Monday, January 6, 2014

Sign near Lampe, MO

Polygamy and Phil Robertson

The American Culture  "It seems that those who championed the redefinition of marriage to make gender arbitrary are now starting to get exactly what they said wouldn’t happen, the old slippery slope to polygamy. It is of course the logical conclusion of their position, and with a recent court ruling on polygamy in Utah the conclusion is coming to fruition. You can find the details in this WSJ article titled, “America’s Polygamous Future.”

"I can’t tell you how many articles and blogs I’ve read over the last several years where someone who was arguing for redefining marriage to include people of the same gender argued just as strongly against polygamy. Their problem is that it simply can’t be had both ways."
In sum:
... "So my question: since marriage is now obviously a malleable social institution, is it not unfair and unjust to outlaw polygamy? By what principal would anyone be able to say polygamy should be outlawed? What makes two so special that marriage should be limited to that number? If marriage is open to definition I dare anyone who supports same gender marriage to prove otherwise?"

Even Mainstream Media Turns on Obama


The American Culture  "We call this mainstream media bias. It seems, though, that the Obamacare disaster has not only soured the American people on the president, but even the mainstream media has become critical. The many egregious blunders and power grabs of this administration have even become too much for them to ignore. A shocking headline I read recently in the quintessential mainstream media organ, The New York Times, brought this home: “Obama’s Orwellian Image Control.” And there have also been recent stories of anger in the White House press corps regarding access for photographers. I also heard, amazingly enough, a story on NPR about what a horrible year it has been for Obama."

Terrorists Take Fallujah; Obama Doesn’t Care

Powerline   "The Obama administration has been disgraceful in so many ways that it is hard to keep track of them all, but surely one of the worst is its treatment of Iraq. Following his inauguration, President Obama withdrew troops from Iraq on the timetable that had been agreed to by the Bush administration. But as the draw-down continued, and it became apparent that security would worsen dangerously in the absence of American power, he refused to consider leaving even a small contingent of troops to help the Iraqi government resist terrorist forces. The result is that Iraq, like Syria, Egypt and Libya, has been under siege by Islamic terrorists."
 
 

Eric Holder directly responsible for release of Lynne Stewart who aided Blind Sheik

Noisy Room


NY Judge Orders 'Compassionate Release' Of Terror Lawyer Lynne Stewart
"The request said that Stewart was entitled to a compassionate release because she had been diagnosed with a terminal, incurable illness, and given less than 18 months to live."
 
Learning from Lynne Stewart  "Sharon Chadha did a good job of telling Stewart’s story in “Lynne Stewart, jihadi lawyer.” It is a story that illustrates the weird convergence between radical Islam and the radical left, united in their hatred of the United States."

From Middle East Quarterly in 2006:  Lynne Stewart, Jihadi Lawyer   "The
charges against Stewart are an epilogue to the conviction of her client. Many Americans first learned of the blind sheikh when, on February 26, 1993, his followers drove a truck bomb into the World Trade Center. Though the explosion was not as destructive as they planned—Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind, said that he had hoped to kill some 250,000 people—it still left six dead and injured over 1,000 people."

What's with MSNBC, anyway?

Romney: Apology accepted, but …   "As expected, Mitt Romney took the high road on Fox News Sunday regarding MSNBC’s attack on his family and Melissa Harris-Perry’s apology – but not without a bit of scolding from both Romney and Fox News anchor Chris Wallace." ...



Rachel Maddow is part of the new matriarchy running NBC News behind the scenes.   ... "Few, though, suspect that Harris-Perry will suffer the same fate as her less fortunate colleagues, and MSNBC declined to comment on the matter. That’s because Harris-Perry is part of Maddow’s in-crowd, the liberal, wonkish elite now ascendant at MSNBC.
"Sources say it is Maddow rather than Phil Griffin who provides MSNBC’s editorial direction, and that she also holds considerable sway over personnel decisions." ...

After Harris-Perry Apologized for Racist Romney Comment, MSNBC Renews Claim Tea Party is Racist  ... "On the same show that host Melissa Harris-Perry was forced to apologize for her attack on Mitt Romney's adopted African-American grandson, MSNBC kept up its drumbeat of dealing the race card against its enemies by declaring that the core of tea party is racist."

Kurtz: 'Has MSNBC Developed a Culture in Which Harsh Personal Attacks Are Encouraged?'  "Since that point, the format of "Shoot first, ask questions later" has moved throughout the network's primetime lineup as hosts seem to compete for who can be the most inflammatory.
"Even worse, people such as Chris Matthews - who used to actually be quite a fine host when Hardball began in the '90s on CNBC - bear absolutely no resemblance to their prior on-air personas."

The National Debt in One Picture

Heritage   "Congress is beginning its new year with a budget deal that busts right through “caps” it was supposed to have on spending. At Heritage, we want to hold Congress accountable for its tax-and-spend ways, even as Members claim there’s no room to cut.
"A good place to start is understanding the mountain of debt Americans are already under. Check out and share our infographic below that puts it in perspective."
 

Sunday, January 5, 2014

De Blasio: Enabler of Extremists

"The hard-left speakers at his inauguration do not bode well for his mayoral priorities."

John Fund
 
"I passionately believe in free speech. But there should be private standards that allow one to publicly shun unapologetic, intolerant nutters on both the right and the left.
"So where was the judgment of New York’s newly elected mayor, Bill de Blasio, when he selected the activist singer Harry Belafonte — a peddler of hatred, an apologist for totalitarian regimes, and someone who has compared the U.S. government to the 9/11 hijackers — to give the keynote speech at his inauguration last week?" ...

Melissa-Harris Perry Cries During On-Air Apology to Romney Family

Newsbusters  "As NewsBusters previously reported, MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry and a panel of comedians last weekend senselessly mocked a picture of former Governor Mitt Romney’s family because it included his adopted black grandson.
"Although she’s already apologized on Twitter, Harris-Perry began her show Saturday with a heartfelt apology much of the time fighting through a lump in her throat and tears (video follows with transcript and commentary):" ...


,,,
"As Fox News media analyst Howard Kurtz asked Friday, "[H]as the channel developed a culture in which harsh personal attacks are encouraged, or at least tolerated?"
"As the answer to this question is a resounding "Yes," it behooves the powers that be at this network to examine exactly what is the culture there that would encourage a child of an interracial family to mock an interracial family all because its patriarch is a Republican."

Thomas Lifson asks, Has Melissa Harris-Perry learned anything?  "Harris-the community," and likening "Obamacare" to the n-word. Her most famous image, that will haunt her until her death, is the notorious tampon earrings moment."
"Perry has a history of outrageous, unhinged progressive provocations, such as claiming that children don't belong to their parents, but to  "the community," and likening "Obamacare" to the n-word. Her most famous image, that will haunt her until her death, is the notorious tampon earrings moment.  "

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Thomas Sowell on Hit Piece Journalism

Townhall  "Front-page editorials, disguised as news stories, have become such familiar features of the New York Times that it should have been no surprise to discover in the December 28th issue a front-page story about a professor of finance at the University of Houston who has been a paid consultant to financial enterprises.
"Since professors of all sorts have been paid consultants to organizations of all sorts, it is questionable why this was a story at all, much less one that covered an entire inside page, in addition to a central front-page opening, under the headline "Academics Who Defend Wall St. Reap Reward.' "

Speaking of hit pieces:
Controversial black sports columnist Jason Whitlock compared black conservative scholar Thomas Sowell to a house slave in a series of tweets on Wednesday.
This is how the left treats those who dare to have the courage to speak openly about race and liberal policies toward blacks.

Obama gave away all our troops fought and died for

Battle of Fallujah Redux: Al-Qaeda rises in Anbar province
"The president's failure to sign a new status of forces agreement with the Maliki government led to our early withdrawal from Iraq. Many analysts believe Obama gave up on the negotiations too early - as he appears to be doing in Afghanistan with his inability to come to an agreement with President Karzai on future American troop deployments there."

Obama’s Afghanistan Mess    "It’s safe to say that “freeing imprisoned Taliban and al-Qaeda jihadists who targeted and killed American troops” wasn’t on any military family’s New Year’s wish list.
"As for the commander-in-chief? It’s back to the golf course. Fore!"

From DEBKAfile: " Ironically, the tribal militias backing al Qaeda are the same “Awakening” groups which the US army sustained and armed for the battle to root out Al Qaeda from western Iraq during the 2005-2007 landmark “surge” campaign devised by Gen. David Petraeus.
"That surge wheel has clearly turned round in favor of al Qaeda." ...

Obama has been al Qaeda's main ally in their return:
"1.  There is no military force in the region capable of going into Iraq and stopping al Qaeda’s advance, which was allowed to happen in consequence of the US army’s precipitate exit from the country three years ago."

Blackfive: Al Qaeda seizes partial control of 2 cities in western Iraq  "The ISIS began retaking control of areas in Iraq after the US withdrew military, intelligence, and logistical support from the Iraqi military and intelligence services and abandoned its support of the Awakening in December 2011. The Syrian civil war and a political standoff between Prime Minister Maliki and Sunnis in Anbar have also fueled the resurgence of al Qaeda in Iraq." 
 

Is our healthcare going to work well, or are we condemned to a lifetime of this?

I still think of Michael J. Fox on a daytime talk show discussing treatment for Parkinson's; he said nobody can do it as well as the US government. We'll see.

Doctor’s Office Spends 2 Hours On Hold With Health Insurer For Patient’s Surgery Authorization
 Certified Enrollment Specialist, Marlene Nesmith, waits on the HealthCare. gov website that reads, "HealthCare.gov has a lot of visitors right now!" as she waits for it to allow her entry into the Affordable Care Act website at a Miami Enrollment Assistance Center on Dec. 20, 2013 in Miami, Fla. (credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Certified Enrollment Specialist, Marlene Nesmith, waits on the HealthCare. gov website that reads, “HealthCare.gov has a lot of visitors right now!” as she waits for it to allow her entry into the Affordable Care Act website at a Miami Enrollment Assistance Center on Dec. 20, 2013 in Miami, Fla.
 
"The new year brought relief to some Illinois patients newly insured under the nation’s health care law. Others still weren’t sure whether they were covered, despite their best efforts to navigate the often-balky new system.
"The major benefits of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul took effect Wednesday, the first day of 2014." ...
 
This next is from the UK Daily Mail, where people have known screwed-up nationalized healthcare for decades. Even they think our health Obamacare is bad.
Obamacare confusion reigns as frustrated patients walk out of hospitals without treatment  "Patients in a close-in DC suburb who think they've signed up for new insurance plans are struggling to show their December enrollments are in force, and health care administrators aren't taking their word for it.
In place of quick service and painless billing, these Virginians are now facing the threat of sticker-shock that comes with bills they can't afford.
" 'They had no idea if my insurance was active or not!' a coughing Maria Galvez told MailOnline outside the Inova Healthplex facility in the town of Springfield.
She was leaving the building without getting a needed chest x-ray.
" 'The people in there told me that since I didn't have an insurance card, I would be billed for the whole cost of the x-ray,' Galvez said, her young daughter in tow."

Gallup: U.S. Uninsured Still Rate Exchange Experience Negatively
"Uninsured Americans who have visited a health insurance exchange website mostly say their experience was negative rather than positive, by 59% to 39%. That reading, from Gallup Daily tracking throughout December, is only a slight improvement from Gallup's combined October and November polling, when 63% reported a negative experience and 33% a positive one."

That health care law, by the numbers  "The government churns out tons of numbers, but here's one you won't see: 0.0002. That's the percentage of estimated online visitors to healthcare.gov who actually signed up for coverage the first day. Altogether, that's six people out of just over 3 million. Not all the figures associated with the rollout of President Barack Obama's health care law are so ridiculously dreary. Three million tells a happier tale, too..."

Galen Institute: Obamacare's utter chaos 

 
"Grace-Marie Turner and Avik Roy join Larry Kudlow to discuss the recent decision by the Obama administration to exempt millions of previously insured Americans from the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate." ...