Tuesday, January 21, 2014

President Obama: One More Reason to Dislike Him; Now he's playing the race card big time.

The American Spectator  "My dislike of President Obama isn’t a matter of the color of his skin, but rather because of the content of his character or lack thereof.

"I dislike President Obama because of his petulance. What other President would tell the opposition party in his first meeting with them, “I won. I’m the president,”? What other President would intervene in a local matter and
declare that its police department had “acted stupidly” while admitting he did not have all the facts? What other President would make the Dalai Lama leave the White House through a side entrance with a big pile of garbage awaiting him? What other President would tell the Prime Minister of Israel to let himself out of the White House? What other President would unceremoniously return a bust of Sir Winston Churchill to the British? What other President would while traveling abroad describe his country as “arrogant, derisive and dismissive?”....

... "Over the past 120 or so days, more Americans have come to dislike Obama, including many who voted for him not once, but twice. ...These numbers represented an all-time low for President Obama. None of this has anything do to with Obama’s race."...

The writer discusses many more issues with Mr. Obama, then sums it all up with this:
"Indeed, why should anyone dislike Obama because of his race when there are so many other good reasons to dislike him?"

Obamacare and the media

tree falling
 
Obama Asks Bartenders To Sell Obamacare  Among others, of course.
 
WaPo Fact Checker Gives Obamacare Enrollment Numbers Three Pinocchios   "Lately, President Obama's political action group, Organizing for Action (OFA), has claimed that six million Americans have successfully signed up for Obamacare. However, even The Washington Post Fact Checker finds this assertion to be suspect."

California Drought = Flood of New Rules; It’s a hard rain of regulations gonna fall

Legal Insurrection

... "These regional tensions often inspire proposals to break California apart, such as that offered by noted technology investor Tim Draper to split California into six separate states. However, those ideas are going to be as fruitful as our current drought-ridden fields.
"Furthermore, Brown’s plans for “bringing people to together” will likely be heavy on new rules (e.g., California’s version of Cap-and-Trade, the Global Warming Solutions Act). Interestingly, state Senate president Darrell Steinberg is now just discovering the economic costs of anticarbon politics." ...

Monday, January 20, 2014

The Relentless Hillary Clinton by Alan Caruba

Warning Signs
 
"Who said:
“ 'We’re going to take things from you on behalf of the common good”?
“ 'It’s time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by the few, and for the few…and to replace it with shared responsibility, for shared prosperity”?
“ '(We) …can just let business as usual go on and that means something has to be taken away from some people.”?
“ 'We have to build a political consensus and that requires people to give up a little bit of their own…in order to create this common ground.' ”?...
....
..."The real conspiracy has been the takeover of the Democrat Party by the far Left and its elected office holders who appear to have no regard for the decline of the nation thanks to their relentless spending and borrowing." ...
Political Cartoons by Jerry Holbert

Only one in five Israelis trusts Obama on Iran

Would somebody interview those 20%? Wouldn't you like to learn their level of education and their thought processes?
Times of Israel  "The survey also asked Israeli voters if they held a favorable view of the US president. Even among the 33% who said they did (50% said they did not), trust in Obama’s ability to stop an Iranian nuclear weapons push was split evenly at 43% to 43%.

"The survey found that, as in the United States, Obama tended to do better among female voters, while male voters were more skeptical. Just 19% of males trusted the president on Iran, compared to 25% of female respondents. The most skeptical groups were male voters 55 and older (only 16% of whom agreed they could trust him on Iran) and former Soviet Union immigrants who arrived after 1989 (just 12%)." ...

EU backing away from warmist agenda


Thomas Lifson  "The persistent failure of the earth's weather to fulfill the catastrophic predictions of the warmist climate modelers for the last 17 years is taking its toll. So, too, the extreme cost of reducing those carbon emissions that have increased dramatically over that period of no warming. As result, the EU and its biggest economic power Germany are backing away from the previously announced goals. Der Spiegel is wringing its hands over the situation: "... More:

“Layers of Editing” is no defense for NY Times Benghazi bias

Legal Insurrection  "That the NY Times’ failed Benghazi blockbuster went through “layers of editing” makes claims of bias more, not less, credible."
I felt this post was excellent, with several reputable opinion sources linked to as well, including Stephen Hayes. TD
 
... "Again, narrowing the scope of the story or of its implications; it makes Marrison’s “layers of editing” dodge less convincing. A critical reading of Kirkpatrick’s story by editors should have resulted in a more complete report. That the editing didn’t catch any of these flaws in Kirkpatrick’s report could be explained by gross incompetence, a failure of editing process or deliberate bias.
"I could believe any of these three explanations. The reason that bias seems most likely is that we know that the current executive editor of the New York Times had been rebuked by the paper’s public editor for publishing a blatantly political hit piece." ...


 

The existential elephant in the ‘Christian persecution’ room

The existential elephant in the ‘Christian persecution’ room
Raymond Ibrahim     "Open Doors USA recently released its widely cited 2014 World Watch List—a report that highlights and ranks the 50 worst nations around the globe persecuting Christians.
"The one glaring fact that emerges from this report is that the overwhelming majority of Christian persecution around the world today is being committed at the hands of Muslims of all races, languages, cultures, and socio-political circumstances: Muslims from among America’s allies (Saudi Arabia) and its enemies (Iran); Muslims from economically rich nations (Qatar) and from poor nations (Somalia and Yemen); Muslims from “Islamic republic” nations (Afghanistan) and from “moderate” nations (Malaysia and Indonesia); Muslims from nations rescued by America (Kuwait) and Muslims claiming “grievances” against America (fill in the blank __)."

With Friends Like These...

HopenChange


"In a speech addressing Americans' growing fears that the NSA is collecting too much information on too many people, Barack Obama stated that we really have nothing to worry about because "the folks at the NSA and other intelligence agencies are our neighbors and friends," much like the civic-minded folks who peep into women's windows at night and watch while they're changing clothes, just to make absolutely sure they're safe.

"But as reassuring as it is to be reminded that the intelligence agencies are just "neighbors and friends," can't that description be made to fit, well, damn near everyone? ..."

How MLK's Faith Influenced His Public Life


Heritage  ... "King’s faith supported everything he did, and his vision for America arose directly from his Christian ideals. “If we are wrong, the Constitution of the United States is wrong,” he declared. “If we are wrong, God Almighty is wrong.”
"Christianity teaches that people must love one another, and even before he began his crusade for civil rights, King frequently preached that people must love their enemies and forgive those who attempt to harm them. The marches, rallies, and boycotts he organized all featured non-violence, because they were born in Christian love and hope." ...

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Obama Says Racial Animus Blunts Approval, New Yorker Reports

Bloomberg  "President Barack Obama said that racial tensions may have softened his popularity among white voters within the last two years, according to a story posted on the New Yorker magazine’s website today.
“ 'There’s no doubt that there’s some folks who just really dislike me because they don’t like the idea of a black president,” Obama said in the article by David Remnick, appearing in the magazine’s Jan. 27 edition."

The Remnick article with the cited passage fully quoted:
On and off the road with Barack Obama.
Obama’s election was one of the great markers in the black freedom struggle. In the electoral realm, ironically, the country may be more racially divided than it has been in a generation. Obama lost among white voters in 2012 by a margin greater than any victor in American history. The popular opposition to the Administration comes largely from older whites who feel threatened, underemployed, overlooked, and disdained in a globalized economy and in an increasingly diverse country. Obama’s drop in the polls in 2013 was especially grave among white voters. “There’s no doubt that there’s some folks who just really dislike me because they don’t like the idea of a black President,” Obama said. “Now, the flip side of it is there are some black folks and maybe some white folks who really like me and give me the benefit of the doubt precisely because I’m a black President.” The latter group has been less in evidence of late.
 I agree there is, in some places, dislike for this President because of his skin color, just as there is dislike for whites displayed in daily violent attacks on our streets. Both have their roots in the most reprehensible elements of our society.
But I feel this claim by Mr. Obama serves him by painting all who oppose his policies as racist and he is aided in this by demagogues like Chris Matthews and the culture of MSNBC, Hollywood, and academia.
If you read the right sidebar of the Tunnel Wall titled. "Why the Tunnel Wall" you will see these words by yours truly:

...."We felt the day this nation elected a black President would show America had truly become America.
But not this president; not Barack Obama.
We envisioned a black president who would govern as an American who loved this country. One who loved America for her exceptionalness; for having the character to overcome her worst elements; for all her economic strength that it was now possible for everyone to grasp the opportunity to share.
But now we have some ominous dots to connect and a picture takes shape: William Ayres and his causes; Rev. Wright, Father Pfleger, Van Jones, all preaching their hateful philosophies. We saw Cuban flags and pictures of Che Guevara on walls of Obama campaign offices; red Soviet flags flying over crowds in post-election rallies. We heard the socialist views spoken to Joe the Plumber and this administration's disdain for private enterprise. " ...

Show respect for our National Anthem

  
 
Forwarded to me by a former classmate. I do not know if it was indeed written by a USMC colonel in Afghanistan, the words are something many of us will agree with:
Marine Col. In Afghanistan … Please, Sing National Anthem in the Traditional Manner for Our Military and Vets…     

"So with all the kindness I can muster, I give this one piece of advice to the next pop star who is asked to sing the national anthem at a sporting event:

Save them vocal gymnastics and the physical gyrations for your concerts. Just sing this song the way you were taught to sing it in kindergarten - straight up, no styling.

Sing it with the constant awareness that there are soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines watching you from bases and outposts all over the world. Don't make them cringe with your self-centered ego gratification.

Sing it as if you are standing before a row of 86-year-old WWII vets wearing their Purple Hearts, Silver Stars and flag pins on their cardigans and you want them to be proud of you for honoring them and the country they love - not because you want them to think you are a superstar musician. They could see that from your costume, makeup and your entourage. Thanks to Gail Downie, Nehalem, Oregon
 
 
Sing 'The Star Spangled Banner' with the courtesy and humility that tells the audience that it is about America, not you.
And please remember, not everything has to be sung as a Negro spiritual. We're getting a little weary of that. Francis Scott Key does not need any help." Semper Fi !
 
So help me, there is even a Facebook page devoted to properly singing the National Anthem:
 Sing Our National Anthem Correctly