Thursday, September 30, 2010

What We Learned from Obama's Rolling Stone Interview

Weekly Standard "...Rolling Stone published an extensive interview with President Obama in which the commander in chief went after his Republican opponents with notable venom. The interview sadly confirms what many of us have long known: President Obama's transformation from post-partisan healer to hyper-partisan attack dog is complete. Why has this happened? Certainly, even those most skeptical of President Obama in January 2009 would have been a little surprised to read an interview that drips with contempt for so many of the president's fellow citizens. Was President Obama always like this, and just hid his partisan side very well during the campaign, or is this a new attitude?"  Jay Cost

Visigoths at the gate?

Charles Krauthammer  "The Tea Party could have become Perot '92, an anti-government movement that spurned the Republicans, went third-party and cost George H.W. Bush reelection, ending 12 years of Republican rule. Had the Tea Party gone that route, it would have drained the Republican Party of its most mobilized supporters and deprived Republicans of the sweeping victory that awaits them on Nov. 2.
"Instead, it planted its flag within the party and, with its remarkable energy, created the enthusiasm gap. Such gaps are measurable. This one is a chasm."...
The history of the Gadsden flag and how the rattlesnake became a symbol of American independence.

Also showing up at some Texas anti-socialism rallies: the Goliad Flag.
"The meaning of the Goliad Flag has nothing to do with slavery, or "African" American history. It was a flag raised over the fortress of Goliad in Texas during the Texas Revolution against Mexico. It's meaning to Texans are varied, but fall under "I would rather cut off my right arm, than live under tyranny." "
TAMU.edu photo

"October surprise" defined

Wikipedia  "In American political jargon, an October surprise is a news event with the potential to influence the outcome of an election, particularly one for the US Presidency. The reference to the month of October is because the Tuesday after the first Monday is the date for national elections ... and therefore events that take place in late October have greater potential to influence the decisions of prospective voters."
It's the end of September, so watch for them, including stories like the Meg Whitman issue discussed below.

The October Surprise Is Coming   "What will October's Surprise be? Political analyst Jack Wheeler has an idea. "A Second Great Depression," he says, "is the Democrat Party's path to power":"...Pamela Geller

The October Surprise!  "The October Surprise has become a staple of Democratic Party politics. Usually it comes, as was pointed out above, in the month of October and involves an event, a man-made or naturally occurring event that can be manipulated by the democrats into a crisis or a pending crisis with the intent of instilling fear into the hearts and minds of the electorate. The October Surprise almost always works."  The Silent Majority

As Economy Stumbles, Obama's Economic Team Quits

Newsbusters  "After nearly two years in office, the "first rate" economic team that President Obama assembled to turn things around - Peter Orszag, Christina Romer, Larry Summers and Timothy Giethner - has itself nearly turned over.
"His E-team of "brainy" economists, as ABC's Claire Shipman called one of them, went to work even before Obama took office, ultimately crafting a massive stimulus plan that they said would create millions of jobs. The media regarded them highly, giving them plenty of live interview time and constantly pushing their economic ideas."

The Real Reason Obama Supports Reverend Wright

Dinesh D'Souza  "What was it about Wright that appealed so much to Obama? The crucial issue was anti-colonialism, and this is a central theme in Wright’s sermons, but it’s been ignored because hardly anyone has taken what the man says seriously. Yet Wright has been stressing this theme all along."

Bending the Cost Curve: Ryan’s Roadmap Would Succeed Where ObamaCare Fails

CATO  "On the contrary, experience and public choice theory suggest that the Ryan plan has a better shot at reducing future Medicare outlays than past efforts, because the Roadmap would change the lobbying game that fuels Medicare’s growth."

Curb Medicare Spending The Ryan Way Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) "Roadmap for America's Future" proposes even tighter limits on Medicare's growth, leading columnist Bruce Bartlett to opine, "the Medicare actuaries have shown the absurdity of the Ryan plan by denying that Medicare cuts already enacted into law are even worthy of projecting into the future."
"On the contrary, experience and public choice theory suggest that the Ryan plan has a better shot at reducing future Medicare outlays than past efforts, because the Roadmap would change the lobbying game that fuels Medicare's growth."

Taranto: Obama Likes First Amendment for Mosque, Why Not for Fox?

Newsbusters "In light of President Barack Obama's recent attack on the Fox News Channel, the Wall Street Journal's James Taranto wonders: "why is the Ground Zero mosque the only case in which Obama has ever defended anyone's First Amendment rights without qualification?"
"There are a number of possible answers, and at least some of them are reasonable and worthy of media attention. And indeed, a few journalists have noticed and raised objection to the White House's selective contempt for opinion media - Fox is "destructive," but MSNBC libtalkers Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann "provide an invaluable service." "

Superman Has Left the School Building

Cal Thomas  "I would like to sit with Senators Harry Reid and Dick Durbin and Speaker Nancy Pelosi as they watch "Waiting for Superman" and after witnessing what I'm sure would be tears, ask them, "How can you do this to children? How could you let their brains die from intellectual malnutrition and doom them to a life of misery all because you want to please a union?"
"Of all the things that disgust voters about Washington politicians, refusing to let poor children escape from failing government schools may be the most disgusting of all. "

‘Superman' and silver bullets  "By supporting public school choice, charter schools and limited, means-tested private school choice, bureaucrats are promoting the illusion of choice without actually providing it — much like government-run accountability has provided the illusion of progress without actually attaining it.
"Parental choice could be the silver bullet — but if it is to succeed, it must be universal.
"America’s school children shouldn’t be forced to wait on “Superman.” They shouldn’t be forced to wait on anyone. They deserve real choices that promote real accountability and real achievement — and they deserve them now."

Campaign Stunt: a Bunch of Garbage

Debra J. Saunders  "To any voter who ever has hired a nanny, gardener or housecleaner, this would appear to be due diligence -- especially for a 15-hour-per-week job that, according to Diaz, paid $23 per hour.
"This story goes to the heart of the dilemma that faces Californians who welcome legal immigrants, but also believe in respecting federal law. What was Whitman supposed to do, not trust Diaz because she has an accent?"....
""This entire political circus is targeted at one demographic," said Whitman spokesman Tucker Bounds. "New polling numbers show that Jerry Brown is nearly losing in the Latino community. This is a political play." "

Falling off the Floor: Gloria Allred and the Democrats "Meg Whitman easily bested Jerry Brown in a debate over the future of California on Tuesday night.
"So California Democrats had to hope that one of their reliable warhorses would saddle up and do some damage to Whitman with some kind of smear that diverted attention from the knock-down that Brown suffered. Lawyer Gloria Allred turned up, right on schedule, with a headline grabbing, allegation-hurling press conference about the misdeeds of Whitman."

McDonald's May Drop Health Plan

WSJ  "The move is one of the clearest indications that new rules may disrupt workers' health plans as the law ripples through the real world."

The Bipartisan Fight Against the Obama Tax Hikes

Heritage  "Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) gaveled the House out of session, assuring that Congress will now adjourn until after the November elections without taking any action to stop the Obama tax hikes. Earlier in the day, 39 Democrats defied Speaker Pelosi and voted with the minority to keep the House in session until they could vote on the impending tax hikes. Speaker Pelosi, who rarely votes on day-to-day legislation, was forced to cast the tie breaking vote (210-209) on the adjournment resolution. To the members of the majority who broke ranks with Speaker Pelosi, the meaning of the vote was clear: a vote to adjourn was a vote to raise taxes. They voiced their displeasure after the vote:"...  Emphasis added.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Patty Murray: The Stupidest Person in America

Ann Coulter   "After Murray was elected to the U.S. Senate, the Democrats tried to keep her locked in her office to prevent her from saying anything that might end up in a newspaper. But in the confusion after the 9/11 attack, the leadership must have lost the keys and Murray escaped to say this about Osama bin Laden:
""He's been out in these countries for decades, building schools, building roads, building infrastructure, building day-care facilities, building health-care facilities, and the people are extremely grateful. He's made their lives better."
"Yes, Osama was out building "day-care facilities" -- and probably sponsoring "Bring Your Daughter to Work" days!"

Government’s Light Bulb Ban Is Just Plain Destructive

Heritage  "But the politicians, as they typically do, failed to see the unintended consequences of this program. For example, CFLs use high levels of mercury, and exposure to mercury vapor is dangerous if the bulbs are broken. Hospitals and medical charities warn that CFL bulbs cause migraines and epilepsy attacks. Other critics point out that CFLs do not work well in colder temperatures, so they emit less heat, forcing Americans to use their heaters more and negating some of the energy savings. CFLs do not work well with dimmer switches, and the lifespan of the bulb diminishes when turned off and on frequently. Consumers are now hoarding incandescent bulbs in preparation for their phase-out as a result of their dissatisfaction with CFLs."

Politicizing the Law

National Review  "Probably the most experienced trial attorney in the entire Civil Rights Division, Coates has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. At the Justice Department, he has brought numerous cases on behalf of Americans from every walk of life and every religious and ethnic background. In 2007, he earned the division’s second-highest award, the Walter Barnett Memorial Award for Excellence and Advocacy. He received numerous Special Achievement and Meritorious Performance Awards — some during the Clinton administration..
"Despite his unmatched experience and the accolades earned, January 5 was Coates’s last day as the chief of the Voting Section. An outsider who attended Coates’s going-away party the day before reports that a letter from the section’s historian read at the event said Coates deserved to be on a short list of the most well-known and well-respected civil-rights attorneys in the United States."   Hans A. von Spakovsky
And then, there was that other committee designed to make us all ignore Mr. Coates' hearing.....
Glenn Foden, Townhall


Walloping the Middle Class

WSJ  "A family of four with an income of $45,000 would pay $2,083 more in taxes. Ouch. And that hard-working single mom, who Mr. Obama talks all the time? If she makes $40,000 a year, she will pay the IRS $1,607 a year more.
"Republicans are set to make the tax hit a big campaign issue in the next five weeks. Eric Cantor, the Republican Whip, tells me: "Democrats have always wanted to raise these tax rates on everyone -- not just the rich. I'm not surprised how this turned out." "


Eric Allie, Townhall

Human rights hatchet job: Despicable UN council thugs defame Israel again

NY Daily News  "And so, once more, Israel's enemies spin its unwillingness to commit national suicide as a crime against humanity. Will Obama stand for that?"








Ken Catalino, Townhall


TARP II: Banks and Business Don't Want It

Larry Kudlow    "An AP story quotes community bankers who do not want the Treasury Department or other federal agencies to own stock in their banks. They know the regulatory takeover risk that will come with this program. Next thing you know, the government will order banks to make unaffordable mortgages available to low-income folks, or perhaps force business loans on the basis of race or gender.
""We have taken a strategic decision not to have our primary regulator, the government, also be a partner in our bank," said William Chase Jr., CEO of Triumph Bank in Memphis, Tenn. The upshot is that Obama's whacky $30 billion mini-TARP is likely to be rejected by the vast majority of small banks. They took a look at the TARPed-up regulation overhanging the big banks, and they don't want any part of it."
Why the Democrat love affair with regulation?
Mike Ramirez, Townhall


On Bob Woodward’s Revelations

Max Boot "But I judge a president more by his actions than by his words. For all of Obama’s talk about an exit strategy, the fact remains that he has consistently stiffed those in his administration who favored a precipitous pullout. Now all the signals emanating from the administration suggest that the vaunted December policy review won’t amount to much and that we are unlikely to see a major drawdown next summer. Obama may talk exit strategies but his actions support General Petraeus’s counterinsurgency strategy."
Emphasis added. We heartily endorse President Obama's actions regarding the Predator strikes.

Education Reform’s Kryptonite

Legal Insurrection photo
 Heritage  "It would’ve been the logical follow-up question for Matt Lauer to ask. But just like the rest of NBC’s Education Nation series, Lauer let Obama off easy. The network appears content to give Duncan and union boss Randi Weingarten a platform to promote the same failed policies that got America into this mess."

Obama: Not Rough Enough?

Brent Bozell  "The liberals at NBC Universal want to hug Obama, too, with all the free airtime he wants. But first, they want him to put his every ounce of civility aside and pick up the mud bucket. Liberals can't maintain control of Washington without casting the conservatives as the incoming embodiment of all evil."
Watch NBC sitcoms and dramas and see how many times the characters take digs at Republicans.

Taxing the Rich

John Stossel   "Progressives want to raise taxes on individuals who make more than $200,000 a year because they say it's wrong for the rich to be "given" more money. Sunday's New York Times carries a cartoon showing Uncle Sam handing money to a fat cat. They just don't get it.
"As I've said before, a tax cut is not a handout. It simply means government steals less. What progressives want to do is take money from some -- by force -- and spend it on others. It sounds less noble when plainly stated."

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Part-Time, Partisan President to America: ‘Buck up!’

Mike Ramirez, Investors.com

Pajamas Media " President Obama is quick to tell others how to think. The latest: In the face of polls showing Democrats vulnerable everywhere, the president is telling his liberal base to “buck up,”  adding that their lack of enthusiasm for him and his record is “inexcusable.” "




Policies Based on Illusion

Bruce S. Thornton "Yet for all of the efforts at a new beginning he made during his speech last year in Cairo, for all the “extended hands” and solicitous letters to Iranian leaders touting their religion and civilization, Obama has reaped little but contempt. Iran continues its march toward nuclear weapons. As it has in the past, the failure of diplomatic imagination has blinded us to our enemy’s motives, leading us, as Conquest warned, to “policies based on illusions” — and putting our national security at risk."

THE COST OF REGULATION

Neal Boortz  An astounding 35% of national income is spent on federal tax and compliance costs. And like I said before, small businesses are faring marginally worse. A report from the Office of Advocacy of the US Small Business Administration found that small businesses pay a disproportionately large share of regulatory costs. The initial overall cost in 2008 was $8,086 per employee. But ... "these costs were not borne equally by businesses of all sizes. The regulatory cost per employee for businesses with fewer than 20 employees was $10,585, compared with $7,454 for medium sized firms (employing between 20 and 499 employees), and $7,755 for large firms."

 The Regulation Tax Keeps Growing  The annual cost of federal regulations in the United States increased to more than $1.75 trillion in 2008, a 3% real increase over five years, to about 14% of U.S. national income. This cost is in addition to the federal tax burden of 21%, for a combined cost of 35% of national income. One out of every three dollars earned in the U.S. goes to pay for or comply with federal laws and regulations, and new policies enacted in 2010 for health care and financial services will increase this burden.
Attempts have been made to estimate the costs of these laws and regulations, but the calculations are incomplete. In March, for example, the Congressional Budget Office estimated the cost and subsequent effect of health-care legislation on the federal budget deficit. These estimates did not consider the full compliance cost on businesses. The Regulatory Right to Know Act requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to submit a cost-benefit analysis of federal rules and paperwork "to the extent feasible." So-called "non-major" rules are excluded in their 2009 report, however, as are rules adopted more than 10 years ago. This means that thousands of costly federal mandates are not included in OMB's tally. Discouragingly, OMB ignored the distribution of the regulatory burden, which is uneven.

In a report released last week for the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration, we find that small businesses bear a disproportionately large share of regulatory costs. The portion of these costs that falls initially on businesses overall was $8,086 per employee in 2008. But these costs are not borne equally by businesses of all sizes. Larger firms benefit from economies of scale in compliance; small businesses do not have that advantage.

As a consequence, small businesses—those with fewer than 20 employees—incur regulatory costs 42% greater than firms with between 20 and 499 employees, and 36% greater than firms with more than 500 employees. The regulatory cost per employee for small businesses was $10,585, compared to $7,454 for medium firms and $7,755 for large firms.
The degree to which federal regulations disadvantage small businesses varies across the economy. In some sectors, such as manufacturing, the regulatory cost difference between small businesses and their larger counterparts is particularly acute.

Small manufacturers bear compliance costs that are 110% higher than those of medium-sized firms and 125% higher than large firms' costs. As much as it is fashionable to blame China for the demise of small manufacturing in America, the evidence suggests that looking for some reasons closer to home is warranted.

In no category do small businesses pay less in regulatory costs than both medium and large businesses. In retail and wholesale trade, small businesses pay 13% less than medium firms but 15% more than large firms. In services, small businesses pay 13% more than medium firms but 9% less than large firms. In health care and "other" (the biggest components of which are utilities and construction), small businesses pay 45% and 70% more than medium firms and 28% and 83% more than large firms.

This distribution of regulatory costs places small firms at a substantial competitive disadvantage. The cost disadvantage confronting small business is driven by environmental regulations, tax compliance, and occupational safety and homeland security rules.
In sum, individuals and businesses bear the burden of the $1.75 trillion cost of regulations, and small businesses bear a disproportionately large share of the compliance costs. Businesses must close, reallocate activity, absorb, or pass on the expense of complying with regulatory requirements.

In per-household terms, the combined federal burden of regulation and taxes is a remarkable $37,962. Increased transparency in both the cost and benefit side of the regulatory equation is necessary to determine whether what we spend is worth the 35% of national income that it costs, and whether the distribution of the burden is relatively efficient. This is particularly true now that the federal government is undertaking Herculean efforts to stimulate the economy while increasing regulations costly to businesses. Wall Street Journal article.
Ms. Crain and Mr. Crain are economics professors at Lafayette College, and the authors most recently of "The Impact of Regulatory Costs on Small Firms," published this month by the Office of Advocacy, U.S. Small Business Administration.
We have posted the entire article because all links take you to a mere excerpt.

Coates Exposes Intellectual Bankruptcy of MSM, Obama Admin. Defenders

J. Christian Adams  "The testimony was covered by CNN and the Los Angeles Times, and was on the front page, above the fold, in the Washington Post. Yet ABC, NBC, and CBS devoted no coverage to his testimony."....
"Are we to put a thumb on the scale for a black defendant like New Black Panther Jerry Jackson when he breaks the law? Should we allow evidence of the heroism of Rosa Parks and Medgar Evers to excuse the armed thug King Samir Shabazz?"

Investigate Racism in the Obama Justice Department  "That’s not just politicization of the Justice Department. It is criminalization of the Justice Department. Under the Constitution, it is Congress’s obligation to stop it. The current Congress obviously won’t do its duty. Americans will strongly support congressional candidates who pledge to right that wrong."

FBI Raids Home of Obama Associate & AAAN Leader in Terrorism Sweep

Gateway Pundit " Last Friday FBI agents raided the homes of far left activists in Chicago and Minneapolis who are linked to the FARC and Islamic radicals as part of a terrorism investigation. The home of radical Hatem Abudayyeh in Chicago was raided."....
"In 2003 Barack Obama was an honored guest at a dinner sponsored by the AAAN for former PLO-operative Rashid Khalidi. During the dinner a video was taken that shows Barack Obama celebrating with members of this Palestinian group who are openly hostile towards Israel. Barack Obama even gave a toast to a Rashid Khalidi at this going away party. The LA Times will not release the video from this Jew-bashing dinner."

A strikeout on settlements: Why Obama's diplomacy is flailing

NY Daily News  "The settlements issue is complicated but not unsolvable. Settlements are how Zionists settled Israel - and the Israel that mattered most to some nationalists and Orthodox Jews is not that Miami manque on the coast, Tel Aviv, but the West Bank areas of Judea and Samaria, the heart of biblical Israel."...."Obama, too, has to husband his credibility. He foolishly demanded something Israel could not yet give. It was bad diplomacy, recalling neither Metternich nor Kissinger but the Ol' Perfessor and his question about the inept Mets*. The answer, so far, is no."
* Casey Stengel, who once asked, "Can't anybody here play this game?"

Democrats to stuff 20 bills into post-election lame-duck session

The Hill  "The array of bills competing for floor time shows the sense of urgency among Democratic lawmakers to act before the start of the 112th Congress, when Republicans are expected to control more seats in the Senate and House."

Monday, September 27, 2010

Searching for Bonhoeffer

Mike Adams  "But the one thing that has started to change in the mega-church is the message. What once was a slightly watered-down seeker-friendly version of the Gospel is now a slightly Gospel-flavored bucket of water. And it’s not enough to quench the thirst of the masses."

The Democrats Melt Down (Updated)

William Kristol  "It looks as if 2010 will be a bigger electoral landslide than 1994, and more significant as well. But the true significance of 2010 will be to lay the groundwork for an even bigger victory in 2012—a victory that would allow President Obama to follow the example of so many of his senior staff, and depart the White House sooner than he once expected."
I dunno; with all this hype, if the Republicans win by a narrower margin than expected, the Democrats will claim they got a new mandate from the voters.
World Magazine

Congress


Mike Ramirez, Townhall


Bob Gorrell, Townhall


60 Minutes Does Fawning Profile of Ground Zero Mosque Backers, Bashes Opponents

Newsbusters  "Pelley highlighted El-Gamal's multi-cultural background: "...you're a Muslim who married a Christian girl. Your mother is Catholic. And you joined the Jewish community center on the West Side of Manhattan." However, he then turned to mosque opponent  Pamela Geller, whom he characterized as "a former New York media executive who writes a politically far Right blog that mixes news, opinion, and conspiracy theories." "

60 Minutes on the Ground Zero Mosque " Rauf is mainstreaming the Sharia and the jihad ideology. And in suggesting that those of us defending American freedom and opposing his Ground Zero mosque are "extremists," he is trying to place 70% of Americans squarely on the same moral playing field as the Muslim terrorists who flew planes into buildings and have since committed close to 20,000 Islamic attacks of violent jihad across the world. The media and government fawning all over this subversive imam as he does this shows just how deeply we have been infiltrated by the enemy. "

Stuxnet Computer Virus Attacks Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Plant

Bushehr Nuclear Plant
Big Peace  "Stuxnet is not an ordinary, garden variety computer virus, like the ones that erase your hard drives, steal your bank accounts, or send your browsers to porn sites.
"In fact, experts aren’t completely sure what it is, or what it’s trying to do. One thing they’re sure of: This virus wasn’t concocted by some hacker sitting at a computer in his basement. This virus MUST have been created by some government or government-level group, using a well-financed highly organized team of programmers, with access to plenty of specialized resources."
Popular brands the Nazis gave us  "At the height of the Nazi terror during the 1940s, it was not atypical for a slave worker to build electrical switches for Siemens in the morning and be snuffed out in a Siemens-made gas chamber in the afternoon."

Rot at the DOJ

Weekly Standard   "The week started badly for the “no big deal” crowd when Judicial Watch released the results of a Freedom of Information Act request. Judicial Watch obtained a document log showing that Attorney General Eric Holder’s top aides were pulling all the strings."
Pajamas Media exclusive. 

Time for Change: Gov’t Must Address Lawlessness Uncovered by Christopher Coates   "Coates, in a lawyerly manner, dismantled the Obama administration’s justifications for dismissing the case against the New Black Panthers accused of intimidating white voters on Election Day 2008:"...

Obama Justice Department Rocked  "Try as Democrats might to ignore the blockbuster evidence, Coates’s testimony was a game changer. Granted, the testimony contained information already revealed in conservative outlets and by former DOJ attorney J. Christian Adams. But Coates confirmed these facts and added a wealth of new details."  Jennifer Rubin; one of four by her.

Eric Holder's Justice Department  "In the litany of criticisms leveled at President George W. Bush none was repeated more often than the accusation that he had "politicized the administration of justice." In endless television show appearances and congressional hearings, Democratic lawmakers like Senator Chuck Schumer railed against the politicization of the Justice Department, lecturing all who would listen about how Justice "is different than any other department. In every other department, the chief cabinet officer is supposed to follow the president's orders, requests, without exception. But the Justice Department has a higher responsibility: rule of law and the Constitution." " Jennifer Rubin.

Holding Holder Accountable "The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights steps up." Jennifer Rubin.

The Justice Department is forced to investigate itself.  "The mainstream media did their best to ignore this blatant case of voter intimidation by two New Black Panther party members at a Philadelphia polling place on Election Day 2008. Though the threatening behavior was captured on videotape, Obama political appointees dismissed the case on the eve of a default judgment. When in early June a key trial team member, Justice Department attorney J. Christian Adams, resigned and then testified before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the media grudgingly reported on his testimony."  Jennifer Rubin.

Hollywood Hates Capitalism – ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’ Edition

Big Hollywood  "Perhaps it’s ironic that Hollywood filmmakers practice what they preach against. Sure he palls around with socialist dictators Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, but there’s no doubt Oliver Stone hopes to rake in obscene profits with his new flick."

Movie Review: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps  "...we’re treated to a vintage Stone history lesson — the stock market meltdown and Fed intervention as seen through the eyes of the conspiracy buff who served up “J.F.K.” Lovely performances surround the leads — LaBeouf and Michael Douglas, back as Gordon Gekko. Terrific moments of regret play out. And then the script lets everybody down, the cliches pile up like junk bonds and you wonder if the cinema’s resident mad genius is just too angry or too confused by who to blame."

Desperate Dems crawl into the gutter

Rick Moran  "This is a sure sign of desperation. While all campaigns use negative advertising, this kind of sludge being dished by Democrats across the country can only mean that they are without issues and without much hope."

Is the 'Pledge to America' a worthy successor to the 'Contract With America'?

Frank I. Luntz  "Ultimately, of course, the success of the Pledge will be determined not by the results on Election Day, but by what happens afterward. Still, there's a simple lesson for both parties: The American people aren't just mad as hell. This time, they're truly not going to take it anymore. They'll keep changing their government until their government really changes. So credit Republicans for putting their Pledge on paper. Now, they will be held accountable to the standard they've set for themselves -- and it's a good one."

DISASTROUS DECADE?

Neal Boortz  "Obama seems to believe that George Bush's presidency was so bad that he called it "a disastrous decade we cannot afford to relive." Yet consider these comparisons from Noel Sheppard at Newsbusters...
•In January 2007 before the Democrats took over Congress, unemployment was 4.6 percent; now it's 9.6 percent.
•In January 2007 there were 7.1 million unemployed people in America; now there are 14.9 million.
•In January 2007 the median home price was $210,600; today it's $179,300.
•In January 2007 the Dow Jones Industrial Average was at 12,500; today it's at 10,840.
•In January 2007 the gross federal debt was $9 trillion; today it's $13.5 trillion.
•The poverty rate in 2006 was 12.3 percent; now it's 14.3 percent
•In the final budget created by a GOP-controlled Congress, the deficit was $160 billion; now it's $1.6 trillion.
LET THE CLASS WAR BEGIN?  "Some people pursue knowledge, work hard and pay attention to decision-making. They become wealthy. Others squander their education, work 40 hours a week and no more, and make stupid decision. They don't become wealthy. The people who have failed to do what it takes to become wealthy look at those who have succeeded and adopt an attitude something like this:"...

SO HERE COMES THE WEALTH ENVY CAMPAIGN  "Maybe the Republicans ought to counter with an ad of their own:
"The Democrats are trying to create an "us vs. them" election. It's America's working middle class against the evil rich. Maybe it's time for you to ask yourself a few questions. Is your boss --- the owner of your company --- rich? Do you wish he was poorer? Would you like him to have more or less? The chances are you work for a small privately owned business. Do you think the company you're working for would be better off if the owners had less money? If you think that would be a good thing ... vote Democrat."

The President’s UN Iraq gaffe: why doesn’t Obama show pride in America?

UK Telegraph  "To compare a Baathist dictatorship with the most powerful democracy in the world is an astonishing gaffe for a US president to make in a speech, not least one watched by tens of millions of people across the world. It is like a post-war US president drawing an analogy between Nazi rule and the Allied occupation of post-war Germany.
"This should have been a powerful moment to honor and pay tribute to the huge sacrifice made by over 4,000 American servicemen and women who laid down their lives in Iraq, but the president simply could not bring himself to do it."

Also from the Telegraph:  Why the US conservative revolution could save the Special Relationship
"As I wrote back in July 2008 on the pages of The Sunday Telegraph:
Britain’s chattering classes should be careful what they wish for. Senator Obama promises change and a bold new course for the United States. The end result may be an America that looks away from Britain and erects higher barriers to trade and investment.
The special relationship has lasted over 60 years as the most powerful and successful partnership of modern times. Unfortunately it might not survive the next presidential election."
Nile Gardiner is a Washington-based foreign affairs analyst and political commentator.

White House Amateur Hour Again "The American media won't tell ever tell the public, but many overseas leaders of important countries regard the Obama administration as a joke. His lack of preparation for the job of president is patently obvious, his lack of a work ethic is demonstrated for all to see by his frequent vacations and hectic schedule of parties at the White House, and his naiveté in dealing with foreign tyrants like the madman Ahmedinejad is frightening."

Democrats, Axelrod Say Obama Tax Plan to Pass After Election

Bloomberg  "Congressional Democrats and a top White House official said Congress will extend soon-to-expire tax cuts for low- and middle-income Americans after the Nov. 2 election. Republicans said the delay and the threat of higher taxes for top earners will hurt the economy. "

The Heritage Pledge

Heritage  "Our Solutions for America is an overarching blueprint for governing. It’s designed to replace the failed policies of the liberal establishment with solid conservative solutions that will shrink government, reduce debt, keep taxes low, put Americans back to work and keep us safe.
"Solutions for America identifies the nature and scope of our most pressing problems in 23 policy areas and recommends 128 specific policy solutions to guide the new Congress. Here are some of our ideas:"...
Edwin J. Feulner's leadership as President of The Heritage Foundation has transformed the think tank from a small policy shop into America's powerhouse of conservative ideas.

Venezuela Elections: Chavez Faces a Determined Democratic Opposition (From our irony file)

Heritage  "The Venezuelan state has become a vast patronage machine. Nationalizations have gobbled up the private sector. Government voters are recipients of Chavez’s largess. The national electoral council is in Chavez’s hip pocket. He has increasingly restricted media freedoms and uses unregulated media access to sell himself and his candidates. Voters face a wide range of obstacles that include, after a 2009 electoral law, electoral districts heavily favorable to Chavez’s party. There will be no meaningful international observers and limited domestic observation. The potential for significant fraud cannot be discarded."
 But here in the US, we have an unbiased and fair press, private enterprise with freedom to innovate and academic freedom-all our bulwark against socialism.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Has Israel 'attacked' the Iranian nuclear program already? (Updated)

Wikipedia
New post: Cyber War on Iran: the Siemens Connection  "Siemens had many factories in and around notorious concentration camps to build electric switches for military uses. In one example, almost 100,000 men and women from Auschwitz worked in a Siemens factory inside the camp, supplying the electricity to the camp.
"With that history, what was Siemens doing making deals with the Holocaust-denying Iranian regime? Good question."

Iran Fights Malware Attacking Computers   "Stuxnet, which was first publicly identified several months ago, is aimed solely at industrial equipment made by Siemens that controls oil pipelines, electric utilities, nuclear facilities and other large industrial sites. While it is not clear that Iran was the main target — the infection has also been reported in Indonesia, Pakistan, India and elsewhere — a disproportionate number of computers inside Iran appear to have been struck, according to reports by computer security monitors. "  NY Times

Ralph Alter  "Since at least 2001, speculation in the Western media has focused on the possibility of an Israeli or combined American/Israeli attack on the burgeoning Iranian nuclear program. A report in the Eurasia Review suggests that the attack has already taken place, albeit in cyberspace:"...

Bushehr "On August 13, 2010, the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom) announced that the first reactor at the Bushehr NPP would be loaded with nuclear fuel on August 21, 2010 and would henceforth make the Bushehr facility qualified as an operational nuclear power plant. The process for transferring the fuel to the pool located near the heart of reactor was estimated to take seven to eight days."

Is Obama up to the Task?  "After more than eighteen months of outreach by the Obama administration, Iran is rapidly nearing a nuclear weapons capability.  The greatest opportunity for reform in Iran in years went out with a whimper last year after the president remained silent as the regime gunned down peaceful protesters in the streets.  Iran continues to kill Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan.  And now the Iranian leader has come to New York and made the president and his top advisors look dangerously naive."

Citizen groups unmasking Dem voter fraud

George Soros
Ed Lasky  "We do the job because the government and media lackeys will not. Massive alleged voter fraud is uncovered by a group of concerned citizens down in Texas. The culprit? The Democrats and Barack Obama's favorite "union" - the thugs at the Service Employees International Union. "

J Street Exposed  "So as Obama is off crusading against the imagined threat of conservative foreign-funded third-party groups, here’s J Street, with its close ties to the administration, caught red-handed."

Dems: We Will Hammer The Poor

Thanks, Mr. Soros
Kevin McCullough  "They did so, though they have been warned that in doing so they would deliver a crushing blow to small businesses in America. It is important to admit and to be as transparent as possible: when you hurt small business in America, you hurt the working men and women of America."
Kevin McCullough is the nationally syndicated host of "Baldwin/McCullough Radio and columnist based in New York

The Tax Hikes Cometh  "In a little more than 90 days, taxes on incomes, capital gains, dividends, and estates are going to rise. Not just for some families. For every family. And the Democrats haven’t lifted a finger to stop it. They haven’t even written a bill. They have not found the time, in the twenty months they’ve controlled Congress, ever actually to try to block the tax hikes. It’s amazing: The Democrats have no problem passing unpopular legislation. But when they are charged with doing something that the public actually wants, such as preventing the coming tax hike, they turn to jelly." Emphasis added.

When Blacks Attack Barack

 Doug Giles   "I am forbidden to critique BHO and his boys on anything they say or do. Yes, if I do utter anything derogatory regarding his holiness it is immediately dismissed because of four primary reasons. Herewith are the raisons d'être of why I cannot decry señor Hussein."...
 Doug’s talk show and video blog can be seen and heard at www.ClashRadio.com.

The 10 measures to watch

Paul Jacob  "Direct policy change is available to voters, however, in the 37 states where they’ll decide the fate of 175 ballot measures. As Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, points out, “One big difference between initiatives and elected representatives is that initiatives do not change their minds once you vote them in.” "  Paul Jacob is President of Citizens in Charge Foundation and Citizens in Charge. His daily Common Sense commentary appears on the Web and via e-mail.

Our Non-War Over Islam

Steve Chapman  "Unlike the alienated Muslim populations of Europe, American Muslims do not feel estranged from society. "Most say their communities are excellent or good places to live," Pew discovered. Most also believe women are better off in the United States than in Muslim countries.
"Their overall satisfaction with the state of the country is no different, according to Pew, from the overall satisfaction of everyone else. They don't sound like a violent cult plotting to impose Taliban-style Shariah law on the infidels who surround them. They sound strangely like ... Americans."
According to this article, Muslims are better Americans than movie actors, college academics and all leftists who dress up in funny outfits. I think one would concur.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Texas Takes Aim at anti-Christian, Pro-Islamic Textbooks

Logan's Warning  "In addition, the measure cites some books that dwelled on the Christian Crusaders massacre of Muslims in Jerusalem in 1099, while censoring Muslim massacres of Christians there in 1244 and at Antioch in 1268 – “implying that Christian brutality and Muslim loss of life are significant, but Islamic cruelty and Christian deaths are not.”"

Obama Made Us Do It!

Victor Davis Hanson  "Instead, the new mantra for Democratic candidates is a sort of “Obama made us do it!” And I cannot recall ever quite seeing that in American politics. Even the slaughtered House Republicans of 2006 did not plead in their campaigns that they were coerced or duped by George Bush."

Domestic Terrorist Denied University Accolade of Emeritus Status

Gateway Pundit  "Leave it to University liberals to suddenly take strong stands just when it makes absolutely no difference at all."....
 "But the board voted unanimously not to award this murderer this last little plum. Why? Because this gem of a guy dedicated his 1974 book to Sirhan Sirhan the murderer of Bobby Kennedy. And out of a stroke of bad luck for the anti-American prof, Kennedy’s son just happens to fill a spot on the university’s board. After an “emotional statement” he convinced the others that Ayers was not worthy of emeritus status."

Why haven't I heard of MIke Malloy?

Compare and Contrast: Ahmadinejad vs. Mike Malloy  "Achmadinejad’s speech sounds tame and almost rational compared to Malloy’s hateful monologue."

Libtalker Mike Malloy Tells Liz Cheney 'Go Plan Your Father's Funeral'  
This comes three months after Malloy told his listeners that he hoped former Vice President Dick Cheney would die in the hospital.
"On this day, the subject was Liz's comment concerning a Barack Obama quote about America being able to absorb a terrorist attack referenced in Bob Woodward's new book ..."

What was that Democrat trope about "hate radio" again?

October 9 Should Be a Day to Remember Che Guevara’s Victims

Insider Online   "...a day that many celebrate the guerrilla fighter who helped Fidel Castro come to power and crusaded to bring communism to the other nations of Latin America. They forget that along the way Che Guevara murdered thousands of people."

Apple Boycotts Glenn Beck — Promotes Che Guevara 
"Hatred as the central element of our struggle… Hatred that is intransigent… Hatred so violent that it propels a human being beyond his natural limitations, making him violent and cold- blooded killing machine… We reject any peaceful approach. Violence is inevitable. To establish Socialism rivers of blood must flow. The victory of Socialism is well worth millions of atomic victims!"
"This same hyper-sensitive-to-hate-speech Apple, by the way, has just launched an IPhone application featuring Che Guevara’s quotes...    “Now you can carry around Che Guevara's quotes on your IPhone!”"

The Real Che Guevara  "This is a musical challenge to celebrities and others that proudly wear the image of Che on their clothing, jewelry, etc. The music was inspired by documentaries that I viewed which exposed the horrific truth about Che Guevara."

Justice Department: the real story was here, not that TV comedian

The hearing that the Colbert schtick was supposed to make you be unaware of:  Christopher Coates takes the stand, cont'd   "Josh Gerstein reports the story for Politico. Gerstein's story is a model of good journalism. Here are Gerstein's lead paragraphs distilling the essence of the story:" Powerline

Prosecutor: DoJ bias against whites  "...Coates’s charges may carry greater weight because he worked decades ago as an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, has won awards from civil rights groups and lacks the partisan GOP resume of the department’s harshest opponents."

 Bias led to 'gutting' of New Black Panthers case, Justice official says  " Glenn A. Fine, the Justice Department's inspector general, recently began his own investigation into whether the agency's Civil Rights Division enforces laws in a racially discriminatory manner. It is considered highly probable that House Republicans will hold hearings if they take control of the chamber after midterm elections in November.
""We're not going to let this go," said Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.). "There is something rotten going on at the Justice Department." "


Roots of the anti-white bias explored here.  But will past guilt for this nation's failures cause us to tolerate this?

Which Malik Shabazz Visited White House in July 2009, Mr. President?  "The White House has assured the American people that the Malik Shabazz that visited the White House at that time is not the same Malik Shabazz at the center of the New Black Panther story.  But, the White House has not provided any information to verify its contention or who this “other” Malik Shabazz is."

Stephen Colbert, Castro Spies and Extremism

Humberto Fontova   "...The Cuba-expert is the MSM’s go-to expert on Cuba/Castro and a frequent Colbert quest, Julia Sweig. The Spanish-named guy is a Castroite terrorists whose bomb-plot to incinerate and entomb thousands of New York Holiday shoppers was foiled in the nick of time by J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI, and is among the six Castro agents who (Colbert guest) Julia Sweig thanks in her book’s acklowlegements. "

Colbert’s Appearance is Perfect Bookend for 111th Congress  "This may have been the single biggest pointless blunder in American political history, and I am not kidding. With an election only five weeks from now in which Democrats are poised for major losses, this morning’s depiction of Congress as ludicrous dupes of a TV personality — which will be replayed for weeks — will make the analogistic point that the majority is unfit to be running things. How exactly will they argue otherwise? "   Ed Driscoll, Pajamas Media

Unless there is something big breaking on the comedian, this will be our last mention of it. I believe this whole dog-and-pony show was to keep us from discussing the DOJ hearings. Remember, when you think of hearings, think of Christopher Coats and the Justice Department. 

Legislated Laryngitis

Chuck Colson  The Johnson amendment: "It’s now time to ask the question: Who decides what the church can and cannot say? Should it be the government? Or should it be the church?"
Wasn't a problem for Rev. Wright, now, was it?

Friday, September 24, 2010

Quote of the Week

Hot Air  "Obama would be making a deadly mistake by calling out Sarah Palin for a political cage match.  Let me put this bluntly: virtually no one in America gives a damn what Barack Obama says about anything at this point.  What could be more predictable, and less interesting, than Obama’s opinion on any given subject?  Who wants to contemplate the economic wisdom of a guy who looted the Treasury for a trillion dollars, with less benefit than we could have achieved by stuffing hundred dollar bills into random cereal boxes?  Who’s excited to hear about the next plan to convert taxpayer dollars into Democrat campaign funds?  Who’s hungry for another hour of tedious excuses about permanently broken markets and the titanic dead hand of George W. Bush?  Who wants a lecture on ethical business practices from the titular head of the party that gave us Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters?  What use is another hollow foreign-policy speech from a man who sees no global adversary to rival the menace of Arizona?  Even Obama’s supporters don’t hear anything he says any more.  There’s nothing left to hear." 
Hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance

Here We Go Again

Victor Davis Hanson  "Lost amid the campaign politicking are several growing crises that all, to one degree or another, reflect the general global appraisal that the United States has abdicated its traditional role, either on the grounds of fiscal erosion or self-doubt about our moral authority to pass judgment on aggressors."

Waiting for Crazy

Heritage  "President Barack Obama’s second address to the United Nations General Assembly almost sounded as if he were speaking to voters on the campaign trail in Iowa, instead of fawning diplomats in Manhattan. He mentioned his financial reform, his commitment to fighting global warming, his efforts to withdrawal from Afghanistan and his new nuclear treaty with Russia. In classic Obama form, he mentioned the words “I,” “me” or “my” 34 times, including this line about his efforts to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program: “Now let me be clear once more:..."

George Floyd Revisited: Derek Chauvin Was Wrongfully Convicted

  The American Spectator | USA News and Politics Derek Chauvin and his colleagues did not murder George Floyd. Chauvin’s prosecution and tri...

https://spectator.org/