Monday, October 17, 2011

Political Digest for October 17, 2011

Blog Removed.
If you log on to the Old Jarhead blog and get this notice, please check back. From time to time, Google’s Spam Filter pulls my blog. They restore it when I appeal, but they don’t seem to have the technical ability to fix the problem. I hate to move to another platform with page views running to 7k a week and over 1,100 followers here. Sigh.

Now 16 reader reviews! The Coming Collapse of the American Republic

Book Recommendation: Washington's Crossing by David Hackett fisher
My wife and I maximize our drive time by listening to books on tape, and this was the latest. Washington's Crossing is an entertaining, informative and well-written account of the American Revolution in the pivotal years of 1776-77. Though I have an MEd in history and have been a Revolutionary War buff since my teens (which I some days think were just after the Revolution), I learned a great deal from this book, especially about the "forage war" which took place after Trenton and Princeton, and took as great a toll on the British and Hessians in a serious of small actions as a major victory over them would have done. This book will educate you about the war, stir your patriotism, and remind you what a fine thing these men passed to us through their courage, sacrifice and dedication. And it will burnish your admiration for the Father of our Country. It remains to be seen if we can pass this Republic intact to future generations. But Washington's Crossing will inspire you to keep fighting.

Just for the Record: Anti-Mormonism Is Bigotry Too
Excerpt: But it's worth saying something that often gets skipped past in the political handicapping. To be against Mitt Romney (or Jon Huntsman or Harry Reid or Orrin Hatch) because of his religion is just plain bigotry. Exactly as it would have been to oppose Barack Obama because of his race or Joe Lieberman because of his faith or Hillary Clinton or Michele Bachmann because of their gender or Mario Rubio or Nikki Haley because of their ethnicity. I also think that if we were reading handicapping stories about any of those other situations, we'd be getting frequent reminders that what we were talking about was, in the end, simple prejudice. I am no big fan of Mitt Romney's. I do understand that voters assess a whole suite of traits, including race and gender and class background and religion and family status, in deciding whether or not they are comfortable with a candidate. But for people to come out and say that they won't back a candidate because he's Mormon and therefore a "cult" member is no better than saying "I'd never trust a Jew" or "a black could never do the job" or "women should stay in their place" or "Latinos? Let 'em go back home." Maybe it makes things more "honest" for people to be open about their anti-Mormonism and discreet about other prejudices. The only two biases people aren't embarrassed expressing publicly are anti-Southern (the "Bubba factor") and anti-Mormon. Still, it's bigotry.

What the left thinks of Obama!
From a UW professor's blog! ~Bob

Keeping Our Eye on the Ball in 2012
Excerpt: During every election cycle, we hear grumbling from certain circles in the Republican party about the inadequacy of our nominees. The complaints range from "the candidate is too conservative" to "the candidate is a RINO." No big surprises here. And no big problem, either, except that in recent years, disgruntled primary voters have gone farther, threatening to stay home on election day. Frankly, my wing of the party are the worst offenders. I am a Reagan conservative -- a real one, who actually voted for him twice. And Ronald Reagan would never call for putting ideological purity above the good of the country. This nation is in crisis. The American people are in the fight of our national life, and it is no time to make a "statement." It might make one feel noble for about a minute and a half, but if it results in Obama's skidding into a second term, you will feel like an idiot for a whole lot longer. I hope this doesn't apply to many, but any conservative who is saying, "If 'blank' is the Republican candidate, I just won't vote" is a fool of the first order. Mrs. Gump had this one right -- stupid is as stupid does! If we fail to get rid of Obama in 2012, no other conservative value will matter very much. There are no perfect politicians.

Your Handy Dandy EnergyGate Cheat Sheet - [Solyndra Updated]
Excerpt: Trying to keep track of all of the government-authorized theft of taxpayer dollars in the name of "green energy"? I know: it's difficult, given that new disclosures seem to occur daily. For that reason, I've assembled a running cheat sheet to help keep all of the Democrat politicians, the crony capitalists, the conflicts-of-interest, and the outright criminality straight. I know, I know -- it's a difficult job, but someone's got to do it.

VIDEO: OWS' Protesters Try To Capitalize on a Wall Street Banker
Too funny. ~Bob.

Border Patrol agents say Eric Holder held to low standards!
Excerpt: "Border Patrol agents are routinely fired for any sort of lie or failure to disclose everything they know under oath. Apparently, the same rules do not apply to the "top cop" in the country. Any agent would be fired for what Holder did. Why is it that rank-and-file agents are held to such high standards while those in charge are held to such low standards? Shouldn't those in charge be setting the example? This is one more example of why the system has become a complete joke." - National Border Patrol Council, Local 2544.

List of Soros funded organizations

Professor Lovell on Energy and Climate Wars by Peter C. Glover

Third World conditions in post-flood New York: Total media black out
Excerpt: New York State is really two states: New York City dominated by Wall Street and “Upstate” which is a combination of struggling post-industrial cities and some of the most beautiful countryside in the country if not the world. A few months ago, historically unprecedented catastrophic rains fell in the Catskills and other mountain-valley regions in the state. Whole towns and villages were washed away and thousands lost their homes and possessions. (The same happened in parts of Vermont and other states.) After a few photo ops, Gov. Andrew Cuomo - the guy who ran HUD when the mortgage scam first took root and let Wall Street off the hook when he was New York State Attorney General - has gone missing in action. Winter comes early to the Catskills and many are still lacking basic necessities: warm clothes, cleaning supplies, tools for rebuilding, food.

Malaysian polygamy club 'encourages group sex'
Might explain leftist Hollywood elites for Shari'a. ~Bob. Excerpt: An "Obedient Wife Club" known in Malaysia for its controversial views has published a book urging men in polygamous Muslim marriages to have group sex with their wives, a report said Friday. The club, formed earlier this year, has made headlines with its radical suggestions on sex and marriage in conservative, Muslim-majority Malaysia. They include earlier calling on women to be "whores in bed" to prevent their men from straying and pursuing divorce. In a 115-page book titled "Islamic Sex, Fighting Jews to Return Islamic Sex to the World," the group calls on Muslim husbands to have sex with all their wives simultaneously, The Star daily reported. One chapter, "How Sex Becomes Worship," contains unusually explicit sexual descriptions for a Malaysian publication, such as a tutorial on breast-fondling.

Egyptian state TV admits false reports of soldiers' deaths, used to incite Muslims against Copts
Excerpt: As the army plowed armored personnel carriers into the crowd of protesters, state television worked to incite Muslims to "protect the army" from the Christians, and mobs of Muslims took to the streets to attack anyone they suspected of being a Christian. The abuse was compounded even in death as death certificates were falsified with causes of death such as "cardiac arrest caused by fear." Future aid to Egypt should be in jeopardy over the massacre and over these developments. Rewarding Egypt through inaction invites more of the same behavior.

#900DaysWithoutASenateBudget
Rep. Ryan on the Senate and the budget. ~Bob.

Message from Anonymous to Thomas C. Shope
Don't cross the movement! ~Bob

Occupy Portland Protesters Sing ‘F*** the U.S.A.
What one would expect from the Democrats' shock troops. ~Bob. Excerpt: Protesters at Saturday’s Occupy Portland demonstration vented some of their anger at the capitalist system by setting the phrase “F*** the U.S.A.” to music and performing it. With a jester hat-wearing guitarist, shirtless drummer and heavily bearded, long-haired bassist, the pick-up band was not short on characters. There were no other lyrics, so it’s unclear what exactly the participants wanted or hoped to achieve.

Hawkeye Card Stunt. Iowa v Northwestern
Very cool. ~Bob.

Democrats, the Media and the Heart of the "Occupy" Movement
Excerpt: Even more disturbing than what Patricia said was the calm demeanor in which she said it. Anti-Semitic hatred flows casually, openly and freely at these events. She seemed somewhat concerned she might be overheard by someone who would take offense, that the person interviewing her might have a problem with it. But she had no worry whatsoever what she was saying might be anything other than fact. This woman is involved in some way with educating children.

Sunday Reflection: Protestors should try occupying reality for real change By: Kurt Schlichter
Excerpt: Right now, idealistic young Americans are gathered together to fight injustice and build a better world. Sure, they're a little dirty, and maybe some of their language is a bit rough, but they've left behind family and friends, as well as the creature comforts the rest of us take for granted, to make a stand for what they believe in. It's just too bad that today the mainstream media is focusing on the spoiled, incoherent clowns of Occupy Wall Street and ignoring our young fighting men and women. The mainstream media's cameras can't get enough of these pierced protesters, with their crudely written signs proclaiming their unfocused discontent and general anger at society's selfishness in failing to satisfy their every want and desire. Of course, those cameras discreetly turn away when the placards demanding socialist revolution and blaming the Jews come out. The protesters' function is to demonstrate inchoate outrage simply by being there. When they start talking, they start alienating the normals. These are Potemkin protesters, community organized by government worker unions to allow liberal Democrats a way to triangulate to the center next year. Only the rebel media outfits will actually stick a mic in the protesters' dirty faces and let them talk. What comes out is a confused hash of gripes about their banks, complaints about their student loans, and whining about the quality of their jobs. Tragically, graduates of Ivy League universities brandishing master's degrees in minority women's studies are not getting jobs that pay enough to service their $150,000 student loans.

To Isolate Iran, U.S. Presses Inspectors on Nuclear Data
Excerpt: President Obama is pressing United Nations nuclear inspectors to release classified intelligence information showing that Iran is designing and experimenting with nuclear weapons technology. The president’s push is part of a larger American effort to further isolate and increase pressure on Iran after accusing it of a plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States. If the United Nations’ watchdog group agrees to publicize the evidence, including new data from recent months, it would almost certainly revive a debate that has been dormant during the Arab Spring about how aggressively the United States and its allies, including Israel, should move to halt Iran’s suspected weapons program.  (…) Officials familiar with the evidence say it creates extraordinarily uncomfortable questions for the Iranians to answer, but does not definitively point to the construction of a weapon. Instead, it details work on individual technologies essential for designing and detonating a nuclear device, including how to turn uranium into bomb fuel, how to cast conventional explosives in a shape that can set off a nuclear blast, and how to make detonators, generate neutrons to spur a chain reaction, measure detonation waves and make nose cones for missiles.

Romney Beating Obama in a Fight for Wall St. Cash
Excerpt: Since this spring, Mr. Romney has raised $1.5 million from employees of firms like Morgan Stanley; Highbridge Capital Management, a hedge fund; and Blackstone, a private equity firm. Mr. Obama has raised just over $270,000 from firms that were among his leading sources of campaign cash in 2008. Employees of Goldman Sachs, who in the 2008 campaign gave Mr. Obama over $1 million — more than donors from any other private employer in the country — have given him about $45,000 this year. Mr. Romney has raised about $350,000 from the firm’s employees. (How could this happen? Have we misunderstood something basic? When people constantly curse me with bad names, beat me for my failures, ignore my successes, and encourage their friends to threaten me with beheading or enslavement, I ALWAYS donate money. Of course, I donate it to those who will help me defend myself and survive, not to those trying to hurt me. Ron P.)

Long Ties to Koch Brothers Key to Cain's Campaign
Excerpt: Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain has cast himself as the outsider, the pizza magnate with real-world experience who will bring fresh ideas to the nation's capital. But Cain's economic ideas, support and organization have close ties to two billionaire brothers who bankroll right-leaning causes through their group Americans for Prosperity. Cain's campaign manager and a number of aides have worked for Americans for Prosperity, or AFP, the advocacy group founded with support from billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, which lobbies for lower taxes and less government regulation and spending. Cain credits a businessman who served on an AFP advisory board with helping devise his "9-9-9" plan to rewrite the nation's tax code. And his years of speaking at AFP events have given the businessman and radio host a network of loyal grassroots fans. The once little-known businessman's political activities are getting fresh scrutiny these days since he soared to the top of some national polls. (What! ABC forgot to mention his long membership in the Illuminati, being a secret practitioner of Freemasonry, and his support for the Aryan Brotherhood? No mention of Skull and Bones? And, he probably sacrifices babies to that Owl in the woods in California, too. Folks, if Cain is the Republican nominee to oppose Obama, I’ll vote for him even if ABC claimed to find an authentic scroll signed by Cain in his own blood (DNA test results on Nightline!) selling his soul to the Devil. Because of their own machinations over the years, Democrats are going to have a really difficult time painting him as a racist, though no doubt they’ll try. Since they can’t demonize him in the usual ways, they’ll simply expand the box and connect him to currently popular conspiracy theories. No one lives in such splendid isolation or has such wonderful acquaintances that no “evil” connection can be found—or at least that’s the excuse Democrats have been making for Obama’s friends since before the last Presidential election. And, even if he’s secretly blood-brothers with both Koch brothers, the Kochs hold no offices I’m aware of, so how could that impact Cain’s “outsiderness?” Cain is COMPETING for the nomination like every other candidate, not buying it.  Ron P.)

The Liberal Misappropriation of a Conservative President
Excerpt: In truth, this depiction of Reagan is entirely false, as is the contention that Reagan-era Washington was a kinder and gentler place than it is today. The hostilities between parties and ideologies in Washington during Reagan’s presidency make the present day look tame by comparison. No president in modern times has ever been as reviled. And the hatred of Reagan was justified, to some degree, because his presidency, in the rueful words of the journalist Richard Reeves a decade ago, “damned near destroyed American liberalism.” So what accounts for the patent distortion of Reagan’s record—and for the blatant rewriting of history so recent that even the revisionists must be baffled at their own strange new respect for someone most of them (like Barack Obama) surely grew up reviling?

Scary: Another satellite re-entry and burnup expected, this one may have been brought down by hackers
Excerpt: In 2008, NASA investigators were reported to have found that the ROSAT failure was linked to a cyber-intrusion at Goddard Space Flight Center.  The root of this allegation is a 1999 advisory report by Thomas Talleur, senior investigator for cyber-security at NASA. This advisory is reported to describe a series of attacks from Russia that reached computers in the X-ray Astrophysics Section (i.e. ROSAT’s) at Goddard, and took control of computers used for the control of satellites, not just a passive “snooping” attack. The advisory stated: “Hostile activities compromised [NASA] computer systems that directly and indirectly deal with the design, testing, and transferring of satellite package command-and-control codes.” (OMG! The implications for both space exploration/travel and national security boggle the mind. And, our government is still in the very beginnings of securing our national security computer networks. Ron P.)
The Occupations: Anarchy Waiting for Crisis
Excerpt: It’s the beginning of week two of the copycat Wall Street “occupation” in downtown Atlanta, specifically in Woodruff Park, which the protestors have rechristened Troy Davis Park, after the recently executed cop-killer. I’ve covered some Tea Party events, the point of comparison by some commentators. Not only did I see for myself that the comparison was illegitimate, but I saw something disturbing that has been missed in the coverage. The situation could end with occupiers concluding their protest playtime by sputtering about “corporate greed” as their parents drive them home from jail. Or some of the little-noticed elements could begin something that harms innocent people.

Speak Softly .  .  . and Fight Back
Excerpt: There’s been plenty of talk. But of course no action. This Iranian regime has the blood of American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan on its hands. It’s a sponsor and facilitator of terror organizations that have killed innocent Americans, Israelis, Iraqis, Afghans, Argentines, and many others. It’s a brutal dictatorship. And it’s seeking nuclear weapons while denying it’s doing so. It’s long since been time for the United States to speak to this regime in the language it understands—force. And now we have an engraved invitation to do so. The plot to kill the Saudi ambassador was a lemon. Statesmanship involves turning lemons into lemonade. (I'm not sure immediate armed confrontation is the right move, and there are other moves available to us, but it's better than doing nothing. Ron P. They hold our so-called "soft power" in contempt, and that fans their hatred and emboldens them. ~Bob.)

The One-Way War
Excerpt: It is more accurate to say that many, including American intelligence officials, have tended to ignore the plentiful evidence of Iran’s handiwork. Happily, the authorities in Azerbaijan knew with whom they were dealing in 2008 when they captured Iranian and Hezbollah operatives before they were able to bomb the Israeli embassy in Baku. Same with the Turks and Egyptians, who in 2008 and 2009 rolled up Iranian and Hezbollah assets before they were able to avenge the assassination of Hezbollah’s liaison with the Quds Force, Imad Mugniyah. Indeed the myth of the Islamic Republic’s genius has even lent its glow to Tehran’s allies, none more than Hezbollah. And yet over the span of some 30 years Iran has pumped billions of dollars into an organization now led by a man, Hassan Nasrallah, whose claims of a “divine victory” over Israel are belied by the fact that in the 2006 war Hezbollah lost perhaps a quarter of its frontline fighters, while the Shia community suffered so much damage that it fears nothing more than the prospect of another “divine victory.” Furthermore, by banking on Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, the Iranians are on the verge not only of losing their one Arab state ally, but also forfeiting Hezbollah’s supply line. Elsewhere in the region, the Iranians handed off a significant portion of their Iraq portfolio to Moktada al-Sadr, a man who has not served their interests well.

Cain’s ‘impossible dream’ resonates with voters
Excerpt: Herman Cain is firing up the crowd at a tea party rally in this West Tennessee town when the generator powering his sound system shudders to a halt.
Cain stands awkwardly for a few moments then suddenly begins to sing. Slowly at first but gaining in speed, he belts out “Impossible Dream” in the rich baritone he’s honed in church choir. “You know, when it’s your rally, you can do what you want to do!” Cain says as he finishes with a raucous laugh. The 500 or so supporters who have jammed the strip mall parking lot to hear the Republican Party’s newest star speak roar their approval. Momentum restored, Cain launches into a pitch for his signature 9-9-9 tax plan, and the crowd is right there with him, chanting 9-9-9 along with the Georgia businessman. The plan would scrap the current tax code and replace it with a 9 percent tax on personal income and corporations as well as a new 9 percent national sales tax. The 65-year-old’s improbable campaign for the presidency is all about momentum right now. How does he maintain the wave he’s riding in recent polls that have catapulted him from an also-ran in the GOP race to the elite top tier?

The Liberal Game Show
Excerpt: Because liberal politicians always want to paint life in America as bleak and miserable, a place that would be a living hell if not for their superhuman efforts, they are always telling lies and gaming statistics. For instance, when they start yammering about all the poor souls living under the poverty line, a line by the way that is only slightly more believable than the one that a lounge lizard feeds a dumb blonde, they neglect to take into account food stamps, health care, education expenses and unreported, under the table, income. The last of these includes day labor, burglaries and illegal drug sales. In fact, when you realize that nine percent of the population suffers from some form of drug dependency, it’s a miracle that our unemployment rate isn’t even higher than it is. Of course when liberals aren’t denouncing America, some of them stay busy holding benefits for Africa. I must confess that of all the charitable activities available to Americans, those targeting Africa strike me as the goofiest. In fact, sometimes I think that the continent primarily exists so that do-gooders can feel they have a purpose in life. And, unlike some charities, such as those devoted to eliminating a disease or helping people get their lives back in shape after suffering the horrors of a natural disaster, the upside of helping Africans is that there is no end in sight. When Bono is one very elderly Irishman, I can assure you that Africa will still require his constant attention.

3 Egyptians killed in recent Predator strike in North Waziristan
Excerpt: Friday's Predator airstrike in North Waziristan killed three Egyptians closely linked to the Haqqani Network. The son of the "Blind Sheikh," the leader of the Egyptian Islamic Group who is serving a life prison sentence in the US for the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, may have been one of those killed. The strike, which took place on Oct. 14 in the village of Danda Darpa Khel just outside Miramshah, the main town in North Waziristan, killed three Egyptians and another militant who has not been identified, Pakistani intelligence officials told The Associated Press. "One of the Egyptians killed Friday was a 28-year-old man named Abdullah who helped handle the Haqqani network's finances in Pakistan and Afghanistan," The Associated Press reported. "He was known locally as Nadeem."

Con Ed says it will evict Ground Zero mosque unless developer pays $1.7 million in back rent
Greedy Islamophobic capitalists expect Muslims to pay for services? ~Bob. Excerpt: Con Ed has given the Ground Zero mosque an ultimatum: Pay the $1.7 million you owe in back rent, or we’ll terminate your lease and take back our property. Con Ed and mosque developer Park51 have an unusual, uneasy alliance, sharing ownership of a site slated to be one of the most controversial projects in city history. The utility owns a former substation on the western half of the property, at
51 Park Place
, and the mosque developers own a five-story building on the eastern half. The buildings were connected years ago and used to house a Burlington Coat Factory store.

How California Drives Away Jobs and Business
Excerpt: California has long been among America's most extensive taxers and regulators of business. But it had assets that seemed to offset its economic disincentives: a sunny climate, a world-class public university system that produced a talented local work force, sturdy infrastructure that often made doing business easier, and a record of spawning innovative companies. No more. In surveys, executives regularly call California one of the country's most toxic business environments, while the state has become an easy target for economic development officials from other states looking to lure firms away. In a 2004 survey of California executives by the consulting firm Bain & Company, half said they planned to halt job growth within the state. By 2011, according to a poll by a California coalition of businesses and industries, 84% of executives and owners said that if they weren't already in the state, they wouldn't consider starting up there, while 64% said the main reason they stayed was the difficulty of relocating their particular kind of business. For several years in a row, California has ranked dead last in Chief Executive magazine's poll about states' business environments. Labor groups, environmentalists and some politicians jeer at these surveys. But the hard numbers tell a disturbing story.

Big Media Outlets Ignore Subpoena of Entire Top Tier of Obama Administration
Excerpt: Perhaps the biggest story in the political world since the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach Bill Clinton in the 1990s, although the Senate refused to remove him from office, is the fact that this week a subpoena from the House was issued to the entire top tier of the Obama Administration. Yet as of today the big media outlets--ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, the New York Times, and the Washington Post--have ignored the story entirely. And if they did mention it in passing, it was buried on a back page or relegated to an inconspicuous web page while never seeing the light of day on the air. Only Fox gave the story top billing.

Advocacy science and decision making
Excerpt: Science is increasingly being manipulated by those who try to use it to justify political choices based on their ethical preferences, and who are willing to act to suppress evidence of conflict between those preferences and the underlying reality. This problem is clearly seen in two policy domains, healthcare and climate policy. In the area of climate policy, recent revelations of emails from the government- sponsored Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia reveal a pattern of data suppression, manipulation of results, and efforts to intimidate journal editors to suppress contradictory studies and indicate that scientific misconduct has been used intentionally to manipulate a social consensus to support the researchers’ advocacy of addressing a problem that may or may not exist. (Dr. Judith Curry has posted the summaries and extracts from two related articles under this title. (Both full originals are behind linked paywalls for anyone interested in seeing the full documents.) Both are worth reading here (for free) and have an overlapping message: when scientists become advocates and manipulate the data to support their DESIRED conclusion, everybody loses. Who could have guessed? Ron P.)

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