Sunday, May 6, 2012

Political Digest for May 7, 2012


The Old Jarhead Blog: Bringing you news and information the MSM is too busy covering American Idol, celebrity affairs and sensational missing person cases to cover. Please forward to friends who need to be informed.

It's May?
Sorry the Saturday Digest was labeled "April." Just been swamped and haven't caught up. Say, what year is this? ~Bob

Thanks
As always, thanks to all who provide fodder for this blog. I can't use every thing, try to avoid making it too inflammatory to turn off those who need to learn in the center. Also time limits me. If an item comes in unformatted for the blog, I look to see how much interest it has, plus how much time to will take to pull it and format it.

For those interested, the format is:
1. Headline from the article in bold
2. Live UEL link to the article on line www.erl.com
3. Excerpt: Up to three sentences, to avoid copyright problems--I have no funds for lawyers, what to stay within fair use. If the piece is very short, three may be too many. Yes, if I think the source will be happy with promotion of their site, I sometimes take a change on a longer excerpt.
4. (Comment from you, if any.)

Input sent without a link I rarely have time to chase down. Sorry. ~Bob.

Fair Use
For those of you with blogs, I attended a seminar on copyright with an attorney a while back. She said that some publications have signed agreements with law firms to troll the net with robot programs to fine uses of material from the publications, then shake down the web owner/publisher, and split 50-50 with the publication. Using too much of a piece from a newspaper cost one of her clients $70,000. Fighting it would have cost more. She said three sentences (unless they comprised a substantial part of the piece) would usually keep you within "fair use." Of course, you could still have to go to court, with lawyer fees, to get a judge to agree. ~Bob

Information on my seven books

Sitting On A Plane, Talking To America’s Future
Excerpt: She will have a degree in engineering, focused on astrophysics. She plays on the Academy’s tennis team and is nationally ranked. She can land a job any place she chooses at an excellent starting salary, buy herself a hot car and settle into a cool apartment. Instead, she chooses to protect her country, fly for the greatest Air Force in the world, hopefully taking command as a fighter pilot. (It's great to know that there are still a few who put service to country ahead of self-interests. MasterGuns)

Al Nusrah Front claims another suicide bombing in Syria
Excerpt: The Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant has claimed yet another suicide attack in Syria. The group released a statement on May 4 claiming credit for the April 20 suicide attack on Syrian forces at a restaurant in Hama. Below is an excerpt of the statement, which was translated by the SITE Intelligence Group. The Al Nusrah Front, which has been described as an al Qaeda-linked jihadist group in Syria, claimed the attack was designed to avenge a "brutal massacre" in the town of Al Latamnah near Hama.

Elizabeth Warren's punchline problem
Excerpt: The awful truth is dawning on many Democrats, possibly including Elizabeth Warren herself: her candidacy for "Teddy Kennedy's seat" has turned into a nightmare, raising all sorts of uncomfortable issues for public scrutiny. Even worse, Alinsky's favorite tool, ridicule, is being deployed to make points that inflict lasting damage on sacred cows of the left like affirmative action and the transcendent wisdom of Harvard Law School progressives. It is starting to damage the Democratic brand. You would have to search hard to find anyone who better embodies the liberals' you're-too-stupid-to-make-your-own-decisions mentality than Elizabeth Warren.

U.S. mum on non-fatal 'insider' assaults on GIs
Excerpt: The military is underreporting the number of times that Afghan soldiers and police open fire on American and other foreign troops. The U.S.-led coalition routinely reports each time an American or other foreign soldier is killed by an Afghan in uniform. But the Associated Press has learned it does not report insider attacks in which the Afghan wounds or misses his U.S. or allied target.

Irony—Police Shut-down Event Promoting U.S. Constitution.
Excerpt: In the middle of an event to extol the virtues of the U.S. Constitution and “American Laws For American Courts,” the audience learned first-hand how easy it is to lose their freedom of Speech and Assembly. Amid shouts of “What about free speech?” from the audience, the Allegan Police Department ordered the event shut-down. School officials notified police that they had received a letter complaining about the event from Dawud Walid, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI). (A police chief shuts down a public speaking event because a Muslim organization objected to it? First making up specious reasons for doing so, then admitting no real danger existed to anyone? This is PC taken to infinite insanity level, Free Speech is one of our super core values, not to be trifled with unless a clear and present real danger is obvious. Even then, the answer is normally more security for the speakers, not silencing them and thus giving in to those who don't believe in Free Speech that they don't like. This is really a sad case, and I hope the lawsuit brings down a ton of flak on the perpetrators. --Del)

The Heart of the Problem is in the Heart
Excerpt: Benjamin Franklin told us, "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." Socialism is a debilitating confidence game dressed up as an ideology used by demagogues and want-to-be dictators to fool its victims into believing it is possible to have your cake and eat it too. Those who fall under the spell of the charlatans singing this siren song actually come to believe it is fair and just to force some people to labor for the good of others.

Russia Protest March: Police In Moscow Arrest Top Opposition Figures
Excerpt: A protest demonstration by at least 20,000 people on the eve of Vladimir Putin's inauguration as president boiled into a battle with police after protesters tried to split off from the approved venue and march to the Kremlin. Club-wielding, helmeted officers seized demonstrators and hauled them to police vehicles, dragging some by the hair. Among those arrested were three of the leaders of the opposition movement that gained new life over the winter: Sergei Udaltsov, Alexei Navalny and Boris Nemtsov.

Activists move on presidential debate
Excerpt: A Greenpeace stunt has seen a paraglider drop smoke bombs on the Bugey nuclear power plant in France. It comes hours before a televised debate between President Nicolas Sarkozy and election rival Francois Hollande in which nuclear power will be discussed. Shortly before 8am this morning a paraglider carrying one man circled over the Bugey plant, dropping a smoke bomb onto the top of one of the reactor buildings. (I wonder what the “activists would’ve said if the plant’s guards had shot the paraglider out of the air? I’m surprised they didn’t try. France has little patience with such tactics. Ron P.)

The 86 Million Invisible Unemployed
Excerpt: There are far more jobless people in the United States than you might think. While it's true that the unemployment rate is falling, that doesn't include the millions of nonworking adults who aren't even looking for a job anymore. And hiring isn't strong enough to keep up with population growth. (Even left-of-center Huffington Post has noticed Obama’s economic claims are empty. But, because they are leftists, they can’t make the connection between current anti-business government policies, aggressive regulation, and intrusive laws that properly make business feel like a target rather than a goal as having anything to do with this result. Then, of course, they tell us conservatives are the ones disconnected from reality. Ron P.)

Excerpt: Barack Obama launched his campaign in unspectacular fashion today at Ohio State University, the largest college in the crucial swing state. A photo posted to twitter by Mitt Romney’s campaign spokesman Ryan Williams reveals sparse attendance.

Unarmed Hispanic Daniel Adkins Killed by Black Man in 'Self-Defence,' Media Silent
Excerpt: Twenty-nine-year-old Daniel Adkins, a mentally disabled Hispanic, was walking his dog by a Taco Bell in Arizona when he was almost hit by a black man at the drive thru. Adkins and the unidentified man had an angry exchange, which led the 22-year-old black man to shoot Adkins, killing him, according to Fox News. ... The man who killed Adkins claimed self-defence and has not yet been arrested. (Oh, I'm sure Eric Holder, Al Sharp0tn and Jesse Jackson will be demanding "Justice." ~Bob.)

Obama Signs Executive Order Declaring International Regulations for the US
Excerpt: This is just more evidence of Barack Obama wanting to “change” America from a sovereign nation to a third world country in which he ignores the Constitution and seeks to bring the United States under the banner of International Law. It is also evidence that he is willing to sign such an executive order without going through the legislative branch, Congress, which he has shown an extreme contempt for.

There Are 100 Million Working Age Americans That Do Not Have Jobs
Excerpt: The unemployment crisis in America is much worse than you are being told. Did you know that there are 100 million working age Americans that do not get up in the morning and go to work? No wonder why it seems like there are so many people that do not have jobs! According to the federal government, there are 12.6 million working age Americans that are considered to be “officially” unemployed, but there are another 87.8 million working age Americans that are not working either.

Loophole that costs billions

Governing by executive order: end runs the Constitution and undermines confidence in government
In some detail, Jim Powell surveys the history of presidential executive orders (http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimpowell/2012/04/29/obamas-plan-to-seize-control-of-our-economy-and-our-lives/). Some of them are seen to have been beneficial, e.g., the Emancipation Proclamation. Others are viewed benignly as a president's need to do a good thing in the face of congressional resistance or inaction. Others are seen as acts of good intention that, when shown to have failed, were not rescinded (many New Deal executive orders and Nixon's price controls, properly enacted laws that executive orders caused not to be enforced, and especially many military actions not authorized or approved by Congress, etc.). More often than not, executive actions have been an act of expedience by fiat by the president simply to do his will. Obama has issued Exec. Order 13603 that authorizes dictatorial power to essentially take over the economy. Powell voices fear that Obama could declare an emergency in order to activate this order and might do so in an electoral ploy.(Powell reports that the state of emergency declared in 1933 was not lifted until 1974.) Could it be that congressional gridlock exists because over 13,000 executive orders obviates the very idea of consultation and compromise? Has Congress in effect resigned itself to posture more as a debating society rather than a legislative body? My partisanship with respect to Executive Order 13603, the appointment of czars and capricious findings by cabinet departments that use the police power to drive politically motivated goals is evident. However, we should all be alarmed: government by decree is precisely what our Constitution was designed to avoid. Polls show 90% hold Congress in disdain. If the people were to be fully aware of the extent to which we are ruled by decree, the institution of the presidency would lose a much respect and a big chunk of its legitimacy. If our society is to function with a high degree of civility and consensus, this is not the way to operate. This may seem a nerdy campaign issue given the big issues of economic performance, debt and entitlement. If congressional earmarks was a subject for debate, I believe government by executive order ought to be raised. The candidates should be made to explain how they will govern. We, the citizens, should consider how we will allow ourselves to be governed. Cordially, Larry Greenberg

Chevrolet Dealer Sued for Canning Marine Reservist after he Enlists
Excerpt: Derek Laaser lost his job as a mechanic when he told his boss he'd joined the Marine Corps Reserves, according to his attorney. An 18-year-old Marine reservist is suing a Connecticut car dealership for stalling his dream of becoming a car mechanic by firing him after he enlisted, according to his attorney. (There’s nothing new ‘bout this sh*t, it’s been going on for YEARS now. The only thing new in this instance is that someone is FINALLY defending a young member of the United States Armed Forces—note the young man had to hire a civilian attorney—because in my experience the U. S. military, Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act (USERRA) be damned, never did and likely never will. ~~ Semper Fidelis!!! . . . Lawrence E. McCartney; Master Gunnery Sergeant of Marines (Retired): 1967 - 1997

Concealed Carry: OWS' Worst Nightmare
Excerpt: Today's ruling by Governor Rick Scott of Florida is probably a guarantee that the Republican National Convention will be an event less bothered by the unwashed anarchist horde that is Occupy Wall Street. Tampa's Mayor Bill Buckhorn asked the Governor to suspend Concealed Carry Rights in Tampa for the period of the convention in Tampa (Aug. 27-30, 2012). In a demonstration of good sense and upholding constitutional rights, Governor Scott upheld Concealed Carry for anyone with an already valid permit. Good for Governor Scott!

The 'Crucify Them' Presidency. By Kimberley A. Strassel
Excerpt: Al "Crucify Them" Armendariz resigned from the Environmental Protection Agency this week, for the mistake of telling it like it is. All he leaves behind is an entire administration of Al Armendarizes.

"Black April" Abandoning Vietnam By Mark Moyar
Excerpt: From the moment the last U.S. helicopter departed the Saigon embassy in April 1975, the fall of South Vietnam has figured prominently in American debates over the Vietnam War. ... Yet unlike the war's earlier episodes, the final act has received only cursory treatment from historians. (Moyer is himself a fin, highly-readably historian. But I'm not sure I could stand to read this book he reviews. ~Bob.)

The Battle Of Athens (Tennessee)
Excerpt: The Battle of Athens was much more than an extended gunfight between small-town political factions. Historian Dan Daley wrote, “It was a violent but decisive clash of two social and political cultures, between the past and the future of rural, state, and ultimately the federal government, and a reconfirmation of the deeply ingrained ideal that Americans can assert themselves against tyranny, even when it was taking place in their own backyard.” (This is an interesting look at a bit of American history I’d never heard before. I suspect that if it happened today, though, the National Guard would be on the scene within an hour. Not to mention the FBI, Homeland Security, BATFE, and a dozen other federal agencies. Ron P.)

China Crisis Is Hillary’s Problem, White House Implies, Insulating Obama
Excerpt: Is the White House trying to insulate the president from the unfolding drama in China? Of course they are. The uneasy compromise reached today over Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng’s request for asylum in the U.S. presents a serious political vulnerability for the president who has recently and increasingly made his record on foreign affairs a prime argument in his reelection bid. (An unflattering view of the President from the left. While I find it almost laughable for Obama to claim foreign policy strength, most voters don’t pay much attention. He may get away with it, if we let him. Notice though, the Chinese have “agreed” to let Chen “apply” to leave; they’ve made no commitment to allow him to actually go. Certainly this problem was unexpected, but it’s exactly the handling of unexpected problems that separates great leaders from run-of-the-mill politicians, even if they come from Chicago. Ron P.)

Occupy the Southern Poverty Law Center. By Charles C. W. Cooke
Excerpt: In light of the May Day arrests of the Cuyahoga 5, the Occupy Wall Street–affiliated group of men who planned to blow up a bridge in Cleveland, Ohio, I called the Southern Poverty Law Center to find out of they had any plans to start tracking the Occupy movement. The first person I spoke to was so shocked by the question that she paused for a good 15 seconds before promising to put me in touch with a representative. This she eventually did, however, and after a game of cat-and-mouse — the person she’d found for me was busy “hosting an international conference on right-wing extremism,” natch — we managed to touch base and I to pose the question: “Do you have any plans to start tracking Occupy Wall Street after a hate group tried to blow up a bridge?”

Obama Hollows Out Military: Tanks For The Memories
Excerpt: The president's defense strategy creates a hollow force and worsens our readiness crisis. Big cuts mean weakening the military's ability to fulfill its constitutional duty to provide for the common defense. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the president's victory lap in Afghanistan on the anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden at the hands of the Navy SEALs "an attempt to shore up his national security credentials, because he has spent the past three years gutting our military."

Gouged by the Wind--- Renewable fuel mandates are raising electricity prices in the states.
Excerpt: Twenty-nine states have these rules requiring local utilities to purchase between 20% and 33% of their electric power from renewable sources. They were enacted over the past decade when lawmakers bought into the fad about cheap "clean energy." Their real effect has been to force utilities to pay above-market prices for electricity, which means higher electric bills for consumers.

Immersion Education for Parents
Excerpt: At a recent Culver City Unified School District board meeting, dozens of parents packed the chambers to protest an outbreak of campus bullying. Valentina Garcia, the mother of a first-grader attending the National Blue Ribbon–awarded El Marino Language School, stepped to the microphone and proclaimed that if ruffians had accosted her daughter for her lunch money, “my logical response would not be to write the bullies a check.” What made Garcia’s statement unusual was that she wasn’t describing the bullying of children—she was referring to a local education union’s intimidation of parents.

The Life of Zachary
Excerpt: Viewers are supposed to understand that Obama-administration policies—including funding Head Start for pre-kindergartners, mandating that insurers cover birth-control prescriptions, and preserving Medicare—have made Julia’s life better. For instance, at age 31, Julia “decides to have a child,” benefiting from “maternal checkups, prenatal care, and free screenings under health care reform.” How might Julia’s son, whom she names Zachary, fare in a post-Obama world?

Obama Meets His Nemesis
Excerpt: Nemesis is what is taking down Barack Obama. Not politics as such, not the actions of his opponents -- at least not yet -- not any disaster or setback in the world as a whole. Obama is in the process of being ablated as the result of his own actions, born from his own personal flaws.

Composite Girlfriend​s And Assorted Confused Democrats. By Mark Steyn
Excerpt: In "Dreams From My Father", the world's all-time most unread best-seller, he spills the inside dope on his composite white girlfriend: ... But being yourself is never going to be enough in the new composite America. Last week, in an election campaign ad, Barack revealed his latest composite girlfriend — "Julia."

Lies, damn lies and unemployment rates
Excerpt: The Obama Regime is cooking the books. No President in the modern era has been reelected with unemployment over 7.1%. The drive by media is ecstatic. They are thrilled. Obama will not be reelected with unemployment at 8.1%. However, if he can cook the books so the rate shows under 7.5% by November, he has a chance.

Iran, the Wild Card
Excerpt: An international incident, particularly an attack in the Middle East, could have a huge, but unpredictable, effect on the race between Obama and presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney. The very real possibility of a clash with Iran, the general political instability in the region, and turmoil in Yemen and the Sudan, have been major factors in the increase in worldwide oil prices. Thus, the international political situation has contributed to the rise of domestic gasoline prices over the past year, with obvious economic and political implications. (While I have great respect for Cook’s ability to read polls and American political situations, this is one of the times I worry about his being a liberal. He thinks Iran is basically harmless, bankrupt and on the ropes to sanctions. The report he appears to be relying on is the doubtful official CIA report from about five years ago. Other sources offer very different conclusions. I’d feel much safer if I thought Cook had gotten his information from Michael Ledeen, the Middle East guy at PJMedia, or some other, less credulous source. Ron P.)

Panetta warns climate change having 'dramatic impact' on national security
Climate change has had a direct effect on national security, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said this week. Panetta told an audience at the Environmental Defense Fund that climate change has raised the need for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, hitting national security in the process. (Yeah, them wind-powered tanks and solar-powered jets are a problem. ~Bob.)

Mexican reporters' mutilated bodies discovered in Vera Cruz WARNING --GRAPHIC PHOTO
Excerpt: The dismembered remains of two Mexican photojournalists were discovered in Vera Cruz in Eastern Mexico by federal police (Federales) yesterday, making the total of news people murdered in that nation in the last ten years 70 men and women, according to a U.S. law enforcement official assigned to liaison duty in that war-torn nation.

Dems' Senate hopes dim in Massachusetts race
Excerpt: "If Democrats cannot beat Brown, it's hard to see how they keep their majority," Jennifer Duffy, a senior editor for the Cook Political Report, told The Washington Examiner. Warren's once-rosy election prospects have bee seriously diminished by a series of gaffes and missteps, the most recent headline-grabbing incident erupting Tuesday when it was reported that the Harvard University law professor claimed to be a minority because she's part Cherokee. It turns out Warren has a tiny fraction of Native American blood, according to a genealogist, but being 1/32nd Cherokee is probably not enough to identify herself as a minority to the Association of American Law Schools, where she is listed as a minority professor from 1986 to 1995. (I wonder if purchasing a feathered headdress would be considered a campaign contribution if it was only worn to opposition events to remind them of how liberals twist the rules? By itself, this probably won't change many minds (and none at all among liberals). The real question ought to be if she cheated on this, what else has she cheated on? Between the number of registered Democrats, the out-of-state money being spent, the voter's general acceptance of the liberal line, the ACORN-like groups and their organized cheating at the polls, Brown is still the underdog, but by a little less. Ron P. Take your, "Fake Indians for Warren" sign. ~Bob.)

Rage of Greeks in election endangers bailout
Excerpt: Greek voters enraged by economic hardship mauled traditional ruling parties in an election on Sunday, putting the country's future in the euro zone at risk and threatening to revive the region's debt crisis. The latest official results, with over 50percent of the vote counted, confirmed projections showing the only two major parties supporting an EU/IMF bailout that keeps Greece from bankruptcy would struggle to form a workable coalition.

Four Years of Obama Undoes Eight Years of Reagan
Excerpt: The graph shows a huge upswing in labor participation through the Reagan years. George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush kept the numbers up in Reagan territory. Since Obama has taken over, he has wiped out the entirety of the Reagan gains.

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