Friday, July 4, 2014

A Celebration of the American Experiment


Happy Carbon-Free Fourth!
 
Carbon Free 590 AEA 3

A Celebration of the American Experiment   "A half a dozen American writers discuss July 4th and the patriotic spirit."     More

Hobby Lobby Deceit

American Thinker   "After the ridiculously close Hobby Lobby ruling came down Monday morning, the left went into its predictable hyperventilations. Also predictable, especially among those whose morality is driven by politics and opinion polls, was the frequent -- seemingly coordinated -- deceit emanating from the abortion apologists.

" 'Along with the “war on women” nonsense that continues to be parroted by liberals, we also got to hear again about how “corporations are not people” (for the left, corporations are only people when it’s tax time), and how companies like Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood want to “impose their religious beliefs on their employees.”...
 
The Hobby Lobby Lobby    "Georgetown Law School celebrity,  Sandra Fluke wrote a column in the Washington Post claiming that the Hobby Lobby decision is an attack on women because it denies them  birth control."...
 
140702-hobby-lobby
 
 
In sum, the anti-choice movement wants to limit not just affordable access, but all access to abortion and birth control, whether it is backed by the government, by employers, or purchased by private citizens. It is an attack at all levels, and today’s decision is just another success in these efforts.
"Actually, Hobby Lobby does pay for most birth control but not four types it considers to be a forms of abortion. Still, Hobby Lobby can’t deny those four items to anyone. They’re legal and relatively cheap.

"Liberal Fascism author, Jonah Goldberg wrote in a column yesterday, “The notion that denying a subsidy for a product is equivalent to banning that product is one of the odder tenets of contemporary liberalism”. He began that piece observing protesters holding signs that read “Birth Control: Not My Boss’s Business.” Hobby Lobby and the Supreme Court seem to agree."

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Portraits of Valor; Roy Benavidez

"Roy Benavidez was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions West of Loc Ninh, South Vietnam in May of 1968. When word that a squad was pinned down by enemy fire Roy Benavidez immediately volunteered to exact their rescue. During the course of the effort he subjected himself to constant enemy fire and suffered numerous injuries, but still led the remaining soldiers to protect and defend their position even after their first rescue helicopter was shot down."
 
Also here. Along with a snarky comment.

Hat tip to Bill Smith; Rainier, Oregon.

Political correctness and the immigration crisis

Boston Globe: The real cause of the immigration crisis  ... "Yes, porous borders are a national-security problem, one too long neglected. But the burning immigration problem of our time isn't that too many people are breaking the rules to get in. It is what they are finding when they get here.

"Instead of a national commitment to assimilation, a cynical multiculturalism sends the message that our culture is no better than any other, so there is no particular reason to embrace the American experience. "Bilingual" education and foreign-language ballots accelerate the loss of a common English tongue, making it easier than ever for newcomers to cluster in linguistic ghettoes. Identity politics erodes the national identity, encouraging immigrants to see themselves first and foremost as members of racial or ethnic groups, and only secondarily as individuals and Americans.

"From the day he got off the boat from Europe, my father lived up to the code that expected immigrants to go to work, learn the language, obey the laws, and become an American. My immigrant son, I hope, will live up to it too. The melting pot, it used to be called, before political correctness intervened. That political correctness is what has caused the present crisis. The crisis won't be solved by blaming the immigrants."   (Jeff Jacoby is a columnist for The Boston Globe).
Political Cartoons by Lisa Benson
Yahoo News: Immigration crisis 101: Why the wave of incoming kids, and what to do?  ... "The border patrol is coping with the swell by releasing many of the migrant mothers with children on their own recognizance, with a date for a deportation hearing in hand. Some of the unaccompanied minors are being released to the custody of parents or relatives in the US. One flaw in that approach: Only 40 percent of those accused of being in the United States illegally ever show up for court, according to former federal immigration Judge Mark Metcalf.
...
"Nothing Obama has done has directly caused today's big influx. None of these immigrant children or recent Central American migrants is eligible for deferred deportation under his 2012 DACA order (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), for instance. However, that order is being interpreted differently – by news media and by "coyote" smugglers looking for business – in parts of Central America, leading some people there to believe the US has waived some of its immigration rules when it come to children."

Illegal immigration: how 'humanitarian crisis' on border could hurt Obama

... "Two weeks ago, the Obama administration was poised again to take executive action in an election year to ease deportations of undocumented immigrants. Today, that plan may be increasingly fraught with complications." ...

Gov. Jerry Brown 1975: Don't 'Dump Vietnamese' Refugees on California

Breitbart  "Democratic Governor Jerry Brown once fought to keep out South Vietnamese refugees from being delivered to his state during his first stint as governor of California in the 1970’s, and although he remains silent on the crisis that is happening on the southern border of his state, Brown’s position, via legislation previously signed, on illegal immigrants from Mexico, Central and South America is much more favorable than the cool response he gave to the Vietnamese refugees who had escaped the tyrannical Viet Cong.

How many Vietnamese gangs in California compared to Latino gangs?

From the UK: "Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the most useless of them all? Obama rated WORST president since WW2 in embarrassing poll"

UK Mail   (Photos added by TD) "Sitting president Barack Obama was cited as the worst U.S. president out of the dozen men who have held the position dating back to 1945

"Former Hollywood actor Ronald Reagan ranked first on survey-takers' lists, followed by philandering presidents Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy
"Americans are so chafed by Obama's leadership that they say the country would be better off with businessman and 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney at the helm ."  

" 'Over the span of 69 years of American history and 12 presidencies, President Barack Obama finds himself with President George W. Bush at the bottom of the popularity barrel,' Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, said in a statement.
"Ranked in order of how bad Americans say they were, the 12 presidents included in the survey were: Obama, Bush, Richard Nixon,  Jimmy Carter, Lyndon Johnson, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, Dwight Eisenhower, Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy.
"Americans told Quinnipiac the best man to serve as leader of the free world since WWII was Reagan, a former Hollywood actor who held the office of the president for two terms from 1981- 1989.
"Reagan took a solid 35 percent of the vote, beating out his closest competitor, Clinton, by 17 points."   Full article...
 
Emphases in the original.
Remember the Letterman writer Bill Scheft who said this: Obama 'Too Competent' to Joke About?

US ties 'worthless' under Obama says Polish FM
"Poland's Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski was secretly recorded saying that during the Obama administration, the Polish-US alliance "isn't worth anything."
BBC:
Poland's Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski called his country's ties with the US "worthless", a Polish news magazine says, giving excerpts of a secretly recorded conversation.
"This is a common refrain around the world from our allies. Our enemies don't fear us and our friends don't trust us. That's a combination almost guaranteed to bring about chaos in the world.

"Elliott Abrams, an old foreign policy hand, has a piece in Politico that says much the same thing about "The Man Who Broke the Middle East":" ...

Charles Krauthammer Makes Astonishing Observation About the Security Around the White House’s Border



"In light of the crisis at the southern border, Bill O’Reilly asked Charles Krauthammer a very simple question Tuesday:
“How do you secure the border, Charles?”
 "In response, Dr. Krauthammer offered an equally simple answer:
“You start with a fence. It’s very simple. … If fences don’t work, why is there one around the White House? If they don’t work, why is it that the Israeli fence which separates Israel from the West Bank has cut down terror attacks within Israel by 99%?”

"Obviously, the U.S./Mexico border is longer than the fence around the White House. But, think about it: Would the stream of illegal aliens coming across the border virtually unchecked be anywhere near what it now is if a fence – with razor wire, if necessary –
existed?"

Surprisingly, O'Reilly let Mr. Krauthammer continue uninterrupted without even his frequent "yeah", "uh-huh" that you hear when someone is speaking.

Liberal commentary to Mr. Krauthammer has this predictable statement:
"I'd like to see the fence that would be built..you people are total mrons.."

Other liberal comments elsewhere are something like: "Moronic post", "Delusional", etc.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

'Brown shirts' threaten medical staff with arrest if they talk about immigrants

Todd Starnes

Illegal immigrants
 
"A government-contracted security force calling itself the "Brown Shirts" have threatened to arrest doctors and nurses if they say anything about contagious diseases at a refugee camp for illegal immigrants set up at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, Todd Starnes reported at Fox News on Wednesday.

"Despite the threat, Starnes said several workers broke their confidentiality agreements and shared exclusive details about the conditions at the camps. Starnes said he agreed not to disclose the names of those who came forward.

“ 'There were several of us who wanted to talk about the camps, but the agents made it clear we would be arrested,” one psychiatric counselor said. “We were under orders not to say anything.”....
Photo -

On Israel; Congress, please step in

Caroline Glick
agony
 
..."The teens’ abduction and murder was supported by Palestinian society as a whole. While Israelis were united as never before in worry and prayer for the missing boys, Palestinian society was united in its expressed delight at the abduction and murder of the boys." ...
...
"EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton took five days to issue a milquetoast condemnation of their abduction. But as execrable as Ashton’s silence was, US President Barack Obama’s response was even worse.

"Obama waited for the boys’ bodies to be found before ever mentioning them. And when he finally spoke, he made no distinction between Israel, the victim of this war crime, and the Palestinians who facilitated, perpetrated and celebrated this war crime.

 
"In Obama’s words, “From the outset, I have offered our full support to Israel and the Palestinian Authority to find the perpetrators of this crime and bring them to justice, and I encourage Israel and the Palestinian Authority to continue working together in that effort. I also urge all parties to refrain from steps that could further destabilize the situation.' ”
 ...
"As Rep. Franks said on June 12, “All US assistance to the Palestinian Authority should have been be suspended years ago, but openly joining a terrorist organization that kills women and children simply because they are Jewish should convince even the Obama administration to wake up and defund this madness.' ”

Hamas killers heard cheering, singing in full recording of teen’s emergency call
 
 
... "After the policewoman at the police call center asks Gil-Ad to respond to her, more sounds of gunfire are heard. An interview with Labor MK Shelly Yacimovich on Israel Radio is heard coming from the radio in the background and the terrorists are heard exclaiming with joy and uttering the word "thalaathah" (three, in Arabic)." ... 
BrZZqKFIQAAAWDg.jpg-large

If one loony conservative is guilty, then the entire movement is guilty...so what do you leftists say about this one angry individual?

Language warning:

Why you should avoid Muslim servers in Starbucks or any other place that sells food.

From the ‘Our Eye on Islam’ Facebook page:

AntiJihad Eye on Islam (h/t George W)


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Arab women in Gaza handing out sweet cakes to celebrate the murder of 3 Israeli teens
 
Arab women in Gaza handing out sweet cakes to celebrate the abduction of 3 Israeli teens

welfare-moslem1-1
barenakedislam.com

At Colorado burger joint, waitresses pack heat

Fox News
shootersgirls.jpg

"It's called Shooters Grill and it is located in Rifle, Colo., so naturally, the waitresses pack heat.

"The burger joint, about 180 miles west of Denver, embraces the firearms theme with menu items like the "M16 burrito," "Smith & Wesson Grilled Cheese" and "Locked and Loaded Nachos." The salt and pepper shakers are made from shotgun shells. But the biggest Second Amendment statement is in the guns waitresses carry, including the Rueger Blackhawk .357 Ashlee Saenz sports.

"Owner Lauren Boebert, 27, started the trend when she began carrying a pistol shortly after opening the restaurant a year ago.

" 'I started open-carrying maybe a month after we opened just because I am a woman in business and I was there early hours and late nights," Boebert said. "There was a man beaten to death in the alley behind my restaurant last year. It was very unfortunate."

Good reviews at Yelp.

One bad review   " Lauren B, Owner at Shooters Grill, responded to this review, 1 week ago
Hi There! I saw your review and wanted to apologize for the dissatisfaction with your meal.
Our breakfast steaks are cut to be a smaller 6oz steak.
"We use to serve 8oz steaks in the mornings, and we were having a lot of folks saying it was "too much for breakfast" so we cut back on the size and the price to accommodate the requests of our frequent guests....but you can always upgrade to a larger steak! We hand cut all of our steaks in house, so we can always slice a larger steak!
"If ever you do not like the food you receive, for ANY reason, please let us know and we will do our best to correct your order!"
Shoot yeah: Shooters Grill owner Lauren Boebert and her husband Jayson, who have four children together, encourage customers to bring their weapons with them while they eat at the diner in Rifle, Colorado
Shoot yeah: Shooters Grill owner Lauren Boebert and her husband Jayson, who have four children together,
encourage customers to bring their weapons with them while they eat at the diner in Rifle, Colorado
  • Shooters Grill opened in Rifle, Colorado, in May 2013
  • Customers are encourage to carry weapons at the restaurant, as allowed by Colorado law
  • Owner Lauren Boebert said: 'We don't worship guns - we worship Jesus.'
  • They do not serve alcohol, which pleases local police 
Hungry? The Uzi burger is one of the most popular items of the menu, which features American and Mexican fare
Hungry? The Uzi burger is one of the most popular items of the menu,
which features American and Mexican fare
 
 Hat tip to Harley Standlee, Placerville, CA

How can there be a Constitutional lawyer in the oval office? What happened to the personal injury attorney that has been there since 2009?


American Glob makes several salient observations:
 
UH OH: The “Constitutional Lawyer” in the Oval Office Disagrees With SCOTUS  "Do you even believe the brass balls of the Obama administration? Obama has as much credibility as a “Constitutional Lawyer” as an artist who answered an ad on a matchbook that said “DRAW ME.”

"Here’s what the “Constitutional Lawyer” in the Oval Office is considering via Zero Hedge:" ...
 

 
The Left’s Hypocritical Love Affair With Court Decisions  ... "The Supreme Court’s decision on Hobby Lobby has caused unhinged rage on the left which is making accusations of fascism and theocracy on social media. The court’s decision is a big problem.

"Yet when the same court ruled in favor of ObamaCare, here’s how Patrick Gaspard, then Executive Director of the Democratic National Committee reacted…"
View image on Twitter