The government bubble is ending.

American Thinker "To me, the saddest part of what Henninger discusses is that it required the (coming) economic collapse of virtually an entire continent to awaken most of the US. Are we that economically illiterate? Unfortunately the answer is an easy "Yes." Our educational system and our "American-Idol" society have made most of us oblivious to anything beyond the latest Tiger Woods scandal."

A New Nowhere Debate?

Victor Davis Hanson "And Mexico has become far more violent than Iraq, suggesting to most that the border should be less, not more, porous. Simply enforcing the law — finish the fence, keep fining employers, increased patrols on the border, push for verifiable IDs — will stop the flow. Those newly arrived, or in trouble with the criminal justice system, will at some point come to the attention of authorities, if the latter wish it. And long-term, illegal residents can apply for legal residency in ways the Congress at its leisure can fight over — once the border is secure and the powers of assimilation, integration, and intermarriage are allowed to work at last on a static, and soon to be shrinking, population. An amnesty bill at this time would be about the most divisive move imaginable."

Terror Charge Upheld Despite ‘Torture’ Claims

Andrew C. McCarthy "The decision will dishearten Bush-bashers. There are, of course, many people who believe — quixotically, but in good faith — that civilian prosecutions of enemy combatants would somehow improve our security by reaffirming “our values.” By contrast, hardcore leftists want these trials in civilian court for the reckoning. They figure civilian due-process rules will make it easier for terrorist defendants to obtain discovery about, and sensationally litigate, Bush counterterrorism tactics — which these leftists regard as “war crimes.” "

As Polls Show Overwhelming Support for Arizona's Law, Nets Focus on 'Uproar' and 'Spreading' Boycotts

Newsbusters  "...CBS and ABC promoted the cause of activists in the minority. Both devoted full stories to the “uproar” and “emotional civil war” over the law and moves by a few liberal local government bodies to enact boycotts, only getting late in their stories to those who like the law."
BUYcott Arizona "...I reject and refuse to participate in any boycott of the great State of Arizona.
I call on the United States government to start doing its job according to the Constitution: Secure the Borders, Enforce the immigrations laws, Protect its citizens."
  Patriot Groups Will Kickoff National Arizona BUYcott at Winning Back America Conference: "While protestors have launched a sit in calling on the Governor to veto the bill launching the Country’s first major state enforcement efforts on illegal immigration, protesters like Al Sharpton are asking for a Boycott of the State. In response, Patriot groups around the country want to support the rights of the people of Arizona and are calling for a BUYcott of the State."

No! Not Texas! Say it ain't so, please.

China, here we come

Gateway Pundit "The Obama Environmental Protection Agency moved this week to crack down on the evil American manufacturers and producers. The AP reported:

"The Environmental Protection Agency moved Thursday to more tightly control air pollution from large power plants, factories and oil refineries, a step to limit emissions widely blamed for global warming." More...

Expect an Angry Obama [Friday]

Political Wire  "President Obama "is angry about the oil spill, its magnitude, BP's stalling and tomorrow, he is going to let his frustrations spill out at a late-morning press availability after he meets with senior officials," Marc Ambinder reports. The New York Times reports the oil spill "could easily be four or five times the government estimate." "

DADT statement from Milbloggers

Blackfive  "There was a recent exchange of letters between Sen. Levin and Sec. Def. Gates about the study the military is doing about Don't Ask, Don't Tell. In it Sec. Gates confirmed that the military was looking at how best to implement the policy on the assumption that the rule would be changed. He also asked Congress to wait until the study was completed so any action they took would be based on the advice of the services. A number of Milbloggers agree with this and are releasing the following joint statement."  Uncle Jimbo

Time Magazine Introduces Radical Obama Nominee, Says He's Not Radical

Newsbusters "Any health care funding plan that is just, equitable, civilized and humane must, must redistribute wealth from the richer among us to the poorer and the less fortunate. Excellent health care is by definition redistributional. Britain, you chose well."

"Was that a British socialist speaking in Parliament? Nope. It was Dr. Donald Berwick, a Harvard professor about to face Senate confirmation as President Obama's nominee to head Medicare and Medicaid."

How Badly Will the Democrats Do? A few trends to watch ahead of November.

Karl Rove "Look for the Obama White House to try raising Democratic intensity in the months ahead, especially among blacks, Latinos and liberals. The president's harsh attacks on the Arizona immigration law are part of this strategy.
"Another important metric for the fall is the turnout for primaries. Is it rising or falling compared to four years ago? The results so far are bad for Democrats. For example, in Ohio, Democratic participation was down 24% over the last midterm while GOP turnout was up 64%." More..

News Beneath the News

Victor Davis Hanson  "Bush, the lazy golfer while we were at war; Obama the engaged commander-in-chief playing golf for needed relaxation more in one year than in Bush’s eight. Katrina, the emblem of federal inaction and culpable incompetence; the BP slick, either a result of private greed overwhelming noble federal auditors or proof of the Obamian competent response. Bush’s illegal war clearly alienating Muslims and thus creating terrorists daily; laughable excuses from a terrorist that Obama’s stepped-up targeted Predator assassinations “created” would-be killers such as himself. Right wingers in bed with Wall Street oligarchs greedily crafting federal policy for the exploiting class; Obama for some odd reason, no doubt in the end a noble reason, taking more money from the likes of Goldman Sachs and British Petroleum than any politician in history. The Bush-Cheney nexus shredding the Constitution with the Patriot Act, Guantanamo, Predators, and renditions; Obama the civil libertarian reluctantly forced to maintain or expand such protocols, albeit at last under a watchful liberal eye. Bush’s “lost” war in Iraq miraculously soon to be Obama’s “greatest achievement.” What is the theory behind all this other than partisanship or cynicism? And this was just a small part of Hanson's article. Click the link to read more.

Cartoon by Chuck Asay, Townhall.com

Caretakers of Stolen Mojave Desert Cross Vow to Replace It  "It's not clear if a replacement cross will be permitted. A park service spokeswoman says officials are waiting on word from the Justice Department."

The ACLU has already announced it will be asking the judge to rule again that the Mojave Desert Memorial Cross must not stand. "Liberty Institute is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of person(s) responsible for vandalizing and tearing down this veterans memorial."

Netanyahu turns to Bible in tussle over Jerusalem

Reuters "Netanyahu told a parliamentary session commemorating Israel's capture of East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war that "Jerusalem" and its alternative Hebrew name "Zion" appear 850 times in the Old Testament, Judaism's core canon. "As to how many times Jerusalem is mentioned in the holy scriptures of other faiths, I recommend you check," he said."
Jerusalem Day  "Arafat was offered Palestinian statehood. He turned it down. The on-going conflict is not about geography. The fact that Israel exists is the real conflict. As former Egyptian President Nasser said, "The existence of Israel is in itself an aggression . . . an aggression against the Palestinian people." Nothing has changed in that regard."