Townhall
Thursday, September 9, 2010
October Surprises
Victor Davis Hanson "Neither event is likely to change things in November. Only a headline crisis could rally Americans around their now-unpopular commander in chief and his beleaguered supporters in Congress. What would that entail?
"Most probably something like a showdown with soon-to-be-nuclear and widely despised Iran.
"Obama ran on criticism of the Bush administration that it had not reached out and talked with Iran's theocratic leadership. Obama did that. He even muted criticism of the brutal Iranian crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations. But Obama soon found that the Iranians considered his outreach appeasement, and so have only increased their breakneck efforts to get a bomb."
"Most probably something like a showdown with soon-to-be-nuclear and widely despised Iran.
"Obama ran on criticism of the Bush administration that it had not reached out and talked with Iran's theocratic leadership. Obama did that. He even muted criticism of the brutal Iranian crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations. But Obama soon found that the Iranians considered his outreach appeasement, and so have only increased their breakneck efforts to get a bomb."
How Obama Thinks
Forbes "He has expanded the federal government's control over home mortgages, investment banking, health care, autos and energy. The Weekly Standard summarizes Obama's approach as omnipotence at home, impotence abroad.
"The President's actions are so bizarre that they mystify his critics and supporters alike. Consider this headline from the Aug. 18, 2009 issue of the Wall Street Journal: "Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling." Did you read that correctly? You did. The Administration supports offshore drilling--but drilling off the shores of Brazil. With Obama's backing, the U.S. Export-Import Bank offered $2 billion in loans and guarantees to Brazil's state-owned oil company Petrobras to finance exploration in the Santos Basin near Rio de Janeiro--not so the oil ends up in the U.S. He is funding Brazilian exploration so that the oil can stay in Brazil.
"More strange behavior:"... Dinesh D'Souza
"The President's actions are so bizarre that they mystify his critics and supporters alike. Consider this headline from the Aug. 18, 2009 issue of the Wall Street Journal: "Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling." Did you read that correctly? You did. The Administration supports offshore drilling--but drilling off the shores of Brazil. With Obama's backing, the U.S. Export-Import Bank offered $2 billion in loans and guarantees to Brazil's state-owned oil company Petrobras to finance exploration in the Santos Basin near Rio de Janeiro--not so the oil ends up in the U.S. He is funding Brazilian exploration so that the oil can stay in Brazil.
"More strange behavior:"... Dinesh D'Souza
Teachers’ Unions, AFSCME, SEIU create “Labor For Palestine”-
The Freedomist "These groups are not just calling for a Palestinian homeland in the Middle East and a peaceful resolution to the Palestinian/Israeli standoff. They’re suggesting that the creation of Israel has been a disaster for the Palestinian people. It’s clear that they don’t share the commitment to Israeli security that American presidential administrations – Republican and Democrat – have maintained since 1948. They are radically anti-Israel, and they offer no apologies for that."
Labor for Palestine "1. Fully support Palestinian national, democratic and labor rights throughout historic Palestine, including the right of all Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and land.2. Demand an end to U.S. military and economic support for Israeli Apartheid.3. Divest all labor investments in Israeli Apartheid.4. Affiliate with Labor For Palestine."
These people live among us and they vote.
These people live among us and they vote.
Obama’s Desperate Times and Desperate Measures
Heritage "The President’s new spending plan should be seen as an effort to shore up support within a key constituency: organized labor. First revealed at a Wisconsin labor union picnic on Labor Day, the $50 billion in infrastructure spending represents tens of billions of dollars in high, federally mandated, Davis-Bacon wages for unionized construction workers.
"More government spending to placate Big Labor is not the solution to America’s economic woes, but something else can be done. Heritage’s J.D. Foster, Ph.D., says that before the November elections, Congress should act to rein in spending and prevent tax hikes, starting with extending the 2001 and 2003 tax relief for all taxpayers (a move that President Obama has resisted). Doing so, Foster advises, will “give the economy a needed boost in 2011.”"
Townhall "Few infrastructure projects move quickly through the federal government’s labyrinthine process because there are approximately twenty regulated hurdles that must be cleared before a project is considered "shovel ready". " Lurita Alexis Doan is an African American conservative commentator who writes about issues affecting the federal government.
"More government spending to placate Big Labor is not the solution to America’s economic woes, but something else can be done. Heritage’s J.D. Foster, Ph.D., says that before the November elections, Congress should act to rein in spending and prevent tax hikes, starting with extending the 2001 and 2003 tax relief for all taxpayers (a move that President Obama has resisted). Doing so, Foster advises, will “give the economy a needed boost in 2011.”"
Townhall "Few infrastructure projects move quickly through the federal government’s labyrinthine process because there are approximately twenty regulated hurdles that must be cleared before a project is considered "shovel ready". " Lurita Alexis Doan is an African American conservative commentator who writes about issues affecting the federal government.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
"Dissension in the Ranks?"
Tony Blankley "Into this grim scenario, Petraeus has now made a play for Obama to reconsider the deadline. In a recent television interview, he said it is his duty to give the commander in chief his "best professional military advice" about whether July is too soon to remove troops. Separately, other policymakers have begun suggesting the July withdrawal may not be firm, injecting a hint of ambiguity into official statements. But in last week's Oval Office address, the president reconfirmed, precisely, that the withdrawal shall begin in July, as he ordered in his West Point policy announcement speech last year."
It's the Strategy; Stupid! "Will we choose, as a people, to recognize our national interests as the singular priority of our military and let them fight the war we have set before them, kill the enemy who would kill us and then let them come home victorious? Or will we continue to tolerate a political institution and an upper military structure that refuses to accept their constitutional duty to protect these shores uniquely, our people and our Warriors, regardless of the cost to others remembering that this war was thrust upon us."
Bonfire of the Insanities
Ann Coulter "Also, as I recall, there was no Guantanamo, no Afghanistan war and no Iraq war on Sept. 10, 2001. And yet, somehow, Osama bin Ladin had no trouble recruiting back then. Can we retire the "it will help them recruit" argument yet?
The reason not to burn Qurans is that it's unkind -- not to jihadists, but to Muslims who mean us no harm. The same goes for building a mosque at ground zero -- in both cases, it's not a question of anyone's "rights," it's just a nasty thing to do."
The reason not to burn Qurans is that it's unkind -- not to jihadists, but to Muslims who mean us no harm. The same goes for building a mosque at ground zero -- in both cases, it's not a question of anyone's "rights," it's just a nasty thing to do."
One Nation, Two Deficits
NY Times "The nation faces a nasty dual deficit problem: a painful jobs deficit in the near term and an unsustainable budget deficit over the medium and long term. This month, the Senate will be debating an issue with significant implications for both — what to do about the Bush-era tax cuts scheduled to expire at the end of the year.
"In the face of the dueling deficits, the best approach is a compromise: extend the tax cuts for two years and then end them altogether. Ideally only the middle-class tax cuts would be continued for now. Getting a deal in Congress, though, may require keeping the high-income tax cuts, too. And that would still be worth it."
Peter Orszag clarifies "rift" with Obama admin over Bush tax cuts "Orszag's Op ed yesterday was big news because it was assumed that foes of ending the tax cuts for the rich could point to his stance -- and to Orszag's deficit hawkishness -- to buttress their own position.
"But Orszag told me that a key point had gotten lost: He only favors temporarily extending the tax cuts for the rich reluctantly, and only if it's the sole way of obtaining a deal that would end them altogether."
"In the face of the dueling deficits, the best approach is a compromise: extend the tax cuts for two years and then end them altogether. Ideally only the middle-class tax cuts would be continued for now. Getting a deal in Congress, though, may require keeping the high-income tax cuts, too. And that would still be worth it."
Peter Orszag clarifies "rift" with Obama admin over Bush tax cuts "Orszag's Op ed yesterday was big news because it was assumed that foes of ending the tax cuts for the rich could point to his stance -- and to Orszag's deficit hawkishness -- to buttress their own position.
"But Orszag told me that a key point had gotten lost: He only favors temporarily extending the tax cuts for the rich reluctantly, and only if it's the sole way of obtaining a deal that would end them altogether."
U.S. military says Afghan bibles have been destroyed
Sweetness and Light Then scroll down: "I can now confirm that the Bibles shown on Al Jazeera’s clip were, in fact, collected by the chaplains and later destroyed. They were never distributed," spokeswoman Major Jennifer Willis said at Bagram air base, north of Kabul…
"Compare and contrast this event with the current outrage about some crackpot’s plans to burn a couple of Korans in Texas on September 11. (For instance, a State Department spokesman has called Mr. Jones’s idiotic plan “un-American.”)
"So where was the outrage when the US Government destroyed Bibles — in order to avoid offending the sensitivities of the pious Muslims in Afghanistan?"
"Compare and contrast this event with the current outrage about some crackpot’s plans to burn a couple of Korans in Texas on September 11. (For instance, a State Department spokesman has called Mr. Jones’s idiotic plan “un-American.”)
"So where was the outrage when the US Government destroyed Bibles — in order to avoid offending the sensitivities of the pious Muslims in Afghanistan?"
Health Insurers Plan Hikes
WSJ "Aetna Inc., some BlueCross BlueShield plans and other smaller carriers have asked for premium increases of between 1% and 9% to pay for extra benefits required under the law, according to filings with state regulators.
"These and other insurers say Congress's landmark refashioning of U.S. health coverage, which passed in March after a brutal fight, is causing them to pass on more costs to consumers than Democrats predicted."
But you will not see your taxes go up ONE DIME!
"These and other insurers say Congress's landmark refashioning of U.S. health coverage, which passed in March after a brutal fight, is causing them to pass on more costs to consumers than Democrats predicted."
But you will not see your taxes go up ONE DIME!
Clinton speech to tout successes
"Building on Faith" by FEISAL ABDUL RAUF
NY Times "We are proceeding with the community center, Cordoba House. More important, we are doing so with the support of the downtown community, government at all levels and leaders from across the religious spectrum, who will be our partners. I am convinced that it is the right thing to do for many reasons.
"Above all, the project will amplify the multifaith approach that the Cordoba Initiative has deployed in concrete ways for years. Our name, Cordoba, was inspired by the city in Spain where Muslims, Christians and Jews co-existed in the Middle Ages during a period of great cultural enrichment created by Muslims. Our initiative is intended to cultivate understanding among all religions and cultures."
Imam Rauf's NYT Op-ed Completely Ignores Ground Zero Mosque Polls "How could a man claiming his "life's work has been focused on building bridges between religious groups" not recognize in his call for unity the overwhelming opposition to this mosque from the very people he says he wants to build bridges between?"
An ancient echo of NYC mosque debate in Córdoba, Spain "At its height, Córdoba was considered by some to be one of the greatest achievements of the medieval Islamic world – a center of art, architecture, and scholarship.
"For much of the Islamic period, Córdoba was a bastion of tolerance. It ushered in a renaissance for Jews in Spain, who were persecuted by Christian rulers in the 7th century. The great Jewish philosopher and Torah scholar Maimonides was born there around 1134.
"That Maimonides's family fled Córdoba for North Africa when he was a boy after an intolerant Islamic dynasty conquered the city is one of the reasons that US politicians like Newt Gingrich deemed the original name an "insult." There were also periods in which large numbers of Jews or Christians were killed."....
"Likewise today, the disputes – albeit less violent – continue. And while the petition for Muslims to be allowed to pray at the Great Mosque does not appear to be going anywhere, on Sept. 11 this month a group of Muslims, Christians, and Jews plan to form a human chain linking the synagogue with the mosque. It will be difficult to misread the symbolism."
The Cordoba Mosque in New York - “A Symbol of the Islamic Conquest of Christian Lands”
"Be that as it may, I still think Mr. Rauf and his wife should be taken at their word—provided they are also held to it. As a confidence-building measure for those of us who live in the neighborhood, it would help if the pair voluntarily answered some questions about the nature of their beliefs. A sampler:
"Who perpetrated the attacks of 9/11, and what was their religion?
"Does Israel have a right to exist as a Jewish state?
"What aspects of Shariah law, if any, do they repudiate?
"Do they consider the Muslim Brotherhood to be extreme?"
What the Arab papers say "...According to Mr al-Rashed, there is little Muslim demand for a mosque to be built near ground zero:
"Above all, the project will amplify the multifaith approach that the Cordoba Initiative has deployed in concrete ways for years. Our name, Cordoba, was inspired by the city in Spain where Muslims, Christians and Jews co-existed in the Middle Ages during a period of great cultural enrichment created by Muslims. Our initiative is intended to cultivate understanding among all religions and cultures."
Imam Rauf's NYT Op-ed Completely Ignores Ground Zero Mosque Polls "How could a man claiming his "life's work has been focused on building bridges between religious groups" not recognize in his call for unity the overwhelming opposition to this mosque from the very people he says he wants to build bridges between?"
An ancient echo of NYC mosque debate in Córdoba, Spain "At its height, Córdoba was considered by some to be one of the greatest achievements of the medieval Islamic world – a center of art, architecture, and scholarship.
"For much of the Islamic period, Córdoba was a bastion of tolerance. It ushered in a renaissance for Jews in Spain, who were persecuted by Christian rulers in the 7th century. The great Jewish philosopher and Torah scholar Maimonides was born there around 1134.
"That Maimonides's family fled Córdoba for North Africa when he was a boy after an intolerant Islamic dynasty conquered the city is one of the reasons that US politicians like Newt Gingrich deemed the original name an "insult." There were also periods in which large numbers of Jews or Christians were killed."....
"Likewise today, the disputes – albeit less violent – continue. And while the petition for Muslims to be allowed to pray at the Great Mosque does not appear to be going anywhere, on Sept. 11 this month a group of Muslims, Christians, and Jews plan to form a human chain linking the synagogue with the mosque. It will be difficult to misread the symbolism."
The Cordoba Mosque in New York - “A Symbol of the Islamic Conquest of Christian Lands”
"Be that as it may, I still think Mr. Rauf and his wife should be taken at their word—provided they are also held to it. As a confidence-building measure for those of us who live in the neighborhood, it would help if the pair voluntarily answered some questions about the nature of their beliefs. A sampler:
"Who perpetrated the attacks of 9/11, and what was their religion?
"Does Israel have a right to exist as a Jewish state?
"What aspects of Shariah law, if any, do they repudiate?
"Do they consider the Muslim Brotherhood to be extreme?"
What the Arab papers say "...According to Mr al-Rashed, there is little Muslim demand for a mosque to be built near ground zero:
What Americans don't understand is that the battle with the terrorists behind 9/11 is not their fight, but rather a battle for Muslims, as over twenty Islamic states struggle against terrorism. Some Muslims will consider the construction of a mosque there [by Ground Zero] as a commemoration and immortalization of what the terrorists, who committed their crime in the name of Islam, did. I don't think that the majority of Muslims want to build a symbol or a place of worship that could become a place for terrorists and their Muslim followers to take pride in. Or a building that could become a shrine of hatred against Islam that turns public opinion against it, as seems to be the case at the moment, with claims that a mosque is being built on the bodies of three thousand dead Americans, buried alive as some people shout "Allahu Akbar", the same call which will be heard from the mosque. It is a false battle; [...] there are no devoted Muslims who want a place of worship there."Mr al-Rashed’s article met with criticism in a popular Emirati publication, Al-Khaleej, where Habib al-Sabegh writes a scathing response:"...
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