Thursday, April 2, 2015

The Shadow of Munich Haunts the Iran Negotiations

Once again our leaders are needlessly appeasing a hostile state that shows them nothing but contempt.  (Place obligatory photo of Chamberlain holding up paper he and Hitler signed here.)
Victor Davis Hanson  (Pictures added by TD) "The Western capitulation to Adolf Hitler in the 1938 Munich Agreement is cited as classic appeasement that destroyed Czechoslovakia, backfired on France and Britain, and led to World War II. All of that is true. But there was much more that caused the Munich debacle than simple Western naiveté. The full tragedy of that ill-fated agreement should warn us on the eve of the Obama’s administration’s gullible agreement with Iran on nuclear proliferation.

"Fable one is the idea that most people saw right through the Munich folly. True, Europeans knew that Hitler had never once told the truth and was already murdering German citizens who were Jews, Communists, or homosexuals. But Europeans did not care all that much. 

"Instead, the Western world was ecstatic over the agreement. After the carnage of World War I, Europeans would do anything to avoid even a small confrontation — even if such appeasement all but ensured a far greater bloodbath than the one that began in 1914.' . . .

. . .
"Finally, the Iranians,* like Hitler, have only contempt for the administration that has treated them so fawningly. During the negotiations in Switzerland, the Iranians blew up a mock U.S. aircraft carrier. Their supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, did his usual “death to America” shtick before adoring crowds.

"Our dishonor in Lausanne, as with Munich, may avoid a confrontation in the present, but our shame will guarantee a war in the near future."

*Who also wish to wipe Jews off the face of the earth. Comparisons to Hitler and the Nazis have become trite because they are true. TD

 

Timeline Puts Lie To Obama's Story About Bergdahl

 Political Cartoons by Michael Ramirez
 From American Thinker. . . "Cue the Rose Garden ceremony with creepy Papa Bergdahl and foxy Mama Bergdahl – great visuals to make the release of the dangerous captives look like a good thing, the return of a hero.

"This makes Bowe Bergdahl into just another Styrofoam column, part of the illusions Obama has always depended on to sell himself and his policies.

Investors Business Daily  . .. . "But IBD has uncovered a series of credible reports from 2012 — as well as a transcript of a candid press conference by then-Afghan President Hamid Karzai — that show the White House originally wanted to give up the Taliban commanders under just one condition: that the Taliban open a political office in Qatar "to conduct peace negotiations." It was Qatar that ended up taking the prisoners.

"Bergdahl, who walked off his post and into the arms of the Taliban in June 2009, wasn't even part of the negotiation back then. The original deal was a one-sided release, naked any trade for a "POW" or "hostage" or soldier who allegedly had served "with honor and distinction."

"Consider this timeline: . . ."   Full article here.

. . . "Obama also had several chances to rescue Bergdahl on the ground, but he reportedly ignored them all. Why? He wanted a terrorist trade to help close down Gitmo. Don't be fooled: This is what Bergdahl was all about."

 Political Cartoons by Gary McCoy

Obama Told Negotiators to Ignore Deadline, Iran Talks Continue

Foreign Policy  . . . "The talks were scheduled to conclude on March 31 with a political framework, but the United States abandoned that notional deadline when it became clear that Iran was using it to its advantage. “They were turning our own deadline against us to see if we would give ground,” a senior U.S. official told the New York Times. President Obama told U.S. officials “to ignore the deadline, make it clear that the president was ready to walk away and leave all sanctions on Iran in place, and see if that would change the dynamic.” There were signs yesterday that Iran may be shifting its position to allow the phased lifting of sanctions under a deal, though differences persisted over the conditions under which they would be reimplemented if an agreement is violated. “We have made significant progress in the talks but still we have not agreed on the reviewed solutions,” Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told reporters. Meetings will resume this morning. " . . . 
 Political Cartoons by Dana Summers    

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

High School Coach: Anyone Want to Help Me ‘Burn Down’ the Pizzeria That Won’t Cater Gay Weddings?

From the Gateway Pundit

 coach tweet indiana

NRO  "The softball and girls’ golf coach at Concord High School in Elkhart, Indiana posted a tweet asking if anyone wanted to “burn down” Memories Pizza with her over its announcement that it would not cater gay weddings. “Who’s going to Walkerton, IN to burn down #memoriespizza with me?” Jessica Dooley asked in the tweet, which has since been deleted. “Agree with #FreedomOfRelgionBill? ‘That’s a lifestyle they CHOOSE’ Ignorant.” Okay.. . ."

"TMZ is reporting that Memories has been forced to close after being “flooded” with threats.
 Read more"

"Harry, we hardly knew ye": Charles Krauthammer

Harry Reid's epitaph   . . . "I do think he was a disgrace to his own institution because he emasculated it in the name of protecting the president and trying to re-elect Democrats. He didn’t succeed because he essentially shut down the Senate as soon as Republicans took the House in 2010. He failed as a partisan because nine senators of his party lost re-election, but he succeeded in protecting the president from having to exercise the veto. And in order to achieve that he killed his own institution."  More at The Blaze

 I don’t believe for a minute that whatever happened to Harry Reid has anything to do with an exercise machine unless somebody repeatedly threw him intoit. Harry Reid looks like and is acting like — and now with this announcement, behaving like — somebody who may have been beaten up. Nobody… I’ve never seen anybody have an accident with an exercise machine that ends up suffering symptoms much like Harry Reid’s for as long as Harry Reid has.  Rush Limbaugh
Vegas Paper’s Editor Killed Column Critical of ‘Friend’ Harry Reid   . . . "Nevada political reporter Jon Ralston, a former Sun reporter, filed a column in 2012 criticizing Reid’s baseless allegations that then-Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney had not paid income taxes in a decade.
“The column was never published because Las Vegas Sun Editor Brian Greenspun attempted to protect his friend, Reid, from the criticism,” Ralston wrote on his website Wednesday.

Harry Reid Admits to Smearing Mitt Romney  . . . “Romney didn’t win, did he?” Reid said in response to Bash’s question of whether he regretted what he had said about Romney.

"Think about that logic for a minute. What Reid is saying is that it’s entirely immaterial whether what he said about Romney and his taxes was true. All that mattered was that Romney didn’t win."

Receding Harry Line
 
. . .  "Reid's major accomplishment as Senate Majority Leader was to pass Obama's worst pieces of legislation by fair means or (more typically) foul - screwing up Senate tradition and procedure to such an extent that the institution may be damaged irreparably.

"And of course, once Republicans gained power in the House of Representatives, Reid essentially shut down the Senate so no Republican-sponsored budget or bill could be voted on or possibly reach Barack Obama's pristine and uncluttered desk. As historians and scholars will someday say, Reid was the banana jammed in the tailpipe of the engine of Democracy.

HANDS UP, DON'T DISCRIMINATE AGAINST GAYS!


Ann Coulter    "Happy National Hate Week! Today, we're all hating on Indiana. Who will be the left's Emmanuel Goldstein next week?

"Evidently, the sole function of the media these days is to subject the public to a steady stream of manufactured events: "Hands Up, Don't Shoot"; nuclear power kills; Lena Dunham's rape by a college conservative at Oberlin; the "mattress girl" raped at Columbia University; Jon Stewart is funny; a fraternity gang-rape at the University of Virginia; and a law protecting religious freedom will lead to separate water fountains for gays in Indiana.

"The whole country has to keep being dragged through these liberal hate campaigns, but as soon as the precipitating event turns out to be a gigantic hoax, the truth is revealed like a bedtime story being read to a child: The ending is whispered and the narrator tiptoes out of the room.

"Here's a time-saver: Whenever one of these conscience-shocking stories is promoted to front-page status by The New York Times and involves:
-- police brutality;
-- the environment;
-- a campus rape; or
-- gays;
 "... you can be pretty confident it's a hoax. As the saying goes, it didn't happen until it's reported by The New York Times*, and not even then." . . .    Read the full article
 *Or CNN below
 Hands up don't shoot: Australia vs CNN

Obama's Virtual War on Israel

"This is hardly the best week to demonstrate his intense hatred of Israel, but since he has devoted 18 months to a fruitless and foolish negotiation with Iran, one can understand why Barack Hussein Obama is in a bad mood. His foreign policy “legacy” is close to being flushed down the Iranian toilet.

"On March 31, the Defense of Democracies’ Iran Press Review quoted the Deputy Commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri, who said, “All should know that we will not allow the inspection of the country’s military and defense industries.” Or, as they say in Farsi, “No deal.”

"This week began with Palm Sunday celebrating Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and proceeds to Good Friday which, at sundown, coincides with the Jewish observance of Passover and Christianity’s “last supper.” It concludes with Easter; holy days that occurred in the holy land that was Israel then and now.
 
. . . "It is futile to think that Obama will cease from his assaults on Israel in the remaining 22 months of his second and final term in office. Those who know the history cited above must join hands to resist this latest enemy of Israel, this disgrace to America who is already widely regarded as the worst, most lawless President ever elected to that office."

Despite Indiana's Backlash, Arkansas Passes Religious Liberty Bill

 Political Cartoons by Dana Summers

The Patriot Post.  "The country is rending itself apart over the once noncontroversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The federal RFRA was introduced by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and signed into law by Bill Clinton, but now, MSNBC host Ed Schultz can’t talk about the law without cutting off the microphone of Heritage Foundation’s Ryan Anderson. After Indiana sparked this heated debate by passing a RFRA, Arkansas lawmakers passed its version of the RFRA Tuesday.


"State Rep. Bob Ballinger, who sponsored the bill, told The Washington Post, “This legislation doesn’t allow anybody to discriminate against anybody, not here. The bill does just the opposite. It focuses on the civil rights of people believing what they want to believe, and not letting the government interfere with that. … This is not a conservative or liberal thing. Most people agree that religion should be protected under heightened scrutiny standards, and that’s what we’re doing.”


"Vast swaths of Americans now believe the rights enshrined in the First Amendment do not deserve to be interpreted by the courts through strict scrutiny – which will ensure any law is interpreted to allow for the most personal Liberty. It’s a sad day for Sikhs who wear kirpans, Native Americans who collect eagle feathers and churches fighting zoning laws. And leftists claim they’re tolerant and multicultural. More…

 What’s More Dangerous: Religious Freedom or Anti-Discrimination Laws Shoved Down Your Throat? 
. . . " Luckily, federal law already agrees with that. Indiana’s so-called “controversial law” is based on SCOTUS’ Hobby Lobby decision in which the Supreme Court ruled that religious employers can choose not to provide certain services if they are in breach (a “substantial burden”) with their religious views. Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act builds on that decision; it’s not a new law, but an affirmation of SCOTUS’ ruling."

A Black Perspective: "BLACK HYPOCRISY: What Are The Implications If Obama Breaks With Israel?"

Black Quill & Ink
 

"BQI Editor’s Note I’ve often looked at and been appalled by the level of hypocrisy in the black community, especially in black churches, where they incessantly praise God and announce their love for Him and with ease behave in ways that are contrary to His Word and Christian tenets. They go to church on Sundays, ... more »"

NSA Gate Shooting Gets . . . Weird


This ain't Hell blog   "We now have a bit more news about that NSA gate shooting the other day.  And it’s gotten a bit strange, to put it mildly.
Hall
 
"The FBI has now identified the dead guy as “Ricky Shawatza Hall”.  He was the driver of the stolen car.  The passenger, who remains hospitalized, has not yet been publicly identified.



"What’s a bit odd is the “rest of the story” that was released today.

"The accounts you heard about the two guys being “cross-dressed”?  Yeah, they were correct.


"Seems Hall and his “buddy” had been picked up in Baltimore earlier that day – or maybe the previous night – by a Baltimore resident. They then drove to a motel in nearby Elkridge to “party”, checking in at 7:30AM.


"The two cross-dressers then apparently stole the guy’s car and left the area.  Unfortunately for them, they managed to screw up and ended up at the gate of the NSA compound at Fort Meade.


"My guess is that the two crooks took a wrong turn after stealing the guy’s car, then freaked when they saw the police.  They then chose to ignore police instructions – picking precisely the wrong place to do that (NSA police do not play games).  They then compounded the error by try to run for it and ended up getting shot.


"At this point,  it doesn’t look like terrorism had anything to do with the incident.  That it happened is unfortunate, but as the saying goes:  “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.”
Fox News has a few more details. 

"Check out this Fox News story if you’re interested.

"Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction.

Where the red line came from -- before it was crossed

 


Washington Examiner   "There are still nearly two years left in Barack Obama's presidency, but historians looking back on his record in foreign policy will surely identify one costly error: his refusal to follow through on the implied threat in stating that the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons would be a "red line."
"That statement was made in a press conference on Monday, Aug. 20, 2012. The president was not scheduled to appear; press secretary Jay Carney said, "Looks like there's a surprise guest here." After fielding questions on other topics (Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin, Mitt Romney's attack ads and tax returns, friendly fire deaths in Afghanistan) Obama responded to NBC's Chuck Todd's question on whether he envisioned using U.S. military to keep Syria's chemical weapons in safekeeping."
. . .
 Unfortunately, bungling of language has consequences. Government leaders use words like "red line" to mean that grave consequences — including military action — will follow if the line is crossed. Obama's failure to back up his "red line" statement with such action has undermined America's credibility. That's a problem for America — and the world — until Jan. 20, 2017.
https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-989638-start-0.html

WATCH Harry Reid’s ‘Disgusting’ Dishonesty Burnt To A Crisp By Fire-Breathing Fox News Host

Western Center for Journalism   "When then-Majority Leader Harry Reid took to the floor of the Senate in 2012 to charge that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney hadn’t paid taxes for 10 years, the Nevada Democrat offered no proof — only hearsay — for his slanderous accusation.

"Despite being challenged to divulge his source of the outrageous claim, despite repeated calls that he prove Romney hadn’t paid his taxes, Reid never produced any evidence. He did, though, continue leveling the unsubstantiated charge.

"And now, shortly after announcing that he won’t seek re-election in 2016, the senator has all but admitted that he was lying at the time to keep Romney from being elected…and he’s happy that it worked.



"On her Fox News show Tuesday night, Megyn Kelly responded to Reid’s smirking acknowledgement to a CNN interviewer that he has no regrets about his repeated smears against Romney.

"And Kelly was on fire, blasting the senator’s false claim as an “ugly breach of the public trust.” In her fiery rant against Harry Reid’s apparent glee at perpetuating false rumors and ugly lies, Kelly slammed his “complete lack of integrity, complete lack of honesty, never mind respect for the American people.”

"You can watch Megyn Kelly express her unabashed contempt for, and utter disgust with, Sen. Harry Reid by clicking on the video above.