The Next Generation Data Card puts the monumental economic challenges we face into perspective.

PJ Media "The state of America's economy today will impact the prosperity of future generations tomorrow. We created this data card because we want every American to have a simple and easy way to track and discuss the key economic indicators that show the true state of our nation's economy. The items featured in this card affect every American personally, whether we know it or not."  

"As a member of Congress, I had our staff develop this simple card of several economic indicators to give constituents an objective, comparative analysis. Now, PJ Media's Next Generation initiative is updating this card to show you where America was in January 2009 and where we are currently."
Lt. Col(ret)Allen West

See Allen West's intellectually stimulating video here.

Bear in mind that former Rep. West is very much opposed to the Obama administration, which makes him a racist.

More reasoned debate here:
Obama superdonor says Allen West is in ‘Party of the Apes’ Guess who said so.

It’s time to take on the media

Ace of Spades; We Must Do Something About The Media
"The media considers its adversarial function to consist of serving as adversaries to critics of Obama and the Democrats; thus Terry Moran shaming himself by rushing out to ask what right a Senator has to question the Secretary of State on matters of foreign policy."

Legal Insurrection  "Ace of Spades blog has posted a piece documenting the void of a Fourth Estate in America today, enjoining all of us who have been following its malpractice to do something:

The media no longer hides it in their actions. They are fully fused with the Obama Administration and DNC. The only way in which they do hide it is by simply lying when confronted about it: They’ll issue a snide denial, then go about doing precisely what it is they were accused of doing.

The writer tells us to go after our local media outlets,  not just national media:

"I sometimes fear that we focus too much on the large national news outlets, when perhaps more Americans, more of the persuadable middle, tune in to their local nightly news broadcast than the politics-laden super media networks like Fox. Treat your local news anchors like your congressman. Call them, follow them on twitter, write about their biased reports, because they weave bias into their nightly news reports on fires and high school sports teams like you wouldn’t believe. Film them when they’re doing their job. Ask them why they didn’t film the people in the Socialist Worker t-shirts at the so-called teachers union protests. Hold THEM accountable, and you will do more to reach the persuadable middle than any large new network can."

"Media Trackers is a conservative non-profit, non-partisan investigative watchdog dedicated to promoting accountability in the media and government across Wisconsin through cutting edge research and communications initiatives."

 The author makes it a point to include journalism schools in this mission:

And third, I’d like to call attention to graduate journalism schools for playing their part in this farce that we can call American journalism. As I was kicked out of the “Midwest Marxism” conference held at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism a few months ago for taking notes to report on what was going on, I felt I had a more than symbolic real-life experience with the rotting out of educational journalism institutions.

 

CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: Where Are The Witnesses Who Survived Benghazi?

 

"An excellent question. But then again, what difference does it make?"

 

Mind Over What Does It Matter

"Hillary has coined the perfect phrase to represent the Elitist Left in this country- because nothing matters to them except getting the results they want. No question of morality, responsibility, or even logic. If they think it's the right thing to do, then what does it matter if our nation goes to hell?"

What Difference it Makes...  "You can hide behind your sovereign immunity, Hillary, but there are personal injury lawyers out there who know how to pull legal flanking movements on that defense. Whether or not they prevail in court, they will keep your name and your political aspirations in the news between now and 2016.
"And not in a good way..."

Benghazi murders: Yes Hillary, it does make a difference
"So yes, the reason why Islamists murder Americans absolutely does matter. The answer is because they are Islamists.
"Killing individual terrorists is not enough. The entire radical Islamist cancer must be eradicated. This process cannot even begin to succeed until American leaders honestly admit that this problem exists.
"Everyone can see this except the blind, also known as the State Department"

Wrong on Women Warriors; The new policy is a disastrous mistake.

Heather Mac Donald at NRO

"Any claim that our fighting forces are not reaching their maximum potential because females are not included is absurd. The number of women who are the equal to reasonably well-developed men in upper-body strength and who have the same stamina and endurance is vanishingly small. Because the number of women who will meet the military’s already debased physical-fitness standard will not satisfy the feminists’ demand for representation, the fitness standard will inevitably be lowered across the board or for women alone, as we have seen in civilian uniformed forces."
....
"I am not aware of any comparable crusade to create gender-integrated football teams. At least America knows what’s really important."
Heather Mac Donald is a fellow at the Manhattan Institute. 
 

Updated: Women in Combat Spells Trouble? What do we learn from the Israelis?

Linda Chavez  "One study of a brigade operating in Iraq in 2007 showed that women sustained more casualties than their male counterparts and suffered more illnesses. Female soldiers experienced three times the evacuation rate of male soldiers. And of those evacuated for medical reasons, a shocking 74 percent were for pregnancy-related issues.
"The high rate of pregnancy among female soldiers is one of the best-kept secrets in the military."....
.... "And, of course, many of the pregnancies among deployed females involved sexual activity between soldiers in the field -- which brings up one of the chief objections to women serving in combat roles." 

And, I might add, openly gay partners. A combat unit was preserved as a non-sexual environment for unit cohesion and that is no longer the case thanks to the ultra-PC Democrat Party and Obama.

The Israeli Defense Force is often cited as the prime example of women integrated with women in combat. We will continue to draw on the IDF's 17 years of experience with this for understanding, beginning here:
IDF Background Information   "From the late 1990s onwards, they are moving back into combat positions, including flight school. The first female fighter pilot graduated in 2001. Before women were re-absorbed into combat units, there used to be a womens'(sp) corps which provides professional support and backup that was created as a parallel administrative system to the command system."

Women in combat roles: Is it possible?  "While Israel’s model may not be appropriate for the US, a measured time-phased approach to integrating women into combat roles will better serve the military.
"As a combat veteran, I have served with female soldiers and civilians that shared some of the same burdens as men.  Specifically in 2004, my unit was situated near a Civil Affairs unit that included several females.  While their unit was not intended to close with and engage the enemy, they patrolled the same streets in Iraq as every other unit.  Also, the .50 caliber gunner was a female soldier who proved her mettle on several occasions."....
"Ultimately this culture change should be paced to ensure the military, not an agenda, is served first."
 (Emphasis added because it is at this point that I expect the worst from this inept PC/Democrat administration.TD)
Timothy Zlatich  is a retired US Army Special Forces and Intelligence officer
with a keen eye for political-military issues related to National Security. 

UPDATE: IDF Women on Facebook   "In Israel all citizens are required to serve in the military. The Israel Defense Forces, the IDF, drafts all Women for at least 2 years. IDF Women serve in various units including on the frontlines. "This fan page is administered by over 50 IDF Women. Personal contact is prohibited for security considerations."

We look forward to hearing from members of the IDF who can share their experiences with us, both pro and con on this subject as long as they offer respectful and reasoned opinions. TD

Photo:IDF Women of Israel

 Women in IDF Combat Units  "Presently, female soldiers are trained and responsible for the many of the same duties as their male counterparts. Those recruited for combat units have to serve for 30 months instead of the current mandatory period for women of 21 months."

The State of Israel is the only country in the world that requires women to serve in the armed forces  "92% of positions in the IDF are available for female soldiers. Today women make up 33% of the IDF, and eight times as many women are serving as military reserves. Female officers with the rank of Colonel has grown by 100% since 1999 and with the rank of Lt. Col. grew by 70% in the past decade."
What are the 8% of positions that women do not serve in and why? Will those be off limits to US women in a society where feminism PC is as radical and unyielding as here in the US?

Women soldiers raped by captors   "According to Bragg, Lynch’s medical records indicate she was anally raped."

“The records do not tell whether her captors assaulted her almost lifeless,  broken body after she was lifted from the wreckage, or if they assaulted her  and then broke her bones into splinters until she was almost dead,” the Daily News quotes from the book."

In cases like this, who would the soldiers sue for damages: the military or NOW?

NOW wants NO restrictions on women in combat with no thought whatever for the needs of the military. They say:

"Despite recent advances for women, both the Army and the Marines continue to exclude women from infantry, armor and field artillery units, and thus block women from advancing along the three main routes to those branches' senior leadership. The military's policy of restricting women's participation in direct combat units denies women significant opportunities for job advancement. Most three-star and four-star positions require combat experience; at the end of FY 1993, there were 114 three-star and four-star admirals and generals in the four combined services. None were women. Further, contrary to the proposed reservation, women cannot volunteer for military service without restriction, as women are precluded from certain designated combat positions."

Fully expect the PC Democrats to go along with this because ideology trumps wisdom and intelligence. 

antimisandry.com

Mission Accomplished

Dumber Than You Think You Are

Alan Caruba;  "If you passed through any school system since the 1960s, you are a lot dumber than you think you are. Those of us educated in the 1940s and 50s learned the fundamentals of literacy, history, civics, mathematics, and science in ways that no system relentlessly devoted to “self-esteem” ever could."....

"....television today is filled with programs that are designed to appeal to the lowest IQs. If you tune to the Arts and Entertainment channel (A&E) you will find yourself watching Parking Wars, Storage Wars, Duck Dynasty, and Finding Bigfoot. And why would you watch such shows?

"The History Channel has little to no relationship to actual history with programs like Ancient Aliens that purport to show how visitors from other planets aided humans in long ago eras are responsible for the advances of human civilization."

And disagree with these next words if you can: 

Various “man in the street” interviews display a frightening level of ignorance about national politics and events.

 

 

One of these faces should work

http://terrellaftermath.com/

 

 

R. Lee Ermy presents "Glock Girl"

R. Lee Ermy on Facebook
"This is the 'Official' R. Lee Ermey Facebook page. There may be many who try to be like mine, but this one is mine! Now if you signed up to one of the others, DROP AND GIVE ME 25 SWEETHEART!!! Now sign up here NUMBNUTS!!!"

Aye, aye, SIR!
 

A Lovely Parting Gift - Mr. Panetta To Authorize Women For Combat Roles

The peace symbol (also known as the "footprint of the American chicken") has made its comeback, in case you hadn't noticed. One of our young relatives was wearing it on a necklace and I realized she knew nothing about its history. I told her gently how that symbol was once sported proudly by people looking much like today's "Occupiers" who spit on our troops returning from Vietnam. One could tell she was hurt as she removed it and it has not been seen since.
Now the children and students of those same people are filling the Democrat Party's ranks and the offices of the Obama Administration, making laws that govern both American businesses and our armed forces. They generally know nothing about either institution and I suggest they hold contempt for both.
Read below the consequences that happen from putting these people in charge of America's valued institutions. Peace, brothers.  TD

A Lovely Parting Gift - Mr. Panetta To Authorize Women For Combat Roles

... (He will lift) the military's ban on women serving in combat, a move that will allow women into hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando units, a senior Pentagon official said Wednesday.

...."6) I remember watching Restrepo and wondering how all the "grab-ass" and the like would work in a mixed unit.   I concluded it would probably go bad at some point."

It will not be simply letting women choose to be in a combat unit; it will come to requirements that certain numbers of women must be in a unit. I pity the poor commander of a unit that is under heavy combat stress when he now will have to be concerned about some sort of sexual discrimination charge.
I worry that excellent leaders will no longer choose the military because of all this.

From Blackfive; Needs Of The Service....

"I am most tired of being told that just because liberals say that women will be great warriors in the combat arms and that we should let them try.  Just saying it over and over does not mean it will be so.  I have watched them and lead them and I have seen how with only a few very notable exceptions, they are unable to carry the same loads that male soldiers carry, I have watched them struggle to do some of the most basic tasks that male soldiers have no problems completing.  I have seen them use their gender to avoid work and their plumbing to avoid deployment, and unfortunately for the women; the few bad apples taints the whole bushel when it comes to this career field."

Laughing Wolf disagrees with me  If these words were not in Blackfive, I would not take them seriously.

Even American Thinker writes of women now in combat, which is true enough. The big issue for me is not that women shouldn't be in harm's way, but how disruptive their presence will be in an actual combat unit such as a rifle platoon.
With the presence of  women and the openly gay in combat units, there is now a sexual element where it has no business being.
 However the article linked to does make some excellent points that go along with my own thoughts: 
"If criticism is to be made, it should be directed at why this is being done. Is it just one more example of using the military as a social science lab? Is the ban being lifted purely out of a perceived need for "gender equality? "Will the military lower it's qualification standards so that women can serve as special operators? They may eventually try it, but I doubt whether team members in the SEALs or other special op outfits would accept any female applicant who didn't have to endure what they did. "Those men depend on each other completely as their missions are the hairiest in the military. Not being able to implicitly trust a team member would vastly reduce the effectiveness of the team."

Allen West rips call for women in combat  He is a combat leader who should know and I respect him highly.
"He called the strategy a “social experiment” and said that given the challenges facing the country, now is not the time to try it.
" “Unless the Obama administration has not noticed, we are fighting against a brutal enemy and now is not the time to play a social experiment with our ground combat forces,” he wrote. “President Obama, as Commander-in-Chief, should be focused on sequestration and the failure of his policies in the Middle East. This is the misconceived liberal progressive vision of fairness and equality which could potentially lead to the demise of our military.” "

If this story was a fictional TV movie, Basilone would be a gorgeous woman: 
 

Update on the Wizard of Oz

Warning Signs

This excerpt below is from a lengthy comment to Mr. Caruba by Ronbo who blogs at Freedom Fighter's Journal. The comment is excerpted from this post at the FFJ:

As I said way back in 2008, when Obama was elected president for the first time, that the America we knew would disappear while he was president.
...And it's going, going, GOING... 

What Difference?

Victor Davis Hanson   "Secretary Clinton did not mean to show indifference, but her rhetorical question was one of the low points in her long career, one that might pass without too much fanfare at the moment but will reverberate a lot in the future.
"Yet today’s testimony in some sense does not matter, given that Ms. Clinton is probably going to run in 2016 for president, and has enjoyed a protective media veneer over her long career — shed only once in 2008 when opposing Barack Obama."
...."Despite Hillarycare, Whitewater, Travelgate, Filegate, the cattle-futures mess, the circumstances surrounding the 2000 Clinton pardons, “suspension of disbelief,” etc., Ms. Clinton, for not fully explained reasons, remains mostly beyond audit and censure, a fact she has come to appreciate."

Clinton Makes Dubious Claim That Obama Called Benghazi Terror Attack on 9/12  "Doesn’t sound like the administration was calling it a terrorist attack that early in the game."

 

http://www.westernjournalism.com/benghazi-cover-up-2/