Big Labor Gets Big Benefits in California

The Foundry "But opposing automated checkout machines and imposing new restrictions on local governments to void union contracts weren’t the only victories. The L.A. Times reports that all told, Brown signed more than a dozen labor-backed bills “ensuring prevailing wages for trash haulers, increasing fines for employers who violate labor laws and restricting the use of non-union contractors for certain state services.” Brown also signed a bill that would move all statewide ballot initiatives to November ballots, giving unions a leg up on a measure that would affect their ability to use union dues for political purposes."

Obama's trophy wall

http://conservativedailynews.com/2011/10/qaddafi-makes-the-wall/

Libya: Gadhafi's Death in Perspective

STRATFOR  Rebel fighters killed former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi on Oct. 20 outside the town of Sirte. His body was then brought back to Misurata, where it was filmed being dragged through the streets. Several close aides, including family members, have been reported killed or captured as well.
Gadhafi’s death is symbolically important for the rebels, but the fall of Sirte is even more significant for the effect it will have on the future stability of Libya. With the final holdout of the pro-Gadhafi resistance overtaken, the National Transitional Council (NTC) can now move to form a transitional government. But multiple armed groups across the country will demand a significant stake in that government, which will have serious implications for the future unity of the people who heretofore were referred as the Libyan opposition.
Though the Benghazi-based NTC has been widely recognized in the international community as the sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people, this has long since ceased to be the case in the eyes of many Libyans. The NTC is one of several political forces in the country. Since the rebel forces entered Tripoli on Aug. 21, there has been a steady increase of armed groups hailing from places such as Misurata, Zentan, Tripoli and even eastern Libya itself that have questioned the authority of leading NTC members.
These groups have been occupying different parts of the capital for two months now, despite calls by the NTC (and some of the groups themselves) to vacate. They also have been participating in the sieges of cities in which pro-Gadhafi remnants continued to hold out after the fall of Tripoli. Throughout this period, the NTC has repeatedly delayed the formation of a transitional government, in recent weeks citing the ongoing fight against Gadhafi as the reason. NTC leaders said that once the war was finally over, the official “liberation” of Libya would be declared and a transitional government would be formed. The fall of Sirte means this moment is at hand.
With so many armed groups operating in Tripoli and elsewhere in Libya, a peaceful resolution to the question of who should take power is unlikely. The main groupings come from Benghazi, Misurata, Zentan and Tripoli, but there are other, smaller militias as well that will want to ensure they are represented in the new Libya. The divide is not simply geographic but also exists between Islamists and secularists as well as between Berbers and Arabs.
The shape of the new Libya is highly uncertain, but what is clear is that the NTC is not going to simply take control where Gadhafi left off. Certain members of its leadership may play a key role in any transitional government, but not without serious compromises or, even more likely, violence occurring in the process. Pro-Gadhafi tribal elements in the last region to fall to rebel fighters also will be a potential source of violence in the coming months, as they will fight to make sure they are not left out of the future power structure.

Rush said that when his tombstone appears, we should at last find out how to spell his name.  This may settle the issue: Rebel Discovers Qaddafi Passport, Real Spelling of Leader's Name
More depth on this issue if you really, really, really care. Or are some sort of linguaphile.

OBAMA SAYS "OCCUPY!"

The Freedom Fighter's Journal

Ann Coulter: Occupy Wall Street (Hearts) Wall Street

Ann Coulter    "If the Flea Party were really concerned about the greedy "Wall Street 1 Percent," shifting money around to make themselves richer and everyone else poorer, their No. 1 target should be George Soros​.
"Of course, we don't know exactly how much money Soros has, since he keeps all his money in offshore bank accounts.
"We do know that Soros has been convicted of insider trading. And we know that his general modus operandi is to run around the world panicking sovereign nations, so he can pocket the difference when their currencies collapse.
"But the Occupy Wall Street protesters love Soros! It's Fox News they hate."

Occupiers, be careful of what you wish for!

Brainless infants who know about as much about free enterprise and capitalism as their celebrity president.

http://terrellaftermath.com/

That prisoner swap in Israel; names of some released

GlobalSecurity.org:  Israeli Soldier, 477 Palestinians Freed in Prisoner Swap  "Under the deal, Israel is to release an additional 550 Palestinian prisoners within two months. An estimated 6,000 Palestinians remain in Israeli jails. Hamas leaders have vowed to see them all released.
"The deal was controversial. Families of some of the Israeli victims of Palestinian attacks were angry to see the attackers go free. Other Israelis feared the prisoner release would lead to an increase in violence.
"Palestinians were upset that some of their most prominent figures in Israeli custody were excluded from the deal."  Spread some of this on your flower beds.  And this.


Claudia Rosett: The Moral Vertigo of Ban Ki-Moon  "In Gaza and the West Bank, preparations have been underway to welcome these terrorists as heroes, and celebrate their release. That’s horrifying, but no surprise. These are places where people danced in the streets and gave out candy to celebrate the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. The leaders of both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have done well for themselves over the years by pursuing perpetual conflict and indoctrinating the people living under them in the ways of terror and hatred."
"But why does the secretary-general of the United Nations have to hop on this blood-soaked bandwagon?"
....
 "An obvious question follows. When the next terrorist hit on Israel takes place, will Ban’s speech-writers describe him as “disappointed,” or “concerned,” or maybe even “deeply concerned”? "

Names of prisoners in Shalit deal trickle through Arab media  "Hamas-affiliated websites, Arab media post partial lists of Palestinian prisoners included in prisoner exchange deal. List includes terrorists involved it attacks which claimed dozens of Israeli lives."
Western leftists will begin food and medical shipments to the families of the terrorists and murderers in three...two,,,one... 

Al Jazeera publishes the list of the first prisoners to be released. Two listed here: 

Abd al-Hadi Rafa Ghanim...16 life sentences
Khamis Zaki Abd al-Hadi Aqel...21 life sentences

How many innocent victims translate into this many life sentences?

The GOP debate

Taegan Goddard's Political Wire: Reaction to the GOP Debate  "The fifth Republican presidential debate since Labor Day -- and by far the most entertaining -- had the same winner as the previous four. Mitt Romney is the only person on the stage who understands -- or can at least speak clearly on -- the full breadth of issues that face the president. Romney took heavy fire from nearly everyone, but his rivals usually did more harm to themselves.
"The biggest story of the debate was the puncturing of the Herman Cain bubble."....

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2011/10/17/92754

 
Astute Blogger has this. He thinks Herman Cain would make a great Secretary of Commerce.

Romneycare comes under fire
"Romneycare comes under fire byPhilip Klein Senior Editorial WriterFollow on Twitter:@PhilipAKleinFor the first time of the debate season, Mitt Romney came under sustained fire from his opponents for the health care law he signed in Massachusetts.
"Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum kicked things off by emphasizing that like Obamacare, Romney's plan attempted to expand coverage, but didn't do anything to control skyrocketing health care costs"

APB put out for Obama's teleprompter

Rick Moran   "White House aides considered canceling several events, worried that the lack of a teleprompter would make the president more incoherent than usual. But Obama bravely insisted that "the show must go on" and would ad lib if necessary. Panicked advisors talked about rigging a "Fail Safe" switch so that they could turn the sound off on the president's mike if, as expected, Obama began to stutter and stammer while losing his place. It is unknown if they were able to install the switch prior to the president's appearance."

http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/67776/

Our Idiot Brother: The Tea Party’s Relationship to Occupy Wall Street

Walter Hudson  How does one start from the same basic objection and reach the polar opposite prescription? The answer is a lack of maturity

"Occupiers see themselves as other-than-rich. Such is the sentiment underlying “I am the 99%.” When they talk about taxing the wealthy to provide for the people, the “wealthy” is some other guy and the “people” are them. However, in practice, socialism cannot function by eating just the rich. It eats anybody who earns anything until nothing is left." 
Walter Hudson is a political commentator and chair of Minnesota's North Star Tea Party Patriots, a statewide educational organization. He runs a blog entitled Fightin Words. He also contributes to True North, a hub of conservative Minnesotan commentary.

The Computer Fairy supports the Wall Street protestors

http://terrellaftermath.com/

Are You Smarter Than a Wall Street Occupier?  "Over the past month, the crusaders at Zuccotti Park have braved the elements, tussled with police, and stood their ground against Mayor Bloomberg. But how much do the protesters actually know about the economic system that they're fighting to change? To find out, we asked 50 occupiers a series of questions about Wall Street, taxes, and government. The results were mixed. See if you can do better. " Language advisory; consider the sources.

Woman Raped in Tent at “Occupy” Protest In Cleveland

USBACKLASH.ORG  "Obama and the Democrats have aligned themselves with a great group of people, haven’t they?
"We have seen and read reports of violence, drug abuse, prostitution, anti-Capitalism, anti-Americanism, with people singing “F--k the USA”, and now even the rape of a 19-year-old female college student.
"Democrats have been courting the “Occupy” protesters to give the Obama administration the smallest glimmer of hope for the election in 2012, but the Democrats have been on the wrong side of most of the important issues and events in our nation’s history, like slavery, for an example, which the Democrats fought a war to protect, and assassinated president Lincoln after he freed the slaves. This is just one more example of how completely out-of-touch Obama and the Democrats really are."

Astroturf: “Occupy Wall Street” Riot Protesters PAID to Cause Problems   "We also are learning that the real people behind the anti-capitalism riots are the labor unions, George Soros, the Obama administration, and other anti-American jackasses.
"When stinky hippie protesters carry signs that read “Capitalism Is Organized Crime”, and all of the brainless losers around them agree, there is no more hiding from the truth!"

Ever wonder where those fancy, professionally printed posters and protest signs come from?  Of course, the signs are equal-opportunity choices.