I post articles because I think they are of interest. Doing so doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree (or disagree) with every—or any—opinion in the posted article. Help your friends and relatives stay informed by passing the digest on. In some cases I post things sent to me by readers I might not have posted on my own, to get ideas circulating.
The Game is Over. It’s Mitt or Nitwit. Money will now dry up for the other candidates, and many voters will accept the result and shift to Romney. Anyone who now votes in a Republican Primary for anyone other than Mitt Romney will join the birthers and the racists in helping keep Barack Obama in the White House. Anyone hitting Romney now is doing Obama’s bidding. Period. But both Santorum and Gingrich, during their surges, got it into their heads that they were really going to be President of the USA. Hard dream to give up on.
Mitt Romney wins Wisconsin, Maryland, D.C. primaries
Excerpt: Mitt Romney captured presidential primaries in Maryland, the District and battleground Wisconsin, the biggest prize of the day, to complete a momentum-building, three-contest sweep Tuesday that cemented his status as the almost certain Republican nominee and put new pressure on rival Rick Santorum to reassess his candidacy.
Romney, Obama get ready to rumble
Excerpt: It’s really, truly over. With President Obama’s frontal assault on Mitt Romney and the Republican front-runner’s harsh language about the incumbent and convincing triple victory Tuesday, the general election effectively began this week.
Romney finally puts it all together
Excerpt: The result was Romney’s most complete performance of the 2012 campaign. And it strongly suggests that the Republican Party is dropping its long-standing resistance to embracing Romney.
Obamacare Will Be Romney's Savior by Jonah Goldberg
Excerpt: The funny thing is: Even as they were saying he can't attack Obamacare, Romney was -- you guessed it -- attacking Obamacare. Romney has been attacking Obamacare since its inception. "I'll stop it in its tracks on day one!" he promises constantly on the stump.
Political Word Games by Thomas Sowell
Excerpt: One of the highly developed talents of President Barack Obama is the ability to say things that are demonstrably false, and make them sound not only plausible but inspiring. That talent was displayed just this week when he was asked whether he thought the Supreme Court would uphold ObamaCare as constitutional or strike it down as unconstitutional.
Al Qaeda rocked by apparent cyberattack. But who did it? By Mark Clayton
Excerpt: Five jihadi websites that make up the core online forums promoting Al Qaeda were knocked out 12 days ago and remain mostly offline in what appears to be a major cyberattack against the group. The simplicity of the mode of attack and its timing is leading some experts to suggest that the US is "not at the top of the list" of potential perpetrators — it could have made such an attack years ago. Instead, experts say, another country might be testing out its cyberwar capabilities against an enemy with few friends.
The Diplomats’ Dilemma: Despots
need to know that their enemies are prepared for more than talk. by Clifford D. May
http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/the-diplomats-dilemma/
http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/the-diplomats-dilemma/
Excerpt: The dictionary defines diplomacy as the “art and practice of conducting negotiations,” but one incisive wag said diplomacy is really “the art of saying ‘nice doggie’ till you can find a rock.” So who has the stones required to stop Iran’s rulers from acquiring the nuclear weapons they need, not for deterrence as their apologists claim, but to escalate their war against Israel, America and the West?
Ex Parte Obama: The president worries the Supreme Court might overturn a law passed by Congress. The Founders were quite comfortable with the idea.
Excerpt: It's been a long time since we've heard a presidential demarche as outrageous as President Obama's warning to the Supreme Court not to overturn Obamacare. The president made the remarks at a press conference with the leaders of Mexico and Canada. It was an attack on the court's standing and even its integrity in a backhanded way that is typically Obamanian. For starters the president expressed confidence that the Court would "not take what would be an unprecedented, extraordinary step of overturning a law that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress." (Didn't large legislative majorities support anti-abortion laws before Roe v. Wade? ~Bob.)
Mohamed Merah and the New Breed of 'Nike Terrorists: 'Rather than trying to carry out spectacular attacks on the scale of 9/11, the next generation of terrorists are encouraged to use any means at their disposal.
Excerpt: The manner in which Merah carried out his killings perfectly fits the profile of this new generation of Islamist terrorists. Rather than trying to carry out spectacular attacks on the scale of 9/11, these "Nike terrorists" are encouraged to use any means at their disposal, whether guns, knives or suicide bombs.
Dupes for the State by Walter Williams
Excerpt: One of the least-understood functions of private property rights is that of determining who may harm whom in what ways. In a free society, it is presumed that the air in a person's house, restaurant, hotel, car or place of business is his property. (…) The issue is not whether smoking harms others. The issue is the rights associated with property ownership. (Williams locates the core issue at stake for a very touchy subject. Ron P.)
Appeals court fires back at Obama's comments on health care case
Excerpt: In the escalating battle between the administration and the judiciary, a federal appeals court apparently is calling the president's bluff -- ordering the Justice Department to answer by Thursday whether the Obama Administration believes that the courts have the right to strike down a federal law, according to a lawyer who was in the courtroom.
The order, by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, appears to be in direct response to the president's comments yesterday about the Supreme Court's review of the health care law.
The Man Who Knew Too Little: President Obama's stunning ignorance of constitutional law. By James Taranto
Excerpt: We were half-joking yesterday when we asked if Barack Obama slept through his Harvard Law class on Marbury v. Madison, the 1803 case in which the U.S. Supreme Court first asserted its power to strike down unconstitutional laws. It turns out it's no joke: The president is stunningly ignorant about constitutional law. At an appearance this afternoon, a reporter asked Obama a question following up on yesterday's comments: (Well, Obama is the Constitutional Law “Professor,” who, in a SOTU address, said that “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” were in the Constitution. That in a formal speech, doubtless vetted by many, who didn’t recognize the quote as from the Declaration of Independence. Duh. ~Bob.)
Philly Mayor: Bad Spinach Gets More National Attention Than Black-on-Black Violence
Excerpt: Black-on-black violence is a “disease” that deserves a “national investigation,” Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter told a Youth Violence Prevention forum in Washington on Monday. “It is a disease,” Nutter said. “It’s a rash, and if there were a rash killing a hundred and some odd young people on a daily basis we’d be doing something about it.”
Huh! NBC issues apology on Zimmerman tape screw-up
Excerpt: NBC has completed its investigation into the mishandling of the police dispatcher’s conversation with George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin case. And the process ends with a finding of error, plus an apology. Here is the statement just issued by the network: During our investigation it became evident that there was an error made in the production process that we deeply regret. We will be taking the necessary steps to prevent this from happening in the future and apologize to our viewers. (Shorter: We’re sorry we got caught trying to inflame racial hatred to drive ratings and our agenda. We’ll be sneakier next time. ~Bob.)
Yemeni-US strikes al-Qaeda Hideouts in south Yemen, 38 killed
Excerpt: Army aircrafts with the support of US drones bombed al-Qaeda whereabouts in the southern province of Lahj, killing at least 38 militants and wounding dozens others over the last 48 hours, local security source told Yemen Post on Tuesday. The intensive air and land missile and artillery bombardment on the posts of Ansar al-Sharia or partisans of Islamic law, the al-Qaeda wing in the country, comes after the group attacked military posts earlier in the week. (Infidels 38, Jihadists zip. ~Bob.)
Long but good: Obama's Worst Speech Yet by Guy Benson
Excerpt: Today we witnessed something truly remarkable. Barack Obama managed to out-do himself by uncorking what very well may have been the most dishonest, demagogic, and bitterly partisan speech of his presidency. I render that assessment as someone who has sat through and analyzed countless Obama lectures, some of which earned very high marks for deceit and ideological invective. Indeed, today's Occupy-inspired rant takes the cake.
Canada: After Keystone, We'd Rather Sell Oil to China
Excerpt: Solyndra is no longer the administration's biggest energy blunder. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper appeared a think tank event held in Washington yesterday. During an interview Harper explained that President Obama's rejection of the Keystone pipeline had forced Canada to change course in ways that will permanently affect Canada's approach to its own energy market:
The mainstream LDS Church gave up polygamy a long time ago. Islam still has it. Don’t see NBC saying anything about Islam—maybe safer, as I haven’t read about any Mormons on motorbikes murdering children in the name of God recently. ~Bob.
Excerpt: As noted in our previous post, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other social insurance programs are bankrupting America. They will produce ever-escalating deficits for as far as the eye can see. Is there an alternative to all of this that is politically practical? In particular, is there a way to solve our problems so that everybody comes out a winner instead of a loser? Let’s be clear about what we mean by everyone else being better off. Social Security and Medicare have huge unfunded liabilities that carry with them implicit burdens for future taxpayers.
No, This Is Not a Housing Recovery: Anyone who says we are in the midst of a housing recovery is wrong. By Anthony Randazzo
Excerpt: We have not reached the bottom of the housing market. I hate to say it. I really do hate to always be the pessimist. And I don’t say this because I’ve been steeped in a couple decades' worth of bitterness as a Red Sox fan. The numbers are just not adding up to recovery.
Worth Reading: How to Think about Inequality by Peter Wehner and Robert P. Beschel, Jr.
Excerpt: The issue of income inequality has never before been central to American politics. Though concern for the poor, disputes over welfare programs, and complaints about "the rich" have of course featured prominently in our public debates, Americans have generally avoided open class warfare, to the nation's great credit and benefit. But in the 2012 presidential election — one of the most consequential contests in decades — the divide between rich and poor in America promises to be a focal point. This unusual emphasis on inequality is partly the doing of President Obama, who seems to believe that stoking class resentments is his best ticket to re-election.
The President's Curious Speech Lacks Solutions
Excerpt: If you're looking for an iron-clad indictment of Barack Obama's failed fiscal policies, you don't have to look much farther than the President's own words in a speech he delivered yesterday at the Associated Press luncheon in Washington, D.C. In what was seemingly an attempt to criticize House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's (R-WI) FY2013 budget plan -- the only such proposal to emerge from either the House or the Senate -- the President dredged up his stale complaints about President George W. Bush's policies -- many of which he has maintained -- and turned to scary rhetoric about Trojan horses and social Darwinism in order to paint the conservative vision for fixing America's budget crisis as a radical one.
Canada ups retirement age in bid to balance budget
Excerpt: Canada's center-right government called for the retirement age to be raised and for major public service cuts Thursday, in an austerity budget that aims to balance the books by 2016. Tackling unpopular measures that many industrialized countries are being forced to consider as their populations age, the Canadian government said its budget would help the country move a step ahead.
Somalia sports officials killed in theatre bombing
Didn’t get the “Islam is a Religion of Peace” memo. ~Bob. Excerpt: Somalia's Olympic committee and football heads are among seven people killed by a bomb in Mogadishu. Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali was also present when the blast struck the newly re-opened national theatre but he told the BBC he was unhurt.
First U.S. Marines Arrive in Australian City of Darwin
Excerpt: A contingent of 180 Marines has arrived in Darwin, the first to be deployed to Australia under an agreement increasing the American military presence in China’s strategic backyard, and a sign of the growing importance Washington is placing on the Pacific region. The Marines, who will engage in training exercises with the Australian Defense Force during their six-month rotation, are the first of 2,500 American troops to be deployed here by 2017 under an agreement signed in November by President Obama and Prime Minister Julia Gillard of Australia.
Clashes in rival towns kill 22 in western Libya
Excerpt: Militias from rival towns in western Libya battled each other with tanks and artillery on Tuesday in fierce fighting that killed at least 22 people, local officials said. The clashes erupted over the weekend between the Arab-majority town of Ragdalein and the Berber-dominated town of Zwara, some 110 kilometers (70 miles) west of the capital Tripoli.
Fox News' Heather Childers Tweets Link To Article: 'Did Obama Campaign Threaten Chelsea Clinton's Life?'
Excerpt: Fox News anchor Heather Childers caused a stir on Twitter after she linked to a story suggesting that the Obama campaign may have threatened to murder Chelsea Clinton. On Tuesday, Childers, who is a weekend and early morning anchor for the network, tweeted an article from godfatherpolitics.com titled, "Did Barack Obama Campaign Threaten Life of Chelsea Clinton to Keep Parents Silent on Obama’s Ineligibility?" (As little use as I have for Obama (which is slightly less than I have for Clinton), this is almost impossible to credit. First, he and his people would have to be much stupider than I think they are. Second, I don’t think the Secret Service would have tolerated it, whether from a protectee or his agents; I think the SS would’ve arrested and prosecuted anyone making a credible threat against the former President’s daughter. So, other than be controversial and attract attention of the wrong kind, Ms Childers has done nothing valuable for herself or Fox. Ron P.)
Israel, Get Ready For More Obama Leaks By John Bolton
Excerpt: The Obama administration appears to be conducting an organized campaign of public pressure to stop Israel from attacking Iran's well-developed nuclear-weapons program. So intense is this effort, and so determined is President Obama to succeed, that administration officials are now leaking highly sensitive information about Israel's intentions and capabilities into the news media.
O’s ugly ‘warning’ Bizarre shot at Supreme Court By Michael W. McConnell
Excerpt: Has the president not heard of Roe v. Wade (1973), where the court invalidated the democratically enacted laws of all 50 states? And even Marbury v. Madison (1803), which struck down a section of the First Judiciary Act? How about INS v. Chadha (1983), where the court invalidated over 200 statutory provisions, many enacted by overwhelming bipartisan majorities? … Michael W. McConnell, a former federal appellate judge, now teaches constitutional law at Stanford Law School; he is director of the Stanford Constitutional Law Center and a Hoover Institution senior fellow.
Operation Hot Mic
Great short ad. ~Bob.
It’s Not the Supreme Court, Stupid!: It is a short step from ObamaCare to ObamaCars and beyond, with no constitutional limitation to stop the movement. By Rick Richman
Excerpt: On ABC’s This Week, after ObamaCare ran into a “trainwreck” in the Supreme Court, former Obama administration official Van Jones described the law as a last-resort effort to prevent Americans from dying. Since the pitch previews how President Obama hopes to spin a possible loss at the Supreme Court, it is worth considering it further.
Quotes from The Patriot Post
"The urge to save humanity is always a false front for the urge to rule it." --American writer H. L. Mencken (1880-1956)
"Absolute power corrupts even when exercised for humane purposes. The benevolent despot who sees himself as a shepherd of the people still demands from others the submissiveness of sheep. The taint inherent in absolute power is not its inhumanity but its anti-humanity." --American author Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
Tales of A Politician Who Will Say Anything To Distract Illinois Taxpayers
Excerpt: Democrat Cheri Bustos could write a book on how to distract voters from her disturbing job-destroying record. Anointed by the Chicago political machine as the Democrat candidate in Illinois’ 17th District, Bustos started her campaign by following their playbook by attacking pizzeria owner and union member Bobby Schilling right out of the gate. In an effort to shed light on her aversion to the truth, the NRCC has launched a Web site dedicated to exposing the real Cheri Bustos – http://www.cheritales.com/. (On the positive side, her spouse might not be a convicted felon. Ron P.)
Supreme Court Hearings Didn't Help Obama's Case, Poll Finds
Excerpt: Unsurprisingly, opinions of the law and the Court are split down partisan lines, with 35 percent of Republicans reporting a less favorable opinion of the law and just 13 percent of Democrats reporting the same. That trend is flipped on the Court, with 32 percent of Democrats saying they viewed the Court more negatively, and only 14 percent of Republicans reporting a more negative opinion.
The Democrats’ Election Forgery Racket by Michelle Malkin
Excerpt: Behind the scenes, Democrats have been busy faking petition signatures, forging ballots and enlisting medical professionals to authorize fraudulent doctors’ notes for liberal teachers-union operatives protesting Republican opponents. It’s no laughing matter. This week, four Democratic officials in Indiana were hit with felony charges related to petition fraud in the state’s 2008 primary.
The Myth of Self-Radicalization by Patrick Dunleavy
Excerpt: When seven people are killed including 3 children, who is responsible? When a van carrying Hasidic students is attacked by automatic weapon fire, killing one and wounding several others, who is held accountable? It would seem according to some reports that the victims fell prey to the "lone terrorist" or "self-radicalized" individual. Is this an accurate description of what took place?
Official: Islamist radicals detained in French sweep planned to kidnap Jewish magistrate
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/lawyer-man-believed-behind-french-killing-spree-claimed-124535702--spt.html
Excerpt: A French official says Islamist radicals detained last week were planning to kidnap a Jewish magistrate.
Khalid Sheik Mohammed to face death penalty trial
Excerpt: A senior Pentagon official has approved the death penalty trial at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, of Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four co-defendants accused of orchestrating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, a step that restarts the most momentous terror trial likely to be held at the military base. (I bet he’ll be convicted about October 15, sentenced to death, but never executed. ~Bob. I wonder how many people have thought something like: “Oh, the trouble it would’ve saved to have just shot these S.O.Bs. overseas and never admit we had them.” War is hell, especially for those who lose. We CAN lose this war if we try hard enough. Ron P.)
An Open Letter to President Barack H. Obama, Constitutional Scholar
Excerpt: Supposedly, you are some sort of constitutional scholar. At the very least, you can read, you can write, and despite being merely some sort of guest lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School, you once famously referred to yourself as a “Constitutional Law professor.” Ringing a bell so far, Mr. President? Great.
Obama Alienates Canada and Mexico At Three Amigos
Excerpt: Most summits are mush-mouthed affairs full of pleasantries. Tuesday's "Three Amigos" summit was different: a litany of how President Obama has alienated our neighbors. You wouldn't know this from reading the mainstream media, which reported the disastrous summit with anodyne headlines like: "Obama talks trade, energy with Canada, Mexico leaders at Summit" (Associated Press) and "Obama, Mexico's Calderon vow more drug crime cooperation" (Reuters).
Obama's Supreme Court Comments Prompt GOP Worries About Judicial Independence
Excerpt: The wrangling between the judicial and executive branches over President Barack Obama's health care law grew even more contentious on Tuesday, as an appellate court judge demanded that an Obama administration lawyer clarify whether the president believed in the concept of judicial review. The incident, reported by CBS, was a remarkable instance of politics entering the courtroom. (Slanting the News 101: The next paragraph says it’s unusual for a judge to “introduce politics” into a court hearing (did someone check the judge’s voter registration and not mention it?). That isn’t what the judge was doing or asking. He was questioning whether or not the administration accepted the authority of the court system. In light of the many other times federal courts have made findings and/or issued valid orders to the administration that the administration has then pointedly ignored (Gulf oil drilling, for example), this question is both valid and necessary. There is no point in hearing the case if the administration refuses to accept the court’s decision as authoritative. Ron P.)
NATO can’t let Macedonia fall by the wayside at Chicago By Sally Painter, CEO, Blue Star Strategies, LLC.
Excerpt: The 2012 NATO summit, set to take place in Chicago in late May, is almost upon us – and the agenda will help define the shape of transatlantic cooperation for the coming years. Important topics for discussion include a new “smart defense” strategy, terrorism, and the ongoing transformation of the allied mission in Afghanistan. Yet a central pillar of NATO – the enlargement and strengthening of the alliance – has fallen off the agenda. … Painter is Chief Operating Officer at Blue Star Strategies, LLC, a Washington DC-based firm that conducts global government relations strategies for corporations and governments. (Gee, do you think there is a chance that Macedonia is a client of Blue Star? ~Bob.)
Shrinking paychecks may hurt Obama
Excerpt: Americans’ take-home pay — one of the critical economic benchmarks for presidents seeking reelection — declined in January and February. Research shows that the amount of money Americans earn after taxes and inflation is one of the most reliable predictors of a president’s November chances — more so than the unemployment rate. (you mean if they arte doing worse, they may resent a President who sends his 13-year-old, 12 pals and 25 Secret Service agents to Mexico for Spring Break at their expense? Imagine that. ~Bob.)
Illegal Aliens Laugh about Americans Killed by Illegal Immigrants
Immigration Statistics Show SB 1070 is Working
Excerpt: Last week, the Department of Homeland Security released their statistics on the illegal immigration for 2010. According to DHS, the total illegal population went down less than 1%, from 11.6 million at the beginning of the year to 11.5 million by the end. However, in the state of Arizona, the illegal population declined from 470,000 to 360,000; a decline of 23%. In April of 2010 the Arizona legislature passed SB 1070 to crack down on illegal immigration in the state. (Of course it’s working, just as Voter ID prevents vote fraud. That’s why the Obama Administration is fighting them. Duh. ~Bob.)
NV Energy windmill program generates rebates, little electricity
Excerpt: A year ago, a Reno clean energy businessman warned the Public Utilities Commission that if it didn’t set a few standards for NV Energy’s wind rebate program, its customers could end up footing the bill for turbines that rarely produce electricity. One reason behind his concern: To be eligible for rebates, customers didn’t need to prove that the wind actually blows enough to justify installing a turbine on their property.
Family beats up mother of two girls pregnant with ‘girl child’
Excerpt: A 30-year-old mother of two girls in Andhra Pradesh is battling for life in hospital after a miscarriage in her sixth pregnancy following an alleged beating from her husband and in-laws who want her to bear them a male child. Munni’s married life of eight years has been lorded over by a soothsayer who has predicted that only the seventh child in her womb will be a son. Police have arrested her husband Allahbaksh and in-laws, Rahman and Fathima, from the weaving town of Tenali in Guntur district for tying her to a pole and beating her on the stomach. (The real “War on Women” the left ignores. ~Bob.)
Spain panics after disastrous bond auction: The prime minister warns of 'extreme difficulty' after the country fails to find enough bond buyers.
Excerpt: That's just in case anyone missed the disastrous results of Wednesday's Spanish bond auction. Spain managed to sell 2.59 billion euros in bonds. That was just above the minimum target for the auction and well below the hoped-for maximum of 3.5 billion euros.
Tweet from @informedblackman
Obama said under Ryan's budget plan, "hundreds of national parks will close." There are 58 national parks.
Int’l Criminal Court Decision on ‘Palestine’ Is a Victory for Israel and a Defeat for Amnesty International By Patrick Goodenough
Excerpt: A decision by the International Criminal Court rebuffing the Palestinian Authority’s attempt to have Israel put on trial for war crimes is a setback not only for the P.A. but also for a so-called “lawfare” campaign waged by some non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
TX Jury Hits TaxMasters with $195M Verdict
A Texas jury has sided with Attorney General Greg Abbot, ordering tax resolution firm TaxMasters to pay a grand total of $195 million in restitution and civil penalties. CEO Patrick Cox, known for appearing in the company's commercials, will be personally responsible for approximately $46 million of the TaxMasters verdict. (When he comes on TV and says “We’ve helped good people like you” get out of paying taxes, I scream, “Good people like me pay their taxes!” Try Tim Geithner or Charlie Rangel. ~Bob.)
Fox Geezer Syndrome
Excerpt: Conor Friedersdorf remembers what a pain it was to live with a liberal roommate who watched Keith Olbermann every night, and would subsequently sulk around in a pissed-off mood. Friedersdorf too got a negative contact buzz from the show. He writes: “It seems to me that Olbermann’s show often brought out the worst impulses in people: petulance, self-righteousness, and blind anger at ‘the other side.’” Sounds familiar to me, though from the other side. Except in my case, it’s not my liberal roommate. It’s my conservative parents – and maybe yours too. (I watch very little TV news, Fox or MSNC or CNN. Watch the local news in the morning when getting ready for work, or at night if there is something happening. Cable is just people shouting at each other to feed red meet to the viewer base. It’s entertainment, not news, and you learn little. I read, mostly on the Internet. ~Bob.)
Obama v. The Constitution
Excerpt: Obama has previously demonstrated a distain for the Legislative Branch - even when he was a member of it. If it were not for Joe Biden running up to The Hill to smooth Democrats' feathers ruffled by Obama's taking them for granted or, worse yet, demanding they do his bidding, it is likely that the two parties in Congress would united in the face of a common opponent: Barack Obama. (…) In Obama's America we would go back to 1214 - a year before King John of England was forced to sign the first iteration of the Magna Carta establishing some of the earliest limits on Royal (read: "Executive") power.
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Robert A. Hall
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