Book Recommendation: The Constitution Failed. By Robert R. Owens, PhD.
Dr. Owens, a history professor, kindly sent me a copy of his book to review, and I found it both interesting and provocative, with great historical detail and a fine turn of phrase. Organized as a series of “Dispatches,” it is part Tea Party manifesto, part exploration of the history and a defense of limited, constitutional government, both how it developed and how it went wrong, part discussion of the disaster over-taking us, and a call for developing a new, stronger constitution. My take is that no constitution succeeds when a majority of the people becomes corrupt, short-sighted, uninvolved and interested in only what they can get from others through the government. A drive for a new constitution is as likely to be influenced by the 47% who pay no taxes, or the 60% who don’t know what the Supreme Court decided on ObamaCare, or the growing number of government-dependent drones. I am not as hopeful as he that We The People comprise enough people committed to limited government, self-reliance and the rule of law to do what is needed. I do love his line, “Depressions are recessions with government help.” Exactly where we are headed.
BofA Linked to Drug Probe: FBI Says Mexican Cartel Funneled Money Through Bank to Horse-Racing Firm
Excerpt: A Mexican cocaine-trafficking cartel used accounts at Bank of America Corp. to hide money and invest illegal drug-trade proceeds in U.S. racehorses, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said. The alleged ties between the violent drug gang known as Los Zetas and the second-largest U.S. bank by assets were described in a 35-page affidavit filed in federal court in Texas last month. According to an FBI agent, a horse-buying and training business created to launder drug money had accounts at the Charlotte, N.C., bank.
For black Americans, financial damage from subprime implosion is likely to last
Excerpt: The implosion of the subprime lending market has left a scar on the finances of black Americans — one that not only has wiped out a generation of economic progress but could leave them at a financial disadvantage for decades. (Another cost for blacks of liberal racism. Progressive welfare policies and the liberal approach to drugs destroyed the black family. Minimum wage laws and union protection shut blacks out of the low end of the job market, thus the chance to gather skills and improve economically. Fear of being labeled “racist,” meant weak law enforcement, allowing black thugs to slaughter thousands of decent black folks, including children, with hardly a peep from black “leaders.” Abortion wiped out a generation of black children, as Margaret Sanger’s planned parenthood dream of preventing what she called “the unfit” from being born was made reality. Affirmative action set blacks up for failure in elite colleges and high level jobs, when they would have done fine in other colleges or positions. And the “affordable housing” movement, which Bill Clinton and the Democrats set roaring in the 1990s, with favored folks like Jim Johnson and Frank Raines making multiple millions from Fannie and Freddie, has destroyed black finances. But they don’t know it, and will still vote for Old Massa Obama. ~Bob.)
The Negative Effects of Minimum Wage Laws
Excerpt: While the aim of minimum wage laws is to help workers, decades of economic research show that minimum wages usually end up harming workers and the broader economy. In particular, minimum wages stifle job opportunities for low-skill workers, youth and minorities, which are the groups that policymakers are often trying to help, says Mark Wilson, a former deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor. If the government requires that certain workers be paid higher wages, then businesses make adjustments to pay for the added costs, such as reducing hiring, cutting employee work hours, reducing benefits and charging higher prices. Some policymakers may believe that companies simply absorb the costs of minimum wage increases through reduced profits, but that's rarely the case.
Mysterious fatal crash offers rare look at U.S. commando presence in Mali
Excerpt: In pre-dawn darkness, a Toyota Land Cruiser skidded off a bridge in North Africa in the spring, plunging into the Niger River. When rescuers arrived, they found the bodies of three U.S. Army commandos — alongside three dead women. What the men were doing in the impoverished country of Mali, and why they were still there a month after the United States suspended military relations with its government, is at the crux of a mystery that officials have not fully explained even 10 weeks later. (Not to worry. The Post will ferret out any secrets to keep our enemies informed. ~Bob.)
Hill Poll: Majority believe Obama has changed country for worse
Excerpt: Two-thirds of likely voters say President Obama has kept his 2008 campaign promise to change America — but it’s changed for the worse, according to a sizable majority. A new poll for The Hill found 56 percent of likely voters believe Obama’s first term has transformed the nation in a negative way, compared to 35 percent who believe the country has changed for the better under his leadership.
Want to Move a Worker to the U.S.? Good Luck
Excerpt: U.S. companies have griped for years about how hard it is to hire high-tech workers from abroad under the government’s H1-B visa program. Now, they’re upset with the Obama administration about the difficulty of getting visas for foreign workers already on their payrolls who are needed for key projects in the U.S. So intense is their frustration that Oracle, Microsoft (MSFT), Starwood Hotels (HOT), and some 50 other companies warned President Obama in a March letter that “American job growth and the U.S. economy are being harmed.” (Silly companies. Why would Obama want to bring in tax-paying, productive workers who won’t go on food stamps and welfare and be dependent on Democrats? ~Bob.)
The Inequality Fetish: There is little evidence that unequal income causes economic ills.By Patrick Brennan
Excerpt: For the question of inequality in the U.S., the most relevant study on the topic, which considers industrialized nations over the course of the 20th century, finds no meaningful link between inequality and income growth. There is also almost no evidence that economic inequality causes financial crises. (It’s not about facts. It’s about pounding the table to get votes from economically-ignorant and envious voters. ~Bob.)
Gunmen in Pakistan Kill 6 Soldiers and a Policeman
Excerpt: Unidentified gunmen killed six Pakistani soldiers and a police officer in an unusual attack on a riverside military camp in Punjab Province on Monday, a Pakistani military spokesman said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the assault and identity of the attackers remained unclear, although it coincided with a high-profile march through the same area by thousands of Islamic hard-liners, some carrying weapons. (I’m guessing violent Buddhists. ~Bob.)
More than 100 dead in Nigeria weekend violence
Excerpt: Weekend raids by gunmen in Nigeria's central Plateau state left more than 100 people dead, including a senator and state lawmaker, the governor's spokesman Pam Ayuba told AFP on Monday. (Didn’t get the memo. ~Bob.)
Poisoning Arafat. By Uri Avnery
Excerpt: For me, there was no surprise. From the very first day, I was convinced that Yasser Arafat had been poisoned by Ariel Sharon. I even wrote about it several times. It was a simple logical conclusion. (He says this like [if true] it was a bad thing. ~Bob.)
Military Cuts Loom as Campaign Issue
Excerpt: For all the focus on the unemployment rate heading into the November elections, the layoffs that could most complicate President Barack Obama's re-election prospects wouldn't take effect until early next year. Unless Congress and the White House reach a compromise by year-end, the Pentagon would have to slash roughly $50 billion more from the current fiscal-year budget in January. That prospect of wide layoffs could undercut Mr. Obama in battleground states heavily dependent on military spending, particularly Virginia.
Black mob ... in the Hamptons? Newspapers ignore race of 750 rowdies, but neighbors know. By Colin Flaherty
Excerpt: Maybe the 750 black people fighting early this morning in the Hamptons village of Riverhead, N. were upset at the light sentence handed out to the man who broke into rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs’ nearby home. Or maybe they were exercising their right “peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Or maybe that is just how they roll in Riverhead. (Sadly, the author assumes all WND readers know where Hampton and River Head are. If you don't and you try to Google it, you find that there is also a Hampton in England. I assume it is NY and it is swanky. One lady whose own neighborhood had been a victim of the violence objected to the fact that some referred to the black rioters as black. Maybe Hampton is getting what it asked for? --Don Hank)
Black mobs terrorize 1 of 'whitest big cities' by Colin Flaherty
Excerpt: It has been called one of America’s “whitest big cities” – with 66 percent of residents describing themselves as non-Hispanic white in the 2010 census – but it is not immune to black-mob attacks on a pregnant woman, veterans, the elderly, young people, homosexuals, Asians and others. Seattle has “fewer problems with racism than other cities,” said the blog So Seattle. “Ethnic tensions … seem less tangible.” (The MSM almost never identify racially uniform mobs by race unless they are white. They pretend the mobs are diverse, thinking, I suppose, that if they don't identify the problem, it will simply go away. By this thinking, Hitler was an international citizen, not a German. Mussolini was a world citizen, not an Italian. Al Capone was an international business man, not a member of the Italian mafia. Pablo Escobar was a successful international business man, not a member of the Medellin cartel. And so forth. Anyway, the mobs are growing and the racially homogeneous violence is escalating, despite efforts to minimize it and pretend it is diverse and non-specific. (Say, how about we stop looking for specific bacteria that cause disease? Let's just have a campaign to wipe out all germs? Wouldn't that be more effective? Oh, that's right. There are commensal bacteria that the body needs to digest food. Never mind). But now for the good news. Recently, President Obama issued this statement: "Shortly after I was elected I proclaimed America to be in its post-racial phase, where no one notices race and people are judged by the noble guideline set forth by Dr. Martin Luther King -- according to the content of their character. A few people of my race weren't listening to King or to me and they have attacked white people simply for being white, claiming their "people" hurt "our people." Let me be clear: BOTH blacks and whites must follow MLK's guidelines, without exception. The fact that you presume that someone's ancestors harmed your ancestors does not give you the right to practice violence against that person or steal their property. Before the civil war, most northern whites, guided by Christ's teachings, thought slavery was evil. They set up the underground railroad to help eliminate the practice. William Wilberforce, the British activist who ended the practice of slavery in that country almost single-handedly, was a white Christian. Many white Christians in America helped end slavery here and later spearhead the civil rights movement. E Pluribus Unum means out of many one (I had mistranslated that in an earlier speech. My apologies). Throughout my 3.5 years as president I have gradually come to realize we are all one people now and the name of that people is Americans. I was elected by a majority of ALL Americans, and as long as I am president, I will stand up for the rights of all Americans, regardless of their color. There will be no race baiting, no special rights for minorities, no double standards and no coddling of people who violate the law. I may take some heat for saying this, but someone had to say it, and the buck stops with me. “Oh, I omitted to say that Obama made this speech in a dream I had. --Don Hank)
For Now, Bullet Train May Go Nowhere
Excerpt: After clearing a major legislative hurdle, California's proposed bullet train between Los Angeles and San Francisco still faces obstacles—including lawsuits and uncertainties over future funding—that could delay it for years. Friday's narrow state Senate vote approving $4.7 billion in bonds for the train and related projects sends the funding bill to a likely signing by Gov. Jerry Brown, a proponent of high-speed rail.
Black Pastors Group: Pride in Obama Has Turned to Shame
Excerpt: A coalition of African-American pastors is calling on blacks to boycott President Barack Obama and sign a petition demanding that the administration withdraw support for gay marriage. The group, the 1,300-member Coalition of African-American Pastors, says it was snubbed by Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder when it demanded a meeting to discuss same-sex unions. The group had requested the meeting last month. (Principle over color? Wonderful. ~Bob.)
Don’t blame (just) Bam for Pakistan. By Arthur Herman
Excerpt: The Obama administration has gone down on its well-worn knees and said “it was sorry for the loss” of 24 Pakistani soldiers accidentally killed in a Predator drone strike last November. This, after seven months of saying it wasn’t going to happen — because both US and Afghan military officials swore the deadly attack was against positions, and possibly Pakistani soldiers, that had been firing on allied troops. The apology means that the supply route to Afghanistan, which Pakistan had closed in protest, will reopen — until Islamabad finds another pretext to shut it.
Say The Secret Word, Win A Billion: "Children." By Dearel Friend.
Excerpt: When anyone from government wants to spend a few, or several billion dollars in taxpayer money, all they need to do is mention that it's for the "children". That's the secret word folks. If you want to throw more money at a failing, union-dominated education system, simply say "it's for the sake of the "children". "I will not rest until our 'children' are properly educated", says the politician and/or the education bureaucrat. "Half of our nation's 'children' are illiterate", screams the liberal pol!
German president tells Angela Merkel to come clean on EU debt deal. By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Excerpt: German president Joachim Gauck has ordered Chancellor Angela Merkel to clarify exactly what she agreed behind closed doors at the EU crisis summit ten days ago, lending a powerful voice to critics dismayed by the surging costs of euro bail-outs.
Analysis: Euro zone fragmenting faster than EU can act
Excerpt: Signs are growing that Europe's economic and monetary union may be fragmenting faster than policymakers can repair it. Euro zone leaders agreed in principle on June 29 to establish a joint banking supervisor for the 17-nation single currency area, based on the European Central Bank, although most of the crucial details remain to be worked out. (When the dam gives way, we all go under. ~Bob.)
ObamaCare Is Shovel-Ready for You. By Stella Paul
Excerpt: I've been gobbling berries like crazy ever since June 28, when Chief Justice John Roberts gifted us ObamaCare. I figure I'd better fortify my body with antioxidants before they drop all 2,000 pages of Obama's "law" on my head. But every time I read what's coming, I feel sick.
Worth Reading: Tuning Out a President. By Victor Davis Hanson
Excerpt: Imagine if Barack Obama said the following: “I promise by the end of my second term that I will close Guantanamo Bay, end renditions and preventative detentions, cut the deficit in half, that my second stimulus program will put the unemployment rate below 6% within three years, that I will create 5 million new green jobs, that my health care plan will lower premiums, that I will ostracize lobbyists, end the revolving door, and earmarks, that I will participate in public financing of the 2012 campaign, and that I won’t raise any tax whatsoever on those earning less than $250,000.” Would any believe him?
The Regulatory Heavy Hand. By George Will
Excerpt: The federal government is a bull that has found yet another china shop, this time in Arizona. It seems determined to inflict, for angelic motives and progressive goals, economic damage on this state. And economic and social damage on Native Americans, who over the years have experienced quite enough of that at Washington's hands.
Things That Bug Me. By Burt Prelutsky
Excerpt: I admit that I have a lower tolerance than most for those things that so many other, more patient people, dismiss as petty annoyances. What I can’t figure out is why they aren’t more like me. For instance, why is it that so many people continue to accept that Barack Obama is brilliant and a spellbinding orator? How is it that anyone, even people so dumb they intend to vote for him, can bear to sit through one of his boring, self-aggrandizing, speeches?
Muslim Brotherhood 'Democracy': Slapping, Stabbing, and Slaying for Sharia. By Raymond Ibrahim
Excerpt: Prior to the presidential elections, it was revealed how Egypt's Islamists viewed democratic elections as an obligatory form of "holy war." Then, any number of Islamic clerics, including influential ones, declared that it was mandatory for Muslims to cheat during elections—if so doing would help Islamist candidates win; that the elections were a form of jihad, and those who die are "martyrs" who will attain the highest levels of paradise.
Barack Obama is not a Real Black President
Excerpt: Morgan Freeman said it. In an interview with NPR to promote his latest film, The Magic of Belle Isle, the popular Oscar-winning actor said that people “conveniently forget that Barack had a mama, and she was white — very white American, Kansas, middle of America There was no argument about who he is or what he is. America’s first black president hasn’t arisen yet.
Holder offers $1 million reward for info leading to arrest of Brian Terry’s killers. By Matthew Boyle
Excerpt: Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday unsealed the indictment charging five people with crimes in connection with the Operation Fast and Furious-related murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Holder is already in criminal and civil contempt of Congress for withholding documents related to the Operation Fast and Furious scandal that armed the Mexican drug cartel criminals who murdered Agent Terry. Holder is offering a $1 million reward to anyone who helps the FBI with “information leading to the arrest of four fugitives.” (A little late. –Barb. Not at all. While a measly $1M wouldn’t put me in the Obama, Holder, Kerry, Moore, Soros, Buffett, Pelosi, Frank Raines 1% league, it would help my coming health-forced retirement. I think I’ll make a citizen’s arrest and turn Holder in for the reward. ~Bob.)
The Obama administration’s troubling Darfur policy. By Dr. Rafael Medoff Director, The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies
Excerpt: The sudden resignation of the U.S. ambassador in Kenya has cast an uncomfortable spotlight on the deep flaws in the Obama administration’s policies regarding the Darfur genocide. In doing so, he pulled the curtain back and revealed the truth about the Obama administration’s troubling Darfur policy. …several occasions in the past month about Bashir’s murderous air raids on the black Christian villagers in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains region. The administration’s response to the Nuba atrocities has been predictably tepid. (Currently reading an excellent if horrific book.Emma’s War, about the genocide/civil war in the Sudan and Darfur in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Will report when done. ~Bob.)
London Bus Attacks: 7/7 Remembered: 7 Years On - English Defence League
Excerpt: Today is day which is etched into our memories. On this day, seven years ago, 3 men decided to blow up themselves and their fellow travellers in London in one of the worst terrorist attacks on this country. We must put aside our anger and think about those souls whose lives were lost for no reason other than being on the wrong train or wrong bus at the wrong time of day. We must also give thought to the brave men and women of the various services, the police, the fire brigade, the ambulance and medical teams, who assisted the dead, dying and wounded.
Rioters were having 'spiritual experience' says bishop. This is why Anglicanism is dying. By Ed West
Excerpt: I don’t really care what policies the Socialist Workers Party adopts because I’m never going to join however they dress up their creed, which I believe to be fundamentally false. So I don’t know why atheists care what the Anglican or Catholic Churches do with themselves. Not that Anglican leaders do not deserve the scorn they attract; this year’s award for silliest comment must surely go to the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who said that last August’s riots were a “spiritual experience”
Mitt Romney may be super-rich, but it won't lose him the election. Voters want a leader, not a new best friend. By Tim Stanley
Excerpt: Reagan was pilloried throughout the 1980 campaign for bizarre statements about nuclear power (he said that a year’s waste could be “stored under a desk”), controlling nuclear weapons (“none of our business”) and the environment (the world’s biggest polluter is "vegetation"). The result? One October poll put Jimmy Carter ahead of Ronald Reagan by 47 to 39 percent.
Excerpt: There are lots of insane things about California, like going ahead with a $100 billion high-speed rail project — while running a $16 billion budget deficit — designed to run, in the first phase, from above Fresno to Corcoran, apparently for those tourists interested in visiting at high speed Charles Manson in the Corcoran prison at the end of the proposed line.
London: Kane Gorney Inquest: Doctors Did Not Know Patient, 22, Who Died of Thirst, Was There.
Excerpt: Kane Gorny, 22, lost more than a third of his body fluid while recovering from a hip operation at St George's Hospital in Tooting, southwest London. He needed vital medication to help his body retain fluid and resorted to phoning 999 to beg for a drink. The keen footballer and runner died of dehydration a few hours later. (My friend Beryl Mary Laurencin died when she choked on her Sunday lunch at St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London in January 2005. She'd gone in for a cataract operation. The staff thought she was clutching her throat because she was having a heart attack --Kate. The joy of Advanced Obamacare. ~Bob.)
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Robert A. Hall
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