Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Obama: ‘I Do Not Want to Screw This Up’
Max Boot "For all his obsession with domestic issues, he evidently realizes that losing wars is bad for a president’s reputation. That’s good for those of us who believe that it’s vitally important for the country’s interests to win the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. However reluctantly, Obama apparently has come to share that belief."
Three things to watch for in Obama's Iraq address (Updated)
CNN One question: "Q: Will Obama mention his predecessor? White House spokesman Bill Burton said that Obama called former President Bush from Air Force One and talked "for a few minutes" while he was en route to meet troops at Fort Bliss, Texas. Burton did not reveal what the two presidents discussed."
Obama's Iraq speech: Can he address opposite views of the war? " “Obama is in a terribly delicate position because he has to make his statement about Iraq in a way that does not contradict his previous stance that the war was a mistake, while at the same time balancing that against honoring the sacrifices of the men and women who served there,” says Wayne White, a former State Department intelligence officer specializing in Iraq. “It’s extremely difficult, and frankly I don’t see how it can work.” "
Obama's Iraq speech: Can he address opposite views of the war? " “Obama is in a terribly delicate position because he has to make his statement about Iraq in a way that does not contradict his previous stance that the war was a mistake, while at the same time balancing that against honoring the sacrifices of the men and women who served there,” says Wayne White, a former State Department intelligence officer specializing in Iraq. “It’s extremely difficult, and frankly I don’t see how it can work.” "
Obama's address tonight: It’s Time for Reality, Not Deadlines, in Iraq and Afghanistan
Heritage "Tonight President Barack Obama will deliver a prime-time Oval Office address on Iraq. Acting as President of the United States, the leader of a country, not a movement, tonight would be a perfect time for Obama to give due credit to those commanders who made the current progress in Iraq possible. He should thank General Ray Odierno, who implemented the counterinsurgency strategy that led to the dramatic decrease in violence in Iraq, General David Petraeus, who oversaw all coalition forces in Iraq during the surge, and President George W. Bush, who had the courage to explain the new strategy to the American people at a time when it was extremely unpopular to do so.
"Unfortunately, if the Weekly Address President Obama delivered from his rented vacation home on Martha’s Vineyard is any indication, none of that will happen."....
"As a candidate, Barack Obama could afford to indulge in irresponsible rhetoric about "ending" the war in Iraq without regard for the disastrous consequences of losing that war. But as President, Obama should act decisively as the nation’s commander-in-chief and protect vital American interests by successfully finishing the jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan." Emphasis added.
GIBBS: Obama Believed Surge Would Work; Voted Against It Anyway Fox video.
NY Times: Obama to Make 2nd Oval Office Speech " “I’m a general fan of how he’s handled the two wars,” said Michael E. O’Hanlon, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “But if there’s a consistent weakness, it’s the episodic quality in how we hear from him about the wars. He temporarily engages.” "
Obama’s Iraq Speech Should Stress a Resolute U.S. Security Commitment "In both Afghanistan and Iraq, bolstering the security of local allies is crucial to the long-term success of U.S. policy in both regions and in the broader war against terror. And U.S. troops should be part of this effort for many years to come. As a candidate, Barack Obama could afford to indulge in irresponsible rhetoric about “ending” the war in Iraq without regard for the disastrous consequences of losing that war. But as President, Obama should act decisively as the nation’s commander-in-chief and protect vital American interests by successfully finishing the jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan."
William Kristol: A Note to the President "When you speak to the troops [tonight] at Fort Bliss, and to the nation tomorrow night from the Oval Office, you speak, of course, as the president. As our president.
"You won't be speaking—not in these settings—as a once (and perhaps future) candidate for president. Nor as the leader of the Democratic Party. Nor as a critic of your predecessor's foreign policy. You are all of those things, of course—but it is not in those capacities that you speak to the troops at Fort Bliss, and to the nation from the Oval Office."
"Unfortunately, if the Weekly Address President Obama delivered from his rented vacation home on Martha’s Vineyard is any indication, none of that will happen."....
"As a candidate, Barack Obama could afford to indulge in irresponsible rhetoric about "ending" the war in Iraq without regard for the disastrous consequences of losing that war. But as President, Obama should act decisively as the nation’s commander-in-chief and protect vital American interests by successfully finishing the jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan." Emphasis added.
GIBBS: Obama Believed Surge Would Work; Voted Against It Anyway Fox video.
NY Times: Obama to Make 2nd Oval Office Speech " “I’m a general fan of how he’s handled the two wars,” said Michael E. O’Hanlon, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “But if there’s a consistent weakness, it’s the episodic quality in how we hear from him about the wars. He temporarily engages.” "
Obama’s Iraq Speech Should Stress a Resolute U.S. Security Commitment "In both Afghanistan and Iraq, bolstering the security of local allies is crucial to the long-term success of U.S. policy in both regions and in the broader war against terror. And U.S. troops should be part of this effort for many years to come. As a candidate, Barack Obama could afford to indulge in irresponsible rhetoric about “ending” the war in Iraq without regard for the disastrous consequences of losing that war. But as President, Obama should act decisively as the nation’s commander-in-chief and protect vital American interests by successfully finishing the jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan."
William Kristol: A Note to the President "When you speak to the troops [tonight] at Fort Bliss, and to the nation tomorrow night from the Oval Office, you speak, of course, as the president. As our president.
"You won't be speaking—not in these settings—as a once (and perhaps future) candidate for president. Nor as the leader of the Democratic Party. Nor as a critic of your predecessor's foreign policy. You are all of those things, of course—but it is not in those capacities that you speak to the troops at Fort Bliss, and to the nation from the Oval Office."
Our Schools, Dumb and Dumber (Updated)
Alan Caruba "The DOE is pretty much owned by the National Education Association which is not an “association”, but a powerful union, the largest with an estimated 3.2 members. The Democrat Party is heavily indebted to it for funds and campaign workers." Alan Caruba blogs at Warning Signs .
Education Secretary pushed employees to attend Sharpton rally "Anyone with any experience in the private sector of managing people would understand that already. An “invitation” from the boss to a political event amounts to an implied diktat and a strong hint on approved political affiliation in the workplace, and everyone knows it. As we have seen in other contexts, though, this administration is almost bereft of such experience. Instead, it’s comprised mainly of political hacks … like Arne Duncan." Hot Air Blog.
NEA's Politics : "Rules for Radicals".... Really??!? You can't be serious! "I have a huge problem with you recommending poisonous literature which overtly espouses Anti-American sentiments. Books like these have no place in education and as a member I DEMAND their removal from the recommended reading list for NEA organizers. See below:"
"I have a huge problem with you recommending poisonous literature which overtly espouses Anti-American sentiments. Books like these have no place in education and as a member I DEMAND their removal from the recommended reading list for NEA organizers. See below:
Rules for Radicals
Saul Alinsky, Vintage Books, 1989
Organize for Social Change
Midwest Academy Manual for Activists
Third Edition, Kim Bobo et al, Seven Locks Press, 2001
If you insist on promoting this kind of subversive material I will rescind my membership in the NEA and actively convince others to do the same."
Our union should not be advocating the reading of this kind of material. In addition to being plain wrong it is divisive and inflammatory. This is a new LOW for the NEA which reinforces my sentiment that I am NOT proud of being a member of the NEA because their activism does NOT reflect my values. I will contribute to the union in my school district only on a "fair share" basis thus giving the minimum. This organization DOES NOT have the right to misuse the funds I give them for the support of twisted political views as expressed in the above listed books..... and so... I will no longer provide them with any financial support. The endorsement of these authors only serves to fuel some of the public opinions that we as teachers are "out of touch" and a bunch of wackos. It's just not helpful to our image. See the link for yourself:
http://www.nea.org/tools/17231.htm
Tim
Education Secretary pushed employees to attend Sharpton rally "Anyone with any experience in the private sector of managing people would understand that already. An “invitation” from the boss to a political event amounts to an implied diktat and a strong hint on approved political affiliation in the workplace, and everyone knows it. As we have seen in other contexts, though, this administration is almost bereft of such experience. Instead, it’s comprised mainly of political hacks … like Arne Duncan." Hot Air Blog.
NEA's Politics : "Rules for Radicals".... Really??!? You can't be serious! "I have a huge problem with you recommending poisonous literature which overtly espouses Anti-American sentiments. Books like these have no place in education and as a member I DEMAND their removal from the recommended reading list for NEA organizers. See below:"
Rules for RadicalsFrom the comments section of the NEA website. The original link appears to be deleted and this comment will probably disappear soon as well, ergo we have copied the text of the letter below for you:
Saul Alinsky, Vintage Books, 1989"
"I have a huge problem with you recommending poisonous literature which overtly espouses Anti-American sentiments. Books like these have no place in education and as a member I DEMAND their removal from the recommended reading list for NEA organizers. See below:
Rules for Radicals
Saul Alinsky, Vintage Books, 1989
Organize for Social Change
Midwest Academy Manual for Activists
Third Edition, Kim Bobo et al, Seven Locks Press, 2001
If you insist on promoting this kind of subversive material I will rescind my membership in the NEA and actively convince others to do the same."
Our union should not be advocating the reading of this kind of material. In addition to being plain wrong it is divisive and inflammatory. This is a new LOW for the NEA which reinforces my sentiment that I am NOT proud of being a member of the NEA because their activism does NOT reflect my values. I will contribute to the union in my school district only on a "fair share" basis thus giving the minimum. This organization DOES NOT have the right to misuse the funds I give them for the support of twisted political views as expressed in the above listed books..... and so... I will no longer provide them with any financial support. The endorsement of these authors only serves to fuel some of the public opinions that we as teachers are "out of touch" and a bunch of wackos. It's just not helpful to our image. See the link for yourself:
http://www.nea.org/tools/17231.htm
Tim
High federal pay means less capital formation, lower wages and reduced innovation.
Forbes " It should also be remembered the perverse incentives that exist among federal workers. Not able to advance based on profits, and doing more with less, workers in the government succeed the more the bureaucracy they work for grows, the more lawsuits they win against private actors, the more regulations they impose, and the more fines/fees they lift from the increasingly empty hands of the average American taxpayer." John Tamny is editor of RealClearMarkets, a senior economist with H.C. Wainwright Economics and a senior economic advisor to Toreador Research and Trading. He writes a weekly column for Forbes.
Consumers don't want to spend. They know his promise not to raise their taxes was another ObamaLie
MORE ON OBAMA'S SMALL BUSINESS "JOBS" BILL "Back to this small business bill. Obama came out swinging against the Republicans and their blockage of this bill. So there has to be a reason why the Republicans do not believe that this bill will not be the small business savior that the Democrats claim it to be."...Boortz
Obama's Appalling Mistreatment of Israel
David Limbaugh "As Israeli and Palestinian peace talks are scheduled to resume in Washington in a few days, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that Palestinian recognition of Israel as the Jewish homeland is an essential condition for peace. Completely reasonable, yet don't keep your fingers crossed, especially with the Obama administration's attitude toward Israel."
On and on it goes: "The Mosque Controversy"
Thomas Sowell "The proposed mosque near where the World Trade Center was attacked and destroyed, along with thousands of American lives, would be a 15-story middle finger to America."....
"...Barack Obama is not so much the cause of our decline but the culmination of it. He had many predecessors and many contemporaries who represent the same mindset and the same malaise.
"There are people for whom moral preening has become a way of life. They are out in force denouncing critics of the Ground Zero mosque."
The mosque will be built; there is no way the backers will retreat before the world. Then they will say, "Praise the warrior Atta, he has brought down the World Trade Center and erected a mosque in its place!"
The Fox News connection to Ground Zero mosque "The Saudi prince whose post-9/11 relief check was rejected by former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani has found a more willing recipient in the city for his millions: the head of the Ground Zero mosque project. The same Saudi potentate, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, owns the biggest chunk of the parent company of the Fox News Channel outside of the Murdoch family."
All Roads Lead to Ground Zero Mosque – Part 1 "Sperry’s WND.com piece goes on to unravel a tangle of connections between the Aspen Institute and the Cordoba Initiative, with the occasional link back to the George Herbert Walker Bush & chums. (See Part 2 tomorrow.)"
"...Barack Obama is not so much the cause of our decline but the culmination of it. He had many predecessors and many contemporaries who represent the same mindset and the same malaise.
"There are people for whom moral preening has become a way of life. They are out in force denouncing critics of the Ground Zero mosque."
The mosque will be built; there is no way the backers will retreat before the world. Then they will say, "Praise the warrior Atta, he has brought down the World Trade Center and erected a mosque in its place!"
The Fox News connection to Ground Zero mosque "The Saudi prince whose post-9/11 relief check was rejected by former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani has found a more willing recipient in the city for his millions: the head of the Ground Zero mosque project. The same Saudi potentate, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, owns the biggest chunk of the parent company of the Fox News Channel outside of the Murdoch family."
All Roads Lead to Ground Zero Mosque – Part 1 "Sperry’s WND.com piece goes on to unravel a tangle of connections between the Aspen Institute and the Cordoba Initiative, with the occasional link back to the George Herbert Walker Bush & chums. (See Part 2 tomorrow.)"
Monday, August 30, 2010
America — Behind the Mosque (Revised)
Victor Davis Hanson Children of the cognitive elite go to safe, enlightened and, for some, expensive schools, from kindergarten to the Ivy League or its liberal arts counterparts. Life is lived within safe, secure, fashionable, and enlightened neighborhoods.
"In other words, there is a cocoon around many of our culture’s most vocal critics. The elites of postmodern America, because of their education, own merit, hard work, connections, luck, or inheritance, have reached a point where they are largely exempt from worries about dangers to what I would call their good life — one that the vast majority of Americans, who otherwise do pretty well themselves, do not share."
"In other words, there is a cocoon around many of our culture’s most vocal critics. The elites of postmodern America, because of their education, own merit, hard work, connections, luck, or inheritance, have reached a point where they are largely exempt from worries about dangers to what I would call their good life — one that the vast majority of Americans, who otherwise do pretty well themselves, do not share."
THE BECK RALLY!
Boortz "Why were liberals so upset with this huge gathering in Washington? Because they know that other than the president there is not one star in the liberal firmament who could come close to gathering this many people together in this way. No chance. No way, no how. This, of course, means that the conservative who can gin up a crowd like this must be demonized.
"And speaking of demonization ... what is the principal method of demonization used by the left? Race, of course! So the liberal noise machine was in full force last week trying to make this rally a slam on Martin Luther King, Jr."
The malignant malice of Chris Matthews "Presently, the left is frantically rooting around in a political dumpster for their last grasp of discordant power. Race baiters are emerging from the farthest recesses of a refuse heap with a crumpled, stained race card firmly in hand. Racial strife is the last great hope of the likes of political pundits whose true "nightmare" is the exercise of Constitutional freedoms giving rise to the dream of which Martin Luther King spoke and the realization that that "dream" is hindered only by those like Chris Matthews, who fear its unifying power."
Ballplayer Albert Pujols 'a real-life hero' "Unlike those pathetic protesters who chose to profane local icon Stan Musial (who set the standard for community service by St. Louis athletes) by gathering at his statue, Albert Pujols and Tony La Russa have worked tirelessly to make their community and society in general a better place."
Subliminal Reduction at the Washington Post "WaPo’s article about the rally carried a time stamp of 1:38 p.m., but the photo of a near empty crowd in front of the Lincoln Memorial clearly was taken long before the tens or hundreds of thousands of rally participants arrived. The caption says “Glenn Beck Rally Draws Thousands,” but the photo is not of the rally. Subliminal deception."
"And speaking of demonization ... what is the principal method of demonization used by the left? Race, of course! So the liberal noise machine was in full force last week trying to make this rally a slam on Martin Luther King, Jr."
The malignant malice of Chris Matthews "Presently, the left is frantically rooting around in a political dumpster for their last grasp of discordant power. Race baiters are emerging from the farthest recesses of a refuse heap with a crumpled, stained race card firmly in hand. Racial strife is the last great hope of the likes of political pundits whose true "nightmare" is the exercise of Constitutional freedoms giving rise to the dream of which Martin Luther King spoke and the realization that that "dream" is hindered only by those like Chris Matthews, who fear its unifying power."
Ballplayer Albert Pujols 'a real-life hero' "Unlike those pathetic protesters who chose to profane local icon Stan Musial (who set the standard for community service by St. Louis athletes) by gathering at his statue, Albert Pujols and Tony La Russa have worked tirelessly to make their community and society in general a better place."
The Intolerance of Tolerance
Stand to Reason "Tolerance of persons must also be distinguished from tolerance of ideas. Tolerance of persons requires that each person's views get a courteous hearing, not that all views have equal worth, merit, or truth. The view that no person's ideas are any better or truer than another's is irrational and absurd. To argue that some views are false, immoral, or just plain silly does not violate any meaningful standard of tolerance."
Why Movie Stars are Liberal
Big Hollywood "This isolation from large segments of the population, relying strictly on other members of the industry for one’s social and intellectual life, might also explain why even major stars subscribe to the blathering of someone like Barack Obama, who carries on very much like a movie star."
How Mama talks to a liberal "You all know how often I complain about the way liberals debate — you offer a fact, and they come back with a personal insult. Marie Stroughter has figured out how to deal with it."
How Mama talks to a liberal "You all know how often I complain about the way liberals debate — you offer a fact, and they come back with a personal insult. Marie Stroughter has figured out how to deal with it."
Marie Stroughter is a Big, Fat, Right Wing Extremist (and She’s Dumb, Too!) "Often, on the radio show, and more frequently now in the aftermath of the NAACP Tea Party Resolution and “Sherrod-gate,” we’ve talked about the tendency of the Left to go on this vicious, ballistic, and, oh so very personal, attack on conservatives.
"Last night we interviewed Michelle Malkin. Despite her journalism credentials and extensive career “in the biz,” one glance at some of the items in her Twitter feed, and those of us who still possess a modicum of “couth” have to turn away. The epithets hurled at this woman on a day-to-day basis literally make me sick to my stomach."
Israel to blame if talks fail over settlements issue: Abbas
Breitbart "Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on television on Sunday Israel would be to blame if resumed direct talks with Israel failed over the Jewish settlements issue. "I have to say, and we told all parties including the United States before accepting renewed talks, that the Israeli government will bear sole responsibility of the risk of failure of the talks if settlement activities continue in Palestinian territories occupied in 1967," he said in a speech."
Juan Williams vs. Israel "The only good news on the horizon is that with Obama’s plummeting popularity and evident nervousness about American Jewish support (otherwise why the charm offensive?), Israel has good reason to wait him out. Go ahead, talk — every two weeks. When the Palestinians are ready to renounce violence and give up the dream of a one-state solution (200 meetings from now? a thousand?), Israel will be waiting." Jennifer Rubin.
Charles Krauthammer: Those troublesome Jews "Land for peace. Remember? Well, during the past decade, Israel gave the land -- evacuating South Lebanon in 2000 and Gaza in 2005. What did it get? An intensification of belligerency, heavy militarization of the enemy side, multiple kidnappings, cross-border attacks and, from Gaza, years of unrelenting rocket attack."....
"The world is tired of these troublesome Jews, 6 million -- that number again -- hard by the Mediterranean, refusing every invitation to national suicide. For which they are relentlessly demonized, ghettoized and constrained from defending themselves, even as the more committed anti-Zionists -- Iranian in particular -- openly prepare a more final solution." From June 4, 2010
Getting Abbas to the Table "If the fractious Palestinian polity is in no way ready for a viable deal, and if imposing a solution on Israel is politically unfeasible and strategically self-defeating, what explains the full-court press to cajole Abbas to the table? The answer appears to be this: George Mitchell (for the American administration), Tony Blair (for the Quartet), and Catherine Ashton (for the EU) are deeply invested in the notion that Abbas is prepared to deliver on a historic two-state solution, and therefore even the illusion of momentum trumps the status quo." JewishIdeasDaily.com
Face-to-Face Negotiations in September 2010: What Will They Talk About? "In accepting President Obama's summons, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Abu Mazen know they will, necessarily, be discussing the same four issues that were on the table in 2000. So, as President Obama pushes Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Abu Mazen, the questions are:
•If Yasser Arafat could not accept any compromise then, why would President Obama think Abu Mazen, whose legitimate term of office ended in January 2009 and who controls far less territory and far fewer Palestinians, can compromise?
•What will the President do if the talks fail and increased violence is again the result?"
The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs
Juan Williams vs. Israel "The only good news on the horizon is that with Obama’s plummeting popularity and evident nervousness about American Jewish support (otherwise why the charm offensive?), Israel has good reason to wait him out. Go ahead, talk — every two weeks. When the Palestinians are ready to renounce violence and give up the dream of a one-state solution (200 meetings from now? a thousand?), Israel will be waiting." Jennifer Rubin.
Charles Krauthammer: Those troublesome Jews "Land for peace. Remember? Well, during the past decade, Israel gave the land -- evacuating South Lebanon in 2000 and Gaza in 2005. What did it get? An intensification of belligerency, heavy militarization of the enemy side, multiple kidnappings, cross-border attacks and, from Gaza, years of unrelenting rocket attack."....
"The world is tired of these troublesome Jews, 6 million -- that number again -- hard by the Mediterranean, refusing every invitation to national suicide. For which they are relentlessly demonized, ghettoized and constrained from defending themselves, even as the more committed anti-Zionists -- Iranian in particular -- openly prepare a more final solution." From June 4, 2010
Getting Abbas to the Table "If the fractious Palestinian polity is in no way ready for a viable deal, and if imposing a solution on Israel is politically unfeasible and strategically self-defeating, what explains the full-court press to cajole Abbas to the table? The answer appears to be this: George Mitchell (for the American administration), Tony Blair (for the Quartet), and Catherine Ashton (for the EU) are deeply invested in the notion that Abbas is prepared to deliver on a historic two-state solution, and therefore even the illusion of momentum trumps the status quo." JewishIdeasDaily.com
Face-to-Face Negotiations in September 2010: What Will They Talk About? "In accepting President Obama's summons, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Abu Mazen know they will, necessarily, be discussing the same four issues that were on the table in 2000. So, as President Obama pushes Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Abu Mazen, the questions are:
•If Yasser Arafat could not accept any compromise then, why would President Obama think Abu Mazen, whose legitimate term of office ended in January 2009 and who controls far less territory and far fewer Palestinians, can compromise?
•What will the President do if the talks fail and increased violence is again the result?"
The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs
Policy Options Dwindle as Economic Fears Grow
NY Times "This is where the Great Recession has taken the world’s largest economy, to a Great Ambiguity over what lies ahead, and what can be done now. Economists debate the benefits of previous policy prescriptions, but in the political realm a rare consensus has emerged: The future is now so colored in red ink that running up the debt seems politically risky in the months before the Congressional elections, even in the name of creating jobs and generating economic growth. The result is that Democrats and Republicans have foresworn virtually any course that involves spending serious money. " Via Heritage
Will Solid Conservatives Run New Senate?
Brian Darling “I’ve been criticized by some of my Republican colleagues for saying I’d rather have 30 Republicans in the Senate who believe in the principles of freedom, than 60 who don’t believe in anything. Let me make myself even clearer: I'd rather have 30 Marco Rubios in the Senate than 60 Arlen Specters. But, if that were the case I wouldn’t have to settle for 30, because strong conservatives who believe in a constitutional limited government like Marco Rubio will pave the way to a new Republican majority that will keep our promises to the American people.” The words of Senator Jim DeMint Sunday, August 29, 2010
Coming? A Transaction Tax!
One percent transaction tax is proposed "President Obama's finance team is recommending a transaction tax. His plan is to sneak it in after the November election to keep it under the radar. This is a 1% tax on all transaction(sic) at any financial institution i. e. Banks, Credit Unions, extra. Any deposit you make, or move around within your account, i. e. transfer to, will have a 1% tax charged. If your pay check or your social Security or whatever is direct deposit, 1% tax charged. If you hand carry a check in to deposit, 1% tax charged, If you take cash in to deposit, 1% tax charged.This is from the man who promised that if you make under $250,000 per year, you will not see one penny of new tax." Emphasis added. Hat tip to Janie Sanford, California.
The Tainted Transaction Tax "Even if Congress could somehow “exempt” individuals with a refund, institutions would still have to pay the tax. Mutual funds, which conduct million of trades every year, will be forced to pass along these costs to investors in higher management fees or lower returns or both. This is why Dr. Litan correctly labeled the transaction tax a “direct hit on Main Street investors.” " Forbes
Lanny Davis Calls For A ‘Transaction Tax’ "One idea for raising taxes to pay down the debt is the bill introduced this February by Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.). His "Debt Free America Act" (H.R. 4646) would impose a 1 percent "transaction tax" on every financial transaction — whether paid by cash, credit card or any form of financial transfer, the only exception being transactions involving the purchase or sale of stock. Theoretically, everyone would pay one cent on the dollar for every such transaction in America every day — whether $3 million on a $300 million business acquisition, $300 on the purchase of a $30,000 car, or $5 on a $500 ATM withdrawal."
H.R. 4646: Debt Free America Act "To establish a fee on transactions which would eliminate the national debt and replace the income tax on individuals." http://www.govtrack.us/
The Tainted Transaction Tax "Even if Congress could somehow “exempt” individuals with a refund, institutions would still have to pay the tax. Mutual funds, which conduct million of trades every year, will be forced to pass along these costs to investors in higher management fees or lower returns or both. This is why Dr. Litan correctly labeled the transaction tax a “direct hit on Main Street investors.” " Forbes
Lanny Davis Calls For A ‘Transaction Tax’ "One idea for raising taxes to pay down the debt is the bill introduced this February by Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.). His "Debt Free America Act" (H.R. 4646) would impose a 1 percent "transaction tax" on every financial transaction — whether paid by cash, credit card or any form of financial transfer, the only exception being transactions involving the purchase or sale of stock. Theoretically, everyone would pay one cent on the dollar for every such transaction in America every day — whether $3 million on a $300 million business acquisition, $300 on the purchase of a $30,000 car, or $5 on a $500 ATM withdrawal."
H.R. 4646: Debt Free America Act "To establish a fee on transactions which would eliminate the national debt and replace the income tax on individuals." http://www.govtrack.us/
‘Islam Idiots’?
Victor Davis Hanson "And while Rauf the contemplative Sufi philosopher has a disturbing record of contextualizing 9/11, bin Laden, and Hamas, he has no need of nuance when it comes to America. He can be quite forthright in criticizing the United States for its perceived and apparently singular global transgressions — though he is quiet about far greater Russian and Chinese anti-Muslim violence. He claims he is for free expression, even when it so obviously offends tens of millions of Americans; but he has no problem criticizing the Danish cartoonists for their supposedly unnecessary and gratuitously offensive drawings. In a variety of ways, he has praised the Iranian Revolution, whose end result is horrific violence against women, homosexuals, democrats, and dissidents of any stripe, whether novelists abroad or reformers at home."
Top Muslims Condemn Ground Zero Mosque as a 'Zionist Conspiracy' "Westernized Muslims, on the other hand, have learned that they can get away with almost anything — so long as they slap the words "tolerance," "pluralism," "dialogue," or "bridge-building" to their endeavors, as the 9/11 mosque supporters do regularly. In short, a correlation exists between how well or how little a Muslim knows the West, and how aggressive or passive their Islamism becomes.
"Moreover, religious buildings are seen as symbols of supremacy by many Muslims; hence the reason mosques are ubiquitous to the Muslim world whereas churches are all but — and in some Muslim nations totally — banned."
Raymond Ibrahim is associate director of the Middle East Forum, author of The Al Qaeda Reader, guest lecturer at the National Defense Intelligence College (Washington, D.C.), and deputy publisher of the Middle East Quarterly.
Top Muslims Condemn Ground Zero Mosque as a 'Zionist Conspiracy' "Westernized Muslims, on the other hand, have learned that they can get away with almost anything — so long as they slap the words "tolerance," "pluralism," "dialogue," or "bridge-building" to their endeavors, as the 9/11 mosque supporters do regularly. In short, a correlation exists between how well or how little a Muslim knows the West, and how aggressive or passive their Islamism becomes.
"Moreover, religious buildings are seen as symbols of supremacy by many Muslims; hence the reason mosques are ubiquitous to the Muslim world whereas churches are all but — and in some Muslim nations totally — banned."
Raymond Ibrahim is associate director of the Middle East Forum, author of The Al Qaeda Reader, guest lecturer at the National Defense Intelligence College (Washington, D.C.), and deputy publisher of the Middle East Quarterly.
Travelling light, Obama-style: 20-vehicle convoy, SWAT team, Air Force One and nuclear codes accompany him on holiday
UK Daily Mail This has been typical of the security given to all recent presidents and not to just Mr. Obama. The only thing peculiar to an individual president is where he chooses to vacation and how often. And what about if the First Couple splits up, going in two different directions? TD
When Do We Get A Vacation? "Obama still is on vacation. Goodly for him.
"When do we get a vaction from the Democrats' relentless expansion of the federal government into every facet of our lives? The massive pieces of legislation passed in the past 18 months were just the opening shots. Now come the regulations and the Executive Orders, which will take place regardless of what happens in November."I don't know about you, but this August has been anything but relaxing. He's resting up, and we're on the verge of exhaustion." Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion
Republicans: Boehner's Pro-Growth Message
Larry Kudlow "Instead of playing it safe, it looks like Republicans intend to be aggressive in changing the statist, government-planning, socialist-lite agenda of President Obama, Majority Leader Harry Reid, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It sounds like the new Republican party intends to end the ongoing war against private-capital investment, entrepreneurial rewards, free-market incentives, and private business that is plaguing the economy and sapping the strength of the recovery.
"In a little over two months, the election will take place. In a little over four months, the 2003 tax cuts will expire. And in just a few weeks, congressional Republicans will presumably put more meat on the bones of their new platform. John Boehner’s Cleveland speech was a very encouraging beginning. Now let’s see if the Republican’s next step will truly provide some much needed optimism to the economy and body politic*."
*Body politic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A body politic refers to the people of a nation, state or country considered collectively as a body of organized citizens."
"In a little over two months, the election will take place. In a little over four months, the 2003 tax cuts will expire. And in just a few weeks, congressional Republicans will presumably put more meat on the bones of their new platform. John Boehner’s Cleveland speech was a very encouraging beginning. Now let’s see if the Republican’s next step will truly provide some much needed optimism to the economy and body politic*."
*Body politic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A body politic refers to the people of a nation, state or country considered collectively as a body of organized citizens."
Saturday, August 28, 2010
In pictures: Washington conservative rally; from the BBC
BBC "Mr Beck, who once described President Barack Obama as a racist who hated white people, told the crowd America had "wandered in darkness" too long but was now beginning to "turn back to God"."
And So It Starts: ‘Tens Of Thousands’ . . . ‘Predominantly White Crowd’ "How do they figure only ‘tens of thousands’ attend?" Via Weasel Zippers
ABC Takes Palin’s Quote Out Of Context
Honor And American Pride Come To DC . . . UPDATED I, II, III, IV "CNN – “I have just gotten word from the media that there are over 1,000 people here today,” Beck said sarcastically.
“We are humbled that you are here,” he said. “The reflecting pool holds about 200,000 people. This field back here holds about 250- to 300,000 people. They are not only full here, they’re full in that field, they’re full behind me, and they are now across the street approaching the Washington Monument.”"
More screen shots of the crowd included.
Beck, Palin tell thousands to 'restore America' "A sea of people rallied at the hallowed site of the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday as conservative commentator Glenn Beck and other heroes of the "tea party" movement honored Americans serving in the military and delivered impassioned calls to turn the nation back to God and to protect the traditional values that they said make the country exceptional. "....
"King's niece Alveda King, an anti-abortion activist, addressed Beck's rally with a plea for prayer "in the public squares of America and in our schools." Referencing her "Uncle Martin," King called for national unity by repeatedly declaring "I have a dream." "I have a dream that America will pray and God will forgive us our sins and revive us our land," King said. "On that day, we will all be able to lift every voice and sing of the love and honor that God desires of all his children."
"The crowd was not visibly angry. Rather, people said they had come to express their fear that the country is at a perilous moment. "....
"The Sharpton rally was primarily African American." WaPo
Massive crowd for Restore Honor Rally "Scott Wong of Politico, also generally no cheerleader for conservatives, writes:
Tens of thousands? Certainly. One hundred thousand? Perhaps. Half a million? No one can really say for sure." Thomas Lifson, American ThinkerCROWD ROARS at Restoring Honor Rally as MLK’s Niece Alveda King Declares: “I Too Have a Dream!” (Video) "Alveda Celeste King, a pro-life activist and niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, gave a powerful and moving speech to the 500,000+ patriots gathered in Washington DC today at the Restoring Honor Rally. Today was the 47th anniversary of her uncle’s speech at the Lincoln Memorial. Like her uncle before her, she also had a message."....
"But, according to Al Sharpton and his leftist cohorts, she’s a racist."
Al Sharpton’s Counter-Freedom Rally Attracts Only 3,000 Supporters "Jaime Contreras, local SEIU president added this:"
“Shame on them. We still have a dream. We are here to let those folks on the Mall know that they don’t represent the dream. They sure as hell don’t represent me. They represent hate-mongering and angry white people. The happy white people are here today. We will not let them stand in the way of the change we voted for!“
More Government to Protect Us from Ourselves
Big Government "Putting more and more wolves in charge of guarding the henhouse might characterize the big problems we’ve now created for ourselves.
"Government is growing. The private economy is shrinking. Those wielding political power see fewer and fewer problems they believe private citizens can solve on our own. Soon, each one of us will have our own personal guardian bureaucrat." ....
"It’s good that our politicians are getting our financial affairs in order for us.
"Proof that we can rely on them is that our government debt is now almost 60% of our GDP and projected to reach 100% by 2020. Standard & Poor’s has just indicated that the AAA rating of US government bonds may have to be reduced, showing that the United States is now a credit risk." Star Parker
"Government is growing. The private economy is shrinking. Those wielding political power see fewer and fewer problems they believe private citizens can solve on our own. Soon, each one of us will have our own personal guardian bureaucrat." ....
"It’s good that our politicians are getting our financial affairs in order for us.
"Proof that we can rely on them is that our government debt is now almost 60% of our GDP and projected to reach 100% by 2020. Standard & Poor’s has just indicated that the AAA rating of US government bonds may have to be reduced, showing that the United States is now a credit risk." Star Parker
Why They Can’t Condemn Hamas
Andy McCarthy "Hamas is a shibboleth. If you want to know whether an ostensible Muslim “moderate” is really moderate, ask him if Hamas is a terrorist organization."
shib·bo·leth –noun Dictionary.com
1. a peculiarity of pronunciation, behavior, mode of dress, etc., that distinguishes a particular class or set of persons.
2. a slogan; catchword.
3. a common saying or belief with little current meaning or truth.
Is Hamas a terrorist organization? "The occasion of McCarthy's column was his appearance on David Asman's Fox Business Channel show debating Imam Dawoud Kringle of the New York State prison system, a supporter of the Ground Zero Mosque. McCarthy commented on his close encounter with Mr. Kringle: "Kringle...reeled off the usual talking points about how Islam forbids terrorism and, therefore, if someone commits an act of terrorism that act is, by definition, un-Islamic."
"That's beautiful. But when Asman then posed the question whether Hamas is a terrorist organization, Kringle froze up and looked like his life flashed before his eyes. " Includes video and sound.
shib·bo·leth –noun Dictionary.com
1. a peculiarity of pronunciation, behavior, mode of dress, etc., that distinguishes a particular class or set of persons.
2. a slogan; catchword.
3. a common saying or belief with little current meaning or truth.
Is Hamas a terrorist organization? "The occasion of McCarthy's column was his appearance on David Asman's Fox Business Channel show debating Imam Dawoud Kringle of the New York State prison system, a supporter of the Ground Zero Mosque. McCarthy commented on his close encounter with Mr. Kringle: "Kringle...reeled off the usual talking points about how Islam forbids terrorism and, therefore, if someone commits an act of terrorism that act is, by definition, un-Islamic."
"That's beautiful. But when Asman then posed the question whether Hamas is a terrorist organization, Kringle froze up and looked like his life flashed before his eyes. " Includes video and sound.
The Sources of American Anger
Victor Davis Hanson "Behind the anger over the Arizona immigration mess, the Ground Zero mosque, the economy, and the new directions in foreign policy are some recurring general themes that reverberate in each particular new controversy. In sum, they explain everything from the tea parties to the wholly negative perception of Congress to the slide in presidential popularity."....
"In other words, with the race/class/gender critique of the Obamians comes very little appreciation of the bounty, freedom, and affluence that they so eagerly embrace. Surely someone in the past — perhaps even white males — must have been doing something right for America to evolve into a place that our present-day critics apparently enjoy."
"In other words, with the race/class/gender critique of the Obamians comes very little appreciation of the bounty, freedom, and affluence that they so eagerly embrace. Surely someone in the past — perhaps even white males — must have been doing something right for America to evolve into a place that our present-day critics apparently enjoy."
Republicans: Boehner's Pro-Growth Message
Larry Kudlow "Well, Mr. Boehner’s speech was a very promising beginning to all this. Near the top he said, “Right now, America’s employers are afraid to invest in an economy stalled by ‘stimulus’ spending and hamstrung by uncertainty. The prospect of higher taxes, stricter rules, and more regulations has employers sitting on their hands.”
"His first proposal to break that uncertainty? Boehner said, “President Obama should announce he will not carry out his plan to impose job-killing tax hikes on families and small businesses.” In other words, extend all the Bush tax cuts. To this end, Boehner quoted former President John F. Kennedy: “An economy constrained by high tax rates will never produce enough revenue to balance the budget, just as it will never create enough jobs.”
"His first proposal to break that uncertainty? Boehner said, “President Obama should announce he will not carry out his plan to impose job-killing tax hikes on families and small businesses.” In other words, extend all the Bush tax cuts. To this end, Boehner quoted former President John F. Kennedy: “An economy constrained by high tax rates will never produce enough revenue to balance the budget, just as it will never create enough jobs.”
"And Boehner was just getting started."....
One of many points Boehner made: "He slammed Obamacare in general, noting the creation of more than 160 boards, bureaucracies, programs, and commissions, and the 3,833 pages of new regulations already in place."
One of many points Boehner made: "He slammed Obamacare in general, noting the creation of more than 160 boards, bureaucracies, programs, and commissions, and the 3,833 pages of new regulations already in place."
Cartoon: Eric Allie, Townhall. Article via Townhall.
Freedom’s Just Another Word For Not Regulated Yet
Healthcare issues
Deregulating Health Insurance and Health Care Providers in North Carolina "Mandates lock in current medical practices and payment methods.36 They limit competition among medical providers and strengthen the position of dominant insurers. As insurers and providers seek assistance from lawmakers, they focus more on political gains than on the market." Quite lengthy and deals with the relationship of state insurance regulations and the new Obamacare laws.
Government Greed, Not Human Need, Drives the Growth of Medicaid "Since President Obama took office, Medicaid has been accelerating in the wrong direction, a trend the American people have good reason to resist. The political class is exploiting the economic downturn to increase its control of our health dollars by making more people dependent on Medicaid, which sentences millions to inadequate care."
Via Heritage Insider. Illustration from The People's Cube
Another Presidential Rescue Mission in North Korea
Heritage Insider (August 25, 2010) "North Korea may interpret Carter’s visit as an indication that the Obama Administration wants to move beyond the Cheonan incident. Similarly, South Korea may question the resolve of its U.S. ally. Senior South Korean officials commented privately that Washington advocated a softer response than Seoul during last month’s bilateral military exercises, which were meant as a strong signal to Pyongyang. Carter’s visit may appear to be an extension of this perceived softness."
Friday, August 27, 2010
Crying Bigotry: Last Refuge Of The Liberal
Charles Krauthammer "It is a measure of the corruption of liberal thought and the collapse of its self-confidence that, finding itself so widely repudiated, it resorts reflexively to the cheapest race-baiting (in a colorful variety of forms)."....
Case in point is this taunt of healthcare protestors by Pelosi:
"The Democrats are going to get beaten badly in November. Not just because the economy is ailing. And not just because Obama over-read his mandate in governing too far left. But because a comeuppance is due the arrogant elites whose undisguised contempt for the great unwashed prevents them from conceding a modicum of serious thought to those who dare oppose them."
Case in point is this taunt of healthcare protestors by Pelosi: Is stealth jihad behind ground zero mosque?
Washington Times "He continued: "Despite public opinion, the mainstream media has virtually ignored the protests against the WTC mosque. According to internet reports, not one major TV network or camera crew covered this recent protest. Uncredited photos of the New York protests have surfaced, bypassing the mainstream media's unbalanced reporting, and have since caused a stir on the internet. Few words are necessary. The photos of the mystery photographer speak louder than any words ever could.""
Judicial Watch Files Brief on Behalf of SB 1070 Author in U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Judicial Watch "State Senator Pearce issued the following statement on his new brief to defend SB 1070:
This ought to be a no-brainer for the courts. I hope the appeals court allows our state to enforce the rule of law because the Obama administration doesn’t seem to care one whit for the safety of the citizens of Arizona. SB 1070 simply reflects federal immigration law. This Obama team doesn’t want immigration laws enforced — but that doesn’t mean that Arizona can’t take common sense steps to protect its own citizens."Speaking of the courts: July Most Ridiculous Lawsuit Poll: No Eyes (or Common Sense) Needed with Google Maps "This lawsuit is one of the contenders for this month’s Most Ridiculous Lawsuit Poll. Here are the others:
•A career criminal charged with manslaughter after a high-speed police chase sues the state police for pursuing him
•A woman sues her former employer, claiming she was fired for being too attractive
•A college graduate sues her dad for violating an agreement to pay her college costs
•A prison inmate who attempted suicide sues the prison for giving him a razor"
Lone Star state won't participate in Obama's lawless policy
"Instead, it is attempting to ride roughshod over Texas, and it goes beyond the greenhouse-gas issue."
If You Like Your Health Care Plan, You Can Start Beating Your Head Against the Wall Now
Reason.com "The policy change could turn into a hassle for seniors who hadn't intended to switch plans during Medicare's open enrollment season this fall.
"And it risks undercutting President Barack Obama's promise that people who like their health care plans can keep them…."As a result of this policy, there are going to be fewer plans offered in 2011," said Bonnie Washington, a senior analyst with Avalere Health, which produced the study." Change you better believe in.
Obama jobs death toll watch: More health care layoffs "The first story of the day comes from the Fort Worth Star Telegram in Texas, where a health insurer called Health Markets has laid off 70 workers and expects up to 180 more as it braces for the costs of Obamacare and other government mandates:"...
"And it risks undercutting President Barack Obama's promise that people who like their health care plans can keep them…."As a result of this policy, there are going to be fewer plans offered in 2011," said Bonnie Washington, a senior analyst with Avalere Health, which produced the study." Change you better believe in.
Obama jobs death toll watch: More health care layoffs "The first story of the day comes from the Fort Worth Star Telegram in Texas, where a health insurer called Health Markets has laid off 70 workers and expects up to 180 more as it braces for the costs of Obamacare and other government mandates:"...
Karzai criticizes U.S. timeline for leaving Afghanistan
washpost.com "In a sign of his growing frustration with U.S. policy, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Thursday that President Obama's timeline for withdrawing troops was aiding insurgents and also suggested that the United States must do more to force Pakistan to stop supporting the Taliban."
Obama and the Jews: What Would He Have to Do to Get Below 50 Percent?
The Art of Obama Worship "What is striking about these paintings is not their quality, about which the less said the better, but their consistent tone. They belong to that class of objects known as “devotional art.” Such objects are not only intended as votive offerings, to serve as the focus of veneration; the actual process of making them is itself an act of piety, a consideration that all but places them outside the realm of aesthetic judgment."
Oops. How'd this one get in here? Google Images
How Many Deaths Before Obama Takes Border Security Seriously?
Townhall "Mass unmarked graves near the border hold the key to a complete accounting of these horrors.
Now Mexican authorities are trying to determine whether the 72 victims in Tamaulipas were killed at the same time -- and why. We may never know.
"The future is becoming clear. If the United States doesn't reverse course and begin to take border security seriously then these gangs will slowly increase their power in the U.S. They are already said to control several U.S. prisons, and neighborhoods in Phoenix and Los Angeles."
Phoenix, Arizona: America's kidnapping capital is brutal "As investigators questioned Maria, they learned that the smuggling organization that had taken her and her husband hostage also operated what police call a "violence house." If she and the others hadn't been rescued, those whose families didn't come up with the ransom money probably would have ended up there. Guards inside such places employ a brutal style of persuasion."
This "torture closet" was used to brutally abuse a Phoenix kidnapping victim whose family could not pay his ransom. Phoenix police photo.
Now Mexican authorities are trying to determine whether the 72 victims in Tamaulipas were killed at the same time -- and why. We may never know.
"The future is becoming clear. If the United States doesn't reverse course and begin to take border security seriously then these gangs will slowly increase their power in the U.S. They are already said to control several U.S. prisons, and neighborhoods in Phoenix and Los Angeles."
This "torture closet" was used to brutally abuse a Phoenix kidnapping victim whose family could not pay his ransom. Phoenix police photo.
So Is He a Christian?
David Limbaugh "Words have meaning, and if Obama believes Islam was revealed, then he most certainly believes it was revealed by God. If it was revealed by God more than 600 years after Christ was on earth and contains beliefs wholly inconsistent with doctrinal Christianity -- such as that Christ was not God, but a mere prophet -- then, in that essential particular, it cannot possibly be reconciled with Christianity. If Obama truly believes Islam was revealed by God, I can't fathom how he could be a believing Christian. I don't know that Obama is not a Christian, but I am dubious."
Secretary Duncan’s Race to Waste Your Education Dollars
Heritage "As Gov. Christie points out, New Jersey’s RttT application was over 1,000 pages long and took thousands of hours to complete. Instead of states spending their money and manpower to improve schools and educate children, the government asks them to put taxpayer dollars toward constructing massive grant applications. The incentives are all flowing in the wrong direction. Instead of focusing on making children and parents happy by devoting resources to make a better education product, states have been devoting resources to make Washington bureaucrats happy with a better grant application product. Filling out grant applications has never educated a single child anywhere ever. But grant applications are what RttT is all about, and they have made RttT the biggest waste of your education dollars ever."
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Report: ABC News Admits Wrongdoing at Ground Zero Mosque Rally After Big Peace Exposé (Updated)
Big Peace "I noticed a man in black shirt with a phone camera aggressively questioning and haranguing a gentleman with the sign, “No Sharia Here.” He was very aggressive, disrespectful and condescending; apparently, he did not like the gentlemen’s answers about Shariah and pushed the point: “Why do you feel threatened? What are you afraid of? Why can’t you answer my questions?”" Background Here
HOW LEFTISTS AND JIHADISTS PROPAGANDIZE ABOUT OUR JUSTIFIED OPPOSITION TO THE GROUND ZERO MOSQUE "When 19 Muslim terrorists fly planes into buildings and murder thousands of people, it’s not a reflection on all Muslims. Or any Muslims besides those 19, for that matter.But when a drunk A-hole in the same neighborhood yells “As-salaam alaikum! Consider this a checkpoint!” and stabs a Muslim cabbie, it’s a reflection on all opponents of the Ground Zero Mosque."
Muslims + Mainstream Media = Madness "Time encourages this grievance mentality (or tactic) by asserting that “to be a Muslim in America now is to endure slings and arrows against your faith — not just in the schoolyard and the office but also outside your place of worship and in the public square, where some of the country’s most powerful mainstream religious and political leaders unthinkingly (or worse, deliberately) conflate Islam with terrorism and savagery.”
"No, they don’t. What they conflate with terrorism and savagery are al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Hezbollah, Hamas, Lashkar-e-Taiba, al-Shabaab, Abu Sayyef, Fatah Al-Islam, the Muslim Brotherhood, and dozens of other groups that justify their terrorism and savagery based on their interpretation of Islamic doctrine.
"Many of the country’s religious and political leaders would like to hear more of their Muslim neighbors say plainly: “Not in my name! Not in the name of my religion!” "
HOW LEFTISTS AND JIHADISTS PROPAGANDIZE ABOUT OUR JUSTIFIED OPPOSITION TO THE GROUND ZERO MOSQUE "When 19 Muslim terrorists fly planes into buildings and murder thousands of people, it’s not a reflection on all Muslims. Or any Muslims besides those 19, for that matter.But when a drunk A-hole in the same neighborhood yells “As-salaam alaikum! Consider this a checkpoint!” and stabs a Muslim cabbie, it’s a reflection on all opponents of the Ground Zero Mosque."
Muslims + Mainstream Media = Madness "Time encourages this grievance mentality (or tactic) by asserting that “to be a Muslim in America now is to endure slings and arrows against your faith — not just in the schoolyard and the office but also outside your place of worship and in the public square, where some of the country’s most powerful mainstream religious and political leaders unthinkingly (or worse, deliberately) conflate Islam with terrorism and savagery.”
"No, they don’t. What they conflate with terrorism and savagery are al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Hezbollah, Hamas, Lashkar-e-Taiba, al-Shabaab, Abu Sayyef, Fatah Al-Islam, the Muslim Brotherhood, and dozens of other groups that justify their terrorism and savagery based on their interpretation of Islamic doctrine.
"Many of the country’s religious and political leaders would like to hear more of their Muslim neighbors say plainly: “Not in my name! Not in the name of my religion!” "
Obama's Arabic Teleprompter - Imam Rauf!
American Thinker "In a stunning revelation, it appears that the controversial Imam Rauf has been quite instrumental in the crafting of the speech that Obama gave in Cairo. This report comes from Walid Shoebat who speaks fluent Arabic. It is a shocking audio recording of Rauf's own voice boasting in Arabic that Obama's historic speech in Cairo was provided by the Imam's work with the Cordova Initiative."
If Hillary had the character of Elin Nordegren she might be President now.
American Thinker "Contrast Nordegren's honesty with Hillary's repeated attempts to blame the "vast rightwing conspiracy" and ABB (Anybody But Bubba) to preserve her political powerbase, the White House and her candidacy.
"Perhaps, if Hillary had stood up for herself, as a woman betrayed and "would not take it anymore" she might have actually become the experienced self-sufficient woman she claims to be and the President of the United States."
"Perhaps, if Hillary had stood up for herself, as a woman betrayed and "would not take it anymore" she might have actually become the experienced self-sufficient woman she claims to be and the President of the United States."
KABOOM! TPM Muckraker Comes Clean – Admits Their Blogger Is Suspected Carnahan Firebomber (Updated)
The Suspected Carnahan Staffer-Firebomber Has A History of Harassing Conservatives "Before the Carnahan announcement Dana Loesch released video of this same staffer harassing tea party patriots at a Carnahan town hall event last fall. Powers admitted in the video he is a Russ Carnahan staffer."
What We Know About Michael Enright, The Alleged Slasher Of The Muslim Cabbie
The Dangerous Dog Days of Summer
Victor Davis Hanson "Second, these late-summer bloodbaths usually followed from the initial impression of aggressors that they would face few consequences. After the Munich Agreement, Hitler had no reason to believe that gobbling up Poland would lead to a world war rather than more of the same appeasement. Saddam Hussein had no idea that the United States would react to a far-away border dispute by mobilizing a global coalition against him, and by bombing large swaths of Baghdad. Likewise, few imagined that nine years after 9/11, American troops would still be fighting in Afghanistan to keep the Taliban -- the former hosts of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda -- from returning to power."
Behind the appeasement were leftists who do not find anything worth fighting for.
Behind the appeasement were leftists who do not find anything worth fighting for.
NC Mother Confronts Democrat Senator on Obamacare
Townhall "One mother tells Senator Kay Hagan, "my children will suffer!" "
The Future for a Radical
Emmett Tyrrell "Undoubtedly, soldiers and other friends of democracy have been killed and will be killed because of it, but Assange promises more documents. Also, he says this talk of his molesting women is a dirty trick, and he hints darkly at the Pentagon. Will Assange come out of it looking like a Dwight Armstrong or a Bill Ayers? Will he perhaps manage to appear reasonable and go into legitimate politics? It is too early to tell. All we know is that history works in mysterious ways. Some become footnotes, others presidential candidates."
R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. is founder and editor in chief of The American Spectator and co-author of Madame Hillary: The Dark Road to the White House.
R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. is founder and editor in chief of The American Spectator and co-author of Madame Hillary: The Dark Road to the White House.
Prelude to Appeasement
Tony Blankley "So the question today is not whether to appease Iran or not -- but whether Iran is appeasable. And if not appeasable, whether its threat can be defeated with acceptable costs. Those are factual questions -- although all the facts cannot be known before the event.
"For me, having observed the Iranian regime, as we all have, I find the Obama administration's factual assumptions to be mostly wishful thinking, at best." Tony Blankley served as press secretary to then Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich. Tony Blankley is the author of The West's Last Chance: Will We Win the Clash of Civilizations? .
"For me, having observed the Iranian regime, as we all have, I find the Obama administration's factual assumptions to be mostly wishful thinking, at best." Tony Blankley served as press secretary to then Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich. Tony Blankley is the author of The West's Last Chance: Will We Win the Clash of Civilizations? .
Liberalism is Failing
Heritage "This is the same problem with President Obama’s failed stimulus. Government spending does not stimulate economic growth. All it does is move resources away from one sector of the economy to another. And government has a horrible track record at efficiently allocating resources. All that really happens is that, on net, jobs get destroyed in the transfer process. But the left refuses to recognize this reality."
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
'Anti-Muslim' attacker works for Pro Cordoba Mosque Group
Clarice Feldman "...The alleged assailant, Michael Enright, is - according to his Facebook profile and the website of the left-leaning media organization Intersections International - a student at the School of Visual Arts and a volunteer for Intersections, which recently produced a statement of support for the Park51 project, and is funded by the mainstream, liberal Collegiate Church of New York."
He's No Muslim, He's a Progressive (Updated; Ann Coulter article added)
William Kristol ""Ike’s not a Communist, he’s a golfer." That was Russell Kirk’s succinct response to the claim by John Birchers in the 1950s that President Eisenhower was a Communist.
"In that spirit, and speaking, we think, for the vast majority of those opposed to the Ground Zero mosque, and in response to many inquiries as to where we stand on this pressing issue, The Weekly Standard would like to say, formally and emphatically, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion: President Obama is not a Muslim. (And, it turns out, he too is a golfer.)"
Emphasis added by TW.
MSNBC Swears to Allah That Obama's Not A Muslim "If Republicans played by liberal rules, they'd just call Obama a racist, who leaked Valerie Plame's name to the press, is not Sasha's father, and smokes Newports, not Kools." Ann Coulter
"In that spirit, and speaking, we think, for the vast majority of those opposed to the Ground Zero mosque, and in response to many inquiries as to where we stand on this pressing issue, The Weekly Standard would like to say, formally and emphatically, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion: President Obama is not a Muslim. (And, it turns out, he too is a golfer.)"
Emphasis added by TW.
MSNBC Swears to Allah That Obama's Not A Muslim "If Republicans played by liberal rules, they'd just call Obama a racist, who leaked Valerie Plame's name to the press, is not Sasha's father, and smokes Newports, not Kools." Ann Coulter
Holocaust Survivor Cursed Out by Ground Zero Mosque Supporter
Breitbart TV "An example of the intolerant, hate-filled vitriol delivered by proponents of the proposed mosque at ground zero, a protester at the August 22nd rally in New York erupts in a rage at an 83-year-old holocaust survivor.
"Yet main stream media figures continue to characterize the opponents to the mosque as ignorant, hateful bigots." Strong language advisory
Video and sound in this post.
"Yet main stream media figures continue to characterize the opponents to the mosque as ignorant, hateful bigots." Strong language advisory
Video and sound in this post.
Obama Gives Democrats Another Headache
Charlie Cook "Just over a year ago, a Democratic congressional leadership staffer who had sat in on a number of closed-door meetings between President Obama and Democratic members of Congress told me something to the effect of, "I know this isn't true and sounds naïve, but listening to the president in these meetings, you'd think he really doesn't care if he gets re-elected or not." "
Why Does Obama Tell Muslims America Is Nation of 'Non-Believers'?
Townhall "Thomas Jefferson, who wrote of our God-given rights in the Declaration, later said in his "Notes on the State of Virginia": "And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath?" "
PA and Abbas honor terrorist planner of Olympics massacre
* the man with whom Mr. Netanyahu will be meeting to discuss peace. See below:
The perils of the peace process: Talks will weaken Abbas "Secretary of State Clinton's announcement last week that direct Israeli-Palestinian talks will recommence next month poses considerable risk for the United States. The odds are high these negotiations will fail. If so, and combined with U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, President Obama's commitment to begin withdrawing NATO forces from Afghanistan next summer and Iran's continuing progress toward nuclear weapons, failure means that Washington's Middle East influence will decline." John Bolton.
Washington's Endangered Species
AOL News "If Washington seems out of ideas on how to get the private-sector jobs machine running again, there's a pretty straightforward reason -- the people in government have virtually no experience in business.
"In a major departure from prior administrations, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone in the current administration with any real business experience. Even offices such as treasury and commerce secretary, which have traditionally been occupied by successful business people, are occupied by a career central banker (with his own tax-compliance problems) and a lawyer/politician."
Cartoon: Steve Breen, Townhall
Cartoon: Steve Breen, Townhall
ABOUT THIS "OBAMA IS A MUSLIM" THING
"But what about this Muslim thing? The media likes to portray those who think Obama is a Muslim as stupid, foolish or just plain demented. Really? These people who believe Obama is a Muslim have absolutely no foundation to their beliefs at all? Consider:"...
...."Now this isn't to say that Obama doesn't have a god that he worships. He most certainly does. That god is Government and his scripture is the Federal Register, his cathedral the Capitol Building and his communion a bill signing ceremony."
NOW WE ARE GETTING RIDICULOUS "The State Department is sending Daisy Khan, Imam Fuzzy's wife, to the United Arab Emirates to talk about her views about Muslim life in America. Hmmm I wonder what she is going to say? Well .. over the weekend she described the outcry against her beloved mosque as "beyond Islamophobia. It's hate of Muslims." Now if that is what she told an American audience can you just imagine what she is going to say once she is on her own turf amongst her own people? Oh yeah ... she's really going to be such a great ambassador for the country that is fighting her husband's Mosque."
Neal Boortz.
Three Questions For the Tea Party
Michael Gerson "First, do you believe that Social Security and Medicare are unconstitutional? This seems to be the unguarded view of Colorado Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Buck and other tea party advocates of "constitutionalism." It reflects a conviction that the federal government only has powers specifically enumerated in the Constitution -- which doesn't mention retirement insurance or health care." Michael Gerson writes a twice-weekly column for The Post on issues that include politics, global health, development, religion and foreign policy. Michael Gerson is the author of the book "Heroic Conservatism" and a contributor to Newsweek magazine.
The Real Radio Hatemongers
Brent Bozell "Perhaps Malloy is granted an exception because he sounds clinically insane. He has claimed Rep. Michele Bachmann "would have gladly rounded up the Jews in Germany and shipped them off to death camps." He has claimed Cheney "must have feasted on a Jewish baby, or a Muslim baby." He has claimed that the mild-mannered Fred Barnes "is beyond crazy. I'm sure he eats children's arms or legs for afternoon snacks."
"Then consider this: Malloy was a news writer for CNN for years. Schultz was awarded a platform on MSNBC for his hatred. Those supposed guardians of civility in our liberal media are not bowing their heads in embarrassment. They are nodding their heads in agreement."
Left-Wing Radio Hosts' Track Record of Vile and Vicious Rhetoric From the Media Research Center
"Then consider this: Malloy was a news writer for CNN for years. Schultz was awarded a platform on MSNBC for his hatred. Those supposed guardians of civility in our liberal media are not bowing their heads in embarrassment. They are nodding their heads in agreement."
Left-Wing Radio Hosts' Track Record of Vile and Vicious Rhetoric From the Media Research Center
Job Losses Over Drilling Ban Fail to Materialize
NY Times "Yet the worst of those forecasts has failed to materialize, as companies wait to see how long the moratorium will last before making critical decisions on spending cuts and layoffs. Unemployment claims related to the oil industry along the Gulf Coast have been in the hundreds, not the thousands, and while oil production from the gulf is down because of the drilling halt, supplies from the region are expected to rebound in future years."
U.S. Weighs Expanded Strikes in Yemen
WSJ "It's very possible the next terrorist attack will see its origins coming out of Yemen and Somalia rather than out of Pakistan," Mr. Hoekstra said.
"[al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula] was behind the failed bombing of a U.S.-bound jetliner last Christmas Day, and has gained in stature in Islamist militant circles in large part because of the appeal of Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born, Internet-savvy cleric who some officials see as the group's leader-in-waiting.
"U.S. officials have seen indications that al Qaeda leadership is discussing with AQAP an expanded role for Mr. Awlaki, who was allegedly involved in the Christmas bombing attempt and had communicated with Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan."
"[al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula] was behind the failed bombing of a U.S.-bound jetliner last Christmas Day, and has gained in stature in Islamist militant circles in large part because of the appeal of Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born, Internet-savvy cleric who some officials see as the group's leader-in-waiting.
"U.S. officials have seen indications that al Qaeda leadership is discussing with AQAP an expanded role for Mr. Awlaki, who was allegedly involved in the Christmas bombing attempt and had communicated with Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan."
A War We Can’t Afford to Lose
Heritage "Maintaining that commitment won’t be easy, either. While President Obama is facing criticism for imposing a withdrawal deadline from the right, he is also facing criticism from the left for backing away from his withdrawal pledge. But there is more at stake for the President than scoring political points. Hanging in the balance is the future of Afghanistan, where failure would spell the return of the Taliban, a resurgent Al-Qaeda, a new wave of terrorism in South Asia, increased potential for conflict between Pakistan and India, and the makings of the next 9-11.
"For the United States, failure is not an option, it’s a choice President Obama shouldn’t make, and it’s a result the American people should not accept."
Forget the French surrender jokes; you can't beat Democrats at cut-and-run. They've been advocating it since the Civil War.
"For the United States, failure is not an option, it’s a choice President Obama shouldn’t make, and it’s a result the American people should not accept."
Forget the French surrender jokes; you can't beat Democrats at cut-and-run. They've been advocating it since the Civil War.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
America — Compared to What?
Victor Davis Hanson "Self-loathing. 1) It starts at home. The so-called cultural elite — professors, those in the arts, the foundations, the establishment media, the Kerry-Edwards-Gore-Kennedy type, multimillionaire liberal politicos, the inherited Big Money, the doyens of the race industry — are now disconnected from material reality. Most have not a clue how hard it is to pump oil out of the ground, grow food, or build a bridge; all such largess is taken as givens, and produced by a money-grubbing distant “they” who like this sort of icky, retrograde work."
The Obsolescence of Barack Obama / The magic of 2008 can't be recreated, and good riddance to it.
FOUAD AJAMI "It is in the nature of charisma that it rises out of thin air, out of need and distress, and then dissipates when the magic fails. The country has had its fill with a scapegoating that knows no end from a president who had vowed to break with recriminations and partisanship. The magic of 2008 can't be recreated, and good riddance to it. Slowly, the nation has recovered its poise. There is a widespread sense of unstated embarrassment that a political majority, if only for a moment, fell for the promise of an untested redeemer—a belief alien to the temperament of this so practical and sober a nation."
Explaining ObamaCare To Stupid
Forbes "ObamaCare is so unpopular not because the public is too stupid to understand it, but because millions of Americans understand the law better than many members of Congress."....
"And then there were four Democratic senators who sent a letter to the head of the IRS in July complaining, "Not only will a 1099 form be necessary for millions of new transactions, the stricter requirements force business owners to collect taxpayer identification information from vendors, contractors, and other companies." Yes, senators, and you voted for it, so it's a little late to complain."
"And then there were four Democratic senators who sent a letter to the head of the IRS in July complaining, "Not only will a 1099 form be necessary for millions of new transactions, the stricter requirements force business owners to collect taxpayer identification information from vendors, contractors, and other companies." Yes, senators, and you voted for it, so it's a little late to complain."
Gen. James Conway: U.S. Withdrawal Deadline Boosts Taliban in Afghan War
WSJ "Gen. James Conway told reporters on Tuesday. “In some ways, we think right now it’s probably giving our enemy sustenance….In fact, we’ve intercepted communications that say, ‘Hey, you know, we only have to hold out for so long.’”"
Al Sharpton Hypocrisy: Build the Ground Zero Mosque, But Glenn Beck Can’t Pray at Lincoln Memorial
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)