Obama’s mark on the military; A deeply unpopular commander in chief is forcing profound change inside the ranks.

 

Military Times   "In his first term, President Obama oversaw repeal of the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
"Then he broke with one of the military's most deeply rooted traditions and vowed to lift the ban on women serving in combat. . .

"Obama is an unpopular president in the eyes of the men and women in uniform. Yet his two-term administration is etching a deep imprint on the culture inside the armed forces. As commander in chief, he will leave behind a legacy that will shape the Pentagon's personnel policies and the social customs of rank-and-file troops for decades to come.

 

. . .
"But to his critics, his moves amount to heavy-handed social engineering that erode deep-seated traditions and potentially undermine good order and discipline.
. . .
Our view: America’s military deserves better
"Morale in the military is swiftly sinking, with the troops losing both their sense of mission and their faith that their superiors, political leaders — and the nation — still have their best interests at heart.

"Those are among the key conclusions of our special report on America's military, "A force adrift: How the nation is failing its troops and veterans." This series was built upon an exclusive survey of almost 2,300 active-duty troops. Included are firsthand accounts from soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines on how they're coping with a relentless operational tempo, deep cuts in end strength, a growing workload and shrinking compensation." ...

 

Michael Yon

‘A PETULANT CHILD’: Former Secret Service Agent Blasts Obama For Blaming Service For Skipping Paris March

 

 Daily Caller Via Lucianne
... "Bongino, who served in the Secret Service under presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama before galvanizing conservative voters with recent Maryland Senate and congressional runs, told The Daily Caller that Obama blamed the Service because he knew they couldn’t fight back against him in the press.

“ 'He knows there’s nothing the Secret Service can say. They don’t want to hurt the relationship so as a matter of decorum they can’t say anything,” Bongino said. “I imagine what they’re really thinking is, ‘Is this guy serious?’ It’s not an easy job. After the fence-jumper, morale’s not great over there now, but he still says something that is so obviously not true.”

“ 'Just look at the Mandela funeral which was geometrically worse when it comes to threat and he went to that because he wanted to go. If the president wants to go he goes. The Secret Service doesn’t tell him he can’t go. That’s only in movies.' ”

 

Conservative Focus

Juxtaposing looks at the perpetually outraged and offended facing down the perpetually cowardly and silly

washingtonexaminer

French Muslim Students Yell “Allahu Akbar!” During Moment Of Silence For Charlie Hebdo Victims… "Rather than fall quiet as requested during a national minute of silence last week, three boys in Hamid Abdelaali’s high school class in this heavily Muslim suburb of Paris staged an informal protest, speaking loudly through all 60 seconds."

I see a connection here.

Duke University To Broadcast Islamic Call To Prayer On Fridays…  "Courtesy of the Duke chapter of the radical Muslim Student Association."

*UK’s Sky News Apologizes For Airing Mohammed Cartoon After Cutting Off Interview When Woman Holds Up Charlie Hebdo Paper… "Gutless guppies."

 

.washingtontimes.

*She was trying to hold up this latest issue of Charlie Hebdo (from Breitbart")

All articles above thanks to Weasel Zippers.

MSNBC's Maddow Shows ‘Piss Christ’ But Not Latest ‘Charlie Hebdo’

On April 18, 2011 Maddow and her network had no difficulty showing and discussing the “Piss Christ” photo by Andres Serrano after it was destroyed in a museum in France by protestors upset with the image of a crucifix submerged in urine.
After showing the image onscreen, Maddow said, “Museum officials say they will reopen tomorrow in order to put the destroyed pieces –still destroyed - on display so that people can see the damage that was done to them.”
“Inanimate art cannot yell back, it cannot hit back. The only way art wins against force if you can put the attack itself on display. See how that looks in the bright light of day, see how that holds up to history,” Maddow continued.
CNN joined MSNBC yesterday in declining to show images of the new Charlie Hebdo cover, citing fear of offending Muslims.
- See more at: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/eric-scheiner/2015/01/14/msnbcs-maddow-shows-piss-christ-not-latest-charlie-hebdo#sthash.VTz7UX52.dpuf

On April 18, 2011 Maddow and her network had no difficulty showing and discussing the “Piss Christ” photo by Andres Serrano after it was destroyed in a museum in France by protestors upset with the image of a crucifix submerged in urine.
After showing the image onscreen, Maddow said, “Museum officials say they will reopen tomorrow in order to put the destroyed pieces –still destroyed - on display so that people can see the damage that was done to them.”
“Inanimate art cannot yell back, it cannot hit back. The only way art wins against force if you can put the attack itself on display. See how that looks in the bright light of day, see how that holds up to history,” Maddow continued.
CNN joined MSNBC yesterday in declining to show images of the new Charlie Hebdo cover, citing fear of offending Muslims.
- See more at: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/eric-scheiner/2015/01/14/msnbcs-maddow-shows-piss-christ-not-latest-charlie-hebdo#sthash.VTz7UX52.dpuf

On April 18, 2011 Maddow and her network had no difficulty showing and discussing the “Piss Christ” photo by Andres Serrano after it was destroyed in a museum in France by protestors upset with the image of a crucifix submerged in urine.
After showing the image onscreen, Maddow said, “Museum officials say they will reopen tomorrow in order to put the destroyed pieces –still destroyed - on display so that people can see the damage that was done to them.”
“Inanimate art cannot yell back, it cannot hit back. The only way art wins against force if you can put the attack itself on display. See how that looks in the bright light of day, see how that holds up to history,” Maddow continued.
CNN joined MSNBC yesterday in declining to show images of the new Charlie Hebdo cover, citing fear of offending Muslims.
- See more at: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/eric-scheiner/2015/01/14/msnbcs-maddow-shows-piss-christ-not-latest-charlie-hebdo#sthash.VTz7UX52.dpuf

"On April 18, 2011 Maddow and her network had no difficulty showing and discussing the “Piss Christ” photo by Andres Serrano after it was destroyed in a museum in France by protestors upset with the image of a crucifix submerged in urine.
"After showing the image onscreen, Maddow said, “Museum officials say they will reopen tomorrow in order to put the destroyed pieces –still destroyed - on display so that people can see the damage that was done to them.”
“ 'Inanimate art cannot yell back, it cannot hit back. The only way art wins against force if you can put the attack itself on display. See how that looks in the bright light of day, see how that holds up to history,” Maddow continued.
"CNN joined MSNBC yesterday in declining to show images of the new Charlie Hebdo cover, citing fear of offending Muslims.

AS LONG AS OBAMA BROUGHT UP THE COST OF COLLEGE ...

 

Ann Coulter  "I gather from Obama's "free" community college proposal that his plan for dealing with the Republican Congress over the next two years is to throw out ridiculously expensive ideas no one has ever heard of before, and then denounce Republicans for being naysayers.
. . .
" Would anyone argue that colleges are providing a better education today than in 1978? I promise you: People coming out of college in the '50s knew more than any recent Yale graduate -- unless we're only counting knowledge of sexual practices once considered verboten.

"They're teaching gender studies, ethnic studies, moral equivalence and hatred of America. Did the Japanese Really Start World War II or Did We? It's worse than not reading Shakespeare. They're reading Shakespeare for homosexual imagery. As Yale professor Daniel Gelernter says, colleges are "threatening to become an elaborate, extremely expensive practical joke."

"The fact that 80 percent of Weathermen -- the violent '60s radicals -- are full college professors tells you all you need to know about the state of higher education today. " . . .

  By the way, since the subject came up: How 1960s Radicals Ended Up Teaching Your Kids. But I digress.

This is NOT the same Democrat Party that fought the Axis in WW2

Paris hosted a huge street rally led by Western leaders Sunday in support of comedic free speech in the face of recent Islamist terror acts against it. Not everyone was caught up in the spirit of defiance. Sony Pictures just informed Seth Rogan they've canceled his upcoming movie Muhammed the Musical.

President Obama was ripped for not joining other Western leaders in Sunday’s Paris rally against recent Islamist attacks. He decided to stay home and watched the Dallas Cowboys-Green Bay Packers playoff game. When President Obama deals with terrorism, he always asks himself what would Bush do.

France's anti-terrorism rally included forty Western leaders Sunday along with Palestinian leader Abu Abbas. His appearance is what made the rally so dangerous. Abu Abbas wears a beard and a head covering, so if he made just one funny face he could have been mistaken for an editorial cartoon.

French police say two million turned out for the anti-Islamist march in Paris on Sunday. That's five hundred thousand more Frenchmen than cheered the liberation of Paris in World War II. Chalk it up to nostalgia, but it seems like there's always that half a million who are sorry to see the Nazis go. . .    Argus Hamilton

Je Suis Jimmy

 

 ... "Meanwhile the world was stunned by the lack of meaningful American representation in Paris, and clearly yearned to hear the heartfelt thoughts of an American president. Unfortunately, that president turned out to be Jimmy Carter, who appeared on the Jon Stewart show. Because nothing says "thoughtful analysis of geopolitical terror and the tragic loss of life" like appearing on Comedy Central.

"Carter explained that the killers were (ahem) "aggravated" because of what Israel is "doing now, doing to (the Palestinians)." OHhhhh! And here we thought it was those pesky drawings of Mohammed that inspired the massacre. But Carter knows better and, fortunately, he has an easy solution for the real problem!

" 'Israelis have to withdraw from the west bank and Gaza and East Jerusalem as well," he explained, adding that in return, the Palestinians just have to agree to live in peace. Right. " ...
More Carterisms:

Carter also said of the terrorist attacks, "I think this is a positive turning point in some respects because a lot of people now are trying to understand what do the Muslims really believe. Their beliefs are very similar to Christians as far as peace and harmony and so forth. I think, now, we'll have a better approach to cure (Islamophobia) in general."

Two French Muslims attacked a French paper known for its blistering satire about any religion, including Jews, Christians and Muslims. And Carter says the attack has Israel written all over it?   Carter also said Obama couldn't go to Paris because he had work piled up on his inbox.   Check Obama's schedule for the day here.

We're pretty sure this administration is not our best hope to stand against radical Islam

Al Qaeda's Inspire Magazine Warns of Jihad in America While Obama Fiddles
"Obama wants to close GITMO and is willing to release terrorists who can orchestrate these attacks to do it. There are 127 terrorists in GITMO and 81 are Yemeni. They are al Qaeda. Obama will release them or most of them if Congress can’t stop him" . . .

ISIS Is In Afghanistan, Led By A Former Gitmo Detainee
"Yep, a released Gitmo detainee is recruiting for ISIS in Afghanistan. How perfect." 

  There is just something creepy about this administration and a certain religion
... "Obama’s first major speech was off continent in Cairo, Egypt.  It was, in essence, an apology to the Muslim world.
Then there was the out of the ordinary mandate for our NASA program to reach out to Muslim countries
Obama, the self proclaimed student of history, created the glorifying rhetoric of the Muslim Golden Age. A bona fide historian, Victor Davis Hanson noted," ... 

... "The Washington Times reported,

“The White House issued an edict to scrub all law enforcement, intelligence and military teachings on Islam. The FBI ended up discarding pages of information that warned about the threat from the Brotherhood.   Read more...

By James Longstreet

 

Obama will fight media to protect Islam from critics  ... "Barack Obama’s campaign promoted him as a constitutional scholar and professor. He was not a constitutional professor -- he was a part-time lecturer. And he is certainly no legal scholar, as I have written before. He violates his promises all the time and it is clear he has violated his oath to defend the Constitution, as well. In reality, it is the Constitution that must be defended from his depredations."

Never mind that most Westerners aren’t Islamophobic, but rather GettingShotInTheFaceForExpressingMyOpinion-Phobic.

UPDATED: Greta Van Susteren’s Apology to French People for Obama’s Shameful Paris Absence Goes Viral

Rich Terrell

As published on Ms. Van Susteren's Facebook page via The Reagan Coalition

Dear French Citizens,

This is a personal note from me but I suspect it represents the sentiments of many Americans.

I am sorry that our President didn’t go to France today and stand with your President and other world leaders against terrorism. It was an important statement to send to France, to the world and to terrorists and frankly he blew it. It was a big missed opportunity for my President and thus for all Americans. He should have gone. It was a mistake that he did not. Sometimes mistakes like that are made.

I stand with you and I think all Americans do stand with you. I had wanted the President to go to Paris today to represent how I feel and how most Americans feel after Paris was terrorized but that did not happen. President Obama didn’t just disappoint you — he disappointed many Americans today. Maybe there is a reason for his absence that I just don’t know but right now the White House has released no explanation.

Despite today’s absence, I know our President wants to stop world terrorism but his bad manners today – or maybe just dropping the ball – is not something we should harbor but rather drop and move on. It may be easier for you to drop than many Americans. As already noted, I am not happy with him tonight, but I will get over it. But, in the mean time, I do want the citizens of France to know we Americans stand with you and that we need each other to fight terrorism.

I also want everyone in France to know – and this is very important 0 that we have not forgotten that it was the French President who was the first national leader to show up at the White House after 9/11. You don’t forget things like that. (Nor have we forgotten LaFayette who fought for us in the Revolutionary War but that’s a bit farther back!)

I love your nation and have spent a lot of time there over the years – from college onward. Your citizens have been friendly to Americans and to me (although many have looked askance at me when I speak my very fractured French. You could be a tad bit nicer about my French.) Our nations have had their difference over the years but always I know fundamentally we are friends even when we might have some disagreements. We have the same goals and the same dreams.

So….I apologize for my President’s absence. Tonight I am mad at him but I will get over it and I hope you do, too. We have a bigger fight to fight than bad manners. We need to fight terrorism.

Greta Van Susteren

 

Hat tip to I did NOT vote for Obama.

Where you least expect it: a world leader with class and courage. UPDATE: A counterpoint on Al-Sisi

From Egypt, land of President Anwar Sadat comes a man of bravery. Sadly, we recall what happened to President Sadat 

EGYPTIAN President Abdel Al-Fattah Al-Sisi is a better friend to Christians than the American president is
"President al-Sisi, wildly popular for his ousting of the Muslim Brotherhood government of Mohamed Morsi, paid a visit to a Coptic Christmas mass making him the first Egyptian leader to do so since Nasser.
"In case you didn’t know, Barack Hussein Obama loathes al-Sisi and is doing everything he can to undermine his presidency."  (Emphasis in the original)

"Egyptian President Al-Sisi at Coptic Christmas Mass: We Are All Egyptians"

Egyptian President el-Sisi’s Incredible Speech   "A Clip(sp) from Egyptian President el-Sisi’s remarkable and courageous speech can be heard below. It’s the speech President Obama should have given but never will.

"President el-Sisi called for a revolutionary change in his religion to save the Islamic nation from “being torn apart and destroyed”. He called it by name – radical Islam. President Obama shrinks from using the words “radical Islam” and cowers in the corners of the NY Times and other state-sponsored media, behind the skirts of Marie Harf and Jen Psaki and under the table of his Attorney General Eric Holder.

"El-Sisi spoke at Al-Azhar on the need to “revolutionize” their religion to combat extremism in ideology. His words put his life in the crosshairs of the radical Islamists. He spoke from his heart and the leadership he exhibited is not like anything we are seeing in the United States. Quite the opposite in fact.

"He didn’t stop there. He visited the Coptic Pope and he went to mass at a Coptic church on Christmas Eve.

"This is a man who can be looked up to. We used to have such men in the United States."
Video:   http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/4704.htm

UPDATE:  El-Sisi’s Jihad Against Freedom of Conscience   "The Egyptian president's much-heralded speech bears no resemblance to his life's work."

"A recent PJ Media blog chastises mainstream (essentially Left) media for largely ignoring Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s 1/1/15 speech, an address much ballyhooed by conservatives (see for example, here, here, and here). This criticism of the Left-dominated media is warranted.

"But. . ."

As in the 1930s: only one place in the world is a safe haven for Jews

Even America is not seen as a long-term refuge it would seem.  Jews in Colonial America: Why They Were tolerated, Even Welcomed.

Why Help Build America When We Can Help Build the Land of the Jews?

 

... "Now, in our time, when God has returned the Land of Israel to the Jews, the situation is even worse, for it seems, in the eyes of the gentiles, that in clinging to our Diaspora communities, we prefer foreign lands to His."

The Death of the Jews of France   "In the wake of the slaughter of four Jews in a Paris kosher supermarket by an Islamic jihadist, a Parisian Jew said: “In the past year, 7,000 Jews have already left France and after this there will be many thousands more. We are not safe in France any more. There is no future for Jews here in France. We are finished in France.” 

Israel encourages frightened French Jews to make a move  " Nine government representatives flew in from Israel, set up a public expo and tried to encourage Jews to move to the Jewish state. One of the representatives took out her cell phone and crunched the numbers for an elderly couple: How much money would Israel give them if they made the move? About $7,545 for the first year. "

Jews scrutinize future in Europe against emigration to Israel after Paris market attack

... "In the wake of the attacks, which follow deadly strikes on a Belgian Jewish Museum and a Jewish school in southwestern France, Israeli leaders have called on European Jews to immigrate to the Jewish state. But European Jews are deeply ambivalent about leaving, and their community leaders, along with top politicians, have urged people to stay in their homelands.

" 'The European Jewry is the oldest European minority and we have our experience of surviving under all possible circumstances," Moshe Kantor, president of the European Jewish Congress, told The Associated Press. "We will not give up our motherland, which is called Europe. We will not stop the history of European Jewry, that is for sure." ...

Thorny Past, Present of Jews in France     ..."The Vichy government beat even the Germans to the punch in enacting anti-Semitic laws. We see French police arresting Jews and turning them over to the Nazis, photos of a radiant bride with a large yellow star pinned on her white wedding gown, and a popular exhibit demonstrating how to distinguish Frenchmen from Jews.
"After the war, a blanket of silence stifled any discussion of French collaboration, while one Jewish leader wondered how you can live in a land whose police arrested your parents." ...

Can anybody figure out this President's values?

Thomas Sowell: The “leader” of the free world’s absence from the Charlie Hebdo march in Paris is telling. 
"President Barack Obama’s absence from the great gathering in Paris of national leaders from other countries, to show their solidarity with France in its opposition to Islamic terrorists, was another sign of the Obama administration’s continuing irresolution in the face of terror." ...

 ... " It is doubtful if anyone in the Obama administration would have dared to leak Israel’s military secrets without knowing that it was all right with the president." ...

Analyst Ralph Peters: Obama a coward who chose the side of the terrorists
... "According to reports, Obama chose to spend Sunday afternoon watching a football game.

"The president's a coward," Peters said. "The president is a physical coward, he is a moral coward, he is an intellectual coward." That cowardice, Peters added, is the reason Obama refuses to admit that he was wrong about Islam. Peters, however, wasn't finished.

"Make no mistake," he added. "Passivity in the face of terror is complicity. And yesterday, President Obama chose the side of the terrorists." . . .

Earnest then spun the decision, claiming issues with security. But other reports said the White House never contacted the Secret Service for a potential trip to Paris.

Politico

 Below: Pakistanis rally with banners in solidarity for the two Charlie Hebdo killers in Peshawar

But guess where Mr. Obama does plan to go: Obama’s Cuba Trip Talks Anger Cuban Exile Community  Probably any time after the Super Bowl, I suppose.

Glorified Bastards  "For Western elites, Ahmadinejad is preferable to Hirsi Ali, the Castros to Cuban dissidents." 

. . . "The murderous thug Che Guevara is still iconic on college campuses, more than 40 years after his death; the names of democratic dissidents rotting in Cuban prisons are unknown. Apparently the romance of Che dovetails with popular academic anti-Western narratives. In these circles, the jailed enemies of Castro do nothing to refute the suppositions that put Che’s face on college-dorm walls." . . .

Connecting a couple of dots:

         
Left: Palestinian protestor

Right: 2008 Obama campaign office in Houston

Why the White House’s Security Excuse in Paris Doesn’t Add Up 

Obama Loves Islam More Than He Hates Terrorism

 

"In the wake of President Obama’s pathetic disengagement over the Islamic jihadist attacks on Paris, people are once again decrying his lack of leadership, but the problem is something more fundamental than leadership.

"From the beginning of his term in office, Obama has evidenced a deep moral confusion, a distorted worldview perhaps based on a bizarre upbringing. It’s not that he doesn’t distinguish between good and evil; it’s that he often doesn’t clearly recognize which is which.
...
"Obama spends more time downplaying and denying Islamic terrorism and releasing dangerous terrorists from Guantanamo Bay than he does leading this nation in a war against it. That’s because he is not committed to a war against it — and for another two years, he will be our commander in chief. God help us all. "
 David Limbaugh is a writer, author and attorney. His latest book is Jesus on Trial: A Lawyer Affirms the Truth of the Gospel. Follow him on Twitter @davidlimbaugh and his website at

Montreal Paper Includes "Draw Mohammed" Connect-The-Dots Picture. But let's consider another point: Counterpoint update

Townhall  "In response to the massacre of the staff of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, the French-language Canadian newspaper Le Journal Montréal included a connect-the-dot picture of "Mohammed" in today's issue so that its readers can "draw" their very own Mohammed cartoon."


" 'Mohammad cartoons in the next Charlie Hebdo." "Print out the sheet and connect the dots. Will join your pencil with theirs.' "

UPDATE: Ann Althouse is not impressed with the "Let's draw Mohammad" gig    There are other points to consider besides spiting the radicals. Somewhat chastened, I give you an excerpt of Ms. Althouse's post:

"'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day' is not a good idea."

I have endless contempt for the threats/warnings against various cartoonists who draw Muhammad (or a man in a bear suit who might be Muhammad, but is actually Santa Claus). But depictions of Muhammad offend millions of Muslims who are no part of the violent threats. In pushing back some people, you also hurt a lot of people who aren't doing anything (other than protecting their own interests by declining to pressure the extremists who are hurting the reputation of their religion).

He's back! Jimmy Carter Blames The Paris Terror Attacks On Israel

First Official Meeting of Habitat for Hamas

Sweetness & Light  From the Daily Caller:

Jimmy Carter Blames Recent Terror Attacks On ‘Palestinian Problem’

By Jamie Weinstein | January 13, 2015
… In the wake of the Islamist terror attacks in France against cartoonists and Jews, former President Jimmy Carter’s first reaction was to pin the motivation for such terrorism on Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians. Appearing on “The Daily Show” Monday, Carter was asked by host Jon Stewart whether the violence the world saw on the streets of Paris was actually fueled by something else other than Islamic extremism.
“Well, one of the origins for it is the Palestinian problem,” Carter replied. “And this aggravates people who are affiliated in any way with the Arab people who live in the West Bank and Gaza, what they are doing now — what’s being done to them. So I think that’s part of it.”

"What is being done to the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza? They can vote. Even their women can vote, drive and even go out in public without a male member of the family. In reality, the Palestinians on the West Bank and Gaza enjoy a lot more freedom than most of the people who are living in the Middle East under Sharia Law." . . .   Daily Caller: