Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for April 24, 2013
Robert A. Hall
Your one-stop-shop for political news and opinion--who needs newspapers or TV? Please forward to friends who need to be informed. This SitRep (Military for “Situation Report”) is created by many readers who send me items for inclusion, which I would have likely missed or skipped. And I can only spend at most three hours a night pulling stuff, plus the healthcare or economic stuff that crosses my desk at work. As always, I—and you—owe them thanks and appreciation. I post articles because I think they are of interest and will stimulate thought and discussion. Doing so doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree (or disagree) with every—or any—opinion in the posted article, or that I was able to verify the information presented, which is the responsibility of the author. I try not to post things that are false, or too far a stretch, regardless of the view point, but I don’t always succeed. As always on the Net, or in the legacy media, you must read critically and with skepticism.
Information on my books
Worth Reading
Excerpt: During decades of watching both collegiate and professional football, I have seen hundreds of touchdowns scored by black players -- but not one extra point kicked by a black player. Is this because blacks are genetically incapable of kicking a football or because racists won't let blacks kick a football? Most of us would consider either of these explanations ridiculous. Yet genes and discrimination were the predominant explanations of black-white differences offered by intellectuals in the 20th century. It was genes that were the preferred explanation in the early decades of that century and discrimination in the later decades, as I show in my recent book, "Intellectuals and Race."
Important: Max Baucus to retire from Senate
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/295487-max-baucus-to-retire-from-senate
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/295487-max-baucus-to-retire-from-senate
Excerpt: Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) is retiring, a source has told The Hill. The longtime chairman of the Senate's tax-writing panel faced a difficult reelection contest in Montana
Important: Ricin Suspect Released From Custody in Mississippi
Excerpt: Just days after Capitol Hill law enforcement officers informed the congressional community that federal agents had arrested a suspect in connection with mailing a ricin-laced letter to Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., that suspect is no longer in custody.
Reid: New ricin incident at Air Force base
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/295597-reid-new-ricin-incident-at-bolling-air-force-base
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/295597-reid-new-ricin-incident-at-bolling-air-force-base
Excerpt: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters Tuesday that there has been another ricin incident at Bolling Air Force base in Southeast Washington , D.C.
Black Conservatives I follow on Twitter
(Not, alas, that I have time to read even 2% of the tweets from the people I follow, but I do pick up items for the blog when I have a moment. Some good stuff from these folks. ~Bob.) @thesavvy3h, @NewsNinja20123h, @Ron_Christie3h, @AllenWest @dminor851h @blackrepublican, @BlackGirlGOP. @JeromeEHudson @Shaughn_A @ElishaNEWS37m @RealBenCarson @StacyOnTheRight @RekLeCounte @JessikaUSA @corba7 @Vision365 @VernonBParker @sleepdoctorjoe @SenatorTimScott @MiaBLove @mr_rod_nelson @GOPBlackChick @MissKimmieMaam @DrMetzler @Arightside @CandiceLanier @CondoleezzaRice
Excerpt: A car bomb in Tripoli wounded two French guards at France 's embassy in Libya on Tuesday, bringing new violence to the capital, which has not seen attacks on diplomats like that which killed the U.S. ambassador in Benghazi Libya
Afghan Taliban say seize foreigners from helicopter
Excerpt: The Taliban said it had captured a group of foreigners on board a helicopter that came down in a volatile region of Afghanistan, though there were widely differing accounts of the nationalities of the passengers. (Lucky for them, they are safely in the hands of members of The Religion of Peace.” ~Bob)
Two Archbishops Are Kidnapped Outside Northern Syrian City
Excerpt: Two Syrian archbishops from Aleppo were abducted on Monday while traveling outside that besieged northern city, the official news media and antigovernment activists reported, making them the most senior church clerics to become entangled as victims in the two-year-old civil war. (Lucky for them, they are safely in the hands of members of The Religion of Peace.” ~Bob)
Rangel sues Boehner seeking to overturn House Ethics censure
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/295371-rangel-sues-boehner-seeking-to-overturn-house-ethics-censure
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/295371-rangel-sues-boehner-seeking-to-overturn-house-ethics-censure
Excerpt: Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) is suing Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and six other lawmakers, charging that they mishandled the Ethics investigation that led to his public censure in late 2010. In a complaint filed Monday in federal court in Washington D.C.
Study: Voice-activated texting while driving no safer than typing
Excerpt: It had appeared that technology might have solved a problem of its own creation when voice-activated texting came along so that drivers could keep their eyes on the road. Not so, says the first major study of the subject. It’s every bit as dangerous to speak into a mobile device that translates words into a text message as it is to type one.
Excerpt: Jihad has blown up The Liberal Utopia. The visionary liberal land of political and social perfection. President Obama is not happy — and he isn’t alone. You know the place. The Liberal Utopia is a land where gun background checks prevent mass murder. (They won’t notice, because for liberals, only their good intentions matter, not the evil results. ~Bob.)
As Bush library opening puts his presidency back in the spotlight, his approval rating is up
Excerpt: Days before his second term ended in 2009, Bush’s approval rating among all adults was 33 percent positive and 66 percent negative. The new poll found 47 percent saying they approve and 50 percent saying they disapprove. Among registered voters, his approval rating today is equal to President Obama’s, at 47 percent, according to the latest Post-ABC surveys.
Excerpt: This weekend, as law-enforcement officers across the country devoted their resources to the manhunt and capture of the dangerous criminal Reese Witherspoon, an actual crime against humanity was being ignored: Musician Amanda Palmer was writing the worst poem ever composed in the English language, "A Poem for Dzhokhar."
Worth Reading Sandy Hook and gun control, the Tsarnaev case teaches real lessons about immigration. By Victor Davis Hanson
Excerpt: Tightening up the process for legal acquisition of firearms would not much hinder the mentally ill from getting their hands on guns. And the various measures needed to stop a crazy Adam Lanza or Jared Lee Loughner would be mostly intolerable for liberal or conservative civil libertarians — incarcerating far more of the mentally unhinged, censoring the depiction of gratuitous and violent use of guns in video games and films, confiscating the vast pools of semi-automatic rifles and handguns owned by private citizens. No matter. Sandy Hook and the shooting of Gabby Giffords were still arguments to shame opponents — in the president’s words, “lying” opponents — into accepting the administration’s proposals.
Wonder What Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Thinks of His PD Now?
Excerpt: In July, 2009, the President of the United States said that he thought the Cambridge , Massachusetts Boston , Watertown , and Cambridge
SHOCK: FBI, DHS Were Warned About Boston
Excerpt: The failure of this Administration to protect our homeland from jihadist threats – despite clear warnings before the Boston Russia
Immigration officer: Congress heeded illegal immigrants, not law enforcement,--- 99.5% of illegal immigrants get approval for legal status; high number raises concerns about fraud
Excerpt: The chief of the union representing immigration agents and officers told Congress on Monday that illegal immigrants had more say-so in drafting the new Senate immigration bill than the government’s own law enforcement agents. His testimony capped off an emotionally charged day that saw a former illegal immigrant plead for a full path to citizenship and saw lawmakers heatedly debate whether the Boston Marathon bombing should spur Congress to speed up or to put the brakes on the push to pass a bill.
Obama couldn’t sell a candy bar to a fat kid
http://dailycaller.com/2013/04/22/obama-couldnt-sell-a-candy-bar-to-a-fat-kid/#ixzz2RHR6lHYfF
http://dailycaller.com/2013/04/22/obama-couldnt-sell-a-candy-bar-to-a-fat-kid/#ixzz2RHR6lHYfF
Excerpt: For over four years, Barack Obama has employed shame, guilt, class envy and brute force to implement his vision. His approach betrays his lack of experience in the marketplace. It suggests an unflattering opinion of the American people.
Williams-Sonoma Pulls Pressure Cookers Off Shelves in Massachusetts: Following the Boston Marathon bombing last Monday in which pressure cookers were used for the explosion, the cookware giant has decided to temporarily stop selling the items in their Massachusetts
http://natick.patch.com/articles/williams-sonoma-pulls-pressure-cookers-off-shelves-in-massachusetts
Excerpt: Williams-Sonoma, the specialty retailer of home furnishings and gourmet cookware with over 250 stores in the United States
Pet Projects Sprinkled in Immigration Bill
Excerpt: South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham wants more visas for the meat industry, a major employer in his state. Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.) pushed for special treatment for Irish workers; his state is home to a large population with Irish ancestry. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio sought help for the cruise-ship industry, a big business in his home state of Florida Colorado Charleston
Excerpt: Abu Ubaydah Abdullah al Adam, a senior al Qaeda leader who serves as the intelligence chief for the terror group, is reported to have been killed in a recent US drone strike in Pakistan
Worth Watching: Celeste and Sydney get an inspiring visit from the Marines
Lawmakers warn cost of federal free phone program spinning out of control
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/22/lawmakers-warn-cost-federal-free-phone-program-spinning-out-control/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fpolitics+%28Internal+-+Politics+-+Text%29#ixzz2RHcXIPsd
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/22/lawmakers-warn-cost-federal-free-phone-program-spinning-out-control/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fpolitics+%28Internal+-+Politics+-+Text%29#ixzz2RHcXIPsd
Excerpt: What started out as an effort by President Reagan to help poor people in rural areas have a phone in cases of emergency has mushroomed into what critics suspect is a new welfare program. "The cost has gone from $143 million a few years ago to $2.2 billion today," Republican Louisiana Sen. David Vitter said, noting that today's cost is 15 times what it was. The cost of the program increased dramatically after cellphones were added in 2008. (Well, buying votes is not cheap. ~Bob.)
Thomas Friedman Recommends Fighting Islamism With Carbon Taxes. By Daniel Greenfield
Excerpt: If Thomas Friedman went stark raving mad, how would anyone tell? …“A phased-in carbon tax of $20 to $25 a ton could raise around $1 trillion over 10 years, as we each pay a few more dimes and quarters for every gallon of gasoline or hour of electricity. With that new revenue stream, we’d have so many more options.” Like the option to put half the country out of work.
It’s Lose-Lose vs. Win-Win-Win-Win-Win
Excerpt: First, because our democracy today is perverted more than ever by deep-pocketed lobbies and oligopolies. So, “in order to get and stay elected today, you have to raise huge sums of money from corporations, wealthy individuals and dues-laden unions,” Garfinkle notes, and all that money leads to “twisted decision-making at the high-politics level” and “regulatory capture” at the bureaucratic-administrative level. The fossil fuel, auto and power companies have bought a lot of politicians to block a carbon tax.
UN Human Rights Official Says Boston
Excerpt: UN Human Rights Council “expert” Richard Falk has published a statement saying Bostonians got what they deserved in last week’s terror attack. He quotes W.H. Auden to make his point: "to whom evil is done/do evil in return.” Richard Falk is the UN’s “Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.” He has held the post since 2008, despite exposure as a 9/11 conspiracy theorist. (Yep, remember, we are the bad guys of the whole world, only nation worse than we is Israel, and we are hand in hand with them in being awful. We just aren't nice enough to the Muslim world, haven't been for decades, so no wonder they're ticked at us and Muslims now and then will give us a hint of that by some form of massacre. I'm with the author of this piece, we should drop out of the UN and tell them we want the land back, please relocate to some nice spot like Somalia Del.
Congress forcing military to keep unwanted assets, programs despite spending cuts, report says
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/23/congress-forcing-military-to-keep-unwanted-assets-programs-despite-spending/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fpolitics+%28Internal+-+Politics+-+Text%29#ixzz2RHcwKcFS
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/23/congress-forcing-military-to-keep-unwanted-assets-programs-despite-spending/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fpolitics+%28Internal+-+Politics+-+Text%29#ixzz2RHcwKcFS
Excerpt: Parked around the airstrip at Lackland Air Force Base are more than a dozen massive C-5A Galaxy transport planes. There is no money to fly them, repair them or put pilots in the cockpits, but Congress rejected the Air Force's bid to retire them. So every now and then, crews will tow the planes around the Texas tarmac a bit to make sure the tires don't rot, then send them back into exile until they can finally get permission to commit the aging aircraft to the boneyard. (Every congressman, both parties, thinks his reelection is the most vital part of national security. ~Bob.)
Important: Report: Fisker lost $557K per electric vehicle sold
http://dailycaller.com/2013/04/23/report-fisker-lost-557k-per-electric-vehicle-sold/#ixzz2RHRXPo4R
http://dailycaller.com/2013/04/23/report-fisker-lost-557k-per-electric-vehicle-sold/#ixzz2RHRXPo4R
Excerpt: Luxury hybrid car maker Fisker Automotive has spent $660,000 in taxpayer dollars and venture capital funds for each car it sold — totalling $1.3 billion, according to a report. The company’s Fisker Karma sold for about $103,000 per vehicle, meaning the company took a hit of $557,000 every time it sold its product. The company was also allowed to continue to draw down on a $529 million Department of Energy loan after violating the loan’s term multiple times, according to a report by the New York-based research firm PrivCo. (Why command economies collapse. –Barb. Thank you Al Gore, Barack Obama and Big Green—our tax dollars down the tube. ~Bob.)
Blood on the White House
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL1-XU-zHvU&feature=youtu.be
Excerpt: Witnesses report that Obama then went to bed, making him the first American president to abandon American troops in combat. (Isn't it amazing that the American military has the highest approval rating by the American public of any organization and yet voters continue to elect politicians that have the lowest approval rating and that disrespect our military. --MM)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL1-XU-zHvU&feature=youtu.be
Excerpt: Witnesses report that Obama then went to bed, making him the first American president to abandon American troops in combat. (Isn't it amazing that the American military has the highest approval rating by the American public of any organization and yet voters continue to elect politicians that have the lowest approval rating and that disrespect our military. --MM)
Worth Reading : Lessons from Boston and Chechnya
Excerpt: We cannot bring back the stolen lives. We cannot bring back the lost limbs or the lost hearing. And we cannot mitigate the infinite grief of the victims’ loved ones.
But there is something we can and must do: We must learn all the lessons we can.
When America
Excerpt: On September 12, 2012, Obama stepped out into the Rose Garden and told the millions of Americans watching at home, “We will not waver in our commitment to see that justice is done for this terrible act. And make no mistake, justice will be done.”
More than half a year has passed since then and justice is nowhere in sight. The perpetrators of the attack openly walk the streets of Benghazi
Audit finds Las Vegas cab drivers overcharged tourists $15 million in 2012
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/04/23/audit-finds-las-vegas-cab-drivers-overcharged-tourists-15-million-in-2012/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fnational+%28Internal+-+US+Latest+-+Text%29#ixzz2RHdWD0sc
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/04/23/audit-finds-las-vegas-cab-drivers-overcharged-tourists-15-million-in-2012/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fnational+%28Internal+-+US+Latest+-+Text%29#ixzz2RHdWD0sc
Mosque-Related Violence. By Rabbi Aryeh Spero
Excerpt: President Obama has done all he can these past five years to manipulate language and facts in order to exonerate Islam and Moslems from terrorist attacks committed in the U.S. Fort Hood Little Rock , Arkansas
With Friends Like Qatar
Excerpt: He observed that Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, will shortly be visiting the White House….After all, the Emir is arguably the world’s single most aggressive state sponsor of expansionist Islam and its prime-mover, the Muslim Brotherhood. … The Emir unabashedly underwrites the arming and training of al Qaeda and other Islamist elements in the hope of establishing a shariah state in Syria
.
DNC accused of using Boston
http://dailycaller.com/2013/04/22/dnc-accused-of-using-boston-attack-to-build-fundraising-list/#ixzz2RHORB1RW
http://dailycaller.com/2013/04/22/dnc-accused-of-using-boston-attack-to-build-fundraising-list/#ixzz2RHORB1RW
Excerpt: The Democratic National Committee is being accused by Republicans of using the terrorism attack in Boston
Worth Reading
Excerpt: In the wee hours of Friday morning, April 19th, I evolved on guns.
First, a confession: I’ve never owned a gun. I never wanted one in my home and, like a lot of moms, I wanted to raise non-violent children and thought keeping guns out of our home was one way to do that. … I realized at that moment that the police cannot protect me from the Dzhokhar Tsarnaevs of the world. The best they can do is tell me to lock myself in my home while they search for the bad guy.
Boston bombing suspect cites U.S. wars as motivation, officials say
Excerpt: The 19-year-old suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings has told interrogators that the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan motivated him and his brother to carry out the attack, according to U.S.
Excerpt: The surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon attacks told federal agents that he and his late brother were motivated by extremist Islamic beliefs but that they were not connected to any known terrorist groups, law enforcement officials said on Tuesday, saying that he made those statements in an interview Sunday from his hospital bed. (Congrats to the NYT for saying it. Bet it hurt. ~Bob.)
Tweet from Not A Corpseman @Pqlyur14m
I pretty sure we're going to see Dzhokhar tshirts in the Che Guevara fashion at the next Occupy Whatever G-8 protest...
Kerry Exploits The Victims Of The Boston
John Kerry, America ’s most successful gigolo and now our Secretary of State, has used the tragedy of the terrorist bombings in Boston
Fox News makes point to mention that Boston Bombers were "welfare recipients"
I cannot describe my anger at this. Our government FORCES us to pay for welfare to these alleged refugees and then these US government protégées try to kill us. Look, we expect terrorists to kill people. It's what they do. But these terrorists were aided and abetted by our government, which the brain dead citizenry trusts to protect us. Not only did the government turn a deaf ear to Russia's warnings that the Tsarnaevs were would-be terrorists, and made no effort to search or detain them at the marathon, but when these terrorists first came they were given YOUR money. This money was not donated by you. It was STOLEN from you by socialist bureaucrats who literally could care less whether you live or die. In a very real way, you and I paid these terrorists to harm us. Do you realize that? What's there not to be mad about? As I said earlier, if we were only dealing with the mafia, they would force us to pay them as part of their protection racket, and then if we paid, they would leave us alone. In other words, the mafia has a code of honor. Our government doesn't even have that. We pay their ransom and even then they open the doors to our enemies and let them kill us. That is far beyond mafia evil! --Don Hank
Worth Reading: Academic Cesspools
Excerpt: Because Klingenstein wouldn't help finance the college's diversity craze, Mills insinuated, in remarks to the student body, that Klingenstein is a racist. ... Klingenstein decided to check out Mills' commitment to diverse perspectives by commissioning the National Association of Scholars to examine Bowdoin's intellectual diversity, rigorous academics and civic identity. Its report — "What Does Bowdoin Teach?" — isn't pretty. (I always enjoy reading Williams’ columns, this one being no exception. However, I noticed there was no link to the original article in the WSJ or the study by the NAS. They’re good, too, and I recommend reading them. Here are links to read them for free: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324100904578404502145771288.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop and http://www.nas.org/articles/what_does_bowdoin_teach_how_a_contemporary_liberal_arts_college_shapes_stud (you can download the study as a PDF for free, too, and merely reading the first few paragraphs of the first page will tell you a whole lot). –Ron P.)
Worth Reading: A Tribal War in Boston. By Daniel Greenfield
Excerpt: Tamerlan Tsarneav slapped around one girlfriend, dragged another into a barefoot, pregnant and veiled arrangement, and went around telling everyone they were infidels. Sure he might have settled down at some point, picked up his membership card in the requisite front groups for the Muslim Brotherhood and limited his terrorist activities to donating to Islamic charities that just happen to do business in the middle of war zones. He could have stuck to beating his wife in the privacy of his home and told his neighbors that America would one day be destroyed knowing they would only nod and walk away humming, “But he’s so nice”. (Greenfield is smoking today, lots of great pieces And always worth reading. ~Bob.)
Jon Stewart Drubs CNN Again For Boston Bombing Reporting (VIDEO)
Excerpt: You might think Jon Stewart is being overly harsh in taking CNN to task yet again for its Boston bombing coverage... until you see this set of clips from the dramatic conclusion to last week's nightmare manhunt.
Virtually all physicians walked out of Obamacare session at national conference
Excerpt: Twitchy reported ophthalmologist Dr. Kris Held sent live-tweets from the “Government relations” session on “implementing and complying with Obamacare,” saying virtually all the physicians walked out of the speech in disgust.
Interesting map of Eurozone problems
Tweet from They Call Me Tim® @Playing_Dad10 Jan
My kid threatened to hold her breath until I gave her dessert. She's now passed out on the kitchen floor. I don't negotiate with terrorists.
China Deploys Carrier Killer Missile Near Taiwan
Excerpt: As Korea festers, our friends in Beijing have deployed near Taiwan a powerful missile designed to take out U.S. aircraft carriers as Beijing strengthens its ability to prevent U.S. forces from aiding Taiwan.
The Myth of Republican Racism and Why it’s Important to Keep Fighting Against Dem lies
http://newsninja2012.com/the-myth-of-republican-racism-and-why-its-important-to-keep-fighting-against-dem-lies/#ixzz2RJnBfL1S
Excerpt: As I Googled my way around the Internet, I found that most news, government, and university websites offer information on slavery and post-Civil War brutality, but inexplicably ignore or defend the undeniable linkages to Democrats. Many sites describe the Civil War, Jim Crow, Disenfranchisement, and the KKK as if unrelated to the Democratic Party’s effort to control black voters.
http://newsninja2012.com/the-myth-of-republican-racism-and-why-its-important-to-keep-fighting-against-dem-lies/#ixzz2RJnBfL1S
Excerpt: As I Googled my way around the Internet, I found that most news, government, and university websites offer information on slavery and post-Civil War brutality, but inexplicably ignore or defend the undeniable linkages to Democrats. Many sites describe the Civil War, Jim Crow, Disenfranchisement, and the KKK as if unrelated to the Democratic Party’s effort to control black voters.
Bob Beckel: Cut off Muslim students from U.S.
http://www.wnd.com/2013/04/liberal-media-star-cut-off-muslim-students-from-u-s/#MvBcyEIjAc3GgVLW.99
http://www.wnd.com/2013/04/liberal-media-star-cut-off-muslim-students-from-u-s/#MvBcyEIjAc3GgVLW.99
Excerpt: One of the most famous liberal voices in America is now suggesting the U.S. cut off Muslim students from coming to America, as well as deporting some of those already here and even sending them to prison. Bob Beckel, the former campaign director for Democratic presidential candidate Walter Mondale and current co-host of “The Five” on the Fox News Channel, made the bold statement on his show while discussing the Boston bombing suspects, who are Muslim.
GOP Benghazi report blames Clinton
http://thehill.com/blogs/global-affairs/terrorism/295611-boehner-unveils-benghazi-report-that-blames-hillary-clinton-for-security-lapses-
http://thehill.com/blogs/global-affairs/terrorism/295611-boehner-unveils-benghazi-report-that-blames-hillary-clinton-for-security-lapses-
Excerpt: Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Tuesday unveiled a report on last's year attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that blames then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for lapses in security. (Hang on, Hillary-the media is riding to your rescue! ~Bob.)
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