The Coming Collapse of the American Republic
Info about my book. All royalties go to a charity to help wounded veterans. Please forward and post where possible.
Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund
Read the stories and you’ll see why I support this effort. ~Bob.
Greek Bonds from an investment advisor
I hear their coupon payments could be made in gyro instead of euro...
Lieberman: Medicare Will Go Broke and ‘Take Our Government Down With It’
Yup. Need to send Joe a copy of my book. ~Bob. Excerpt: When unveiling a proposal to reform Medicare alongside Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), Senator Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) warned that the entitlement program will eventually “go broke” and lead to a “fiscal disaster” for the United States. “Each Medicare enrollee will on the average take almost three times more out in Medicare benefits than they contribute in payroll taxes and premiums,” Lieberman said during a press conference at the Capitol on Tuesday. “That’s why we say that the status quo of Medicare is unsustainable. And what we mean is that if we do nothing, Medicare will go broke and take our government down with it.”
Obama confronts Congress on economy, debt and Libya
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/obama-the-confrontational/2011/06/29/AGlUVtqH_blog.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics“Let’s see, blaming Bush is wearing thin. Can’t blame the media—I need them all tingling for 2012. Guess I’ll go after Congress, now that there are some Republicans there. No one will remember that the Democrat-controlled Congress in 2010 was unable to pass a budget, even with my strong leadership on the issue, while the Republican House has passed one. I can blast them and still make my tee time.” ~BO. Excerpt: President Obama had a simple message for congressional Republicans in a press conference Wednesday: Stand up and lead. Obama, often in harsh and stark terms, condemned the approach that House and Senate Republicans have adopted in the final stretch of the negotiations surrounding the increase in the nation’s debt limit. “They’re in one week, they’re out one week,” said Obama of Congress. “And then they’re saying Obama needs to step in. I’ve been here.” He repeatedly challenged Republicans to make compromises in order to adopt a truly “balanced approach” to the debt deal; “Call me naive, but my expectation is leaders are going to lead,” he said.
Obama Press Conference Highlights Lowlights…
Too funny, but too true. ~Bob.
Top US General Reveals Obama Ignored Military’s Advice on Afghanistan
Excerpt: Lieutenant General John Allen told the Senate Armed Services Committee today that the Afghanistan decision President Obama announced last week was not among the range of options the military provided to the commander in chief. Allen’s testimony directly contradicts claims from senior Obama administration officials from a background briefing before the president’s announcement.
Excerpt: When the insignificant ramblings of the celebrity mouthpiece of the Democrat party shares his wisdom, it can only mean one thing. A nerve has been touched.
“30 Rock” actor Alec Baldwin took to Twitter Tuesday evening to rant and rave about Rep. Michele Bachmann’s fundraising ability. Baldwin, who only started tweeting last month, suggested the Minnesota congresswoman’s early success is due to her connection with “thuggish interests.” He also called her “inarticulate and full of shit.” “Fear Bachman bc she is raising so much money,” Baldwin tweeted. “Anyone that inarticulate and full of shit who is raising money that fast…is beholden to some mighty thuggish interests.” (Classier than the average leftist. ~Bob.)
U.S. Designates Israel as Country That Tends ‘To Promote, Produce Terrorists'
Excerpt: In an implicit admission that Israel is so threatened by terrorism that it is not only surrounded by countries and territories that produce terrorists but also unwillingly harbors terrorists within its own territory in a way the most other nations in the world do not, the Obama administration is currently listing Israel among 36 “specially designated countries” it believes “have shown a tendency to promote, produce, or protect terrorist organizations or their members.” Also included on the list--separately from Israel--are the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza, as well as Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, the four nations bordering Israel. All but five of the nations included on the administration’s “specially designated country” list have majority Muslim populations (see the list below).
US appeals court upholds Obama health care law
Excerpt: In the first ruling by a federal appeals court on President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, a panel in Cincinnati handed the administration a victory Wednesday by agreeing that the government can require a minimum amount of insurance for Americans. A Republican-appointed judge joined with a Democratic appointee for the 2-1 majority in another milestone for Obama’s hotly debated signature domestic initiative — the first time a Republican federal court appointee has affirmed the merits of the law.
North Korea assumes presidency of U.N. arms control conference
Excerpt: Neuer said that though North Korea’s new role as head of the conference, which reports to the U.N. General Assembly, would likely be justified by the U.N. by saying it was the result of a an “automatic rotation,” such an excuse was not sufficient. “While the U.N. will likely defend North Korea’s appointment as simply an automatic rotation,” he said, “no system should tolerate such a fundamental conflict of interests. It’s common sense that a disarmament body should not be headed by the world’s arch-villain on illegal weapons and nuclear proliferation, notorious for exporting missiles and nuclear know-how to fellow rogue regimes around the globe.” (Unfortunately, not satire. Perhaps Iran can be put in charge of promoting women’s rights and Cuba charged with overseeing multi-party election fairness. Ron P. I cannot understand why we support the UN with a penny. ~Bob.)
Glenn Beck Vs. The Mob
Excerpt: Of all the details surrounding the liberal mob attack on Glenn Beck and his family in New York's Bryant Park last Monday night, one element stands out. "No, it won't be like that, Dad," his daughter said when Beck questioned the wisdom of attending a free, outdoor movie showing in a New York park. People who have never been set upon by a mob of liberals have absolutely no idea what it's like to be a publicly recognizable conservative. Even your friends will constantly be telling you: "Oh, it will be fine. Don't worry. Nothing will happen. This place isn't like that." Liberals are not like most Americans. They are the biggest pussies on Earth, city-bred weaklings who didn't play a sport and have never been in a fight in their entire lives. Their mothers made excuses for them when they threw tantrums and spent way too much time praising them during toilet training.
The Religious Fanatiscism of Bill Maher
Excerpt: While secular fundamentalists are scornful of all conservatives, there is a special place in Secular Hell for conservatives who happen to be African-American or female. The most visceral hatred is reserved for them. It is an article of secular fundamentalist faith that liberal/left ideology is the only acceptable worldview for African-Americans and women; those race traitors and gender traitors who dare to think independently must be made examples of, like runaway slaves. Secular fundamentalists are rightly offended by the notion that immutable characteristics such as race and gender should limit what people are allowed to achieve, but nonetheless imply that such characteristics should limit what people are allowed to think.
Herman Cain Unveils Economic Plan
Excerpt: Herman Cain announced an economic plan Wednesday that includes eliminating taxes on capital gains. The former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza turned presidential candidate, known for usually speaking in generalities when it comes to policy, came out with the plan while stumping in South Carolina.
Sinking the Flotillas with the Weight of the Law
Excerpt: The logic is simple. Hamas is recognized by the United States government as a terrorist organization, thus it is a crime to provide material support for them. The Free Gaza Movement (FGM) is preparing another international “freedom flotilla” which seeks to deliver supplies to Hamas-controlled Gaza, bypassing the established channels that Israel has set up to allow the flow of humanitarian goods into the region. Therefore, any company which collaborates with the flotilla in any way is aiding a terrorist group and is vulnerable to prosecution. … On June 19 Shurat HaDin reported that as a result of their campaign the French boat in the flotilla lost its insurance and would not be able to join. The infamous Mavi Marmara — the Turkish vessel which saw nine dead jihadists last year in a clash with Israeli commandos — also had to pull out of the flotilla because of an inability to acquire insurance. Yesterday the New York Times reported that Shurat HaDin’s tactics caused Greece to hold two of the boats docked in their ports, thus delaying the planned voyage this week. There remains no victor yet in the lawfare battle over whether the flotilla will ultimately set sail this summer. (This could work temporarily, but torpedoes are so much more fun. And, torpedoes are exactly what would happen if the boats were aimed at helping “the lawless” in Iran or Syria, and no one in the MSM would say a word. Ron P. If a whale sank one of the boats, they would claim it was a Jewish whale. ~Bob.)
Melanie Phillips: The flotilla and the Third Intifada
Excerpt: Is a bunch of young Israeli lawyers working round the clock sustained only by Diet Coke, falafel and cigarettes about to pull off the legal equivalent of the Six-Day War? Israel famously won that war before it even started by destroying the Egyptian air force on the ground. Now it’s beginning to look as if the Gaza flotilla of fools and fanatics may be holed below the waterline before it even sets off on its cynical and potentially murderous stunt. It was supposed to have sailed by now. Today, however, it was reported that it now may not set sail before next week. The main reason is a series of unprecedented and ingenious manoeuvres by Israeli lawyers which have tied up the boats in legal actions mainly concerning insurance and registration issues. And I can reveal that a separate legal move today threatens fourteen of the flotillistas with arrest if they enter Israeli territorial waters.
Radical Flotilla Roster Portends Another Violent Clash
Excerpt: A flotilla is determined to sail to the Gaza Strip this weekend in breach of Israel's naval blockade on the Hamas-controlled territory. This decision comes in spite of growing international pressure to stop the campaign, damaged ships and fewer passengers than expected. The United Nations, United States, European Union, Britain, Canada, Greece, France, the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and Israel have called on organizers of Freedom Flotilla II to abandon their plans in an effort to avoid a repeat of the violent confrontation between Israeli commandos and activists of the first Freedom Flotilla on May 31, 2010. That encounter claimed the lives of nine passengers and injured nine Israeli soldiers, causing international outcry and tensions between Turkey and Israel.
Last year's flotilla was comprised of six ships, organized by a coalition of international organizations, including the Islamist Turkish organization IHH. IHH has extensive ties to Hamas and is under consideration for designation by the U.S. State Department.
Rally 'Round Melanie Phillips
Excerpt: But, while her enemies may have wounded Melanie Phillips, they haven't silenced her. There she is this week on her website,www.melaniephillips.com, and in the Daily Mail, arguing that British teachers have a duty of care to their students and, therefore, shouldn't go on strike to protest government cutbacks. Last week, Ms. Phillips saluted Michelle Bachman as someone who plainly "gets it" over the importance to the West of the survival of Israel. Melanie Phillips' best-selling book Londonistan added a word to our political lexicon. Published in 2006, it joined Mark Steyn's Lights Out: Islam, free speech and the West and Christopher Caldwell's Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Islam and the West in sounding an alarm which needed to be sounded. It also made her a target.
The Unguarded Life is Unsustainable
Excerpt: We think of the unguarded life as normal, and of crime as a city problem that makes police necessary, rather than as a human problem that makes precaution and vigilance necessary. But an Arcadian vision of the American past, in which farmers never had to worry about crime or human predators, is a myth. When people in less-populated, rural or quasi-rural areas have to take their own security precautions, that in itself is not a sign of civilizational breakdown. The breakdown, if there is one, will be evident if the people as a whole don’t appreciate and quickly revert to their inherent right and responsibility to protect themselves.
Funny but true. ~Bob.
Egypt: The Victorious Islamists
Excerpt: The Muslim Brotherhood, which has long been viewed as the greatest threat to a democratic regime, has increasingly stayed away from any attempts at unified action. It did not participate in the National Conference meeting on May 8—which gathered over one thousand participants from every other party and movement—claiming “work not talk” needed to be done ahead of the elections. It was later revealed that the Brotherhood hosted a joint conference with Salafis that same day; some 50,000 people reportedly showed up. Then on May 27, when activists called for a “day of rage” and a “second revolution”—in large part in protest against the military’s handling of national affairs—the only groups absent were the Islamists, some of whom released statements calling the participating protesters sinners. The Muslim Brotherhood said that the protest was “against the people of Egypt.” Of the estimated 30,000 protesters who did show up—among them many Copts—one of the most popular chants was “Here are the people of Egypt, where are the Muslim Brotherhood?” Many people there that day said they were coming out for the first time in weeks. “I’m here to prove to the Brotherhood that we can do it without them. This has become about us and them.”
Men Convicted in Synagogue Bomb Plot Sentenced to 25 Years
Excerpt: Three of four defendants convicted of plotting to detonate explosives next to N.Y. Jewish centers and shoot surface-to-air missiles at U.S. military planes were sentenced Wednesday to 25 years in prison. A fourth defendant, LaGuerre Payen, has had his sentencing postponed pending the results of a psychiatric evaluation.
Islamic Ritual Prayer Conducted At Toronto District School Board Middle School
Excerpt: Every Friday my daughter's school cafeteria changes into a mosque as dozens of Muslim boys and their imams (Islamic preachers) lead Islamic ritual prayers and no one else can even walk through the cafeteria. Some imams (Islamic preachers) come from the outside of the school and lead Muslim students in the Islamic prayer and this happens at the school Cafeteria after the lunch on Fridays. All other non-Muslims are in classes in the afternoon when they are using the cafeteria as mosque. There is a mosque nearby but the Muslim kids pray in the school.
Mad Media and Jewish Dogs
Excerpt: The Terroristinian Muslim gangs who call themselves Palestinians are the unwanted houseguest on the couch of the world. They came, they crashed, then they refused to leave. With an entire UN agency dedicated to their welfare, billions in aid money and a media presence rivaling most rock stars-- the 50,000th Times article on them warns us once again that they remain forgotten. Good Lord! Forgotten? How they can ever be forgotten when they never go away. When they never stop begging for handouts and killing people at the same time. When they suck in money and blood in equal proportions, and then invite photographers down to see the babies that they killed and then dug up for the cameras. Witness our suffering, but try not to take any pictures of us driving away in our BMW's to our newest hotel, La Plaza De Fraude.
U.S. drone targets two leaders of Somali group allied with al-Qaeda, official says
Nothing makes you feel good at the start of the day like reading about more terrorists hit by drones. ~Bob. Excerpt: A U.S. drone aircraft fired on two leaders of a militant Somali organization tied to al-Qaeda, apparently wounding them, a senior U.S. military official familiar with the operation said Wednesday. The strike last week against senior members of al-Shabab comes amid growing concern within the U.S. government that some leaders of the Islamist group are collaborating more closely with al-Qaeda to strike targets beyond Somalia, the military official said. The airstrike makes Somalia at least the sixth country where the United States is using drone aircraft to conduct lethal attacks, joining Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Iraq and Yemen. And it comes as the CIA is expected to begin flying armed drones over Yemen in its hunt for al-Qaeda operatives.
Defense cuts appear likely as pressure grows on debt deal
Excerpt: Defense cuts proposed by the White House are unlikely to keep a debt-ceiling deal from passing Congress, sources say. As few as 30 House Republicans would likely consider voting against a debt-ceiling deal that cuts $300 billion from security spending, according to a GOP aide.
Corporate Jet Benefit Gets Six Obama Mentions, Aids Little in Deficit Cuts
Excerpt: President Barack Obama’s proposal to end a tax break for corporate jet owners, a repeated refrain in his news conference yesterday, would achieve less than one-tenth of 1 percent of his target for reducing the federal deficit. Changing the provision would put $3 billion into the Treasury over a decade, said two congressional aides familiar with the proposal. Democrats want to require companies that use jets for business purposes to write off the cost over seven years, instead of five years allowed under current law, said a congressional aide and a White House aide. Airplanes used for charter or commercial flights already must be depreciated over seven years. (So who passed \evil tax breaks for corporate jets? Who signed those breaks into law? The Democrat Congress and Barack Obama. See next story from 2009. ~Bob.)
Stimulus Includes Tax Break to Promote Private Jet Sales
Excerpt: Just a few months after lawmakers scolded auto executives for flying to Washington in private jets, Congress approved a tax break in the stimulus package to help businesses buy their own planes. The incentive -- first used to help plane makers recover from the 2001 terror attacks -- sharply reduces the up front tax bill for companies who buy assets like business planes.
Clean-energy advocates on alert after Senate vote to kill ethanol subsidies
http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/169149-clean-energy-advocates-on-alert-after-ethanol-tax-vote
Excerpt: Lobbyists for renewable energy are on heightened alert following a recent Senate vote to end subsidies for ethanol, concerned that breaks for their industry might be next. Groups supporting wind, solar and other energy sources are ready to spring into action if their preferred tax breaks are threatened in a deal to raise the federal debt ceiling. (“You can’t balance the budget on the backs of (fill in your preferred interest group—we all belong to several.)” ~Bob)
Five Percent of Population Responsible for Half of U.S. Health Spending
News Flash: Old, sick people spend more on health care than young, healthy people. Who would have guessed? Why we need “death panels.” ~Bob. Excerpt: About 5 percent of the population is responsible for almost half of all health care spending in the United States and for rising premium rates, according to a new report from the National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation, says the National Journal. The report stated about half of the U.S. population accounted for only 3.1 percent of all expenditures. But 10 percent of the population hogged 63.6 percent of all health spending, the survey found. The top 5 percent of the population accounted for 47.5 percent of all spending, and the top 1 percent accounted for 20.2 percent. While the average person incurred about $233 in costs in 2008 for health care services, those in the top half of spending cost insurers, the government or themselves $7,317. The top 1 percent cost $76,476. Adults 55 and over made up a larger proportion of the high-spending group, while those in the lower spending group tended to be younger. The report also found that people with at least one chronic health condition were two to four times more likely to have spending in the top 5 percent group. The likelihood increased as the number of chronic conditions rose. Nearly half of people in the top 5 percent of health care spending had high blood pressure, a third had high cholesterol and a quarter had diabetes. As health care spending rose, so did private health insurance premiums. During the 2005 to 2009 stretch in which health care spending rose, premiums for private health insurance increased by nearly 15 percent.
Enterprising States
Excerpt: Over a year and a half into the recovery, the condition of the American economy is far from satisfactory. Unemployment remains high, job creation meager, and American workforce participation has dropped to near record depths — the lowest rate in a quarter of a century. The U.S. will need to create 20 million jobs in this decade to recover from the 7 million lost in the Great Recession and 13 million needed for the country’s growing population.
Mark Halperin apologizes for Obama gaffe
Excerpt: Mark Halperin, editor-at-large for Time, called President Obama “a dick” on Thursday on a popular MSNBC morning show and then quickly apologized. “I thought he was a dick yesterday,” Halperin, who also is a senior political analyst for MSNBC, said on Morning Joe, referring to the President’s conduct during his press conference. Host Joe Scarborough hoped to prevent the comment from being broadcast, saying, “Delay that. Delay that. What are you doing? I can’t believe… don’t do that. Did we delay that?” Just minutes later, Halperin quickly apologized to the president and viewers for his choice of words. “Joking aside, this is an absolute apology. I shouldn’t have said it. I apologize to the president and the viewers who heard me say that,” Halperin said. (I guess if the editor at large for TIME magazine thinks so---that’s good enough for me! This is what’s known as a classic Freudian slip. Even liberals now think that Obama is an abject failure and an Ass to boot. Who am I to argue with the esteemed Mr. Halperin? --TC)
Time For Congress to Lead on the Debt Ceiling
Excerpt: As we saw at yesterday's press conference, President Obama is not going to lead on the debt ceiling issue. Nor is he going to compromise or play a mediating role. He is more interested in blaming others for his troubles, demagoguing other solutions and running for re-election. This is why conservatives need to be reminded not to yield to scare tactics. Last night, our sister organization, Heritage Action for America, announced it would ask Members of Congress to vote "no" on raising the debt ceiling--unless, that is, a deal "rises to the level of the substantial fiscal challenges which face our nation." Heritage Action also said it would score that vote on its official scorecard. In other words, Members of Congress must not pass up this opportunity to lead as President Obama has. The Heritage Foundation has previously laid out exactly what an acceptable package might look like. It must: 1) significantly cut current spending; 2) restrict future spending; and 3) fix the budget process. Heritage Action for America notes that only one plan currently being debated meets this test, and that is the plan embodied in the "Cut, Cap and Balance Pledge." Heritage Action goes on to say: "This is an example of a plan that matches the historical moment that we currently face as a nation."
Surging Bachmann Under 'Well-Orchestrated' Media Attack
Excerpt: Just days after announcing her presidential candidacy, Minnesota GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann finds herself on the defensive and under attack from virtually every quarter in the media. Small stumbles are being amplified across the media landscape, and Bachmann finds herself compared with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at every turn. Even the UK Daily Mail on Tuesday reported Bachmann “is already following in Mrs. Palin’s footsteps of making unfortunate public gaffes after pulling a clanger in a television interview.”
U.S. shifts to closer contact with Egypt Islamists
Excerpt: The United States will resume limited contacts with Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirmed on Thursday, saying it was in Washington's interests to deal with parties committed to non-violent politics. While Clinton portrayed the administration's decision as a continuation of an earlier policy, it reflects a subtle shift in that U.S. officials will be able to deal directly with officials of the Islamist movement who are not members of parliament. The move, first reported by Reuters on Wednesday, is likely to upset Israel and its U.S. supporters who have deep misgivings about the Brotherhood, a group founded in 1928 that seeks to promote its conservative vision of Islam in society.
An Illegal Alien's Guide to the Top Five Best Places to Live In America
Excerpt: When “relocating” to the United States, it’s best to avoid states that have selfishly put the interests of their legal residents ahead of yours with laws that hinder your access to jobs and benefits. But many attractive destinations remain, endorsed by millions of illegal aliens already living in each. … California’s state motto “Eureka” (I have found it!) aptly applies here. The state's population includes 3.2 million illegal aliens -- almost 24% of all illegal aliens in America -- have chosen the Golden State as their preferred domicile. Despite its $26 billion budget deficit, the state spends $21.5 billion dollars annually subsidizing illegal alien health care, education, welfare, other state benefits and criminal justice. Every California native-born household chips in $2438 each year to help. (Given that we are in a demographic collapse like most of the West, with natural-born Americans’ birth rates below the 2.1 live-births-per-woman population replacement rate, we should welcome Hispanic immigrants who want to come here legally, become Americans, speak English and be part of our culture. But we should bar illegals who want to bring the crime and corruption of the failed cultures they are fleeing, and embed them here. And “Press Two for Spanish” is racial discrimination, first because it discriminates against citizens and other immigrants whose birth language is other than English or Spanish, and second because not learning English keeps Latinos in poverty and low-paying jobs, or dependent on government handouts. That, of course, may be the point—it provides political support for those who feed off big government and prefer huge deficits. ~Bob.)
The wheels come off
Excerpt: Listen carefully to those screams of outrage and sounds of shattering glass you hear wafting from the streets of Athens as rioters "protest" the end of an internationally funded gravy train: This is what happens when an irresponsible government and a lazy, entitled public finally run out of other people's money. Welcome to the beginning of the end of the welfare state. Since the Marshall Plan, which got the war-torn continent back on its feet, Western Europe has lived in a bubble. Shielded by US nuclear arms and guarded by hundreds of thousands of American troops, Europeans have been free to create their quasi-socialist paradises. It was fun while it lasted: Spend the first 30 years of your life as a "student," enter the workforce late, retire early, get six-week vacations at taxpayers' expense and lavish 30-year pensions --la dolce vita had nothing on this.
Wall St. jobs exodus
Excerpt: Why is Goldman Sachs pre paring to outsource traders, salespeople and investment bankers from here in America, where it has made untold billions over the years as Wall Street's premier trading firm, to places like Singapore and India? The answer can be found largely in the 2,000-plus pages of last year's Dodd-Frank financial "reform" law -- which will eventually translate into some 40,000 pages of regulations. The financial industry is still frozen, waiting to find out how bad these regs will turn out; but what all the CEOs of the big banks know for sure is that it's about to get a lot more expensive to do business here. The only real question is by how much more expensive. And the banks aren't sitting around to find out. Of course, the slowdown that's crimping Wall Street profits is a factor in banks' frenzy to cut costs by eliminating US jobs while expanding in lower-cost places overseas. But they'd expect the business environment to get better eventually --if the regulatory environment weren't sure to get worse. Then-Sen. Chris Dodd, Rep. Barney Frank and President Obama all said that they pushed for regulatory reform to prevent another financial meltdown. But their legacy may well be the decimation of the US financial-services industry, which for all its bailouts, blunders and other ills pumped billions upon billions into the economy over the years, especially here in New York.
A flotilla of fiends -- and useful idiots
Excerpt: The Israeli Defense Force will try to minimize it. "Human-rights activists" (shadowed by terrorists and racist skinheads) claim they don't want it. But as several ships of fools set sail on the Mediterranean this weekend, the outcome is all but guaranteed: There will be blood. A Gaza-bound flotilla of 10 boats is seeking to recreate last year's bloody confrontation at sea with Israel (or -- as the activists on board describe it -- they, ahem, want to deliver much-needed goods to besieged civilians). A showdown could come as early as tomorrow. One boat, carrying American activists, is named Audacity of Hope -- the title of President Obama's second book. One passenger, celebrated author Alice Walker, claims that the Obama White House is "ignorant" of America's history. "When black people were enslaved for 300 years, it took a lot of people in the outside of our communities to help free us," the author of "The Color Purple" said. Huh? Some of her shipmates may not even agree that ending slavery was such a good thing. Israeli intelligence sources tell me they spotted several skinheads aboard Audacity. (Apparently, the swastika-tattooed set decided to set racism aside to join forces against Israel.)
Police Chief Reports Attacks On LAPD Officers Up 42 Percent From Last Year
Excerpt: Attacks on police officers have increased dramatically, both nationally and locally, and some LAPD officers say they can explain the trend. (Today's reason I'm glad I'm retired and gone from California. It is a Liberal Sanctuary City. The perpetrators have nothing to lose. –DH)
Obama Campaign Signals Fundraising Fail
Excerpt: The Obama campaign appears to be signaling that its fundraising totals for the second quarter of the year – the first since President Obama announced for reelection – will not be as robust as the campaign would like.
Banning God at Funerals
There is much discussion going on all over the internet and various FB postings about the orders of the director of the Houston National Cemetery that bans any reference to God or Jesus during funerals for deceased veterans. Additionally, she has apparently ordered the chapel be closed and turned into a meeting/storage room. We should not sit on our hands. I have just finished sending an email to my Congressman and both Senators asking them how this can stand, and that they demand an explanation from the Department of Veterans Affairs. George Washington said it best....The greatness of a nation can be judged on how it treats its veterans. Every time the director of one of our national cemeteries removes all references to God or Jesus from prayers at the funerals of veterans, the greatness of this nation deteriorates. Get busy Marines. Write your Congressman and Senators. Let them know how you feel. –MasterGuns.
Justice Justice
Excerpt: Want to give your hobby the veneer of righteousness? Just think of a noun, affix the word “justice” after it, and voilà : You’re part of the solution! Yes, it’s that easy. In fact, the abuse of “justice” has become so widespread that you can immediately identify the political slant of any group just by looking for the word “justice” in their name or literature; if they prominently feature justice, then they’re left-wing; if they don’t, then they’re not. Of course, this was part of the plan from the beginning: to use language as a weapon. Find a word that everybody likes, with a universally positive vibe, and then use it relentlessly and ungrammatically as a catch-all euphemism for socialist goals. We want justice, thus we must be the good guys! And any group that isn’t for some kind of justice must therefore be in favor of injustice, and as a result must be the bad guys. (Damn. I wish I’d have thought of this when I was young and single. I’d have started the :”Campaign for Sexual Justice” so even ugly guys like me could be successful with beautiful women. ~Bob.)
Worth Reading: An Exceptional Fourth of July
http://townhall.com/columnists/victordavishanson/2011/06/30/an_exceptional_fourth_of_july/page/full/
Excerpt: For the last 235 years, on the Fourth of July, Americans have celebrated the birth of the United States, and the founding ideas that have made it the most powerful, wealthiest and freest nation in the history of civilization. But as another Fourth of July approaches, there has never been more uncertainty about the future of America -- and the anxiety transcends even the dismal economy and three foreign wars. President Obama prompted such introspection in April 2009, when he suggested that the United States, as one of many nations, was not necessarily any more exceptional than others. Recently, a New Yorker magazine article sympathetically described our new foreign policy as "leading from behind." … Such constitutionally protected private property, free enterprise and market capitalism explain why the United States -- with only about 4.5 percent of the world's population -- even today, in an intensely competitive global economy, still produces a quarter of the world's goods and services. To make America unexceptional, inept government overseers, as elsewhere in the world, would determine the conditions -- where, when, how and by whom -- under which businesses operate.
Muslim Brotherhood Shadow Candidate Surges in Egypt
Excerpt: According to an unscientific online poll, a new Islamist candidate is gaining steam in Egypt’s presidential race named Mohammed Selim al-Awa. He presents himself as a democratic “reformist” with no political affiliation, but he has made several concerning statements and issuspected by some experts of being the favored candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Facebook page of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces, which has governed Egypt since the removal of President Hosni Mubarak, has a poll asking respondents who they will vote for in the presidential election. With over 100,000 votes, Mohammed el-Baradei came in first with 35 percent. Mohammed Selim al-Awa came in second. Amr Moussa, considered the strong front-runner, came in fourth. Only one-fifth of the Egyptian population has Internet access, so it is not representative of the population as a whole, but the survey indicates that al-Awa is a force to be reckoned with. Al-Awa styles himself as a reformer who promotes a moderate, modern version of Islam. He argues that Western democracy is the best representation of the Islamic principle of “shura,” or consultation. He says he promotes critical thinking towards religion, as his father raised him to “question even the interpretation of a Qur’anic verse or a prophetic saying and not to take it for granted. I learned from him to steer away from the dogmatic understanding of religion.” (A candidate who can say one thing while believing another? Maybe they are ready for American-style democracy. ~Bob.)
Must Read: Saudi Women Risk All for Small Rights
Doesn’t sound like a “religion of peace,” but maybe that’s just me. ~Bob. Excerpt: This rebellion, of course, has not been greeted by Saudi authorities without alarm. To Saudi religious leaders, women driving is unsettling and heralds frightening change. Saudi cleric Shaykh Abd-al-Rahman al-Barrak said women will “tempt God’s wrath” and “they will die, God willing, and will not enjoy this.”
Mileage Math Mania
Excerpt: When you see one of the “Save Mother Earth” projects that requires federal tax credits and is still a bad economic deal for the buyer, my immediate suspicion is that it is hiding an enormous energy input that destroys most of the ecological reason for doing it. There may well be a case for the government subsidizing basic research or demanding new technologies. Throughout American history, such subsidies or government purchases have often more than paid for themselves in technological development and economic growth. (…) R&D encouragement, however, is not the same as subsidies to production, which can introduce severe distortions without producing much of value. Corn ethanol subsidies are among the most obvious of these — but in another ten years, we are probably going to see a lot of “green” technology, such as hybrids, fall into the same category. (The free market LOVES good ideas. It runs on them. It HATES bad ideas and runs FROM them. When a third party—in this case, government—has to give you a substantial discount to get you to buy the product, that’s almost the definition of a bad idea. Ron P.)
US unveils significantly different counterterrorism strategy: Three key parts
Excerpt: The White House unveiled a new counterterrorism strategy Wednesday that homes in on what it says is a declining but still dangerous Al Qaeda — and that for the first time makes a priority of the threat posed by adherents of Al Qaeda's extremist ideology inside the US.
Fireworks Cancelled
Gee, they cancelled the 4th of July fireworks in Los Alamos. I'll bet that it was a hotly contested decision-making process. –RW
Saudi Arabian charity in Pakistan offers education - or is it extremism?
Excerpt: But Saudi money and influence have attracted hostile scrutiny from western countries, particularly the US. Worries centre on a flood of charity donations, mainly earmarked for education, some of which finds their way into weapons and military training. A senior western official in Islamabad said the main worry was Saudi funding for Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistani militant group responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks. (Knock me over with a feather. Who would have guessed? ~Bob.)
Excerpt: Every Friday my daughter's school cafeteria changes into a mosque as dozens of Muslim boys and their imams (Islamic preachers) lead Islamic ritual prayers and no one else can even walk through the cafeteria. Some imams (Islamic preachers) come from the outside of the school and lead Muslim students in the Islamic prayer and this happens at the school Cafeteria after the lunch on Fridays. All other non-Muslims are in classes in the afternoon when they are using the cafeteria as mosque. There is a mosque nearby but the Muslim kids pray in the school. School administration take part preparing the Cafeteria and making it into mosque every Friday and no one but Muslims can use the Cafeteria during the Islamic prayers on Friday. (Separation of Church and State? Good. Mosque and Sate? Not so much. ~Bob.)
Netherlands: "One dog less" -- Young Muslims jeer and mock at Christian funerals, pound hearse with their fists
Muslim Brotherhood Figure and Former Spokesman in the West: Establish a Global Islamic State
Excerpt: In a June 8, 2011 interview with the Egyptian daily Al-Shorouq, Dr. Kamal Al-Helbawy, former Muslim Brotherhood spokesman in the West, called upon the Arab youth to launch a new revolution that would eliminate the borders drawn by imperialist nations and bring about the establishment of a global Islamic state – "called 'The United States of Islam.'" According to Al-Helbawy, the Muslim Brotherhood is active in approximately 80 countries and strives to realize the dream of becoming a global organization.
Illegal immigration: "We can no longer hold Europe's southeast flank"
Excerpt: In 2008, 80,000 illegal immigrants entered Greece. The Greek authorities cried out for help, saying that "the country can no longer handle the task of guarding the European Union’s southeast flank." As a result, immigrant gangs have ravaged the historic center of Athens, "wielding swords, axes and machetes." A new report published by Reuters tells us that illegal immigration is setting new records, as "Illegal immigration to Europe is now on track to surpass the peak hit in 2008. The IMO says about 42,000 migrants have already crossed into Italy and Malta alone, surpassing the 40,000 total for the two countries in all of 2008."
More than 2,000 children 'victims of sex grooming'
Excerpt: The six-month assessment of the scale of "street grooming" was launched after a high profile case saw a number of Asian men convicted of sexually abusing girls in Derby.
Muslim polygamy – in Seattle
Excerpt: This "perfect Muslim" and perfect husband also appears as the devout Muslim who placed this ad on a Muslim mate site, nikah.com, advertising for a second wife. (Nikah is the Islamic term for marriage.) It is interesting how Muslim polygamy is rampant in the United States, and yet no one speaks about it. This aspiring mass murderer describes his devout self as "very religious." He says: I am a very dedicated, strong, and intelligent Muslim, and I am looking for a second wife from in [sic] whom [sic] wouldn't mind sharing me with my current wife being that we are in compliance with the sunnah, and want to make a life from the most oppressive place on this earth "America ". I have been in Islam for over 6 years, originally from America, 30 years old, fully obedient to Allah, looking for a wife with intelligence, and who isn't attached to this Dunyaa. If you want more information, than [sic] please contact me.
The Seattle Plot: Jihadists Shifting Away From Civilian Targets?
Excerpt: On June 22 in a Seattle warehouse, Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif pulled an unloaded M16 rifle to his shoulder, aimed it, and pulled the trigger repeatedly as he imagined himself gunning down young U.S. military recruits. His longtime friend Walli Mujahidh did likewise with an identical rifle, assuming a kneeling position as he engaged his notional targets. The two men had come to the warehouse with another man to inspect the firearms the latter had purchased with money Abdul-Latif had provided him. The rifles and a small number of hand grenades were to be used in an upcoming mission: an attack on a U.S. Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) in an industrial area south of downtown Seattle. After confirming that the rifles were capable of automatic fire and discussing the capacity of the magazines they had purchased, the men placed the rifles back into a storage bag intending to transport them to a temporary cache location. As they prepared to leave the warehouse, they were suddenly swarmed by a large number of FBI agents and other law enforcement officers and quickly arrested. Their plan to conduct a terrorist attack inside the United States had been discovered when the man they had invited to join their plot (the man who had allegedly purchased the weapons for them) reported the plot to the Seattle Police Department, which in turn reported it to the FBI. According to the federal criminal complaint filed in the case, the third unidentified man had an extensive criminal record and had known Abdul-Latif for several years, but he had not been willing to undertake such a terrorist attack.
Weiner Fallout And The Muslim Connection
Excerpt: The fallout from the Anthony Weiner fiasco includes a mystery no one yet has resolved, especially the media which is ignoring it like the plague. Make that: Two mysteries. Mystery # 1) How is it that Anthony Weiner, a Jew, married a devout Muslim woman, and vice-versa? Mystery #2) How is it that a devout Muslim woman with strong ties to the notorious Muslim Brotherhood is working within a trusted position in the highest levels of the Department of State?
Economy: Reagan Gets No Credit, Obama Gets No Blame
Excerpt: Unemployment. It peaked in the early '80s at 10.8 percent, even higher than during "The Great Recession" (aka the economy "inherited" by President Barack Obama). In 2010, the unemployment rate hit 10.2 percent, which means the early '80s still holds the record for the "worst unemployment rate since the Great Depression." What most people care about are jobs. By that standard, Reagan faced an even tougher economy. Throw in a higher rate of inflation -- 1980's 13.5 percent average vs. 2011's 2.6 percent -- and much higher prime interest rates -- 20 percent vs. 3.25 percent -- and the early '80s looked even grimmer than The Great Recession. (The tough times of the 80s really started in the 70s. Both Nixon and Ford tried to “Whip Inflation Now,” though their 4% to 5% paled compared to the disaster of Carter’s 10% to 12%. That economy was caused by many things, but chief among them were government printing of currency and unrealistic demands by unionized industrial labor. Indeed, those times created what we now call the “Rust Belt;” many New England towns that had been heavily unionized saw their economies implode. Athol and Gardner, Massachusetts are still waiting to recover. When you price yourself out of the market, you can’t be too surprised when you make few sales. Perhaps the single most important thing Reagan did to boost the economy wasn’t economic, but political: he fired the striking FAA flight controllers and outlawed their union. The confidence that injected into the system was electric. Things were never again as bad. Ron P.)
Poll: Obama would beat Palin in Alaska
42% to 36%. I think Palin won’t run. ~Bob.
Liberals, not Bachmann, are hypocrites on Medicaid
Excerpt: Any outspoken, pro-life, conservative woman will be the target of unfair, almost rabid attacks by liberals in the media. But the latest left-wing talking point against Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann is perhaps the stupidest criticism any politician has endured this year. It turns out that Bachmann's husband, who runs a mental health clinic, has helped Medicaid patients. What's wrong with that? Well, you see, Bachmann has opposed the expansion of Medicaid, and she generally favors limited government.
California enacts Internet sales tax; Amazon bolts
Excerpt: California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill into law Wednesday requiring online businesses to pay state sales tax, calling it “a common sense idea,” but Amazon and other large online retailers said they no longer see the business sense in staying in the Golden State. Amazon and Overstock.com both announced shortly after the bill was signed that they will be closing all of their affiliate programs in California. Affiliates are small websites and businesses that sell products through sites like Amazon and receive a small commission. (You’d think this would be major news all over both the MSM and the net, but this is the first coverage I’ve seen. Expect this to end up in the Supreme Court. Also, expect on-line retail sales to drop. Ron P.)
Amazon ends deal with 25,000 California websites
Excerpt: Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law California's tax on Internet sales through affiliate advertising which will immediately cut small-business website revenue 20% to 30%, experts say. The bill, AB 28X, takes effect immediately. The state Board of Equalization says the tax will raise $200 million a year, but critics claim it will raise nothing because online retailers will end their affiliate programs rather Amazon has already emailed its termination of its affiliate advertising program with 25,000 websites. The letter says, in part:
Justice Department Launches Criminal Probe Into Deaths During CIA Interrogations
Excerpt: The Justice Department is moving forward with criminal investigations relating to CIA interrogations of two detainees who died in the agency's custody. The decision is the result of a nearly two-year preliminary review into the Bush-era interrogations by prosecutor John Durham, Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday In a statement, Holder said further investigation of the other cases under review is "not warranted."
White House rejects McConnell invite for Obama to meet GOP
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/169207-mcconnell-challenges-obama-to-meet-with-senate-republicans
Excerpt: The White House has rejected Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's (Ky.) invitation for President Obama to meet Thursday with Senate Republicans about their position on the debt-ceiling talks. White House press secretary Jay Carney said McConnell was asking Obama to visit and "hear Republicans restate their maximalist position" in the negotiations to raise the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling. "We know that position. That's not a conversation worth having," Carney said at his daily briefing.
Michele Bachmann and the politics of the personal
Excerpt: “After our second child was born, we became pregnant with a third baby,” said Bachmann. “And it was an unexpected baby, but of course we were delighted to have this child. And the child was coming along, and we ended up losing that child. And it was devastating for both of us, as you can imagine if any of you have lost a child.” She told the story in the context of her opposition to abortion. But, Bachmann’s decision to reveal something so personal is telling — and provides a window into her unique appeal in the race. The reality of presidential politics — and all politics for that matter — is that voters tend to make their decisions not on dry policy matters but rather on what we describe, for lack of a better word, as “feel”.
How’s This For Subsidized Housing!
Excerpt: Resort-style swimming pools with fountains and heated spas, billiards rooms, granite counter tops, ceramic tile, indoor basketball courts, stainless steel appliances -- many Fairfax County taxpayers cannot afford such luxuries. But they are paying for these amenities for use by low-income residents who live in subsidized housing in affluent neighborhoods. "They're a part of our rental program where we subsidize the rents for the individuals in the units, and we end up having to pick up the condo fees," supervisor Pat Herrity told 630 WMAL News.
Excerpt: Earlier this month, Sen. Marco Rubio made an auspicious debut.
Unlike so many first turns in the upper chamber, Rubio’s stirring remarks, which celebrated American exceptionalism, caught fire. The Florida Republican’s words were cited by Senate colleagues and championed by conservatives. To no one’s surprise, the push to put Rubio on the 2012 ticket only increased, even though the charismatic freshman continues to swat away the chatter. Look for the Rubio buzz to continue. In an interview with National Review Online, he says that he will take to the Senate floor for his second speech this week — and this time he will have President Obama in his crosshairs.
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Robert A. Hall
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