Saturday, January 19, 2013

Has all common sense disappeared from those who govern our lives?

'Zero Tolerance'  "Kindergarteners in Pennsylvania are being dragged into the nightmare of the liberal progressive paradigm, to control a lawless society they helped create. A five-year-old girl was suspended for 10 days and her sentence reduced to two for threatening another girl at the bus stop. Get this, with a Hello Kitty toy gun that blows soapy bubbles, her crime: issuing a "terroristic threat." "

25 Examples Of What America Would Be Like If Everyone Was A Liberal One sample:
17) Activists would be able to sue on behalf of individual plants and animals in court.
Obama´s Greatest Legacy Might Be Destroying the Media...."NBC News accidentally did some actual reporting. In a First Read article that opened with the question, "Is the nation better off than it was four years ago," senior political director, Mark Murray, did something that neither he, nor NBC News, nor the mainstream media was willing to do during this last presidential campaign: report on Obama's record.
"But there it finally was: The Truth -- and from NBC News, no less."....
J.R. Dunn asks How Stupid is Obama?  "What kind of mentality deliberately arranges a brawl over government finances in the midst of a sensitive and fragile recovery?  Obama was obviously out to steal an issue from the GOP and wreck their 2012 campaign plans.  But at what cost?  Wrecking the national economy?  This isn't thinking of any description -- it's the mentality of a street punk who spots somebody in another gang and decides to take him down at no matter what happens to passersby or himself."

“The Usual Sex, Diversity, and Nutty Profs” Week at College Insurrection (Plus Guns!)  Just a small sampling from this article:
  • A List of American College Courses for Radical Leftists
  • Report confirms American History courses now contain more diversity than facts
  • Academic-victimology complex infects college prep curriculum
  • Justice Sotomayor Unaware of Affirmative Action’s Impact on Her Career?
  • Wisconsin ‘American Diversity’ Course Teaches ‘White Guilt’

  • Conde Nast
     WSJ; A Gun Ban That Misfired   "Some in Washington who owned firearms before the ban were allowed to keep them as long as the weapons were disassembled or trigger-locked at all times. According to the law, trigger locks could not be removed for self-defense even if the owner was being robbed at gunpoint. The only way anyone could legally possess a firearm in the District without a trigger lock was to obtain written permission from the D.C. police. The granting of such permission was rare."   But wait! There's more!
    The gun ban had an unintended effect: It emboldened criminals because they knew that law-abiding District residents were unarmed and powerless to defend themselves. Violent crime increased after the law was enacted, with homicides rising to 369 in 1988, from 188 in 1976 when the ban started. By 1993, annual homicides had reached 454.

    Obama's human shields

    Krauthammer: A new strategy for the GOP

    Political Cartoons by Chuck Asay
    Charles Krauthammer  "Can you shrink government, restrain spending, bring a modicum of fiscal sanity to the country when the president and a blocking Senate have no intention of doing so?
    '"One faction feels committed to try. It wishes to carry out its small-government electoral promises and will cast no vote inconsistent with that philosophy. These are the House Republicans who voted no on the “fiscal cliff” deal because it raised taxes without touching spending. Indeed, it increased spending with its crazy-quilt crony-capitalist tax ”credits” — for wind power and other indulgences.'"
    Dr. Krauthammer points out the obvious:
     Obama’s postelection arrogance and intransigence can put you in a fighting mood. I sympathize. But I’m tending toward the realist view: Don’t force the issue when you don’t have the power.
    Here is his tactic, which looks like a solid one and one which a Republican has since proposed:

    "The more prudent course would be to find some offer that cannot be refused, a short-term trade-off utterly unassailable and straightforward. For example, offer to extend the debt ceiling through, say, May 1, in exchange for the Senate delivering a budget by that date — after four years of lawlessly refusing to produce one.
    "Not much. But it would (a) highlight the Democrats’ fiscal recklessness, (b) force Senate Democrats to make public their fiscal choices and (c) keep the debt ceiling alive as an ongoing pressure point for future incremental demands."
     

    Science must drive government policy, but under Democrat Obama, policy drives science

    From Towhall  Hat tip to Americans for Prosperity; "Something’s amiss at the Department of Interior. Eight government scientists were recently fired or reassigned after voicing concerns to their superiors about faulty environmental science used for policy decisions. Which [prompts] the question, “Are some government agencies manipulating science to advance political agendas?” "....

    ...."The government’s use of fictional science in the Klamath dam removal project should concern every American. Our public servants at DOI are brazenly advancing their own agendas at the expense of the truth and regardless of adverse impacts on the environment, humans, and on rural communities. Environment and human interests are not incompatible. We have to find solutions that work to the benefit of both. That requires agendas be put aside and allow complete science to determine policy.
    "DOI Secretary Ken Salazar is stepping down in March. His replacement needs to be someone who can be trusted to end the culture of fictional science as a means to advance environmental agendas." Emphasis added.
    This article Facts and fiction on the Klamath River Settlement Process and dam removal appears at first glance to be unbiased, but is written by a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribal Council, which wants the dams removed.

    I find this interesting: Talking Points on Klamath Dam Removal.
    Have you ever wondered how advocates for positions get their information when they write letters to the editor or speak in public? Have you noticed when they are challenged, they are accused of speaking in "talking points"? Here is just what they are talking about and principled, informed journalists know to follow up each statement made from these to test the knowledge of the speaker. Media advocates of the speaker's cause will let these points go unchallenged, unlike true journalists with integrity such as Chris Wallace, Jake Tapper and the late Tim Russert.
    This article begins with: "Talking Points on Klamath Dam Removal
    Use the talking points below then click here to send a letter to the editor to newspapers."

     
    "The company chose the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement because it put a $200 million cost cap on dam removal and removed the company’s liability if there are issues when the dams are removed, said Tom Gravely, PacifiCorp spokesman.
    "But to renew the licenses without dam removal, the company would likely have to install fish ladders, which would cost more than the $200 million cost cap put on dam removal."

    The dams provide electric power that is "green" energy and way more efficient than wind and solar; Disagreeing on dam removal: Klamath River Basin split on removal issue "Siskiyou County Supervisor Jim Cook said he and his four fellow supervisors oppose dam removal.
    " "My personal stance as an individual is that I don't want to see that kind of green energy go away - not when fish ladders work," he said".

     

    Friday, January 18, 2013

    When the wolves come for us, are we the sheepdog or the sheep?

    On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs " "Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.
    " "Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf.""
     
    "There were four mass killing attempts this week. Only one made the news because it helped the agreed upon media narrative.
    1. Oregon. NOT a gun free zone. Shooter confronted by permit holder. Shooter commits suicide. Only a few casualties.
    2. Texas. NOT a gun free zone. Shooter killed immediately by off duty cop. Only a few casualties.
    3. Connecticut. GUN FREE ZONE. Shooters kills until the police arrive. Suicide. 26 dead.
    4. China. GUN FREE COUNTRY. A guy with a KNIFE stabs 22 children.
    "And here is the nail in the coffin for Gun Free Zones. Over the last fifty years, with only one single exception (Gabby Giffords), every single mass shooting event with more than four casualties has taken place in a place where guns were supposedly not allowed".

     

    You know you live in a Country run by idiots if...

    You  know you live in a Country run by idiots if....You can get arrested for expired tags on your car but not for being in the country illegally.
    •  You  know you live in a Country run by idiots if... Your government believes that  the best way to eradicate trillions of dollars of debt is to spend trillions  more of our money.
    •  You  know you live in a Country run by idiots if.... A seven year old boy can be  thrown out of school for calling his teacher "cute" but hosting a sexual  exploration or diversity class in grade school is perfectly acceptable.
    •  You  know you live in a Country run by idiots if..... The Supreme Court of the  United States can rule that lower courts cannot display the 10 Commandments in  their courtroom, while sitting in front of a display of the 10 Commandments.
    •  You  know you live in a Country run by idiots if.... Children are forcibly removed  from parents who appropriately discipline them while children of "underprivileged" drug addicts are left to rot in filth infested cesspools.
    • You  know you live in Country run by idiots if.... Working class Americans pay for  their own health care (and the health care of everyone else) while unmarried  women are free to have child after child on the "State's" dime while never  being held responsible for their own choices.
    •  You  know you live in a Country run by idiots if.... Hard work and success are  rewarded with higher taxes and government intrusion, while slothful, lazy  behavior is rewarded with EBT cards, WIC checks, Medicaid and subsidized housing, and free cell phones.
    • You  know you live in a Country run by idiots if.... The government's plan for  getting people back to work is to provide 99 weeks of unemployment checks (to not work).
    •  You  know you live in a Country run by idiots if.... Being self-sufficient is  considered a threat to the government.
    •  You  know you live in a Country run by idiots if.... Politicians think that stripping away the amendments to the constitution is really protecting the rights of the people.
    •  You  know you live in a Country run by idiots if.... The rights of the Government  come before the rights of the individual.
    • You  know you live in a Country run by idiots if.... Parents believe the State is  responsible for providing for their children.
    • You  know you live in a Country run by idiots if.... You can write a post like this  just by reading the news headlines.
    • You  know you live in a Country run by idiots if.... You pay your mortgage faithfully, denying yourself the newest big screen TV while your neighbor defaults on his mortgage (while buying iphones, TV's and new cars) and the government forgives his debt and reduces his mortgage (with your tax dollars).
    • You  know you live in a Country run by idiots if.... Your government can add  anything they want to your kid's water (fluoride, chlorine, etc.) but you are  not allowed to give them raw milk.
    •  You  know you live in a Country run by idiots if.... Being stripped of the ability  to defend yourself makes you "safe".
    • You  know you live in a Country run by idiots if.... You have to have your parents  signature to go on a school field trip but not to get an abortion.
    • You  know you live in a Country run by idiots if.... An 80 year old woman can be  strip searched by the TSA but a Muslim woman in a burka is only subject to  having her neck and head searched.
    •  You  know you live in a Country run by idiots if.... Using the "N" word is considered "hate speech" but writing and singing songs about raping women and  killing cops is considered "art".
     Hat tip to Jack Hamner; Santa Maria, Ca

    Children and liberal demagoguery

    Obama's use of wide-eyed children to promote his gun-control proposals shows just how infantile the anti-gun campaign has become "There was something nauseating about the way Barack Obama surrounded himself with children as he unveiled his gun control plans. It looked like emotional blackmail. "Look these innocent babes in the face and tell them guns are good" – that was the implicit message of this cynical, innocence-exploiting press conference, which brought to mind one of the late Wacko Jacko's weird child-centred peace concerts more than it did a serious Lincoln-style presidential address." Via Lucianne

    Shameless: White House Posts Videos Of Children Asking Obama To Crack Down On Guns…
    "Even the New York Times concedes this is going to look like Obama “exploiting little children for his own political purpose.”"

    Obama's Inauguration

    Slew of celebrities heading to DC for Obama’s inauguration, parties  "Grammy Award winner John Legend, who performed at several Obama fundraisers last year, will help ring in another four years for the president over the weekend at an official ball and other soirees. Legend, along with actress Rosario Dawson, La La Anthony, rapper 2 Chainz, Doug E. Fresh, Swizz Beatz, MC Lyte and “E! News” co-anchor Terrence J are among the expected guests joining music mogul Russell Simmons at what’s being dubbed “the dopest ball ever,” the Hip-Hop Inaugural Ball at The Harman Center in downtown D.C. on Sunday."
    "President Obama's inaugural parade will feature eight floats, including a Hawaii float to honor his birthplace, an Illinois float to honor the first lady’s home state, and a Kenyan float just to mess with Republicans." –Jimmy Fallon
     
     
    Get ready for more Republican-bashing and demagoguery, beginning with the inaugural address.
    "If he cannot enact his policies fully, however, President Obama can still hope to begin the transformation of American government and society for which he has long hoped. To that end, he intends to shatter Republican resistance on principles that have long been the consensus view in Washington and which the left has been determined to destroy, because they interfere with its goals of social democracy and (leftist) world governance."

    Cruz: Obama 'High on His Own Power'

    The Weekly Standard  "Republican senator Ted Cruz of Texas said Thursday that Barack Obama is "high on his own power" with regard to the president's announced efforts on gun control. Speaking on Laura Ingraham's radio talk show, Cruz, who was just elected to the Senate last November, said "this is a president who has drunk the Kool-Aid.""

    Sen. Rand Paul arguing that President Barack Obama may be developing a "king complex," said that he plans to introduce a bill next week that "will nullify anything the president does that smacks of legislation."  Video at the link
     
     

    Thursday, January 17, 2013

    Our Orwellian president speaks as if we have no collective memory. But that is OK if you are considered to be "hip"

    Victor Davis Hanson "As a senator and presidential candidate, Barack Obama said that he detested budget deficits. In 2006, when the aggregate national debt was almost $8 trillion less than today, he blasted George W. Bush's chronic borrowing and refused to vote for upping the debt ceiling: "Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that 'the buck stops here.'"
    
    PA Pundits
    ....
    "A second explanation for Obama's "irresponsible" and "unpatriotic" behavior is that, at some point, he began to see political advantages to massive borrowing when combined with near-zero interest rates. The growth of entitlements is popular with many voters, especially given that 47 percent pay no federal income taxes. Politically, it proved wiser to provide free birth control pills than to be demagogued as wanting to throw granny over a cliff. Who wants to run on giving fewer things to voters and making everyone pay more for what they receive?"

    In other words, it is easy to be a liberal but it takes courage to be a conservative. Should Obama do the right thing about federal spending and give up all the adulation from Hollywood; the admiring interviews from a sycophantic media; the glowing check stand magazine cover photos? Would Obama have the integrity to forsake his reputation of being "hip"? Or would he prefer being "hip" to actually governing?
    Let's discuss "hipness" in the light of the article above, shall we?

    Victyor Davis Hanson; The Hipster Façade  ..."Or does the fact that LeBron is hip exempt him from association with his fellow fat cats? Could the Tea Party just change its name to Occupy Washington?
    " Barack Obama baffles his detractors. How can one who golfs so frequently, or who vacations in only the most tony resorts, keep haranguing the nation about the transgressions of the one percent? When he sees them stroll by on Martha’s Vineyard, does he jump up and shout out at their mansions: “You didn’t build that!”?
    "How did corpse-man not win the NPR vitriol that nu-cu-lar had in the past?" 

    Because Obama is "hip" and no Republican can be. Ever.

    Reading list on Obama's gun control measures

    These are from the soon-to-be-gone Neal Boortz:
    Random Thoughts on Obama's Gun Control Measures  "The libs are trying to change the language here.  They know that the phrase “gun control” elicits a strong negative response among many.  Look for “gun violence prevention” or some other such phrase.  Same goals, different phraseology.  Liberals know the masses are suckers … and will play them."
    Political Cartoons by Bob Gorrell
     Obama's Victim Disarmament Proposals "I really do feel for you folks in the media who have to continue to honestly and objectively cover this dangerous man in the White House.  .... I simply cannot sit here and do the daily play-by-play of his destruction of this country that I love any more.  This last election made it clear.  The moochers, parasites, leaches and the looters who support them are in control.  We simply have too many people voting for a living in this country … the takers rule, and too many makers are disengaged and sit on their hands on Election Day."

    The Race Card  "It was only a matter of time, as it is with most issues lately, before somebody pulled out the race card.  The person to do it this time around was none other than Hank“Guam will tip over” Johnson.  He says that the NRA opposes Obama's gun control plans because the group “still cannot get over” the fact that the president is “black.”" Don't miss this one either; now back to our original topic:
    Gun Control Through ... ObamaCare? "Hey you doctors out there, did you hear what Dear Ruler has in store for you?  You thought that you went to school to get a medical degree to practice medicine, help people and earn the big bucks.  Now you are realizing that you will be a government employee, subject to the demands of a feckless ruler."
    I'm sure Mr. Boortz means that in a nice way.

    NRO; Obama’s Unserious Gun Proposals "So why has the Obama administration come up with these tired, already-failed proposals? Not so that they can pass, and certainly not so that if passed, they would be effective. Rather, Obama’s gun-control initiatives are part of his permanent campaign. The objective is to rile up the Democratic party’s faithful so they will be motivated to turn out in November 2014. President Obama has always been more interested in campaigning than governing. Beyond that, he knows he can do little to transform America unless the Democrats capture the House next year. So today’s proposals, pointless as they may seem, are part of a political strategy — not to convert the majority, but to motivate the minority."
     
    Photo-op president shooting blanks  "So does the boilerplate admonition to “launch a national safe and responsible gun-ownership campaign.” (But, psst, the National Rifle Association’s been doing that for years.)"
     
    "The evil Perry spoke of "shows up in our movies, video games and online fascinations," he said, "and finds its way into vulnerable hearts and minds. As a free people, let us choose what kind of people we will be.""
    Political Cartoons
     
    This next cartoon comes from Ronbo at The Freedom Fighter's Journal: 
    Finally, from Weasel Zippers:  NRA: Obama Wants “War” With Us So We’re Preparing For “Battle”… "NRA members would hold accountable any politicians who “sell them out to some pie-in-the-sky scheme such as the president is proposing,” he said."

    Investing: Biggest growth story is outside the US

    The Financial Times  American business competitiveness has made this nation a good haven for investing. But now, Obama and the business-hating liberals are affecting the business climate, making Bulgaria a better investment than the US at present. TD
    Political Cartoons by Lisa Benson
     "The drag might have been justified had the agreement actually addressed the long-term fiscal outlook. But it failed to tackle the US tax code’s dysfunction or the sustainability of major entitlement programmes. In abdicating any effort to stabilise the national debt, Washington now risks an eventual loss of international confidence in the US. Short term, it is not even clear that this deal does much to address the deficit. With significant fiscal drag still embedded in the deal, the economy is unlikely to grow as fast as current budget estimates assume. If growth disappoints, as it almost surely will, revenue will be below expectations and deficits above."  Full article from the UK Financial Times here.
    Emperors New Coin