Is President Obama Guilty Of Cronyism For The Termination Of Inspector General,Gerald Walpin?!!

The conservative blogosphere is in an uproar over the firing of Inspector General,Gerald Walpin.At issue for many is the fact that Mayor Kevin Johnson,an Obama supporter,is embroiled in an investigation that Mr. Walpin was conducting.Bloggers are speculating that Walpin was terminated because of the information that he discovered.

Kevin Johnson,the mayor of Sacramento,allegedly misused funds that were intended for his non-profit group,St.HOPE Academy.The U.S. attorney in Sacramento was critical of the way Mr. Walpin handled the investigation & President Obama said that he had lost confidence in the Inspector General.

Since Obama neglected to provide more details behind the firing,conservatives are calling this brewing scandal "Walpin-Gate".Like President Bush,he is being accused of cronyism.Here's more on this story from chron.com:

" President Barack Obama plans to fire the inspector general who investigates AmeriCorps and other national service programs amid a controversy between the IG and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, who is an Obama supporter and former NBA basketball star.

The IG, Gerald Walpin, was criticized by the U.S. attorney in Sacramento for the way he handled an investigation of Johnson and his nonprofit group, St. HOPE Academy, which received hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal grants from the Corporation for National Community Service. The corporation runs the AmeriCorps program.

On Thursday, Obama said in a letter to Congress that he had lost confidence in Walpin. Neither the president nor deputy White House press secretary Josh Earnest would give details.

The president must give Congress 30 days' notice before removing Walpin, who is being suspended with pay for the 30 days. Earnest said, "The president will appoint a replacement in whom he has full confidence as the corporation carries out its important mission."

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, in a letter to Obama, pointed to a law requiring that Congress be given the reasons an IG is fired. He cited a Senate report saying the requirement is designed to ensure that inspectors general are not removed for political reasons.

Grassley said Walpin had identified millions of dollars in AmeriCorps funds that were wasted or misspent and "it appears he has been doing a good job."

White House counsel Gregory Craig, in a reply to Grassley, cited a letter from the acting U.S. attorney in Sacramento to the Inspector General Council's integrity committee about how Walpin handled Johnson's case during the time when Johnson also was running for mayor.

"We are aware of the circumstances leading to that referral and of Mr. Walpin's conduct throughout his tenure and can assure you that the president's decision was carefully considered," Craig wrote.

Messages left for Walpin seeking comment were not immediately returned.

The IG found that Johnson, a former all-star point guard for the Phoenix Suns, had used AmeriCorps grants to pay volunteers to engage in school-board political activities, run personal errands for Johnson and even wash his car.

In August 2008, Walpin referred the matter to the local U.S. attorney's office, which said the IG's conclusions seemed overstated and did not accurately reflect all the information gathered in the investigation."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here.

Rihanna & Chris Brown Kept Their Distance At The NBA Finals!

Both Rihanna & Chris Brown were at the same place & at the same time.But,they were not together!At least by all appearances they weren't!Thank goodness for that!Although, there were plenty of reports that stated their plan to be seated together.


I would have been extremely disappointed in Rihanna if she had attended the NBA finals with Chris Brown.Because for them,separate is best.

Here's more from The Hollywood Gossip:

"Both Rihanna and Chris Brown sat courtside for the contest. While sources claim the former couple "requested to sit together" at one point, they ended up occupying seats in separate sections.

In one sense, the outing isn't unusual for Rihanna. She was one of a number of celebrities to attend Game Two in Los Angeles. But that was played in her hometown.

Moreover, it didn't take place two days after Rihanna was subpoenaed to appear in court to testify against Brown for beating the daylights out of her.

We hope these duel appearances don't signify a reconciliation between Brown and his former punching bag. She's much better off with Aubrey Graham."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the entire post here.

Was Derrick Rose Ever A Member Of The Gangster Disciples?

Derrick Rose has already been the subject of controversy because some folks strongly believe that he had someone else take his SAT for him.Now,there is a photo of him flashing gang signs that would seem to suggest that he is or was a member of the infamous Gangster Disciples.

Rose emphatically denies ever having any involvement with gangs & even claimed to be "anti-gang".As long as he is no longer affiliated with them,it shouldn't matter what took place in his past.At least he escaped those mean Chicago streets.Let him continue to carve his path to success.

Here's more on this story from The Chicago Tribune:

"Rose grew up in Chicago's violent and gang-ridden Englewood neighborhood. The undated photo shows him seated and displaying the "pitchforks" sign of the Gangster Disciples Nation. A young man identified as Memphis teammate Antonio Anderson is standing behind Rose, smiling and flashing different gang signs, according to a police source.

"This photo was taken at a party I attended in Memphis while I was in school there, and was meant as a joke ... a bad one, I now admit," Rose's statement said. "In posing for this picture, I am guilty of being young, naive and of using extremely poor judgment. I sincerely apologize to all my fans for my mistake."

The Gangster Disciples, a large criminal organization with tens of thousands of members, are deeply involved in Chicago's violent narcotics trade. Gangster Disciples long have been the predominant gang in the Englewood neighborhood.

The photograph began circulating this week among local law enforcement officers in an e-mail and made its way to some non-mainstream Chicago sports blogs.

The incident comes on the heels of another off-court controversy surrounding Rose. The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal broke a story last month stating the NCAA alleged a stand-in took an SAT test for a student who played for Memphis during the 2007-08 season. Several media outlets reported that player to be Rose.

The NCAA also alleged Memphis improperly provided $2,260 in travel money and other benefits for an associate of a player during the same season. Yahoo Sports reported that person to be Rose's brother, Reggie.

Several media outlets subsequently reported that Rose had a grade changed from a D to a C during his senior season at Simeon to help ensure his college eligibility.

Rose has yet to comment on any of these allegations, but experts say his apology for the photo is likely to hold him in good stead among Bulls fans."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here.