: District 91 Candidate Tomasik Can Run as Libertarian | Politics Beat Blog | Memphis News and Events | Memphis Flyer - Jackson Baker:

October 31, 2013 - "Federal Judge William J. Haynes, Jr., chief judge of the Middle Tennessee district, ruled Thursday that the Shelby County Election Commission must list Jim Tomasik as a Libertarian Party candidate on the special election ballots for state House District 91 — not, as had previously been the case in preliminary listings, as an independent.

"The special election, which is scheduled for November 21, with early voting in effect from Friday, November 1, though Saturday, November 16, will pit Tomasik against Ramesh Akbari, who won the Democratic nomination for the seat in a special primary election on October 8. The election is to determine a successor to the late Lois DeBerry.

"In view of the closeness of the general election date, lawyers for Tomasik had sought an emergency injunction from Judge Haynes, who, after hearing arguments at a hearing Thursday, issued it from the bench."

Read more: http://www.memphisflyer.com/JacksonBaker/archives/2013/10/31/federal-judge-rules-district-91-candidate-tomasik-can-run-as-libertarian
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BenSwann.com notes that "Tomasik will be the first candidate listed as a libertarian in the state’s history."
http://benswann.com/exclusive-libertarians-win-historical-lawsuit-against-election-committee/

Veterans tear down Memorial barricades, drop them at White House

Vets Tear Down Memorial Barricades, Drop them in Front of White House | Ben Swann Truth In Media - Ben Swann & Sonya Savage:

October 13, 2013 - "Sunday morning, 2,000- 3,000 veterans, family members and citizens gathered at the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C.  There, the veterans took apart the barricades set up by Park Police to keep visitors out of the WWII Memorial, placed the barricades on their shoulders and carried them away.

"The protestors, who included veterans of the Korean, Vietnam, WWII, Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan wars,  took those barricades and carried them about 3/4ths of a mile to a sidewalk in front of White House and piled the barricades there.

"The protest had several facets to it, but began as a push back against the closure of open-air memorials in Washington D.C. as a result of the government shutdown. As we have reported, these veterans are furious, saying that these memorials are being closed down in order to inflict pain on veterans and their families."

Read more: http://benswann.com/vets-tear-down-memorial-barricades-drop-them-in-front-of-white-house/#ixzz2hhuv0POv
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Truckers Ride for the Constitution planning strike, DC protest October 11

EXCLUSIVE: Organizers Of Truckers’ March Reveal Plans For Massive Protest In DC | Ben Swann Truth In Media - Kristin Tate:

September 28, 2013 - "On October 11, the very people who keep America moving will use the day to stop traffic in the nation’s capital.... The “Truckers Ride For The Constitution” Facebook page says, 'The American people are sick and tired of the corruption that is destroying America! We therefore declare a GENERAL STRIKE on the weekend of October 11-13, 2013!'

"I spoke with Zeeda Andrews, one of the protests’ chief organizers.... Andrews helped put together the initial Facebook page to support truckers and draw attention to 'regulations that are unconstitutional'.

"According to Andrews, the Department of Transportation (DOT) is currently pushing a law that would require every trucker to have a tracking device in his or her vehicle.... The DOT is also trying to enforce idling laws, which prohibit truckers from idling unless they keep a pet inside their vehicle. These laws can be enforced using the tracking devices mentioned above. Andrews points out that idling restrictions become a health hazard when it’s 10 below zero out....

"Obamacare is also having a drastic negative impact on truckers, according to Andrews. Many trucking companies are reducing workers’ hours to under 30 per week because they cannot afford to provide full health coverage (which, under Obamacare, will be mandatory for all full time employees)."

Read more: http://benswann.com/exclusive-organizers-of-truckers-march-detail-plans-for-massive-protest-in-dc/
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Undeletable child porn images being sent to anti-NDAA activists

Using Child Porn To Take Down The Liberty Movement? (Video) | Ben Swann:

August 22, 2013 - "Dan Johnson of the group P.A.N.D.A (People Against the NDAA) talks with Ben Swann about the child pornography sent to him via a Tormail account.... Johnson received this email only a few weeks after Luke Rudkowski (We Are Change) and Madison Rupert (End The Lie) also received emails from a purported 'whistleblower.' Those emails also contained child pornography....

"Explains Johnson, 'If I didnʼt have any IT background, I would think that deleting the file actually deletes the file. It doesnʼt really delete the file; it just deletes the markers where the file is supposed to be. So the file would still be on my computer and I wouldnʼt know it. So if I were to be raided at any point because someone were to say "I think Dan has child [p]ornography on his computer" then someone would come in, they would open the computer, they would look at it. I would obviously have no idea it was there. They would take the computer and what would happen from there, I am not really sure. It is about 5 years in prison for each image.'"

Read more: http://benswann.com/using-child-porn-to-take-down-the-liberty-movement-video/
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