Senator Rand Paul’s $250 Million Dollar Question To John Kerry

◼ Sen. Paul Questions Secretary of State Kerry at Foreign Relations Hearing - paul.senate.gov

TRANSCRIPT: Thank you, Secretary Kerry, for coming today. You mention in your remarks that we don’t need politicians to go home and say that we need to end foreign aid and spend that money at home. Well, this might come as news to one of the most prominent politicians in our country who said in his re-election campaign that we need to do less nation building abroad and more nation building at home, and that would be your current boss, the President of the United States. So I don’t think this is unique to Republicans or Democrats. In fact I think this crosses all party lines. It is not me going home and creating an atmosphere where people are doubtful of foreign aid. It’s that 80 to 90 percent are doubtful.

We have two bridges in my state that are over 50 years old. The President came, and I flew down with him, to talk about re-building them. I’m in favor of replacing bridges and rebuilding our infrastructure. But at the same time, we seem to not have enough money to keep the doors open around here, not enough money to keep the touring of the White House open. This Administration sent and extra $250 million to Egypt. Many of us find that offensive.

We cannot even run the basic functions of government, and yet we send an extra $250 million in addition to the $2 billion we already send over there. So, many of us are offended by this. The question I have for you is, the Mubarak family is said to be worth more than $10 billion dollars. Most people say that a lot of that money came from our foreign aid.

Mobutu ruled for many, many years in Central Africa. He was said to be worth millions upon millions, if not billions of dollars. His wife was called “Gucci” Mobutu. She was famous for going to Paris and shopping for shoes with a Louis Vuitton bag full of $500,000 in cash to $1 million in cash. That money was looted from the American Treasury. There are all kinds of examples of theft and kleptocracy. There’s examples of our foreign aid being used to buy tear gas in Egypt and used to spray on the Egyptian people. So I don’t think it even buys the good will of the people because often it’s stolen by their leaders who are unpopular in their country. So I think it’s often counterproductive. But I think we are missing the boat here if you think that we’re stoking the fires and that the people don’t already believe this.

This is something that is already in the psyche of the people. People are upset about it and would rather spend money at home. But, I’d like your comments on the President’s position but also on the idea that a lot of foreign aid has been stolen by these leaders.

HON. KERRY: Well Senator, I think there's a difference between some of the nation building that we've seen sometimes engaged in and good foreign aid programs that don't rise to the level necessarily of some nation building. But, that's a quibbling probably, and we'll wind up arguing over the smaller issue rather than the larger one here. So, let me try to frame it this way.

Has some money been stolen? Absolutely.... read the rest, at the link

The argument for abortion in the new millennium has become the argument for politically correct infanticide. Not the “bad” kind of infanticide that selects for gender or against ethnicity, but the “good” kind of American infanticide that selects against the young for the sole convenience of the old.

◼ The real lesson of the Gosnell trial - HotAir

Now that the prosecution has rested in the trial of Kermit Gosnell, the defense team gets its chance to present its own case. Needless to say, after the testimony from some of those in Gosnell’s inner circle about the conditions of the clinic and of the infants killed after botched abortions, that will be a tough task indeed for Gosnell’s lawyer.

To some extent, McMahon has already tried to establish justifications on each of the deaths during cross-examination, by claiming that the children were doomed no matter whether they were breathing or not, and that the breathing and movements were “involuntary” spasms from a dying fetus, not desperate attempts of an infant to stay alive.

How A Texan Stole Margaret Thatcher's Funeral

◼ Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher cherished her 19-year old granddaughter Amanda, who after the divorce of her father Mark Thatcher, ended up in Texas. She now attends college in Virginia. Observers inside and outside of St. Paul's Cathedral say AMANDA stole the show at the funeral by reading this prescient and almost urgent scriptural passage as a tribute to, and a reminder from, her Grandmother: - Kitchen Cabinet

Ephesians 6:10-18

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

BOSTON BOMBINGS UPDATE: Authorities say uncovering the Tsarnaev brothers may have halted a string of planned attacks.

◼ Ed Davis: Boston Marathon Suspects May Have Been Planning More Attacks - Huffington Post

Boston Police commissioner Ed Davis told Fox News Sunday that the Boston Marathon suspects may have been planning more future attacks.

Davis said that the amount of explosives police found at the scene suggested that the suspects "were going to attack other individuals."

Davis told CBS' Face The Nation that over 250 rounds of ammunition, several explosive devices and homemade grenades were among the weapons found.

‘Chills’: Red Sox fans sing poignant national anthem at Fenway Park [video]

Just saw the replay of the Red Sox fans singing the national anthem before the game today. Smile on my face and chills down my back #USA

— Robert Stackhouse (@rstackhousee) April 21, 2013

◼ That Twitter user, of course, wasn’t alone. As Twitchy reported, the crowd took over the singing of the national anthem at a Boston Bruins game last week. It is becoming a goosebump-inducing and proud tradition. - Twitchy

◼ Powerful: Sea of blue as Boston PD escorts body of slain MIT officer Sean Collier [pics] - Twitchy
◼ ‘For Boston’: London Marathon honors victims of Boston Marathon bombing [pics] - Twitchy
◼ ‘Walk if you must, but finish for Boston’: Solidarity at the London Marathon [pics] - Twitchy
◼ Heartwarming photo: Little boy says ‘thank you’ to police officers in Watertown - Twitchy

"Police believe the pair were specially trained to carry out the devastating attack"

◼ Amazing New Details from the Chase for the Boston Bombers - Daniel Halper/Weekly Standard

The police chief, Edward Deveau, describes how cops nearly apprehended the older suspect, and were placing handcuffs on him in the middle of the street Thursday night, when the younger suspect came at officers in a carjacked SUV. The cops were able "to dive out of the way," and the younger suspect then continued to drive directly over his brother and dragging him through the street. That's how the older suspect died, according to the police chief.

◼ Boston bombers: FBI hunting 12-strong terrorist “sleeper cell” linked to brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev - Christopher Bucktin, Andy Lines/The Mirror

...The FBI was last night hunting a 12-strong terrorist “sleeper cell” linked to the Boston marathon bomb brothers.

Police believe Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were specially trained to carry out the devastating attack.

More than 1,000 FBI agents were last night working to track down the cell and arrested a man and two women 60 miles from Boston in the hours before Dzhokhar’s dramatic capture after a bloody shootout on Friday.

A source close to the investigation said: “We have no doubt the brothers were not acting alone. The devices used to detonate the two bombs were highly sophisticated and not the kind of thing people learn from Google.

“They were too advanced. Someone gave the brothers the skills and it is now our job to find out just who they were. Agents think the sleeper cell has up to a dozen members and has been waiting several years for their day to come.....”

◼ Jake Tapper hearing ‘crickets’ from FBI over Tamerlan Tsarnaev inquiry; House committee to seek answers - Twitchy

Intel source tells me it's "rare" for Russians to reach out like that, to ask FBI to look into someone as they did with Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 21, 2013

We don’t know who Tapper’s source is, but we have no problem believing it would be rare for Russia to enlist the help of the FBI unless there were a clear security threat to either nation. In the meantime, CNN is reporting that the House Homeland Security Committee is going to press the Obama administration for answers.

◼ Caught just in time: 'Bombers were about to plant MORE devices but plot was spoiled by release of CCTV photos' - SNEJANA FARBEROV, DAILY MAIL REPORTER and JAMES NYE/Daily Mail

◼ The Boston bombers were reportedly planning more attacks across the city
◼ However, the released of the photographs of the suspects 'forced them out of their hideout'
◼ Footage released on Saturday shows Dzhokhar Tsranaev laying flat under a tarp in a boat. Police used a robot to pull the tarp off the boat
◼ Police tracked him with thermal imaging cameras and engaged him in a furious exchange of gun-fire that began shortly after 7pm
◼ Stand-off continued until 8:45pm when Tsarnaev surrendered
◼ Dzhokhar has been hospitalized at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He is 'intubated and sedated' and cannot yet speak
◼ Tamerlan Tsarnaev had injuries from head to toe and all limbs intact when he arrived at the hospital. He died early on Friday

◼ The Mystery Of Tamerlan Tsarnaev's Trip To Dagestan - Adam Taylor/Business Insider

◼ The ‘Co-exist’ Bombers - Mark Steyn/National Review

◼ The Blair-Glass ‘Sleeper Cell’ — British Tabloid Fabricates a Phony Scoop - The Other McCain