The Old Jarhead

GOP Racial Code Words

2012-02-01T08:48:00.000-06:00

Political Digest for February 1, 2012

2012-01-31T19:21:00.000-06:00

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.

I post articles because I think they are of interest. Doing so doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree (or disagree) with every—or any—opinion in the posted article. Help your friends and relatives stay informed by passing the digest on. In some cases I post things sent to me by readers I might not have posted on my own, to get ideas circulating.

Fox projects Romney wins Florida with 47%, Gingrich 31%, Santorum with 13% Paul with 7%.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2012/florida-primary-jan-31

TV commenter said that exit polls suggest a lot of Gingrich voters were not for him, wanted to slow Romney in hopes someone else will get in. ~Bob

Important: CBO projects $1.08T deficit, higher unemployment

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/207603-cbo-budget-economy-worse-than-estimated

Excerpt: The Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday predicted the budget deficit will rise to $1.08 trillion in 2012. CBO also projected the jobless rate would rise to 8.9 percent by the end of 2012, and to 9.2 percent in 2013. (Bad news. Can’t be just George bush—I blame global warming as well. ~Bob.)

Worth Reading: Getting Nowhere, Very Fast By Thomas Sowell

http://patriotpost.us/opinion/thomas-sowell/2012/01/31/getting-nowhere-very-fast/

Excerpt: California has a huge state debt and Washington has a huge national debt. But that does not discourage either Governor Jerry Brown or President Barack Obama from wanting to launch a very costly high-speed rail system. Most of us might be a little skittish about spending money if we were teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. But the beauty of politics is that it is all other people's money, including among those other people generations yet unborn.

High-Speed Rail Authority Follow-Up

http://www.bsa.ca.gov/reports/summary/2011-504

Excerpt: Our review of the High-Speed Rail Authority's (Authority) progress in addressing issues we raised in our April 2010 report, revealed the following: Although it has implemented some of our recommendations, the Authority has not completely addressed others. The high-speed rail network's (program) overall financial situation has become increasingly risky. The cost estimates for phase one increased to between $98.1 billion and $117.6 billion—of which approximately $12.5 billion has been secured.

The Republican establishment is smearing Gingrich by Thomas Sowell

http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell013112b.php3

Excerpt: The Republican establishment is pulling out all the stops to try to keep Newt Gingrich from becoming the party's nominee for President of the United States -- and some are not letting the facts get in their way.

Allen West's Wife Sees No Conspiracy in Redistricting

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2012/01/allen-wests-wife-sees-no-conspiracy-in-redistricting.html

Excerpt: We missed U.S. Rep. Allen West voting this morning in Plantation but caught up with his wife at her precinct. Angela Graham-West wouldn't reveal who she voted for in the presidential primary. She disagreed with suggestions that her husband got screwed by the redistricting plan that would steer his swing district in Congressional 22 more to the left. "I don't think it was deliberate," she said.

Adopted boy, 15, 'admits to murdering his prison psychologist father and physician mother before hiding the bodies in their car'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2093437/Boy-15-admits-murdering-parents-hiding-bodies-car.html

Excerpt: Colleagues of the couple also told the San Francisco Chronicle that the couple had been having problems with their son, who they believed was spending too much time in the Occupy Oakland camp. (That’ll show the 1%! ~Bob.)

Thou Shall Not Covet by Michael Prell

http://townhall.com/columnists/michaelprell/2012/01/30/thou_shall_not_covet/page/full/

Excerpt: What if it’s an “Occupy Wall Street” gang? Coveting is the foundation of their movement. A movement that – in a short few months of public coveting – has already racked up multiple counts of assault, rape, murder – and stealing wallets.

The Afghan mother-in-law from hell who helped son 'tie up and choke wife to death for burdening family by having third daughter instead of a son'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2093923/Afghan-woman-helped-strangle-death-daughter-law-having-undesired-daughter.html

Excerpt: An Afghan woman has been arrested for 'helping strangle her daughter-in-law to death because she gave birth to an 'undesired' third daughter'. Mother-in-law Wali Hazrata is said to have tied the feet of 22-year-old Stori, which allowed the victim's local militia member husband Sher Mohammad to strangle her. (Gee, she just wanted gender balance in the family. Sort of a Muslim version of Affirmative Action. ~Bob.)

Press Freedom Index 2011/2012

http://en.rsf.org/spip.php?page=classement&id_rubrique=1043

Excerpt: Crackdown was the word of the year in 2011. Never has freedom of information been so closely associated with democracy. Never have journalists, through their reporting, vexed the enemies of freedom so much. Never have acts of censorship and physical attacks on journalists seemed so numerous. The equation is simple: the absence or suppression of civil liberties leads necessarily to the suppression of media freedom. Dictatorships fear and ban information, especially when it may undermine them. (the US fell to 47^th. ~Bob.)

When 'being green' means subsidies for rich, harm for the poor

http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/2012/01/when-being-green-means-subsidies-rich-harm-poor/2126336

Excerpt: Yet when it comes to the environment, the president showers favors on the rich while punishing the poor. During last year's

Occupy Wall Street

protests, Obama expressed sympathy with calls for more "green" policies from the self-styled advocates for the 99 percent. So far, however, the environmental agenda has overwhelmingly favored the 1 percent.

Iran, perceiving threat from West, willing to attack on U.S. soil, U.S. intelligence report finds

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/iran-is-prepared-to-launch-terrorist-attacks-in-us-intelligence-report-finds/2012/01/30/gIQACwGweQ_story.html?wpisrc=al_national

Excerpt: U.S. intelligence agencies believe that Iran is prepared to launch terrorist attacks inside the United States in response to perceived threats from America and its allies, the U.S. spy chief said Tuesday. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said in prepared testimony that an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington that was uncovered last year reflects an aggressive new willingness within the upper ranks of the Islamist republic to authorize attacks against the United States.

Important, worth reading: Germany's Role in Europe and the European Debt Crisis

http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/germanys-role-europe-and-european-debt-crisis?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120131&utm_term=gweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=3ac2c34303794dd4b325bc6bc9e95bc5

Excerpt: The German government proposed last week that a European commissioner be appointed to supplant the Greek government. While phrasing the German proposal this way might seem extreme, it is not unreasonable. Under the German proposal, this commissioner would hold power over the Greek national budget and taxation. Since the European Central Bank already controls the Greek currency, the euro, this would effectively transfer control of the Greek government to the European Union, since whoever controls a country's government expenditures, tax rates and monetary policy effectively controls that country. The German proposal therefore would suspend Greek sovereignty and the democratic process as the price of financial aid to Greece. (No need to send Panzers, Herr Feld Marshall. Ve vill send Euros! ~Bob.)

Tipping Point?

http://www.nationaljournal.com//columns/off-to-the-races/tipping-point--20120130

Excerpt: Every post-World War II president with a Gallup job-approval rating of 50 percent or higher going into Election Day won. Each one with an approval rating of 47 percent or lower lost. Obama’s approval rating only reached the tipping point in two months last year: 49 percent for January and 50 percent in May (the president announced Osama bin Laden’s killing on May 1). From July through December, his monthly Gallup approval rating ranged from 41 to 44 percent, hardly a level likely to get a president reelected. There are growing signs that some of these factors might be changing, which warrants watching them very closely. (Maybe he can kill bin Laden again this summer. Ron P. Iran better tread with care. He will bomb the snot out of them if it will get him reelected. ~Bob.)

Obama's Racial Politics

http://cnsnews.com/blog/walter-e-williams/obamas-racial-politics

Excerpt: There's been a heap of criticism placed upon President Barack Obama's domestic policies that have promoted government intrusion and prolonged our fiscal crisis and his foreign policies that have emboldened our enemies. Any criticism of Obama pales in comparison with what might be said about the American people who voted him in to the nation's highest office. Obama's presidency represents the first time in our history that a person could have been elected to that office who had long-standing close associations with people who hate our nation.

Poll: Nearly One-in-Five Adults Would Miss the Birth of their Own Baby to Go to the Super Bowl

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/poll-nearly-one-five-adults-would-miss-birth-their-own-baby-go-super-bowl

Excerpt: What would you miss or give up in order to go to the Super Bowl? Fifteen (15) percent of U.S. adults who have a favorite NFL team would miss the birth of their own baby to attend the Super Bowl, according to a poll conducted by Harris Interactive. Another 19 percent would miss the funeral of a loved one, 20 percent would miss the wedding of a close friend or family member, 21 percent would miss an important work responsibility and 23 percent would give up a vacation in order to watch the Super Bowl.

Worth Reading: Onward Civilian Soldiers by George Will

http://patriotpost.us/opinion/george-will/2012/01/29/onward-civilian-soldiers/

Excerpt: Well. The armed services' ethos, although noble, is not a template for civilian society, unless the aspiration is to extinguish politics. People marching in serried ranks, fused into a solid mass by the heat of martial ardor, proceeding in lockstep, shoulder to shoulder, obedient to orders from a commanding officer -- this is a recurring dream of progressives eager to dispense with tiresome persuasion and untidy dissension in a free, tumultuous society.

Quote

Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of power … it is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters. -- Daniel Webster

10 States With The Highest Debt Per Person: Report

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/24/states-debt-combined-may-exceed-4-trillion_n_1029162.html

Excerpt: The total of U.S. state debt, including pension liabilities, could surpass $4 trillion, with California owing the most and Vermont owing the least, according to an analysis released on Monday. The nonprofit State Budget Solutions combined states' major debt and future liabilities, primarily for pensions and employee healthcare, unemployment insurance loans, outstanding bonds and projected fiscal 2011 budget gaps. It found that in total, states are in debt for $4.2 trillion. The group, which follows state fiscal conditions and advocates for limited spending and taxes, said the deficit calculations that states make "do not offer a full picture of the states' liabilities and can rely on budget gimmicks and accounting games to hide the extent of the deficit."

FDA staffers sue agency over monitoring of personal e-mail

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2012/01/31/20120131fda-staffers-sue-agency-over-monitoring-personal-e-mail.html#ixzz1l2ktccGG

Excerpt: The Food and Drug Administration secretly monitored the personal e-mail of a group of its own scientists and doctors after they warned Congress that the agency was approving medical devices that they believed posed unacceptable risks to patients, government documents show.

Drone strike on al-Qaeda 'kills 13' in southern Yemen

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16806006

Excerpt: At least 13 people have been killed in air strikes on militants from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in southern Yemen, residents and officials say. One tribal leader said at least four of the dead were local al-Qaeda leaders, the Reuters news agency reports.

For Sailors: "CPO Standards" by Mike McCaffrey, Admiral (retired USN)

http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/archive.cgi?noframes;read=192308

Excerpt: One thing we weren't aware of at the time, but became evident as life wore on, was that we learned true leadership from the finest examples any lad was ever given, Chief Petty Officers. They were crusty old bastards who had done it all and had been forged into men who had been time tested over more years than a lot of us had time on the planet. The ones I remember wore hydraulic oil stained hats with scratched and dinged-up insignia, faded shirts, some with a Bull Durham tag dangling out of their right-hand pocket or a pipe and tobacco reloads in a worn leather pouch in their hip pockets, and a Zippo that had been everywhere. Some of them came with tattoos on their forearms that would force them to keep their cuffs buttoned at a Methodist picnic.

Worth Reading: When Did the War Start? Or Did It? by Michael Ledeen

http://pjmedia.com/michaelledeen/2012/01/30/when-did-the-war-start-or-did-it/

Excerpt: Almost everything you read about the “increasing tension” between Iran and the United States revolves around the rhetorical question, “will there be a war?” Whether it’s our own pundits or the Europeans who watch us, “war” seems closer every day. … Serious thinking, and a serious strategy, must begin with the fact that the war is on. To repeat: the war is on. It’s been on for three decades. Ayatollah Khomeini declared war on the United States in February, 1979, and the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran have been killing Americans ever since. (This is the most intelligent thing I’ve read about the situation with Iran in a long time. Ron P.)

Newt's flat tax would do a lot more to attract capital, spur growth and reduce compliance costs. By Arthur B. Laffer

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204652904577192660439187438.html?mod=djemITP_h

Excerpt: If we judge both leading contenders in the Republican primary, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney, by what they've done in life and by what they propose to do if elected, either one could be an excellent president. But when it comes to the election's core issue—restoring a healthy economy—the key is a good tax plan and the ability to implement it. Mr. Gingrich has a significantly better plan than does Mr. Romney, and he has twice before been instrumental in implementing a successful tax plan on a national level—once when he served in Congress as a Reagan supporter in the 1980s and again when he was President Clinton's partner as speaker of the House of Representatives in the 1990s.

Hamas and the Washington establishment By Caroline B. Glick

http://jewishworldreview.com/0112/glick013112.php3

Excerpt: To date, the Republican presidential primary race has been the only place to have generated any useful contributions to America's collective understanding of current events in the Middle East. Last month, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich became the first major political figure in more than a generation to pour cold water over the Palestinian myth of indigenous peoplehood by stating the truth, that the Palestinians are an "invented people."

Free speech --- for some: Uncle Sam is joining in efforts to crack down on Islamists' critics By Frank J. Gaffney Jr.

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/gaffney013112.php3

Excerpt: According to the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), there is a grave threat to America that must be suppressed at all costs. The threat is that Lt. Gen. William G. "Jerry" Boykin might be allowed to exercise his constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech.

The Third Jihad website

http://www.thethirdjihad.com/

Masked Occupiers Attack NYC Cops With Bottles During Nighttime March

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/masked-occupiers-attack-cops-with-bottles-during-nighttime-march/

Black masks—so much cooler than brown shirts. ~Bob. Excerpt: If you thought the Occupy movement was dead and buried, you may be disappointed. … On Monday evening, the drama spread to New York City, among other localities, where

12 Occupy Wall Street

demonstrators were arrested after they held a march in solidarity with their Oakland compatriots.

Obama green jobs program faces further investigation

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-01-30/obama-green-jobs-program-failure/52895630/1

Excerpt: House Republicans are expanding their probe into the Obama administration's energy programs, investigating $500 million in green job training grants that placed just 10% of trainees in jobs, according to a government report. The program's goal was to train 124,893 people and put 79,854 in jobs. But 17 months later, 52,762 were trained and 8,035, or roughly 1 in 10, had jobs.

The True Face of Occupy Wall Street

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/01/31/the-true-face-of-occupy-wall-street/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=8a000c0e0f-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag

Excerpt: The Oakland riot is proof positive that whatever claim to innocence and idealism the movement purported in the early days of occupations around the country has been lost to the gimlet-eyed revolutionary left, now openly seeking violent confrontation with authorities using the bodies of the naive and foolish who still believe that OWS is a protest against income inequality and corporatism. (Where is the Freikorps when you need them? Yes, it’s a joke, but violence produces counter violence. ~Bob.)

Press Freedom in Peril?

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/01/31/press-freedom-in-peril/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=8a000c0e0f-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag

Excerpt: One thing you likely would not think is that the extensive coverage of OWS indicated a dramatic decline in American press freedom. That is, unless you were the France-based journalism watchdog group Reporters Without Borders (RWB). In the latest version of its annual report on global press freedom, RBW downgraded the U.S. 27 spots, to number 47 in the world. To put this in perspective: By RWB’s measure, the United States, home of the First Amendment, sits just a few notches above Haiti.

Denmark

: No comprehensive car insurance in Muslim area -- too many burned cars

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/01/denmark-no-comprehensive-car-insurance-in-muslim-area----too-many-burned-cars.html

Excerpt: I recently posted a couple of articles about the Muslim area Vollsmose in Odense, Denmark ("Denmark: More Muslim violence against non-Muslims" and "Danish police: Immigrant criminals target Danes to make them move out of the (Muslim) area"). The latest development is that the major Danish insurance company GF-Insurance no longer offers comprehensive insurance on cars in the area.

Iran

may be wild card in 2012 election

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/30/iran-may-be-wild-card-in-2012-election/

Excerpt: What happens in Iran over the next few months may be one of the biggest wild cards in the 2012 election, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was characteristically blunt about the stakes. “If they decided to do it, it would probably take them about a year to be able to produce a bomb and then possibly another one to two years in order to put it on a deliverable vehicle of some sort in order to deliver that weapon," Panetta told CBS' "60 Minutes" on Sunday. (“If they decided…”? Is there a question? But there’s nothing like a splendid little war to help the incumbent’s poll numbers. George H. W. Bush timed his wrong. This one should start in, oh, August, 2012. ~Bob.)

Liberal super-PAC picks its first six House targets

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/207489-liberal-super-pac-picks-its-first-six-house-targets

Excerpt: A new liberal super-PAC called Credo has announced its first six targets of the 2012 campaign: GOP Reps. Joe Walsh (Ill.), Steve King (Iowa), Allen West (Fla.), Sean Duffy (Wis.), Chip Cravaack (Minn.) and Frank Guinta (N.H.). All six are vulnerable: Walsh and West face uphill battles for reelection, while Duffy, Cravack, King and Guinta are all top Democratic targets.

Occupy Wall Street protesters throw condoms, drown out speakers at Rhode Island pro-life rally

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/occupy-wall-street-protesters-throw-condoms-drown-out-speakers-at-rhode-isl

Excerpt: Demonstrators from the Occupy Wall Street movement threw condoms on Catholic schoolgirls, refused to allow a Catholic priest to give a closing prayer, and shouted down a pro-life speaker at a Rhode Island right to life rally on Thursday, according to its organizer. The event marked the third time protesters associated with the movement have disrupted a pro-life meeting in a week. (Obama says they are why he ran for office. Elizabeth Warren, MA Democrat Senate candidate says she created the intellectual foundation for what they do. Pretty shallow foundation. ~Bob.)

Black Tea Party Member Attacks Obama’s Hypocrisy

http://godfatherpolitics.com/3430/black-tea-party-member-attacks-obamas-hypocrisy/

Excerpt: Jackson points out that Obama wants the wealthy to pay more in taxes because of the financial problems facing the nation. Yet at the same time the president takes half a dozen or so vacations a year, taking not only his wife and daughters, but other family members and friends all at taxpayer expense. The president also wastes taxpayer money by hosting lavish parties at the White House, some of which have nothing to do with politics.

Hunkered Between Santorum and Paul Lies Peace Through Total War

http://pjmedia.com/blog/hunkered-between-santorum-and-paul-lies-peace-though-total-war/?singlepage=true

Excerpt: There is a legitimate argument for refocusing our military, but not as Ron Paul and many of his supporters articulate it. Paul imagines a world where there are no credible threats, and thus nothing worth responding to. He imagines that the Constitution of the United States is binding over the lot of man, regardless of whether they are citizens or foreign enemy combatants. (The author has identified exactly the problem I have with Ron Paul. Unfortunately, the problem he ascribes to neo-conservatism can’t be truly solved by either of the other remaining major candidates, either. The problem is we in the West have forgotten what real war is. We expect all others to play by the same rules we bind ourselves to, and even when they don’t, we give them a pass on it. In EVERY war before 1960, non-uniformed combatants were routinely tried by courts martial on the spot and shot or hung, generally within hours of capture. Today, we lawyer them up. But, only on OUR side, of course. When our people are captured, in uniform or not, they’re frequently tortured and killed, often beheaded; I’ve heard of no prisoner exchanges, have you? No western government, media, or international organization seems to have any big problem with this situation. Did Amnesty International rail against the desecration of American corpses in Iraq or Somalia? Our Islamist enemies consider EVERY ONE OF US to be legitimate targets regardless of age, sex, or infirmity. One of their preferred targets is schools and school-children. When we howl with outraged grief, they consider us weak. If I were able to make a single change to our war-time legal framework it would be that doing to the enemy what he does to us should be acceptable conduct. The terrorists in Israel claim every Israeli is a legitimate target and get support—or at least a blind eye—from virtually all their fellow Muslims. I wonder how long that would last if the Israelis wiped out a town or two for every incident? It isn’t like the Israelis could get much worse press, either. Announce the policy as beginning on a particular date, and then enforce it. The so-called “peaceful” Muslims would suddenly have a reason to speak out and stop the terrorists—something they currently don’t have, and consequently, don’t do. I know, I know, I’m a monster. I’ll hang my head in shame right after the war is over. Ron P.)

CBO says federal employees rake in much more pay: Comparison with private sector likely to heat up debate over ending freeze

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/30/cbo-says-federal-employees-rake-in-much-more-pay/

Excerpt: Buoyed by generous benefit packages, federal workers earn significantly better compensation than similarly educated workers in the private sector, according to a report released Monday from Congress‘ chief scorekeeper that threatens to reignite at the national level last year’s state battles over public-employee rights.

Catholic Church Rejects Surrender Terms from Obama By Cliff Kincaid

http://www.trevorloudon.com/2012/01/catholic-church-rejects-surrender-terms-from-obama/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NewZeal+%28New+Zeal+Blog%29

Excerpt: My Catholic priest, Father Larry Swink, delivered a homily on Sunday that I told him would make headlines. In the toughest sermon I have ever heard from a pulpit, he attacked the Obama Administration as evil, even demonic, and warned of religious persecution ahead. What was also newsworthy about the sermon was that he cited The Washington Post in agreement—not on the subject of the Obama Administration being evil, but on the matter of its abridgment of the constitutional right to freedom of religion.

The Republican Establishment's Strategic Blunder By Steve McCann

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/01/the_republican_establishments_strategic_blunder.html#ixzz1l4bEeWNu

Excerpt: The Republican Party has a tenuous hold on the conservative movement in America. At present the only home for the 40 per cent of the electorate that identify themselves as conservative is the Republican Party, but it appears that those who are nominally identified as the "Republican Establishment" are doing all they can to alienate the vast majority of the current base of the Party. There is no office on

Connecticut Avenue

in Washington with a sign reading "The Republican Establishment" or the "The Democratic Establishment"; rather it is an amalgam of like-minded groups with one common interest: control of the government purse-strings.

A great development but how will the Government tax the air?!

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/01/31/a-great-development-but-how-will-the-government-tax-the-air/#more-55711

Excerpt: Will it be the next big thing? Tata Motors of India thinks so. What will the Oil Companies do to stop it? It is an auto engine that runs on air. That’s right; air not gas or diesel or electric but just the air around us. (,,,) The Air Car, called the “Mini CAT” could cost around 365,757 rupees in India or $8,177 US. (No burning battery? No replacing a battery in two to 4 four years for half the price of the car? No more being robbed at the gas pump? If this can pass US safety requirements, it’ll sell like wildfire just because of the price. Of course, it’s “coal powered,” as we like to call electric cars, but so what? More concerning to me is that it has no way to create heat, not so good in the cold parts of our country, which is most of it. Ron P. I’d have to see it—I take “miracle car” stories with a grain of NaCl. Heard too many over the years. ~Bob.)

What do the press have to say about the English Defence League?

http://losangelescitycollege.blogspot.com/2012/01/what-do-press-have-to-say-about-english.html

Excerpt: The fact is that we have a diverse group of supporters who most certainly do not deserve to be written off as ‘undesirables’, any more than all Muslims deserve to be branded as would-be-extremists. Of course, some journalists don’t do their readers a disservice, and do actually provide an informed and fair-minded analysis. Patrick Hayes of Spiked.com argues that, “The greatest threat to… [our] liberties comes not from radical Islam, but the odious triad of smug observers, censorious left-wing groups and interfering politicians”. His view is clearly that we’re wrong to focus on Islamic extremism – and that is, at least, a legitimate argument.

Worth Reading: Obama’s Silly Rule: The Buffett rule doesn’t address the deficit or inequality. By Rich Lowry

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/289691/obama-s-silly-rule-rich-lowry

Excerpt: The so-called Buffett Rule to make millionaires and billionaires pay at least 30 percent in taxes is such an obvious exercise in poll-driven populism, it should come with cross-tabs attached. It shows that as an economist, David Axelrod is a hell of a political consultant. It is a non-solution to a non-problem, the intellectual basis of which is a badly distorted anecdote repeated over and over.

Santorum’s ‘Game of Survivor’: He looks west. By Robert Costa

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/289694/santorum-s-game-survivor-robert-costa

Excerpt: Santorum sees hope to the west, from the Upper Midwest to the Rocky Mountain region. Leaving behind Florida’s air wars, where television advertising ruled, he is confident that he can impress. On Saturday, Nevada will hold its caucuses, and his campaign is hustling, organizing volunteers. It’s a similar scene in Minnesota and Colorado, which will hold caucuses next week.

Ex-Syracuse Coach's Wife "had sex with players and compared their attributes while discussing sex acts she performed" - Daily Mail UK

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2094392/Ex-Syracuse-coach-Bernie-Fines-wife-Laurie-sex-players-compared-attributes.html

Excerpt: The suit is also seeking damages saying that the team's head coach Jim Boeheim defamed Fine's accusers when he called their allegations of sexual abuse lies. Bernie Fine, 66, was fired in November after ESPN released a taped conversation it had obtained between [one of the accusers] Mr Davis and Laurie Fine in which Laurie said that she knew that her husband [Bernie Fine] molested his players but she did not do anything about it.

Investors face more than 70 pct loss in Greek deal

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9SJJTM00&show_article=1

Excerpt: Investors participating in a deal to slash Greece's massive debt would face an overall loss on their bond holdings of more than 70 percent, a person involved in with the negotiations said early Tuesday. European leaders at a summit in Brussels said a final debt deal could be signed off in the coming days, together with a second multibillion-euro bailout package designed to save the country from a potentially disastrous bankruptcy. (How many years until holders of US Bonds take an Obama Haircut? ~Bob.)

Red Alert: Credit Default Swaps Explained by Ann Barnhardt

http://www.barnhardt.biz/

May have to scroll down. Scary and frustrating if she’s right. ~Bob.

After Rescinding Mistaken Acceptances, Vassar Delivers an Apology - by Daniel E. Slotnik, New York Times

http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/30/vassar-delivers-an-apology/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Excerpt: Vassar College’s president, Catharine Hill, apologized on Sunday night to 76 students who were mistakenly informed they had been accepted to the college. The apology came after Matt Flegenheimer reported that Vassar accidentally posted a test letter that led 122 early-decision students to think they had been admitted when only 46 of them had.

Obama's Gerrymander By Lois Beckett/ProPublica

http://www.beachwoodreporter.com/politics/obamas_gerrymander.php#more

Excerpt: We've been following the ways that politicians and special interests try to influence the redistricting process for their own gain, often at the expense of voters. An article this week in The New Yorker suggests that President Barack Obama's own political rise in Chicago was partially the result of gerrymandering. As The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza reported, Obama worked with a Democratic redistricting consultant to draw a state senate district tailored for him. (Then there was the mysterious way the Chicago Trib got the sealed divorce records of Jack Ryan, Obama's presumptive GOP opponent for the US Senate, forcing Ryan out. The stuff of legends in Chicago's underhanded politics. ~Bob.)

Rick Santorum: The Tim Tebow of Politics?

http://moonbattery.com/?p=7506

Excerpt: For awhile you couldn’t even watch sports on the local news without seeing denunciations of Tebow interspersed with clips from a humorless Saturday Night Live segment ridiculing him for his faith. That’s the sort of wall-to-wall derision Santorum would be exposed to as the nominee. But the media campaign against Tebow didn’t turn out so well: The Denver Broncos quarterback finished first in an ESPN Sports Poll asking Americans about their favorite active athlete. The more degenerates assail Tebow for being good, the more people love him.

Ron Pelosi’s Connection to Tonopah Solar Energy

http://www.factcheck.org/2011/12/ron-pelosis-connection-to-tonopah-solar-energy/

Excerpt: Q: Did the Energy Department give a loan to an energy company connected to Nancy Pelosi’s brother-in-law? A: Yes.

Political Digest for January 31, 2012

2012-01-31T00:10:00.002-06:00

Tuesday is the Florida Primary, so last chance for Mitt supporters to help Obama by blasting Newt and Newt supporters to help Obama by blasting Mitt. Tell me why your guy would win and be a good president, not why some magnified and stretched flaw or mistake of the other guy disqualifies him. ~Bob.

Why the Pilot Programs Failed By John Goodman

http://healthblog.ncpa.org/why-the-pilot-programs-failed/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=HA#more-23671

Excerpt: Just about everybody in the health policy blogosphere has noted with disappointment the failure of Medicare’s demonstration projects to reduce the costs of care. Recall that these are critical to President Obama’s challenge “To find out what works and then go do it.” If nothing works, the fallback weapon in Obama Care is to reduce fees paid to doctors and hospitals. Yet the Medicare actuaries tell us that squeezing the providers in this way will put one in seven hospitals out of business in the next eight years, as Medicare fees fall below Medicaid’s. Under this scenario, senior citizens may be forced to line up behind welfare mothers, seeking care at community health centers and in the emergency rooms of safety net hospitals.

2012 State Business Tax Climate Index by Mark Robyn

http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/22658.html

How does your state stack up? Some surprises in the rankings. ~Bob. Excerpt: The Tax Foundation presents the 2012 version of the State Business Tax Climate Index to enable business leaders, government policymakers, and taxpayers to gauge how their states’ tax systems compare.

Why Are Interest Rates Presently So Low? By John Makin

http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2012/01/25/why_are_interest_rates_presently_so_low__99481.html

Excerpt: Despite frequent, dire warnings about the unsustainability of government budget deficits in the United States, Europe and Japan, investors are lining up to lend to some governments at very low interest rates. … This outcome is all the more surprising when, added to fear over oversupply of government debt, are warnings that the support given to debt markets by central banks amounts to the printing of money, an undertaking that can lead to sharply higher inflation. The expectation of sharply higher inflation usually drives up interest rates, especially on longer-term debt, since investors expect to be paid back in currency whose purchasing power has been eroded by higher prices.

Obama: The most polarizing president. Ever. by Chris Cillizza and Aaron Blake

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/obama-the-most-polarizing-president-ever/2012/01/29/gIQAmmkBbQ_blog.html?wpisrc=nl_pol_full

Excerpt: President Obama ran — and won — in 2008 on the idea of uniting the country. But, each of his first three years in office have marked historic highs in political polarization, with Democrats largely approving of him and Republicans deeply disapproving. (Democrats will cry “racism,” forgetting that more white folks voted for Obama in 2008 than voted for Kerry or Gore. And that Black folks support Obama at much higher rates than white folks disapprove, suggesting more racial voting on that side. ~Bob.)

The Hill Poll: No benefit from tax holiday, say a majority of voters

http://thehill.com/polls/207261-the-hill-poll-no-benefit-from-tax-holiday-say-a-majority-of-us-voters

Excerpt: A majority of voters say they have not benefitted from the payroll-tax holiday that lawmakers are working to extend through the rest of this year, according to this week’s poll conducted for The Hill. Fifty-four percent said the tax holiday has not helped them financially, while only 25 percent said it had been a help to them.

Hill Poll: Illegal immigrants’ children deserve shot at citizenship, say likely voters

http://thehill.com/polls/207287-illegal-immigrants-children-deserve-shot-at-citizenship-say-likely-voters

Excerpt: Nearly half of registered voters say illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children should be offered a path to citizenship, and that rises to 73 percent for those who serve in the military, according to The Hill Poll. (Very American not to want to punish children for the crimes of the parents. ~Bob.)

“No Murtha Ship” Website

http://www.nomurthaship.com/

Right to Work Heads to Indiana

http://blog.heritage.org/2012/01/30/morning-bell-right-to-work-heads-to-indiana/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell

Excerpt: In 22 states in the Union, workers have the freedom under "Right-to-Work" laws to decide whether or not to pay union dues, and now Indiana is poised to become the twenty-third state on that list, bringing the workers there renewed hope in an economy that has seen few glimmers of light. Last week, Indiana's House and Senate passed a right-to-work bill after weeks of political maneuvering by pro-union politicians hoping to stop the proposal in its tracks. Today, the legislation returns to the state's Senate for a final vote, and Governor Mitch Daniels (R) has promised to sign the bill into law. Meanwhile, a dozen labor unions have protested the measure, with threats to "occupy" the Super Bowl to be held in Indianapolis next week. (This will suck jobs out of Illinois. We need a national R2W law. ~Bob.)

Disgraced teacher is worth $10M, makes $100,000 a year, does nothing, & refuses to leave

http://www.nypost.com/f/print/news/local/queens/dud_of_the_class_V94XccuHkAS9OKOVaTtWMK

Want to know what's wrong with unions? –Steve. Excerpt: In a defiant raspberry to the city Department of Education — and taxpayers — disgraced teacher Alan Rosenfeld, 66, won’t retire. Deemed a danger to kids, the typing teacher with a $10 million real estate portfolio hasn’t been allowed in a classroom for more than a decade, but still collects $100,049 a year in city salary — plus health benefits, a growing pension nest egg, vacation and sick pay. Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Cuomo can call for better teacher evaluations until they’re blue-faced, but Rosenfeld and six peers with similar gigs costing about $650,000 a year in total salaries are untouchable. Under a system shackled by protections for tenured teachers, they can’t be fired, the DOE says.

Syrian army returns to Damascus suburbs

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16784711

And we complain about too many debates as we try to change/keep leaders. ~Bob. Excerpt: The Syrian army has regained control of some Damascus suburbs recently held by rebel forces, reports say. Huge deployments of troops and tanks were used, and the suburb of Saqba is still under bombardment, activists say. Opposition groups say six people have been killed in the city, with another 13 dead across the country.

General Strike Grips Belgium

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/31/world/europe/strike-grips-belgium-ahead-of-european-union-summit.html?_r=1&ref=world

Excerpt: Belgium was paralyzed by a national strike Monday as unions, angry over austerity measures, timed the protest to coincide with a one-day meeting of European Union leaders in the capital, Brussels. (Coming soon to a country near you, when they can’t borrow any more. ~Bob.)

Castro defends one-party system as bulwark against U.S.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/30/us-cuba-communist-congress-idUSTRE80T00B20120130

The Michael Moore version of democracy. ~Bob. Excerpt: President Raul Castro defended Cuba's one-party political system as a bulwark against U.S. imperialism and said it would remain as it is in a speech on Sunday to a Communist Party conference.

Venezuela

's Hugo Chavez warns banks of nationalization

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-16783993

The Barack Obama view of the proper role of banks—doing the government’s bidding. Here’s it’s housing. ~Bob. Excerpt: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has warned that he could nationalise banks that refuse to finance agricultural projects backed by his government. Mr Chavez said some leading banks were failing to comply with a legal requirement that at least 10% of their lending should support development.

When Gingrich Tried, and Failed, to Intimidate Tom Coburn By Jim Geraghty

http://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot/289249/when-gingrich-tried-and-failed-intimidate-tom-coburn

Excerpt: On Twitter today, I’ve noted that Romney’s seeming squeamishness might make him less likely to sell out conservatives as president than Newt Gingrich. It’s far from the most inspiring rallying cry, but I conclude, “Romney’s fear of a revolt on the right will keep him in line in ways that Gingrich’s ego would never allow.” The perception of Newt Gingrich as much quicker to compromise conservative principles than to ever admit a mistake comes heavily from Sen. Tom Coburn’s 2003 book Breach of Trust, which discusses his years in the House under Gingrich as Speaker, and paints a picture of Gingrich as a raging egomaniac, wildly hypocritical and quick to toss Class of 1994 principles. (I have great respect for Coburn. If he was running for president, I’d be with him. ~Bob.)

Dearborn Police Department Fined $100,000 For Engaging In Muslim Jihad On Christians

http://patdollard.com/2012/01/dearborn-police-department-fined-100000-for-engaging-in-muslim-jihad-on-christians/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Excerpt: A judge in Detroit has ruled that the decision by police in neighboring Dearborn to arrest a Christian pastor who wanted to hand out Christian tracts at the city’s Arab fest in 2009 will cost the city some $100,000. That’s the decision following a request from the pastor’s attorneys that the losing side in the First Amendment argument over expressing religious perspectives on city streets be required to pay them for their work on behalf of Christian Pastor George Saieg.

Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take

http://jewishworldreview.com/0112/misreading_tehran.php3

Excerpt: By imposing new economic sanctions that aim to punish ordinary Iranians as well as high-ranking officials, Washington and its European allies have embraced a risky strategy that could backfire on their efforts to stop Tehran's suspected nuclear weapons program.

Will Occupiers Get Their Violent Chicago Riot?

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/01/30/will-the-occupiers-get-their-violent-chicago-riot/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=57672a665f-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag

Excerpt: The anti-American activists of the Occupy Wall Street movement announced they plan to violently disrupt the G8/NATO summit in Chicago on May 19. Adbusters, the Noam Chomsky-friendly magazine that spearheaded the Occupy movement, claims the movement will conduct a massive occupation of Chicago “in the tradition of the Chicago 8.” Of course the radicals of the Chicago 8 organized riots at the Democratic Party’s national convention in that city in 1968. Hundreds of police officers were injured. (Shopping list: milk, bread, cat food, ammo… ~Bob.)

Islington girls forced into marriage at the age of nine

http://www.islingtontribune.com/news/2012/jan/islington-girls-forced-marriage-age-nine

Excerpt: AN alarming number of under-age girls – some as young as nine – are being forced into marriage in Islington, according to a leading campaign group. The Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO) claim that at least 30 girls in the borough were forced into marriage in 2010. (Just following the “perfect” example of Mohammad. From the Haddith Sahih Bukhari 7.62.88: "The Prophet wrote the (marriage contract) with 'Aisha while she was six years old and consummated his marriage with her while she was nine years old and she remained with him for nine years (i.e. till his death)."

Islamonausea, not Islamophobia

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/01/islamonausea-not-islamophobia.html

Excerpt: We should stop using Muslims' self-chosen word – “Islamophobia” – by which they paint themselves into a corner of being feared: it destroys communication. Instead of such a divisive term, we should insert a more approachable and factual word that preserves opportunities for bridge-building and learning: “Islamonausea.” This does not render communication impossible, but enables visitors to our Western cultures to notice aspects of their behavior that make us sick.

Statement From Commandant Of The Marine Corps On The Release Of The Latest Defense Budget

http://www.mca-marines.org/leatherneck/statement-commandant-marine-corps-release-latest-defense-budget

Excerpt: For 8.2 percent of the Department of Defense's budget, the Marine Corps provides our nation 31 percent of its ground forces, 12 percent of its fighter attack aircraft, 19 percent of its attack helicopters and the ability to respond to unexpected crises, from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts, to full scale combat. (That's what I would classify as a damn good ROI for the taxpayer's dollar. --MasterGuns)

Occupy Pledge of Allegiance: “…and to the plutocracy for which it stands, the privately owned central bank, under the Jews…”

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/01/29/occupy-pledge-of-allegiance-under-the-jews/

Excerpt: During yesterday’s hours-long rioting at the Occupy Oakland protest, the Occupiers burned a United States flag in front of Oakland City Hall (before later breaking in and smashing up irreplaceable antique museum exhibits in the foyer). Someone posted a video of the flag-burning to YouTube, and then added narration on top of it — his own rendition of the Pledge of Allegiance in an Occupy theme:

GOP-Governed and Right-To-Work States Saved the Economy’s Bacon in 2011

http://pjmedia.com/blog/gop-states-saved-economy-in-2011/?singlepage=true

Excerpt: The unemployment rate in President Barack Obama’s home state, which began 2011 below that of nearby Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan, ended the year higher than each — yes, even higher than Michigan, the previous decade’s basket case. Illinois only gained 8,000 jobs during the year’s final ten months after gaining 45,000 during the first two. Who besides entrenched public-sector union-beholden tax-and-spend Democrats didn’t see this coming? In January, the state increased its personal and corporate tax rates by 66% and 45%, respectively; yet its bond rating, recently downgraded, is the nation’s worst.

Bill Klesse, CEO of Valero on the Keystone Pipeline

http://pollyheilmealey.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/bill-klesse-ceo-of-valero-on-the-keystone-pipeline/

Excerpt: This illustrates why the federal government’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline is so absurd. There are pipelines in every neighborhood all across America. The administration’s decision was not about pipelines, it was about the misguided beliefs that Canadian oil sands development should be stopped and that fossil fuel prices should increase to make alternative energy more attractive. … The point above is that it is not about pipelines as many pipelines cross the Ogallala Aquifer, in the Great Plains region, and, in fact, there is already significant oil and gas production in the area covered by the aquifer. This is politics at its worst.

Obama's revengonomics won't help economy by Conn Carroll

http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/article/obama-thinks-revenge-onomics-will-re-elect-him/347766

Excerpt: There are 1.1 million more unemployed Americans today than when President Obama was sworn into office in 2009. The number of Americans in poverty has risen by 6.4 million. Unemployment is up 9 percent, the number of food stamp recipients is up 45 percent, and home values are down 13 percent. If Obama were to seek re-election based on his economic record, he would surely lose.

Former Massachusetts Congressman Takes Graft to Next Level by Daniel J. Mitchell

http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/danieljmitchell/2012/01/30/former_massachusetts_congressman_takes_graft_to_next_level

Excerpt: While in Congress, Mr. Delahunt earmarked $1.7 million for the same project, and he was to be paid 80 percent of his monthly consulting fees out of that same pot of money. …Mr. Delahunt and executives at his firm did not respond to e-mails Saturday seeking further comment on the decision. (Typical of Massachusetts—but in Chicago this would make him an armature. See how a certain US Senator now living in DC got a savings on his home much larger than this with the help of a now-convicted lobbyist. ~Bob.)

Jihad Jane Was A CIA Actor Working For The FBI To Generate Internet Terror Fear

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvlt6Z8vbmI&feature=share

Excerpt: An Arab foreigner CIA agent made dual citizen with a fraudulent white citizen personality created by the FBI staging false flag terror attacks against America with a full media circus to hype it. Jihad Jane was given a deal by Eric Holder to stage a fake terror threat on the internet so Eric Holder and Obama could look like good terrorism fighters and create a diversion from the trillions in wealth being given away free to insiders. Can this be true? Impeachable offense if so. ~Bob.)

Newly Revealed Color Photos Show Hitler’s Life of Luxury

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/newly-revealed-color-photos-show-hitlers-life-of-luxury/

Typical big-government socialist. ~Bob.

Allen West to Dems: Get the hell out of the United States of America - Daily Caller

http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/30/allen-west-to-national-dems-get-the-hell-out-of-the-united-states-of-america/

Excerpt: In a speech at the Lincoln Day Dinner where Herman Cain endorsed former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, the Palm Beach Post reports that West drew the greatest applause with his fiery speech. “We need to let President Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and my dear friend the chairman of the Democratic National Committee [Debbie Wasserman Schultz], let them know Florida ain’t on the table.”

Blogs Fume Over Allen West's New District

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/72144.html#ixzz1kyOdYund

excerpt: Conservative bloggers are lashing out against the Republican “establishment” for a redistricting map that could harm tea party favorite Rep. Allen West’s (R-Fla.) reelection chances, even sparking a conspiracy that pins the alleged campaign against West on Mitt Romney. The right’s blogosphere has been buzzing over the last few days about a redistricting plan passed by the Republican-controlled Florida legislature that would put West in a district that is even more Democratic than the one he currently occupies.

Arizona bishop: Catholics ‘will not comply’ with Obama birth control mandate

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/arizona-bishop-catholics-will-not-comply-with-obama-birth-control-mandate

Excerpt: In a letter to Catholics in his diocese this weekend, Arizona Bishop Thomas Olmsted appeared to urge the faithful to civil disobedience against an Obama administration mandate requiring Catholic employers to include coverage for contraception, including abortifacient drugs, and sterilizations. “Unless the rule is overturned, we Catholics will be compelled to either violate our consciences, or to drop health coverage for our employees (and suffer the penalties for doing so),” he wrote. “We cannot – we will not—comply with this unjust law.”

The Fake Disabled are Crippling Our Economy - by James Delingpole, Telegraph UK

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100132880/the-fake-disabled-are-crippling-our-economy/

Excerpt: Rod Liddle has just incurred the wrath of the disability lobby by having a go in his Sun column at "pretend disabled" people. Included in this category, Rod decided, were people with fibromyalgia and ME. Lots of people queued up Twitter to say how horrid they thought he was, wishing he would succumb to some kind of disability himself, etc. I suppose, having recently suffered from an ME-like illness I should be one of them. But unlike Rod's Twitter critics I took the trouble to read the full article and I think Rod's point is well made.

Let Us Now Praise Private Equity By Reihan Salam

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/289352/let-us-now-praise-private-equity-reihan-salam

Excerpt: Every presidential candidate has to defend himself against accusations of wrongdoing — an affair, abuse of office, campaign-finance impropriety, and so forth. Mitt Romney finds himself in a predictable defensive crouch, too, but the allegation against him is extraordinary: He stands accused of doing his job too well. (I dunno. I think the government should have created a program to save the company my Grandfather Gray worked at. I’m sure with a big enough bailout it will still be producing gas lanterns today. Be useful on a Volt, I’d think. ~Bob.)

Worth Reading: A Populist Campaign of One Percenters By Victor Davis Hanson

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/289653/populist-campaign-one-percenters-victor-davis-hanson

Excerpt: The problem with President Obama’s us-vs.-them fairness campaign is that the Democratic technocracy that runs the redistributionist state is so deeply embedded within the One Percent that it is impossible to hide the hypocrisies. … The loudest advocates of Obamaism — academic elites, green corporatists, Hollywood, foundations, Silicon Valley, Wall Street itself — are generally America’s most affluent.

Russia: Syria ready to talk with opposition

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/01/2012130144932250974.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=cheatsheet_afternoon&cid=newsletter%3Bemail%3Bcheatsheet_afternoon&utm_term=Cheat%20Sheet

Excerpt: Russia, which has resisted Western calls to back UN sanctions against Damascus, had suggested to the government and the opposition that they should meet in the Russian capital for "informal contacts" without any preconditions. "Our offer has already received a positive response from the Syrian authorities," Russia's foreign ministry said on Monday. Russia continues to block a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for a transfer of power in Syria, where it maintains a naval base at Tartous, near Latakia.

Report: Attempt to smuggle Assad's wife out of Syria foiled

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4182520,00.html

Excerpt: Sources within the Syrian opposition said that the Free Syrian Army forces managed to prevent the escape of the first lady of Syria and additional relatives through Damascus airport. According to the Egyptian daily, the sources claimed that Asma Assad, her children, Bashar Assad's mother and his cousin were all in a convoy on the way to the airport when rebel forces under the command of a former senior officer in the Syrian army, blocked the their path.

The Week That Was: 2012-1-28 (January 28, 2012)

http://www.sepp.org/twtwfiles/2012/1-28-12.pdf

Excerpt: Quote of the Week: "...we redistribute de facto the world's wealth by climate policy...One has to free oneself from the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy. This has almost nothing to do with environmental policy anymore..." IPCC co-chair of Working Group 3, Dr. Ottmar Endenhofer, November 13, 2010 interview. (This kind of thing creates wars. ~Bob.)

Political Digest for January 30, 2012

2012-01-29T21:24:00.000-06:00

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.

The current GOP primary situation seems to this Republican to have become a war to the knife between Romney, representing the genteel defeat approach of Dole and Dewey, and Gingrich, representing the go-down-in-flames, take no prisoners Goldwater approach. Sigh. Haven't made up my mind, but we in Illinois don't vote until March. ~Bob.

+15: Romney widens lead over Gingrich in Florida

http://times247.com/articles/15-romney-widens-lead-over-gingrich-in-florida

Excerpt: Mitt Romney may be on his way to a decisive victory in the Florida GOP primary Tuesday, according to a new NBC/Marist poll. Romney leads Newt Gingrich by 15 points, 42 percent to 27 percent in the crucial state. Rick Santorum is third with 16 percent, followed by Ron Paul with 11 percent. Just 4 percent said they were undecided.

Romney starts war in Republican Balkans by William A. Jacobson

http://legalinsurrection.com/2012/01/romney-starts-war-in-the-republican-balkans/

Excerpt: I have been trying, as best I can, to sound the alarm about the damage being done by the scorched earth tactics of the Romney campaign and its supporters in the Republican political and media establishments. The effort long ago left the political realm and has devolved into a collective settling of decades-old communal scores. Romney very adroitly has exploited to his advantage some of the deepest intra-Republican personal and emotional grievances and grudges.

Allen West being redistricted out of existence in effort led by Romney Florida spokesman by William A. Jacobson

http://legalinsurrection.com/2012/01/allen-west-being-redistricted-out-of-existence-in-effort-led-by-romney-florida-spokesman/

Excerpt: This has not received a lot of national attention, but the Republican legislature in Florida is about to push through a plan which puts Allen West at serious risk, and the person leading the effort is one of Mitt Romney’s spokesmen. (Not sure if true, or an attempt to rally those of us who support West against Romney. ~Bob.)

Romney displayed many vulnerabilities at CNN debate

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=49120

Excerpt: At Thursday’s CNN Republican presidential debate, Mitt Romney won the immigration exchange with Newt Gingrich. But three specific instances again left those who may have been warming to Romney with concern that the former Massachusetts governor may implode against President Barack Obama in the fall. Romney’s camp, earlier in the day, sought to portray Gingrich as someone who was “unhinged” but there is a case to be made that Romney may pose even more of a risk for Republicans in a general election.

Mitt Keeps Missing the Message: If Romney wins Florida, it won't be because he's becoming a more effective candidate.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204661604577185371874151982.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h

Excerpt: Newt Gingrich's South Carolina bump is fading, and polls show Mitt Romney again leading in Florida. A Romney victory in the Sunshine State could sew this up. It won't be because Mr. Romney has become a better or more effective candidate.

Goodbye 'Birth Control Glasses'

http://marines.dodlive.mil/2012/01/27/goodbye-birth-control-glasses/

Excerpt: Birth Control Glasses, labeled lovingly so because they’re so ugly you don’t stand a chance of finding a partner while wearing them, have always been the great equalizer. Even the most Handsome Harry and Sexy Sally are humbled by their wear. At boot camp, there are many things that break down individual identity and reinforce a unit mentality, but the BCGs do this exceptionally well. My daughter has a portrait of me wearing BCG's that was painted when I was a young stud Cpl. I thought I looked kinda handsome. -MasterGuns)

Haditha Was Exploited, Increasing Danger to the U.S., U.S. Troops, and to Noncombatants by Bruce Kesler

http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/19035-Haditha-Was-Exploited-To-Increase-Danger-To-The-US,-US-Troops,-And-To-Noncombatants.html

Excerpt: The killings at Haditha in November 2005 were blown up by opponents of the US in Iraq into an indictment of the US and its troops. This onslaught sapped the will of many Americans. The following rules of engagement and the drawn out prosecution of the Marines involved have undermined the morale and endangered the lives of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Take the premise that at Haditha both the Marines and those who were killed in houses 1 and 2 were correct in their own view. The long term losers are both US troops and noncombatants.

3rd Man Linked To Chula Vista Shooting Arrested: Abdiwahab Noorein, Abdirahaman Mohamed, Abdifaith Said Face Attempted Murder Charge

http://www.10news.com/news/30300045/detail.html

Excerpt: A third young man was arrested Thursday for allegedly taking part in a South Bay shooting that left a woman and a teenage boy dead and wounded the teen's half-brother last week.

State of the Union Flop: Obama prefers easy demagoguery to big ideas. By Charles Krauthammer

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/289384/state-union-flop-charles-krauthammer

Excerpt: Once upon a time, small ball was not Barack Obama’s game. Tuesday, it was the essence of his State of the Union address. The visionary of 2008 — purveyor of hope and change, healer of the earth, tamer of the rising seas — offered an hour of little things: tax-code tweaks to encourage this or that kind of behavior (manufacturing being the flavor of the day), little watchdog agencies to round up Wall Street miscreants and Chinese DVD pirates, even a presidential demand “that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn 18.” Under penalty of what? Jail? The self-proclaimed transformer of America is now playing truant officer?

Worth Reading: What We Do Not Want to Hear Anymore by Victor Davis Hanson

http://pjmedia.com/victordavishanson/what-we-do-not-want-to-hear-anymore/3/

Excerpt: No one quite knows why a dark-skinned Pakistani-American does not qualify for preferences, and a light-skinned Brazilian American with a trilled last name sort of can. No one quite knows why the ancestors of those who were interned in camps, or of those blown up while working for the 19th-century railroad, often outscore the majority on math tests and therefore must have an unspoken quota placed on their numbers admitted into universities, while those who recently immigrated from the Caribbean on average perhaps do not outscore the majority, and therefore must receive federal preferences as if their ancestors were discriminated against. But one does know quite well that any discussion that touches on higher per capita rates of illegitimacy, single-parent households, drug use, state dependency, or criminality must not go beyond the parameters of either racial bias or the legacy of past prejudice.

Catholic Church Digs In Against Obama Policies

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/01/29/catholic-church-digs-in-against-obama-policies/

Excerpt: It looks like the Administration’s requirement that Catholic organizations provide abortion, sterilization and contraception coverage for its employees and hospitals provide those services as part of their operations is meeting with strong opposition throughout the country:

AG Holder’s Office Knew that BP Agent Brian Terry Had Been Killed by a Fast and Furious Weapon, the Day it Happened

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/01/29/ag-holders-office-knew-that-bp-agent-brian-terry-had-been-killed-by-a-fast-and-furious-weapon-the-day-it-happened/

Excerpt: The administration that promised to be the most transparent in history provided another late Friday docu-dump to minimize press attention to an adverse story. This one contains emails that prove that AG Eric Holder’s office was informed about the circumstances of Brian Terry’s death the very day it happened.

16 Statistics Which Show That The Number Of Americans Dependent On The Government Is At An All-Time High

http://www.fedupusa.org/2012/01/16-statistics-which-show-that-the-number-of-americans-dependent-on-the-government-is-at-an-all-time-high/

Excerpt: A higher percentage of the American population is receiving government benefits than ever before. Yes, there have always been poor people that have needed our assistance, but what does it say about our economy that the number of Americans dependent on the government is at an all-time high? Every night on the evening news we are told that the economy is improving, and Barack Obama is endlessly giving speeches about the “economic recovery” that is supposedly underway.

The Marco Rubio Speech on Immigration That Everyone’s Talking About

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/the-marco-rubio-speech-on-immigration-that-everyones-talking-about/

Excerpt: The Miami Herald reports that Sen. Rubio’s “sweeping” immigration speech took swipes at both Republicans and Democrats for playing politics with an issue so crucial to hispanics, calling for a compassionate approach for dealing with the issue of illegal immigration. The presumptive top pick for running mate to any of the remaining Republican presidential candidates conquered an early challenge during his remarks, addressing a group of protesters at the event who stood and interrupted Sen. Rubio’s speech.

Christie Blatchford: No honour in ‘cold-blooded, shameless’ murder of Shafia girls

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/01/29/jury-reaches-verdict-in-shafia-trial/

Excerpt: And so it was: Mohammad Shafia, Tooba Mohammad Yahya and Hamed Mohammad Shafia, respectively the Afghan parents and brother of three teenage girls and the woman they loved like a mother, had just been convicted of four counts each of first-degree murder moments earlier. (Can Obama sue Canada for not following Shari'a law, which allows parents to kill children? ~Bob.)

Top U.N. nuclear team lands in Iran, state media reports

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/29/world/meast/iran-nuclear-iaea/index.html?hpt=imi_c2

Excerpt: Top International Atomic Energy Agency officials arrived in Iran Sunday, state media reported, after the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog expressed fresh concerns that the Islamic republic was trying to develop nuclear weapons. The six-member delegation, including chief inspector Herman Nackaerts, arrived at Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, Press TV reported.

Why Isn't Illinois a Bigger Story than Greece?

http://dollarcollapse.com/the-economy/why-isnt-illinois-a-bigger-story-than-greece/

Excerpt: As the Greek default (and it is a default no matter what they end up calling it) is finalized this week, the consensus seems to be that failure to reach a deal would cause a global financial apocalypse. That may be true. And if it is, why aren’t we more worried about Illinois? It’s more or less the same size as

Greece

, its finances are in the same generally catastrophic shape, and its leaders are just as feckless and dishonest.

Obama Calls It Fairness. The GOP Calls It Class Warfare. Scripture Calls It Envy http://townhall.com/columnists/douggiles/2012/01/29/obama_calls_it_fairness_the_gop_calls_it_class_warfare_scripture_calls_it_envy/page/full/

Excerpt: Obama, in his State of the Union address and during his initial five-state, multi-million dollar taxpayer funded re-election jaunt has stated repeatedly that his platform and policies are not about class warfare, which means, of course, that his ticket is all about class warfare—or “fairness,” as he likes to call it … or as the Scripture labels it, envy. (Greed is when you want to keep the money you earned. "Fairness" is when you want to take the money someone else earned and use it for yourself. ~Bob.)

$189,000 That’s the astounding amount each of us owes for our national doubt and unfunded entitlements By Michael D. Tanner

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/item_V5KvB19adtZ9fXbLNGMaRO#ixzz1kqrpIKxK

Excerpt: Forget President Obama’s speech on Tuesday night, the current state of our union can be summed up in just two words: We’re broke. The president devoted just 189 words to the deficit and our growing national debt, but the fact is that once again this year we will borrow 32 cents out of every dollar we spend.

Energy Efficient Windows Melting Toyota Prius

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/01/25/woman-claims-neighbors-energy-efficient-windows-are-melting-her-toyota-prius/

Green vs. Green grudge fight! ~Bob. Excerpt: A SoCal woman says the energy efficient window installed in a neighbor’s condominium is melting the plastic components on cars parked in her carport. Heather Patron of Studio City was dealing with a mystery regarding her Toyota Prius.

Cain Endorses Gingrich

http://conservativeamericaonline.blogspot.com/2012/01/cain-endorses-gingrich.html#more

Excerpt: Calling him the right person to address the “crisis of leadership in the White House," Herman Cain gave Newt Gingrich his endorsement at a campaign event on Saturday, injecting much need energy into the Gingrich campaign two days before the polls open in Flordia for the pivotal winner-take-all primary in Florida.

The Times and the Muslims by M. Zuhdi Jasser

http://www.mzuhdijasser.com/2012/01/third-jihad-nypd

Excerpt: Powell's premise is that the film is discriminatory against American Muslims because it presents all Muslims as radicalized. Yet if Powell, a journalist, believed the film to be an affront to Muslims, wouldn't he have felt a duty to speak with the devout Muslim who narrated the movie, to see why he was involved in its making? Powell made no attempt to discuss the film with me, or indeed with any other Muslims who sympathize with the film's view.

Worth Reading: Angry about inequality? Don’t blame the rich. By James Q. Wilson

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/angry-about-inequality-dont-blame-the-rich/2012/01/03/gIQA9S2fTQ_story.html

Excerpt: Mobility is not limited to the top-earning households. A study by economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis found that nearly half of the families in the lowest fifth of income earners in 2001 had moved up within six years. Over the same period, more than a third of those in the highest fifth of income-earners had moved down. Certainly, there are people such as Warren Buffett and Bill Gates who are ensconced in the top tier, but far more common are people who are rich for short periods.

The Islamic Paradise of the Needle and Powder by Daniel Greenfield

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/01/27/the-islamic-paradise-of-the-needle-and-powder/

Excerpt: The world’s largest drug field was formerly in the Bekaa Valley where the land is warm and moist. Reflecting the poor state of agriculture in the Muslim world, some of the most arable land in Lebanon where the Romans raised acres of wheat was turned over to cannabis and opium production. In the ’90s the situation was so bad that 80 percent of the world’s cannabis came out of the valley. The valley helped finance the PLO, Hezbollah and the Syrian army which invaded

Lebanon

partly to get in on the drug trade.

Interesting: Why Are Conservatives Happier Than Liberals?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9txz6_61QnI

What's next for
Occupy Wall Street
? Activists target foreclosure crisis.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2012/0129/What-s-next-for-Occupy-Wall-Street-Activists-target-foreclosure-crisis

Excerpt: The movement that claimed to speak for “the 99 percent” and made income inequality part of the national discussion now is organizing protests at housing auctions to support those affected by the foreclosure crisis. (So if the banks can't foreclose, they can't get their money back. So they won't lend it to people wanting to buy homes. Duh. ~Bob.)

300 arrested in daylong Occupy Oakland protest: Protestors break into City Hall, burn an American flag.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700219993/Occupy-Oakland-protest-grows-to-about-2000-people.html?pg=1&s_cid=s10

Excerpt: About 300 people were arrested Saturday during a chaotic day of Occupy protests that saw demonstrators break into City Hall and burn an American flag, as police earlier fired tear gas and bean bags to disperse hundreds of people after some threw rocks and bottles and tore down fencing outside a nearby convention center.

How to Get a $106,000 College Education for Free

http://financiallyfit.yahoo.com/finance/article-113840-11763-4-how-to-get-a-106000-college-education-for-free?ywaad=ad0035&nc

Excerpt: How would you like to go to a private liberal arts college that will give you a full-ride tuition scholarship for four years? Sounds crazy? Actually, I'm serious. Antioch College in Yellow Spring, Ohio, is waiving the tuition for all its students, who enroll in the next three years. How much are these freebies worth? The value of the free tuition for the current year is $26,500. The scholarship, based on that price, makes each scholarship worth at least $106,000.

Emails Show How 'Fast and Furious' Ambush News Unfolded At Justice Dept.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/01/27/146010135/emails-show-how-fast-and-furious-ambush-news-unfolded-at-justice-dept

Excerpt: The email messages show the former top federal prosecutor in Arizona, Dennis Burke, notifying an aide to Holder via email on Dec. 15, 2010 that agent Brian Terry had been wounded and died. "Tragic," responds the aide, Monty Wilkinson. "I've alerted the AG, the acting Deputy Attorney General..."

The Feds Had Better Stop Alabama…Before Everyone There Has a Job!

http://www.fedupusa.org/2012/01/the-feds-had-better-stop-alabamabefore-everyone-there-has-a-job/

Excerpt: Ever since Alabama began implementing its immigration enforcement law, H.B. 56, in late September, the state’s unemployment rate has been dropping like a stone.

OWS = Tea Party, REALLY?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VHYY_3KGz40#

Navy wants commando ‘mothership’ in Middle East

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/pentagon-wants-commando-mother-ship/2012/01/27/gIQA66rGWQ_story.html

Excerpt: The Pentagon is rushing to send a large floating base for commando teams to the Middle East as tensions rise with Iran, al-Qaeda in Yemen and Somali pirates, among other threats. In response to requests from U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, the Navy is converting an aging warship it had planned to decommission into a makeshift staging base for the commandos. Unofficially dubbed a “mothership,” the floating base could accommodate smaller high-speed boats and helicopters commonly used by Navy SEALs, procurement documents show. (If work is to begin within ten days of the contract being let, that isn't a "rush," it's a headlong, full-out sprint. Ron P.)

Forget global warming - it's Cycle 25 we need to worry about (and if NASA scientists are right the Thames will be freezing over again): Met Office releases new figures which show no warming in 15 years

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2093264/Forget-global-warming--Cycle-25-need-worry-NASA-scientists-right-Thames-freezing-again.html

Excerpt: The supposed ‘consensus’ on man-made global warming is facing an inconvenient challenge after the release of new temperature data showing the planet has not warmed for the past 15 years. The figures suggest that we could even be heading for a mini ice age to rival the 70-year temperature drop that saw frost fairs held on the Thames in the 17th Century. (We will have to do something to silence the "cooling deniers." LOL. ~Bob.)

Rubio: Obama 'made everything worse'

http://thehill.com/video/senate/207181-rubio-obama-made-everything-worse

Excerpt: Freshman Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) panned President Obama’s State of the Union speech during the weekly Republican address, saying the president largely ignored his own record because he has made the economy worse during three years in office. “It was an opportunity for the president to talk about his accomplishments over the last three years and to lay out his plans for the year ahead. And he missed on both counts,” Rubio said. “You didn’t hear much talk about the success of his administration—and that’s because there isn’t much.”

Elizabeth Warren, Worth Millions, Claims She's Not Wealthy

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/27/elizabeth-warren-wealth-income_n_1237607.html

Excerpt: Warren earned more than $700,000 from Harvard, book royalties and consulting fees, and lives in a $5 million house, the report shows. She has multiple mutual funds and stock in IBM, the sole individual stock she owns. The total portfolio is worth nearly $8 million. It turns out that the brainchild behind the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, who has spoken out against corporate excess and in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement, is actually part of the 1 percent. (Notice the not-very-conservative source of the report. Ron P. How can I be poor like her? ~Bob.)

Asim Kausar jailed over ricin recipe find

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-16763494

Didn't get the memo. ~Bob. Excerpt: A man who downloaded a recipe for the deadly poison ricin and documents about how to make bombs has been jailed for two years and three months. Asim Kausar, 25, from Bolton, kept the information on a computer pen drive.

Md. Man Caught in Sting Pleads Guilty in Bomb Plot

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/md-man-caught-sting-pleads-guilty-bomb-plot-15447286#.TyKvMCP7vKo

Didn't fet the memo. ~Bob. Excerpt: The

U.S.

citizen born who was born abroad preferred to be called Muhammad Hussain after his conversion to Islam and signed the plea using both names.

Political Digest for January 28, 2012

2012-01-28T00:10:00.001-06:00

I will be out of pocket Saturday on family business, so no digest on Sunday. Maybe not on Monday depending. Try to bear up.

Free PDF Copy of The Coming Collapse of the American Republic.

http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2011/10/free-copy-of-coming-collapse-of.html

Pledge

http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2012/01/pledge-of-allegiance.html

Great Photo. ~Bob.

Transparency Cartoon

http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2012/01/transparency.html

Worth Reading: Sixteen prominent scientists publish a letter in WSJ saying there’s “No Need to Panic About Global Warming”

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/01/27/sixteen-prominent-scientists-publish-a-letter-in-wsj-saying-theres-no-need-to-panic-about-global-warming/#more-55508

Excerpt: This is not the way science is supposed to work, but we have seen it before—for example, in the frightening period when Trofim Lysenko hijacked biology in the Soviet Union. Soviet biologists who revealed that they believed in genes, which Lysenko maintained were a bourgeois fiction, were fired from their jobs. Many were sent to the gulag and some were condemned to death. (Wow. Look at the names and credits of the signatories. Ron P.)

Worth Reading: State of dysfunction: The economy and hypocrisy By Peter Morici

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-01-26/news/ct-perspec-0126-obama-20120126_1_tax-proposals-oil-companies-tax-on-investment-income

Excerpt: After three years, it's time to admit that although this president is a great orator and skilled politician, as a national leader he has failed. Obama was elected to turn the economy around but hasn't. It's time for a change. Peter Morici is a professor at the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and former chief economist at the U.S. International Trade Commission. (Good column, but I disagree that the tax on Capital Gains is lower than other taxes. Actually, taxes on investments income is higher than on other income. It is not true that Warren Buffet and Mitt Romney are taxed at a lower rate than the rest of us. What people forget, don’t understand or deliberately ignore is that investment income is taxed twice. Investors risk losing their money by investing in companies hoping to make a profit. Without investment, the companies cannot operate or create jobs. First the companies in which the investor is a part owner (stockholder) are taxed at about the highest corporate tax rate in the world, around 35%. (Japan is higher, but is lowering its rates.) Then they distributed the profits that were left after that tax to the stockholders, who are taxed again on the same money at the 15% capital gains tax rate. These profits are the investor's reward for taking the risk to invest in job creating companies. It isn’t just Mitt Romney and Warren Buffet who pay this double tax rate. If you own stocks or mutual funds in your IRA, 401K or in a pension plan, you’re being hit twice too, reducing your retirement income. Meanwhile the President is saying you “aren’t paying your fair share,” we must raise tax rates—I suppose to discourage investment in the private sector so all jobs become government union jobs. ~Bob.)

DOJ Official Who Took the 5th Resigning – Issa Goes After Another…

http://theulstermanreport.com/2012/01/26/doj-official-who-took-the-5th-resigning-issa-goes-after-another/

Excerpt: J. Patrick Cunningham took the 5th and is now running away to the private sector. Congressman Darrell Issa is now turning his attention to Federal Prosecutor Michael Morrissey to testify just prior to Eric Holder once again coming before Congress to answer for the deadly debacle that was Fast and Furious.

Brutal: Newt SuperPAC Ad Dismantles Romneycare

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2012/01/25/brutal_newt_superpac_ad_dismantles_romneycare

Excerpt: Just as merciless as Rick Perry's previous attempt, but so much more devastating, given the timing. Get ready for six million bucks' worth of this, Floridians. Ouch: The "progressive" line and Obama's toxic blessing are simply haunting. Of course, this attack is coming from Newt Gingrich, who supported a federal healthcare mandate for decades, all the way up through 2008.

Santorum, short on cash, fights uphill battle

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/santorum-short-on-cash-fights-uphill-battle/2012/01/25/gIQAz59KTQ_story.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics

Excerpt: In his South Carolina primary night speech, after coming in a distant third, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum declared that he was one of “three winners” out of the first three GOP contests. It was a hopeful spin on a disappointing finish, and now Santorum faces a new reality here in Florida: He is short on cash, and he is the odd man out in what is shaping up to be a two-man contest. On the debate stage on Monday night in Tampa, Santorum was relegated to potted plant status, as rivals Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney focused on each other. (I wouldn’t be surprised if Santorum drops out, before or after Florida, and he could endorse Newt. ~Bob.)

68,000 gang members counted by new Gang Book

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-chicago-crime-commission-unveils-new-gang-book-20120126,0,6445988.story

Welcome to Chicago, tourist. There are 68,000 armed thugs on our streets. But if you carry a gun to protect yourself from them, we’ll put you in jail. Prey must be defenseless, you know. ~Bob. Excerpt: This trend is explored in the Chicago Crime Commission Gang Book, which also highlights profiles, colors and other identifiers of 70 of the most prominent street gangs in Chicago, a city estimated to have more than 68,000 gang members, according to a news release about the book.

Twitter Can Censor by Country—Service Is Able to Block Tweets Geographically, Marking Content as Withheld

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204573704577185873204078142.html?mod=djemITP_h

Excerpt: Twitter Inc. says it can now make content selectively available to users based on geography, and plans to use that ability to enter countries with "different ideas" about freedom of expression as a human right—reflecting the difficult ethical questions facing Internet companies. (Too bad it wasn’t around in 1938—could have blocked tweets from democracies to Germany and Japan. Especially from Jews. ~Bob.)

A Slashed and Burned Military

http://blog.heritage.org/2012/01/27/morning-bell-a-slashed-and-burned-military/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell

Excerpt: The future is not bright for the U.S. military. Yesterday, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta gave America a glimpse of the half-trillion dollars in defense spending cuts requested by the Obama Administration and detailed how the U.S. military's capabilities would be affected in practical terms. The result is a slashed and burned military that woefully lacks the forces it needs to meet America's security challenges on a global scale. On the ground, in the sea, and in the air, American forces will shrink drastically -- the Army will shrink by 72,000 people, the active Marine Corps will be reduced by 20,000, the Air Force will see six tactical fighter squadrons de-established while an additional training fighter squadron will be eliminated, the next-generation F-35 Join Strike Fighter procurement will be slowed, and the Navy will retire seven cruisers and two amphibious ships at an early juncture while delaying the procurements of new ships. (well, they need money to fund NPR, politically-connected companies like Solyndra, Planned Parenthood’ abortions and ACORN’s voter fraud efforts, so the troops must be fired. ~Bob.)

As Tensions Rise, Egypt Bars Exit of Six Americans

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/27/world/middleeast/egypt-bars-son-of-ray-lahood-from-leaving.html?_r=1&ref=world&pagewanted=all

Excerpt: Building tensions between the United States and Egypt flashed into the open Thursday when Cairo confirmed that it had barred at least a half-dozen Americans from leaving the country and the Obama administration threatened explicitly to withhold its annual aid to the Egyptian military.

North Korea

Warns South but Accepts Food Aid

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/28/world/asia/north-korea-warns-south-but-accepts-food-aid.html?ref=world

Excerpt: North Korea warned on Friday that a South Korean military drill around front-line islands could lead to a “full-scale war” as South Korean trucks crossed the border carrying private food aid for North Korean children. (Money is fungible. When you give them food, that frees up funds to spend on weapons including nukes. Duh. Oh, and if socialism and central economic planning are so wonderful, Mr. President, shouldn’t North Korea be sending food to the South? ~Bob.)

Taliban willing to compromise, Afghan negotiators say

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/27/us-afghanistan-talks-idUSTRE80Q0IT20120127

Excerpt: Senior Afghan peace negotiators believe the Taliban are willing to significantly soften past hardline ideologies, with its leaders already laying the ground for possible peace talks in the Gulf state of Qatar. (Why would we think they would keep any promises made to get us out, any more than North Vietnam did? They just want a free hand to resume stoning teen rape victims and marrying nine-year-old third wives. ~Bob.)

Romney opens up nine-point lead over Gingrich in Florida poll

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/polls/206977-florida-poll-romney-pulling-away-from-gingrich

Excerpt: Mitt Romney has opened up a nine point lead over Newt Gingrich in Florida, according to a Quinnipiac University poll of likely Republican primary voters released on Friday. Romney held a slim two point margin over Gingrich in the same poll only two days ago, and on Thursday he enjoyed a strong debate performance in Jacksonville, where he put Gingrich on the defensive several times.

War of attrition brewing with Iran over Gulf oil routes

http://www.debka.com/article/21687/

Excerpt: He echoed debkafile's predictions that Iran will not shut down the Strait of Hormuz completely, but gradually cut down tanker traffic which carries 17 million barrels, or one-fifth of the world's daily consumption, through the waterway. Our Iranian sources report that the rule of thumb Tehran has devised for confront sanctions is to respond to the tightening of an oil embargo by having the Revolutionary Guards gradually narrow the tankers' shipping lanes through the strategic strait. … Saudi Arabia and Dubai are skeptical about the ability of the American navy and Gulf forces to keep the Strait of Hormuz open at all times in the face of continuous Iranian attacks. (we can keep the strait open. We destroy everything that floats or flies, then pound their nuke sites and kill everything that moves near the coat. We better do it before we gut the military, won’t be so easy after the Obama cuts. All we need is a president with the stones to act. Oh, that’s why they don’t think we can keep it open. ~Bob.)

Liberal Dems say Pentagon spending cuts should be doubled
http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/budget-approriations/207047-pentagon-cuts-arent-deep-enough-for-some-democrats

Excerpt: The White House should cut nearly twice the $487 billion it has committed to reducing the Pentagon's budget, according to Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and other liberal Democrats. The liberals say the planned cuts, announced Thursday by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, don't go nearly far enough to reduce the defense budget. (Roman politicians, desperate to fund “bread and circuses” to keep the masses content, cut back on military expenditures to do so. That worked out fine. For the barbarians. For civilization, plunged into collapse, population decline and the dark ages, not so much. ~Bob.)

Mark Levin defends Newt

http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/27/mark-levin-bucks-conservative-media-trend-comes-to-gingrichs-defense/

Obama-backed car battery company files for bankruptcy protection

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-backed-electric-car-battery-company-files-for-bankruptcy-protection/2012/01/26/gIQAA5T3TQ_story.html?wpisrc=nl_pol_full

Excerpt: Ener1, an electric car battery company that the Obama administration awarded a $118 million stimulus grant to expand its operations, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Thursday after being unable to repay pressing debts. The news comes one year after Vice President Biden visited the company’s new battery plant in Indiana to highlight its progress with federal funds. Ener1 is the third company to seek bankruptcy protection among those the Energy Department backed as part of the president’s signature program to invest in clean energy. (I’ll ask my brother Marines to stop pissing on dead murderers if Obama will stop pissing away our tax dollars on green energy boondoggles. Deal or no deal? ~Bob.)

Worth Reading: Romney’s actions saved 14-year-old girl’s life?

http://americaneedsmitt.com/blog/2011/11/10/mit-romney-stage/

This is from a Romney site. I have not verified. Scroll down for the story. ~Bob. Excerpt: In July 1996, the 14-year-old daughter of Robert Gay, a partner at Bain Capital, had disappeared. She had attended a rave party in New York City and gotten high on ecstasy. Three days later, her distraught father had no idea where she was. Romney took immediate action. He closed down the entire firm and asked all 30 partners and employees to fly to New York to help find Gay’s daughter. Romney set up a command center at the LaGuardia Marriott and hired a private detective firm to assist with the search. He established a toll-free number for tips, coordinating the effort with the NYPD, and went through his Rolodex and called everyone Bain did business with in New York, and asked them to help find his friend’s missing daughter. Romney’s accountants at Price Waterhouse Cooper put up posters on street poles, while cashiers at a pharmacy owned by Bain put fliers in the bag of every shopper. Romney and the other Bain employees scoured every part of New York and talked with everyone they could – prostitutes, drug addicts – anyone. That day, their hunt made the evening news, which featured photos of the girl and the Bain employees searching for her. As a result, a teenage boy phoned in, asked if there was a reward, and then hung up abruptly. The NYPD traced the call to a home in New Jersey, where they found the girl in the basement, shivering and experiencing withdrawal symptoms from a massive ecstasy dose. Doctors later said the girl might not have survived another day. Romney’s former partner credits Mitt Romney with saving his daughter’s life, saying, “It was the most amazing thing, and I’ll never forget this to the day I die.”

Obama exchange with Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer reveals his testy side

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-exchange-with-arizona-gov-jan-brewer-reveals-his-testy-side/2012/01/26/gIQA8mU3TQ_story.html?wpisrc=nl_pol_full

Excerpt: President Obama’s raw exchange with the governor of Arizona on an airport tarmac this week did more than overshadow his carefully stage-managed road trip to trumpet his State of the Union goals. The discussion revealed a testy side of the president’s personality that is at odds with his public image as “no-drama Obama,” reviving criticism that he is unwilling to be second-guessed — or to even entertain another point of view. (They forgot their own rule. Calling Obama “testy”—or suggesting that he is lass than perfect in every way—is racist. ~Bob.)

The Vote Pump

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u24nH03NccI&feature=youtu.be

Who Benefits from a Class Action Lawsuit – Trial Lawyers! By Tom Scott

http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2012/01/who-benefits-from-a-class-action-lawsuit-trial-lawyers/

Excerpt: Whoever invented the class action lawsuit is probably sipping martinis on his or her 200 foot yacht. The class action gimmick seems to be the lawsuit of choice and it is earning trial lawyers a pretty penny under the guise of consumer protection.

An Open Letter to Mitt Romney by Belladonna Rogers

http://pjmedia.com/blog/an-open-letter-to-mitt-romney/

Excerpt: Dear Governor Romney: You didn’t ask for my advice, but I don’t hold that against you. Here it is, anyway:

Class Warfare Dominates Tax Debate

http://patriotpost.us/edition/2012/01/27/digest/

Excerpt: As the week wore on, we couldn't help noticing a common theme: Mitt Romney's taxes, Warren Buffett's taxes, Warren Buffett's secretary's taxes. In fact, Barack Obama built his entire State of the Union address around envy, virtually declaring it the long-lost, ultimate American value and pointing to the aforementioned supposed tax disparity as proof. The tax code is indeed a glaringly obvious problem. It pits every constituency against the rest, and Leftists are especially adept at exploiting that to wage class warfare.

Rating Housing Affordability

http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=21536&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DPD

Excerpt: One literature review compiled 25 studies of housing prices over the course of 30 years and further supported this argument. Administrators of that study found that more restrictive regulation had been associated with up to nearly 87 percent of house price increases and a 61 percent hike in new house prices. Land use regulations drive up prices by limiting the amount of land that is zoned for residential uses. This creates an artificial scarcity that, by limiting supply, leads to the aforementioned price increases. (This supports a point that Dr. Thomas Sowell often makes. If wealthy people with large homes lobby to get, say, 20% of the city devoted to “green Spaces” they benefit two ways. They get to use the green spaces maintained at taxpayer expense, and the value of their homes, being near green spaces, goes up. Environmentalists cheer. But the working class and poor then have to pay more for housing, because land is scarcer, driving up housing prices at all levels. ~Bob.)

Some Possible Consequences of a U.S. Government Default by Jeffrey Rogers Hummel

http://econjwatch.org/articles/some-possible-consequences-of-a-us-government-default

Abstract: The U.S. government faces a looming fiscal crisis. A default on Treasury securities appears inevitable. The short-run consequences for the economy will be painful. But the long-run consequences, both economic and political, could be beneficial. The most important long-run political benefit would be the imposition of fiscal discipline. The long-run economic benefit would be the alleviation of the future tax liabilities required to service the national debt, irrespective of whether those liabilities are correctly anticipated or not. A historical examination of the state government defaults of the 1840s provides one case study where the long-run consequences were indeed salutary.

Feds: US Terrorist Took Out Murder Contract on Witnesses http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/feds-us-terrorist-murder-contract-witnesses/story?id=15441281#.TyLmjMVSTI8

Didn’t get the memo. ~Bob. Excerpt: A man already convicted of taking part in a terror plot to attack the U.S. Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia has now been accused of plotting the beheading of key witnesses against him and his co-conspirators. According to a criminal complaint unsealed this week, Hysen Sherifi tried to arrange for the witnesses to be murdered for $5,000 apiece by a hitman named "Treetop," but the go-betweens in the murder-for-hire scheme were actually federal informants.

Mitt Romney: The last of the WASPs? By Rich Lowry

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/mitt_romney_the_last_of_the_wasps_yPQWey6HLBZmaaXiJGcoPI#ixzz1kezDTgZf

excerpt: Mitt Romney summoned all the righteous indignation he could muster after a Newt Gingrich ad called him “anti-immigrant.” Romney blasted the ad shortly afterward in an interview: “It’s just inappropriate.” “Inappropriate.” For Romney, that qualifies as a stinging rebuke. He also regretted in the strongest possible terms the Gingrich ad’s “terrible terms.” The Republican campaign now pits, in Newt Gingrich, a man expert at channeling and expressing emotions, against a man, Mitt Romney, who can’t or won’t.

President commando---- Obama’s odd transformation By Benny Avni

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/president_commando_4G03MOPfq3qQKwcm5hGzwM#ixzz1keyikCy1

Excerpt: Wednesday’s daring rescue in Somalia, almost as President Obama was hailing the Osama bin Laden killing in his State of the Union Address, seals it: The man who once hoped for substantial “change” on the world stage is now President Commando. Yesterday, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced a cut of 120,000 troops in the Army, from 570,000. The administration has abandoned the goal of being able to fight two major wars at once, a long-held cornerstone of US strategy. At the same time, the Pentagon plans to boost special operations and up its drone fleet by 30 percent. As one Defense adviser told The Wall Street Journal, “What we really want is to see the Army adopt the mentality of special forces.”

Israel

to Give Obama 12 Hours Notice on Attacking Iran

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/151965

Excerpt: Israeli officials told visiting USS Chief Joint of Staffs Martin Dempsey that it would give President Barack Obama no more than 12 hours notice if and when it attacks Iran, The London Times reported Sunday. (Personally, I would never tell the president squat. I figure that the president or one of his muslim-loving ilk will give Iran a heads up five minutes after they get the call from Israel. But what do I know. Semper Fi. –Micky)

Mortgage deal draws detractors from all sides

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/27/mortgage-deal-draws-detractors/#ixzz1kgYUd1HY

Excerpt: A draft settlement between states and mortgage companies that would let the nation's biggest banks pay out billions to compensate for a raft of foreclosures has public interest groups across the political spectrum hopping mad over a deal they say was forged behind closed doors and is being strong-armed by the Obama administration.

Quote

When men are not regretting that life is so short, they are doing something to kill time. --Edgar Watson Howe

Muslim who fired gun out of car while shouting "Allahu akbar" pleads guilty to targeting military sites for jihad attack; Washington Post says his motive was unclear

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/01/muslim-who-fired-gun-out-of-car-while-shouting-allah-akbar-pleads-guilty-to-targeting-military-sites.html

Excerpt: Here is a sterling example of how the mainstream media lies to the American people and misleads them about the nature and breadth of jihad activity in this country as well as elsewhere.

'Strict Muslim' raped four women at knifepoint to 'punish them for being on the streets at night'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2091669/Sunny-Islam-Strict-Muslim-raped-4-women-knifepoint-punish-them.html

Excerpt: A Muslim man who raped women to 'teach them a lesson' for being on the streets at night was jailed indefinitely today because of the danger he poses to women. Sunny Islam, 23, who comes from a strict Muslim family, dragged his terrified victims - including a 15-year-old - from the street at knifepoint, bound and assaulted them during a two-month reign of terror. Police fear that Islam may have attacked many more.

Egyptian Salafi leader misunderstands Islam, says that Egypt's Christians can be dealt with like the Jews of Medina

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/01/egyptian-salafi-leader-misunderstands-islam-says-that-egypts-christians-can-be-dealt-with-like-the-j.html

Excerpt: Islamic spokesmen in the West routinely say that the Qur'an's command to fight against Jews and Christians, impose the jizya (poll tax) upon them and make them submit as inferiors to Islamic rule (9:29) is a relic of history, never to be revived -- and that only greasy Islamophobes say otherwise. Yassir Al-Burhami didn't get the memo.

Mosque Leader Charged in Cigarette Smuggling Ring

http://www.investigativeproject.org/3397/mosque-leader-charged-in-cigarette-smuggling-ring

Excerpt: A leader of a South Carolina mosque was among 11 men arrested in a cigarette trafficking and money laundering scheme spanning several states. A 26-count indictment issued in November and unsealed last week accused Nasser Alquza, president of the Central Mosque of Charleston, and others of conspiracy, receiving stolen property, and related charges. … The case is reminiscent of a Hizballah fundraising operation from the 1990s based out of Charlotte, N.C., in which 18 defendants led by Mohamad Hammoud were responsible for the illegal smuggling of more than $8 million worth of cigarettes from North Carolina to Michigan. (Drinking and smoking? Haram? Selling it? Not so much. ~Bob.)

The Myth of Isolated Iran

http://www.europeanenergyreview.eu/site/pagina.php?id=3486

Excerpt: Washington/NATO/Tel Aviv, however, offers a different narrative. Iran’s “threats” are at the heart of the present crisis, even if these are, in fact, that country’s reaction to non-stop US/Israeli covert war and now, of course, economic war as well. It’s those “threats,” so the story goes, that are leading to rising oil prices and so fueling the current recession, rather than Wall Street’s casino capitalism or massive U.S. and European debts. The cream of the 1% has nothing against high oil prices, not as long as Iran’s around to be the fall guy for popular anger. (If you’ve ever wondered where those elite, posturing, Europe-worshipping Leftists and so many radical Islamists get their facts and opinions about current events, this should show you. I read all sorts of things and have an interest in the on-going crisis with Iran. This is supposed to be an article about how Iran is NOT as isolated as western media and politicians are portraying it (a position I agree with), so it sounded interesting. It is one long anti-Israeli, anti-American, and anti-EU/NATO rant that blames all the world’s wrongs on the vast conspiracy of capitalists and democratically elected warmongers. I’m surprised they overlooked the Freemasons, the Rothschilds, and the Vatican. It seems we’re doing it to steal the Iranian’s oil and protect the dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency. You have to wonder if the mullahs in Tehran paid the author to write it. The editor’s comments in the accompanying email made clear the (French) editors of European Energy Review think highly of the article (they are reprinting it from another source) and, presumably, its contents. The author, Pepe Escobar is a roving correspondent for the Asia Times, a regular contributor to TomDispatch.com and a political analyst for al-Jazeera and RT. Read to the end if you have the stomach for it. Ron P.)

Illegal immigrant wanted for murder of estranged wife in Milwaukee

http://wtaq.com/news/articles/2012/jan/05/illegal-immigrant-wanted-for-murder-of-estranged-wife-in-milwaukee/

Guess it was a job “Americans wouldn’t do.” ~Bob. Excerpt: An illegal immigrant from Honduras was being sought Wednesday for the murder of his estranged wife in Milwaukee. An arrest warrant was issued after prosecutors filed a homicide charge against 29-year-old Jose Luis Discua-Bados.

Denying Islamists Federal Security Clearances

http://pjmedia.com/blog/denying-islamists-federal-security-clearances/?singlepage=true

Excerpt: The disclosures began last June when the Investigative Newsource (IN), then called the Watchdog Institute, published a report in the Orange County Register describing how a multiagency probe had led the Department of Defense (DoD) one year earlier to remove the secret-level clearance of Rahim Sabadia, president of Sabtech Industries, a California-based company that manufactures electronics and computer systems for military use. (…) Apparently the Pentagon had expressed concerns about Sabadia’s “charitable contributions.” IN’s findings indicate that Sabadia, through his family foundation, “is a frequent donor to Muslim and international charities.” (This should be a total no-brainer. Did FDR’s government give security clearances to Nazis, whether born here or overseas? Should they have? If not, why not? Might it be because reasonable doubt exists as their ultimate loyalty? Does the nation have a right to self-defense or not? Is the Constitution a suicide pact after all? With all that asked, the authors may not be treating Cong. Miller fairly; from the little mentioned here, it doesn’t sound as if his connection was deep or more than normal campaigning/constituent service. Obviously, more information may exist without being mentioned in this article. Ron P.)

Israel

Senses Bluffing in Iran’s Threats of Retaliation

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/27/world/middleeast/israelis-see-irans-threats-of-retaliation-as-bluff.html?_r=1

Excerpt: Israeli intelligence estimates, backed by academic studies, have cast doubt on the widespread assumption that a military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities would set off a catastrophic set of events like a regional conflagration, widespread acts of terrorism and sky-high oil prices. The estimates, which have been largely adopted by the country’s most senior officials, conclude that the threat of Iranian retaliation is partly bluff.

The Republicans' Wasted Angst By Ron Ross

http://spectator.org/archives/2012/01/27/the-republicans-wasted-angst

Excerpt: They're not the issue this year. You-know-who is. Republicans need to chillax. Especially within the Republican establishment, some apparently are having anxiety attacks about how the primaries are unfolding. Here's what the panic prone seem to be overlooking -- if the election were held tomorrow, Charley Sheen would beat Barack Obama. Heck, you could even say John McCain would beat him. The point is this: the election in November will be almost exclusively about Obama.

Pledge of Allegiance

2012-01-27T13:39:00.000-06:00

Some of the folks Obama wants to fire to have enough money for things like ACORN, Solyndra, NPA and Planned Parenthood.

Transparency

2012-01-27T09:13:00.000-06:00

Political Digest for January 27, 2012

2012-01-27T00:10:00.001-06:00

SOTU Message

http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2012/01/state-of-union.html

Good cartoon. ~Bob.

Is Anybody Serious? By Thomas Sowell
http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2012/01/26/is_anybody_serious

Excerpt: The Republican candidates' circular firing squad now seems to be using machine guns. Whoever the eventual "last man standing" turns out to be, he may not be standing very tall or very steadily on his feet -- and he may be a pushover for Barack Obama in the general election, thanks to fellow Republicans. Whether you are a Democrat, a Republican or an independent, this is a very serious and historically crucial time for the United States of America.

36 Obama aides owe $833,000 in back taxes

http://news.investors.com/Article/599002/201201260818/obama-white-house-staff-back-taxes.htm

Excerpt: A new report just out from the Internal Revenue Service reveals that 36 of President Obama's executive office staff owe the country $833,970 in back taxes. These people working for Mr. Fair Share apparently haven't paid any share, let alone their fair share. Previous reports have shown how well-paid Obama's White House staff is, with 457 aides pulling down more than $37 million last year. That's up seven workers and nearly $4 million from the Bush administration's last year. (Figures. #WeCantWait for Obama’s minions to pay their fair share. ~Bob.

Fact Check: Obama's 2012 State of the Union

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/24/fact-check-obamas-2012-state-union/#ixzz1kVJpAnIA

Excerpt: It was a wish list, not a to-do list. President Obama's array of plans in his State of the Union speech was light on a key piece of context -- namely, that his hands are so tied ahead of the election that it is doubtful many if any of them can be done in the remainder of his term. There can be little more than wishful thinking behind his call to end oil industry subsidies -- something he could not get through a Democratic Congress, much less today's divided Congress, much less in this election year. A look at Obama's rhetoric Tuesday night and how it fits with the facts and political realities of the day:

‘The Tide of War’

http://pjmedia.com/claudiarosett/the-tide-of-war/

Excerpt: But there’s a dangerous muddle here, in which the gutting of U.S. defense and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from overseas theaters are confused with an end to war. If the metaphor here is to be one of ocean tides, then the extension of the metaphor is that we are being invited to spread out our well-padded entitlement programs and picnic on the beach — oblivious to the signs that the water is coming back. North Korea and Iran are still working on nuclear bombs and missiles. (Not only does the administration seem set on reducing our readiness, there was that line in the State of the Union speech where Obama wants to “take half of what we’ve been spending on war and spend it on ‘infrastructure,’ and the other half to ‘pay down the national debt.’” Has he forgotten he ALREADY reduced the defense budget in anticipation of withdrawing the troops? And that there is a REQUIRED withholding of some $400B due to failure of the Super Congress to submit budget cuts? [I’m surprised none of the conservative columnists has called him on this yet.] There can’t be any “end of war surplus” because it has already been stripped out of the budget. Unless taxes are raised, of course, which tells you what the real objective has always been. Ron P.)

The Smoking Gun? Attorney General Eric Holder Gave Drug Cartels Immunity

http://www.libertynewsonline.com/article_301_31436.php

Excerpt: Testimony in a Chicago federal court claims that the Department of Justice willingly and knowing gave Fast & Furious guns directly to the bloody Sinaloa drug cartel of Mexico. Two honorable US agents, dozens of Mexican police officers and thousands of Mexican citizens have been slaughtered with Eric Holder's Fast & Furious guns. And now it appears that Holder's guns did not simply walk across the border, but were knowingly and specifically delivered to one of the world's most vicious drug cartels.

Top Justice officials connected to mortgage banks

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/20/us-usa-holder-mortgage-idUSTRE80J0PH20120120

Excerpt: U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Lanny Breuer, head of the Justice Department's criminal division, were partners for years at a Washington law firm that represented a Who's Who of big banks and other companies at the center of alleged foreclosure fraud, a Reuters inquiry shows.

Top Romney advisers lobbied for Freddie Mac

http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/25/top-romney-advisers-lobbied-for-freddie/

Excerpt: Mitt Romney’s campaign is attacking Newt Gingrich as an “influence peddler.” But it turns out that some of Romney’s closest advisers (or the firms they lobbied for) were paid hundreds of thousands — maybe millions — of dollars on behalf of failed mortgage giant Freddie Mac.

Forget about Economic Recovery: Obama Is Toast

http://pjmedia.com/spengler/2012/01/24/obama-is-toast/

Excerpt: President Obama thinks that the improving economy will win him a second term, the New York Times reports today. Whatever he’s drinking, order me a double. His poll numbers look a little better because the Republicans have spent the past several months in a fratricidal bloodbath. Fortunately, the memory of the American electorate for such antics is short. Once we choose a candidate (and I am happy with Romney, Santorum, or Gingrich) and unite behind him, we will win, unless, of course, we find a way to sabotage ourselves.

Fact-checking the 2012 State of the Union speech

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/fact-checking-the-2012-state-of-the-union-speech/2012/01/25/gIQAa5CTPQ_blog.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics

Excerpt: Here is a guide through some of President Obama’s more fact-challenged claims, in the order in which he made them.

Worth Reading: The Perils of Obama’s Foreign Policy: Let’s hope we don’t have to relearn the lessons of 1913, 1938, or 2000. By Victor Davis Hanson

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/289123/perils-obama-s-foreign-policy-victor-davis-hanson

Excerpt: The mystery remaining about the Obama administration’s foreign policy is not whether it has worked, but whether its failures will matter all that much. That is no rhetorical question, given that it is hard to permanently damage, in just three years, the position abroad of the United States, given its vast military power and enormous economy.

New Poll Delivers Scott Walker Good News

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/289264/new-poll-delivers-scott-walker-good-news-christian-schneider

Excerpt: Yet one week later, a poll conducted by the Marquette law school shows that unions may not have the wind at their backs. (Marquette, the Sorbonne of southeastern Wisconsin, is renowned for the quality of its alumni, including Chris Farley, Dwyane Wade, and yours truly.) In an extended City Journal piece this week, I argued that Walker’s reforms are working; it appears the Wisconsin public may already recognize that fact.

Boehner: President's politics are 'almost un-American'

http://times247.com/articles/boehner-president-s-politics-are-almost-un-american

Excerpt: House Speaker John Boehner Tuesday forcefully denounced the Democrats' campaign theme that they are for the middle class and Republicans are for the wealthy, saying the politics the president is running on are "almost un-American." (BO’s policies kill individual incentive, which has given us prosperity. Almost? ~Bob.)

Mystery: What Nancy Pelosi has on Newt

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/206687-mystery-what-nancy-pelosi-has-on-newt-gingrich

Excerpt: The mystery of whether Nancy Pelosi knows something about Newt Gingrich that could hurt his presidential campaign deepened on Wednesday.

Pelosi’s office walked back comments she made Tuesday suggesting she had dirt on Gingrich, but a government watchdog group filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with two agencies for documents on the Gingrich ethics probe from the 1990s. (Lots of jokes going around at Nancy’s expense on what she knew. ~Bob.)

Gingrich Never Fined on Ethics Matter, Records Show

http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/gingrich-refutes-ethics-fine/2012/01/25/id/425485

Excerpt: Associates of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are stepping forward to rebut accusations from Republican presidential rival Mitt Romney that he resigned in “disgrace” and paid an ethics “fine.” Gingrich insisted during a candidates debate Monday that reports he was fined $300,000 for House ethics violations are inaccurate and records back up his claim the payment was not a fine.

Philippines

may allow greater U.S. military presence in reaction to China’s rise

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/philippines-may-allow-greater-us-presence-in-latest-reaction-to-chinas-rise/2012/01/24/gIQAhFIyQQ_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines

Let’s put out some speed bumps. If things go wrong, they can always defend the Bataan Peninsula. ~Bob. Excerpt: Two decades after evicting U.S. forces from their biggest base in the Pacific, the Philippines is in talks with the Obama administration about expanding the American military presence in the island nation, the latest in a series of strategic moves aimed at China. Although negotiations are in the early stages, officials from both governments said they are favorably inclined toward a deal. They are scheduled to intensify the discussions Thursday and Friday in Washington before higher-level meetings in March. If an arrangement is reached, it would follow other recent agreements to base thousands of U.S. Marines in northern Australia and to station Navy warships in Singapore. (Ah, they sent 250 Marines to Australia, will rotate 2,500 through. Not basing thousands there. ~Bob.)

Report: Rep. Brad Miller won't seek reelection http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/206713-rep-brad-miller-to-retire-after-nc-redistricting

Excerpt: Five-term congressman Brad Miller (D-N.C.) said Wednesday he would retire rather than face a primary challenge against Rep. David Price (D-N.C.) after redistricting redrew his congressional district into a Republican stronghold.

Bev Perdue will not seek reelection

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/72006.html

Excerpt: First-term North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue will announce Thursday she won’t seek reelection, multiple sources have confirmed to POLITICO. Saddled with low poll ratings, Perdue, a Democrat, was the most endangered incumbent governor of the cycle and faced grim prospects in the fall against Republican Pat McCrory, a former Charlotte mayor who is expected to formally launch his bid in the coming weeks. (Or as Frank Perdue might have said, “I wouldn’t put my good vote on a bad chick.” ~Bob.)

This Is America's Moment, If Washington Doesn't Blow It

http://www.newgeography.com/content/002634-this-is-americas-moment-if-washington-doesnt-blow-it

Excerpt: While the U.S. has its challenges, it is positioned to achieve a more solid long-term trajectory than its European and Asian rivals. What it lacks, however, is a strong political leadership capable of seizing this opportunity. … Since 2008 foreign direct investment to Germany, France, Japan and Korea has stagnated; in 2009 overall investment in the E.U. dropped 36%. In contrast, in 2010 foreign investment in the U.S. rose 49%, mostly coming from Canada, Europe, and Japan. Industrial investment rose $30 billion just between 2009 and 2010, while investment in the energy sector more than tripled to $20 billion. 9In response, Obama and the Democrats want to make us more like Europe. ~Bob.)

Writing checks against the future By: Emily Skarbek

http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/2012/01/writing-checks-against-future/2123431

Excerpt: On Jan. 9, the federal government's debt officially surpassed $15 trillion -- an amount larger than the total annual output of the U.S. economy. Worse, the debt is increasing. Approval of the Budget Control Act last August was a thinly veiled Band-Aid. At present, the Obama administration projects total debt to increase by $26 trillion in 10 years -- more than 15 percent higher than the projected $22.5 trillion in gross domestic product.

Florida primary pits tea party vs. cocktail party

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71987.html

Excerpt: As the Republican race moves to a state defined by the extremes in recession-era America — where the underwater and unemployed live just a few miles from the 1 percent — a sharp class divide is emerging between the two top contenders. Mitt Romney’s crowds look like something out of the president’s suite at a University of Florida football game — prosperous, trim, Tattersall-clad, and supportive but not rowdy. Newt Gingrich supporters, with their spray-painted signs, American flag tees, flip-flops and fanny packs, more closely resemble a group that would fit in nicely playing a few bucks at the dog track.

Reuters’ hit on Rubio contains errors

http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/26/reuters-hit-on-rubio-contains-several-errors/

Excerpt: Reuters is out with a tough story on Sen. Marco Rubio today, arguing that, the senator “has had significant financial problems that could keep him from passing any vetting process as a potential vice presidential choice…” Unfortunately, it appears many of the facts are either wrong or exaggerated. By my count, there were at least 7 errors or exaggerations: 1. “Rubio also voted against Sonia Sotomayor, Obama’s Supreme Court nominee who is of Puerto Rican descent…” (Rubio wasn’t even in the senate then.) (Does lying about a Hispanic senator make you racist? Not if he’s a Republican—it makes you a “journalist.” ~Bob.)

Obama’s unwelcome mat: His home refinancing plan is a major economic mistake

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/obama-unwelcome-mat-article-1.1011855

Excerpt: What he failed to tell us is that such a push would do nothing to turn around either the housing market or the broader economy. In fact, by continuing his trend of confusing redistribution of wealth with its creation, the effort will likely hurt both the economy and the housing market. (He’s not interested in long term economics, only in vote buying. ~Bob.)

Quiz: How thick is your cultural bubble.

http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=how-thick-is-your-bubble

In Florida, Romney stronger than Gingrich against Obama, Q poll says

http://www.postonpolitics.com/2012/01/in-florida-romney-stronger-than-gingrich-against-obama-q-poll-says/#more-29893

Excerpt: Mitt Romney gets more support from Florida’s independent voters than Newt Gingrich and would be a stronger Republican presidential nominee against President Obama in November, a new Quinnipiac University poll says. Romney and Obama are tied at 45 percent in the poll while the president would defeat Gingrich by a 50-to-39 margin in Florida the poll says.

Interesting: Was Obama Even Paying Attention during His Time in the Senate? Posted by Mark A. Calabria

http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/was-obama-even-paying-attention-during-his-time-in-the-senate/

Excerpt: Perhaps I’m a little sensitive from having spent 7 years working in the Senate (rather than just using the Senate as a stepping stone), but when Obama makes statements in his State of the Union like:

Another Stimulus-Backed Energy Company Files for Bankruptcy by Lachlan Markay

http://blog.heritage.org/2012/01/26/another-stimulus-backed-energy-company-files-for-bankruptcy/

Excerpt: The company, Ener1, received a $118 million grant from DOE in 2010 as part of the president’s stimulus package. The money, which went to Ener1 subsidiary EnerDel, aimed to promote renewable energy storage battery technology for electrical grid use. (Your tax dollars—pissed down yet another rat hole. ~Bob.)

Pentagon to Cut AF Global Hawk Program

http://www.military.com/news/article/pentagon-to-cut-af-global-hawk-program.html?ESRC=eb.nl

Excerpt: Officials say Pentagon budget cuts will end the Air Force's long-range surveillance drone known as the Global Hawk but keep the Navy's version of the unmanned aircraft. Defense analyst Loren Thompson says defense officials have decided to rely on the less expensive, high-altitude U-2 spy plane, which has a shorter range but has been used in Asia, particularly to keep an eye on North Korea. (Why U-2s? Sopwith Camels are cheaper to build. ~Bob.)

President Obama Wants Eric Holder To Do For Home Loans What He Did For Drug Lords…

http://theulstermanreport.com/2012/01/26/president-obama-wants-eric-holder-to-do-for-home-loans-what-he-did-for-drug-lords/

Excerpt: Perhaps unnoticed within the rehash of political platitudes that had been repeated the past three years, President Obama declared a desire to set up yet another government agency – this one headed by embattled Attorney General Eric Holder, to investigate home lending fraud.

Obama in Foreign Policy Hell

http://pjmedia.com/spengler/2012/01/25/obama-in-foreign-policy-hell/?singlepage=true

Excerpt: Iran’s imminent acquisition of nuclear weapons humiliates a president so committed to dialogue with the evil lunatics in Tehran that he refused to support a mass outpouring of democracy demonstrators during the summer of 2009. Obama’s closest foreign policy friendship is with the Islamist president of Turkey, who has jailed more journalists than China and steered his country towards imminent economic disaster. (…) And then there is Egypt: Even the New York Times has noticed that Egypt’s economy is collapsing, and that the country faces disaster as it runs out of money.

Fidelity and the Presidency by Victor Davis Hanson

http://townhall.com/columnists/victordavishanson/2012/01/26/fidelity_and_the_presidency/page/full/

Excerpt: The media usually prefer liberal politicians. Washington's newspaper editors kept quiet about JFK's frolicking, a silence that became near-conspiratorial. The renegade tabloid National Enquirer alone had to pursue the sordid affair of presidential candidate John Edwards. Matt Drudge forced the mainstream media to follow up on the recurrent but ignored rumors of Bill Clinton's dalliance with Monica Lewinsky in the Oval Office. For most in the media, why sidetrack a fellow progressive's enlightened agenda for America over an occasional hormonal urge? But conservatives should expect such extra scrutiny.

Gingrich Wants U.S. Base on the Moon

http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/gingrich-wants-u-s-base-on-the-moon-20120125

Excerpt: Appealing to residents of the state’s economically struggling “Space Coast,” Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich promised to have a permanent U.S. base on the moon by the end of his second term as president. (…) “We will have commercial near-Earth activities that include science, tourism, and manufacturing, and are designed to create a robust industry precisely on the model of the development of the airlines of the 1930s, because it is in our interest to acquire so much experience in space that we clearly have a capacity that the Chinese and the Russians will never come anywhere close to matching.” He also said that by the end of 2020, the country would have “the first continuous propulsion system in space” capable of allowing people travel to Mars. (Some of us older guys had dreamed of retiring to the Moon. I’m sure every regular reader of TOJ knows I support a US manned-space program. I welcome this particular campaign promise, but doubt it can be delivered in the time frame stated, if at all. Manned-space projects aren’t even on the priority lists of either party, and we’re having a lot of trouble finding the money for simple day-to-day operation of our government and defense. While it may be true the Russians aren’t in much better shape, the Chinese appear to have committed vast sums to their manned-space program and have very aggressive goals. While those goals can—and will—cause us much grief in the future, I don’t think the voters will support much change to our space program. In the long run, abandoning space will be a disaster for us both commercially and strategically. Commercially? Indeed. Suppose I could offer you a metal as strong as steel, but weighing only 40% as much. Do you think you could make more efficient products from that? It can’t be done on Earth, but it can be done in zero-G. The name of this mystery metal? Steel. Foamed with evenly distributed tiny bubbles. It would retain its structural strength while weighing much less. That’s just one product thought of by amateurs; imagine the possibilities when real professionals are doing the thinking. Ron P. I’m not going until they open a Hooters there. ~Bob.)

Mitt Romney's Taxes and True Reform

http://blog.heritage.org/2012/01/26/morning-bell-mitt-romneys-taxes-and-true-reform/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell

Excerpt: How many times should your money be taxed? One time? Two times? Three times? Four? Sounds like a ridiculous proposition, but that's the true story of capital gains taxes in America, and it's one that's not being told in the continuing debate over Governor Mitt Romney's taxes. For more than a week, the media has focused on the subject of just how much Romney pays in taxes. On Tuesday, the governor released his tax returns indicating that he paid about 15 percent in taxes last year. At first blush, that sounds like a low rate, especially considering that Romney is admittedly worth millions. But as with all things in politics, there is more to the story.

Iran, Nukes, & Oil: The Gulf Confrontation by Barry R. Mccaffrey

General, USA (Retired)

http://www.michaelyon-online.com/images/pdf/mccaffrey-nbc-iran-nukes-and-oil-january-122012.pdf

Excerpt: In my judgment we are now in a high risk situation in the Gulf--- with a significant probability of Iranian escalation in the coming 90 days. We are ordering three US Navy carrier battle groups into the region. A basic axiom of military operations starts with an assessment of enemy CAPABILITIES-- not enemy INTENTIONS.

The New York Times Collaborates with Hamas Front Group to Suppress the Truth

by Steven Emerson

http://www.investigativeproject.org/3406/the-new-york-times-collaborates-with-hamas-front

Excerpt: The New York Times cites the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as a credible source, while continuing its policy of never mentioning that CAIR was founded by the Muslim Brotherhood, and operates as a Hamas support group. NYT also suppressed the facts that CAIR was named an unindicted co-conspirator 2007 Holy Land Foundation conspiracy trial, which resulted in the FBI cutting off all formal contact with the group and that an FBI official has described CAIR as a "front for Hamas."

(Aussie PM) Julia Gillard 'rescued' amid Australia Day protests

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16736054

Excerpt: But riot police were called to the restaurant at about 14:30 local time as protesters gathered outside, with people banging on the glass yelling "shame" and "racist".

Geithner: Obama won't ask me to stay on

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16735911

Time to give some other tax cheat a turn. ~Bob. Excerpt: Timothy Geithner has said he does not expect to serve a second term as US treasury secretary if President Barack Obama is re-elected. "He's not going to ask me to stay on, I'm pretty confident," Mr Geithner said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Wednesday.

Worth Reading: Obama's Big Six State of the Union Tax Myths

http://news.investors.com/Article/598977/201201251842/obama-peddles-phony-tax-facts-in-speech.htm

Excerpt: If President Obama wants to create a fairer country, shouldn't he start by fairly portraying our tax code? Instead, he used his State of the Union speech to peddle a number of blatant tax falsehoods. (Not “myths.” Lies to get votes from the ignorant. ~Bob.)

At local stops, Mitt Romney draws applause, but Newt Gingrich gets cheers: Different crowds, different tones at events for the 2 top GOP candidates

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-newt-mitt-central-florida-20120125,0,357710.story

Excerpt: The two leading Republican presidential candidates came to Central Florida on Wednesday, and their events — and reception by voters — couldn't have been more different.

Romney’s Hispanic Problem: Whether or not he wins Florida, can he make inroads with this surging demographic?

http://www.nationaljournal.com/columns/on-the-trail/romney-s-hispanic-problem-20120125

Excerpt: Florida’s presidential primary next week is a crucial test of Mitt Romney’s front-runner status. But dive into the exit polls after voters have spoken their minds, because Florida will be a test of Romney’s strength among Hispanic voters—a relationship that could put him back on the road to the nomination or foretell his defeat in November. (I suspect that the Cuban Hispanic vote in Florida—pro Republican, pro-freedom, pro-free markets—is very different from the La Raza Hispanic vote, pro government, pro-handouts, pro entitlements pro illegal colonization, pro reconquista. ~Bob.)

Russian TV veers back to familiar ground

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/russian-tv-veers-back-to-familiar-ground/2012/01/25/gIQArms3RQ_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines

Excerpt: As thousands of protesters pushed toward Bolotnaya Square, crews from mainstream Russian television fanned out. Satellite trucks were ranged curbside, their engines running. For six days after the Duma elections last month, TV had ignored the street protests that were starting to shake the nation. Now the reporters and cameramen were ready. But still, not a peep. Finally, at 3 p.m. on Dec. 10, say those who know, the word came down: You can put this on the air.

Romney Battles Likability Deficit

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204624204577183393793238890.html?mod=djemPolitics_h

Excerpt: Mitt Romney is working hard to make voters dislike Newt Gingrich and President Barack Obama. But Mr. Romney has yet to crack a tougher nut: persuading voters to like him. The likability challenge has dogged the former Massachusetts governor for years. Voters applaud his competence, his business record and his image as a family man.

Newt understands Islam 'very well'

http://billydteacher.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/expert-newt-understands-islam-very-well/

Excerpt: U.S.-born Israeli author and expert on the Middle East is praising presidential candidate Newt Gingrich for continuing to tell the truth about sharia law.

No energy is good to the greens

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/no_energy_is_good_to_the_greens_wsXNrqyw5yFCaXJXRtAnwK#ixzz1kZE69bou

Excerpt: For all of President Obama’s talk Tuesday night of boosting US energy production, he has a huge problem: The American left — a vital part of his political base — seems determined to force us down the opposite path. Indeed, the “Big Green Extreme” fights energy even when it means harming the environment. … Plus, killing the pipeline is a clear loser for the environment.

Adding up to nothing --O’s fast talk on the economy

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/adding_up_to_nothing_8K1eBN3afYXNELupfK8tRL#ixzz1kZDdOVcI

Excerpt: Three years after the Hope and Change president took office, Hope turns out to mean high taxes and lots of regulations, and Change consists of celebrating the government’s takeover of General Motors and belittling technological progress that destroys some jobs even as it creates others. The Great Uniter is all about class warfare. Such was President Obama’s latest State of the Union Address.

Interesting: The Republicans’ Electoral College Newt-Mare

http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/the-gop's-electoral-college-newt-mare/

Excerpt: Republicans don’t just disagree with President Barack Obama; they viscerally dislike him. And, as Mr. Wade indicates, they don’t just want a candidate who can beat Obama. They are seeking someone who will unequivocally bash and bloody him. As has been clear from recent debates, Mitt Romney is not that candidate, at least compared to the South Carolina winner and this week’s poll leader in Florida, Newt Gingrich.

One Year Later: The Failure of the Arab Spring By Martin Peretz

http://jewishworldreview.com/0112/peretz_failure_of_arab_spring.php3

Excerpt: For example, Nicholas Kristof found some Muslim Brothers who promised that even Copts and the ancient Coptic Church, among the first of history’s Christian fellowships, have no reason to fear their party’s electoral strength. “Conservative Muslims insisted that the Muslim Brotherhood is non-discriminatory and the perfect home for pious Christians—and a terrific partner for the West.” Yes, he actually wrote this silliness.

Soros’s ‘Glee’ Over OWS Violence

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/01/26/soross-glee-over-ows-violence/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=07f1e3608a-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag

Excerpt: George Soros is delighted that chaos is coming to his adopted homeland.

“In the crisis period, the impossible becomes possible,” the anti-American financier told Newsweek in a recent interview, restating the Alinskyite adage that a good crisis is a terrible thing to waste. “I am not here to cheer you up. The situation is about as serious and difficult as I’ve experienced in my career,” Soros says. “We are facing an extremely difficult time, comparable in many ways to the 1930s, the Great Depression

Quote

It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it. –Upton Sinclair (Like a climate scientist chasing grants? ~Bob.)

Who Paid for Your Doctor's Bagel?: ObamaCare's 'Sunshine Act' will benefit only accountants, bureaucrats and lawyers. By Thomas P. Stossel

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204468004577166840760748000.html

Excerpt: Embedded in ObamaCare is a toxic rule called the Physician Payments Sunshine Act. The Act requires all companies that manufacture medical products purchased by the government to disclose on a public website anything they give physicians valued above $10. Last month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued draft guidelines. CMS justifies this legislation by citing "conflicts of interests that may influence research, education and clinical decision-making in ways that compromise clinical integrity and patient care, and may lead to increased health care costs."

Oscar Brand sings about Vietnam War, Mariposa 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvFD4tZ4JuE

There were no Yellow Ribbons for us.

Pentagon budget cuts will shrink military, reduce ground forces http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/policy-and-strategy/206865-pentagon-budget-cuts-will-shrink-military-reduce-ground-forces

Excerpt: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the U.S. military will remain a force that can defeat "any adversary, anywhere, anytime," as he announced the first cuts Thursday in a 10-year $487 billion reduction in Pentagon spending. Panetta said that the new budget reflects "a series of tough budget choices," but would not "hollow out the force" as the military becomes leaner and more agile. (As always, it is not the politicians who will have to do the fighting and dying in an under-manned, under-equipped force. It will be the sons and daughters of the 99%. The dying will mostly be after these guys are getting wealthy writing books and giving speeches. Wealthier. ~Bob.)

For Young Women, a Horrifying Consequence of Mubarak’s Overthrow

http://www.tnr.com/article/world/96555/egypt-genital-mutilation-fgm-muslim-brotherhood

Excerpt: Ali, a 34-year-old Cairo businessman who asked that his real name not be used, is weighing whether or not to circumcise his 12-year-old daughter. Female circumcision, or female genital mutilation (FGM), as it is also known, involves removing part or the entire clitoris. … Despite efforts to reduce it, the number of girls aged 15 to 17 who underwent FGM only dropped from 77 percent in 2005 to 74 percent in 2008…

Harper Builds Oil Link With China After Obama Keystone ‘Slap’

http://webfarm.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-25/harper-builds-oil-links-with-china-after-obama-slap-on-keystone-pipeline.html

Excerpt: Prime Minister Stephen Harper is gaining support among Canadians for his plan to ship oilsands crude to China after President Barack Obama rejected TransCanada Corp. (TRP)’s $7 billion Keystone XL pipeline to the U.S. Gulf Coast. Harper will meet President Hu Jintao in China next month, when he may tout Enbridge Inc.’s proposed Northern Gateway pipeline that would let crude flow to Asia from Alberta’s oilsands via a Canadian port. (Where it will be refined with more environmental damage. Obama—wrong either way. ~Bob.)

Helping A 13 Bronze Star War Veteran

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-736528

Excerpt: After learning that a 92 yr old, 13 Bronze Star Veteran was climbing over piled snow, we took action. Gregory Blahnik a 2x combat veteran himself and Keith Kazianka who is a campaign manager helped me clear the way for this Veteran. (There still are some good guys left in the world. MasterGuns)

The President Is Smiling By Victor Davis Hanson

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/289342/president-smiling-victor-davis-hanson

Excerpt: The only issue in the primary — aside from picking the candidate — is whether the current level of invective will preclude the losers from wholeheartedly endorsing the winner, and whether they have so damaged themselves that Barack Obama can simply rerun their ads against the eventual nominee. History mostly (but not always) suggests that wounds heal and unity follows as a candidate finally emerges, but while these suicidal Republican attacks continue, Obama largely has gotten a pass on the recess appointments, the debt hitting $16 trillion, the Keystone pipeline, the defense cuts, and de facto promises to various groups that federal immigration law will not be enforced.

Send Us Newt By Melissa O’Sullivan

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/289301/send-us-newt-melissa-o-sullivan

Excerpt: Last fall, people in Washington told me, “Get over it, Melissa. Newt’s not going to be the nominee.” Later, in New York City over Thanksgiving, I was told, “Get over it, Melissa. It’s going to be Romney. There’s still so much stuff out there on Newt that’s just waiting to drop.” Well, here we are in the thick of the race, and I’m still not over it.

State of the Union

2012-01-26T08:45:00.000-06:00

Political Digest for January 26, 2012

2012-01-26T00:10:00.002-06:00

Charities I support

http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2011/09/charities-i-support.html

Raid In Somalia: U.S. Military Frees Hostages Held Since October

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/25/raid-in-somalia_n_1230062.html?ref=email_share

Excerpt: The same U.S. Navy SEAL unit that killed Osama bin Laden parachuted into Somalia under cover of darkness early Wednesday and crept up to an outdoor camp where an American woman and Danish man were being held hostage. Soon, nine kidnappers were dead and both hostages were freed. (Go Navy. What is really needed is to put a Marine Battalion ashore with orders to exterminate every pirate it can find. ~Bob.)

Worth Reading: Now We Know Who Was Right about Obama By Karin McQuillan

http://www.americanthinker.com/printpage/?url=http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/../2012/01/now_we_know_who_was_right_about_obama.html

Excerpt: Now we know. After three years in office and the launching of his second election campaign, we have experienced President Obama's leadership. We can see whom we elected president -- the mystery man of 2008 revealed. Democrats were in ecstasy over the great healer, the multiracial candidate who would bring together red states and blue states, black and white, coasts and flyover country. Republicans saw the man with the most leftist, least bipartisan voting record in Congress being installed in the White House. We now know who was right.

Worth Reading: The Man At The Tire Shop

http://jenkuznicki.com/2012/01/the-man-at-the-tire-shop/

Excerpt: This nation is filled with men who shuffle, worry, get frustrated and angry about how the government works to hurt their ability to provide meaning to their lives. There are also men who take unemployment as a free ride, uninterested in who is paying for their vacation, leaving the worry of a job to the government who will extend their vacation. Barack Obama has not only killed jobs in the Keystone Pipeline decision, he has killed men’s self-worth. (Nothing more I can add to what Ms. Kuznicki so eloquently wrote. --MasterGuns)

A Brass Age? By Thomas Sowell

http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2012/01/25/a_brass_age/page/full/

Excerpt: This may be the golden age of presumptuous ignorance. The most recent demonstrations of that are the Occupy Wall Street mobs. It is doubtful how many of these semi-literate sloganizers could tell the difference between a stock and a bond. Yet there they are, mouthing off about Wall Street on television, cheered on by politicians and the media. If this is not a golden age of presumptuous ignorance, perhaps it should be called a brass age. No one has more brass than the President of the United States, though his brass may be more polished than that of the Occupy Wall Street mobs.

Gov. Daniels: Obama is 'pro-poverty'

http://thehill.com/video/in-the-news/206283-daniels-to-hit-obama-on-keystone-divisive-rhetoric

Excerpt: Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) castigated President Obama's policies as "pro-poverty" and extreme in his response to the State of the Union address.

The Indiana governor, who considered a run for the White House before deciding last year against a campaign, knocked Obama for imposing regulations on business and for rejecting the proposed Keystone oil pipeline.

The Daniels Response

http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/01/the-daniels-response.html

Excerpt: It was that rare event when the GOP response surpassed the actual State of the Union. It was what a sane Republican critique of this presidency would be. It began with a grace note on Obama's courageous assault on bin Laden and the quiet dignity of his family life - avoiding the personal demonization of a well-liked president. There were several shrewd and helpful criticisms of his own side.

What Might Have Been By Mona Charen

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/289179/what-might-have-been-mona-charen

Excerpt: That our best leaders, such as Mitch Daniels, who tonight delivered the finest response to a State of the Union ever, have chosen not to serve, leaves the country to the second-raters.

Obama’s State of the Union speech: Confrontation wrapped in Kumbaya

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/obamas-state-of-the-union-speech-confrontation-wrapped-in-kumbaya/2012/01/24/gIQA3rR2OQ_blog.html?wpisrc=nl_politics

Excerpt: At first listen, President Obama’s State of the Union address had all the hallmarks of the sort of bipartisan, let’s-do-the-right-thing-for-America tone that characterized his 2008 presidential campaign. But, listen closer and a more hard-edged, challenging tone reveals itself— a preview of what the incumbent will likely sound like as he seeks a second term this November.

Obama's State of Omission

http://blog.heritage.org/2012/01/25/morning-bell-obamas-state-of-omission/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell

Excerpt: Speaking last night from the U.S. Capitol, President Barack Obama described the state of the Union as he sees it -- strong and getting stronger, with future growth fueled by his pursuit of progressive policies and an expansion of government, all architected to bring about his brand of "fairness." The President essentially redelivered his 2011 State of the Union address -- complete with the same empty rhetoric, class warfare cloaked in "fairness," and proposals for massive tax and spending increases. The speech was notable for the items he did not mention, including many of the failed spending programs and policies he undertook over the past three years, the foreign policy and defense challenges he has exacerbated, and the economic actions he failed to take that would have created jobs and spurred economic growth.

Now, GOP ought to be licking its chops By John Podhoretz

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/now_gop_ought_to_be_licking_its_3PKYcK4qOfiYxhJYBfMM9L#ixzz1kTNVhtPq

Excerpt: Barack Obama doesn’t have his mojo back. Last night’s State of the Union was so pedestrian that even its most provocative sections — proposing new taxes and new witch hunts — had little rhetorical power or oomph. The candidate who suggested his victory in the Texas primary would be remembered as the moment at which the waters of the ocean would literally begin to recede has entirely lost his capacity to inspire — or to frighten his rivals — by his oratorical gifts alone.

Archbishop calls Obama habitual violator of Constitution

http://times247.com/articles/catholic-bishop-says-obama-habitually-violates-constitution

Excerpt: Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan, archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, has recorded a video message bluntly stating that the Obama administration has a habit of advancing policies that violate the U.S. Constitution.

How “Moderate Republicans” Look To MSNBC

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/01/24/how-moderate-republicans-look-to-msnbc/

Excerpt: I know: why was I even watching MSNBC? Because, she wrote defensively, I watched last night’s NBC debate at a neighbors’ where they were watching MSNBC. There I beheld a far different Howard Fineman than the dark-haired, nattily attired Newsweek Senior Political Correspondent of election cycles past. The 2012 Howard Fineman is identified as with HuffPo and has hair the length of — let’s just say it has that flip at the bottom in the back. No barber shops on the campaign trail, Howie? You can do great interviews and get a haircut in the same place. Just one woman’s perspective.

“This guy shouldn’t have been in America"...Obama's Willie Horton?

http://www.examiner.com/immigration-reform-in-national/this-guy-shouldn-t-have-been-america

Excerpt: Kesler Dufrene, on the other hand, is the direct responsibility of President Obama... According to North Miami detectives, a twice-convicted felon and Haitian illegal alien whose deportation was stayed by the Obama administration murdered three people, including a 15-year-old girl last year.

Rail left at the station in State of the Union

http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/railroads/206299-rail-left-at-the-station-in-obama-state-of-the-union-address

Excerpt: President Obama made no mention of high-speed rail in his third State of the Union address Tuesday night, providing a sharp departure from previous years' speeches in which when he vocally championed a nationwide network of railways. Likely coloring the omission was the fact that Republicans largely put the brakes on Obama's rail initiatives in 2011.

The Great Renewable Energy Scam: Is There A Change in the Wind? by Patrick J. Michaels

http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=14033

Excerpt: People don’t like being forced to purchase things they may not want, which is why over half of us are hoping that the Supreme Court throws out the individual insurance mandate in President Barack Obama’s health care plan. There’s also a worldwide rebellion brewing against being forced to purchase expensive electricity produced by so-called “renewable” sources, now being exacerbated by the availability of very cheap natural gas from shale formations.

High school football players arrested for on-field assault - with photos

http://www.pressandguide.com/articles/2012/01/14/news/doc4f10672d3e47d004412938.txt

Excerpt: Police arrested four Star International Academy seniors Wednesday on aggravated assault charges stemming from an altercation in the team’s last game of the season. The players -- Mohamed Ahmed, Fanar Al-Alsady, Hadee Attia and Ali Bajjey, all age 17 -- are accused of gang-beating Lutheran Westland’s quarterback as time expired in Lutheran’s 47-6 drubbing of Star on Oct. 21. (If four Christian players from a predominately Christian charter school severely beat a Muslim player, it would be reported as a hate crime. ~Bob.)

The Self-Destruction of the Mainstream Media

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/01/the_self-destruction_of_the_mainstream_media.html

Excerpt: What has this loyalty to progressive group-think and the Democratic Party wrought for the members of this once-proud profession? The landscape of the once mighty journalism community is one of utter devastation. Since 2001 American newsrooms have lost more than 25 per cent of their full time journalists resulting in a level of employment not seen since the mid-1970's. Just since 2007 over 14,000 have lost their jobs. (I subscribe to The Week, a news magazine which seems to be thriving. It does not, as far as I can tell, take a POV, but presents both sides and lets readers make up their own minds. ~Bob.)

The first Occupy candidate: Nate Kleinman

http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2012/01/the-first-occupy-candidate-nate-kleinman-112057.html

Excerpt: Nathan Kleinman, a 29-year-old member of the Occupy Philadelphia movement, intends to run for congress in Pennsylvania's 13th district against Democratic incumbent Allyson Schwartz. "The petition gathering period starts today and lasts for three weeks, so I plan to file by then," Kleinman told me over the phone today. "I'll be running in the Democratic primary." (Suggested slogans: “A little pot in every chick.” “A vote for Nate is like crapping on the flag.” “Kleinman: A long record of turning parks into slums.”)

Female driver who defied Saudi motoring ban dies in fatal road accident

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2091280/Female-driver-defied-Saudi-motoring-ban-dies-fatal-accident.html

Excerpt: A woman who defied a driving ban on female motorists in Saudi Arabia has died in a car crash. Another was hurt in the crash in the only country in the world where females are banned from getting behind the wheel. (Hummmm. What a coincidence. ~Bob.)

State of President Obama's Promise

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyyt1D8F56A

Great video on tort reform. Please share. ~Bob

Buffett's Railroad to Benefit from Obama Keystone Pipeline Rejection

http://www.newsroomamerica.com/story/210153.html

Excerpt: A railroad largely owned by billionaire Warren Buffett stands to benefit financially from a decision by the Obama administration to reject a major oil pipeline project that would have stretched 1,700 miles south from Canada to refineries in Texas. Bloomberg News reported Tuesday that Burlington Northern Santa Fe LLC is among U.S. and Canadian railroads that stand to gain from the U.S. State Department's rejection last week of the Keystone XL pipeline project. Buffett is a long-time political and financial supporter of Obama. (Maybe now he’ll be able to afford to give his secretary stock options—or pay his own taxes. ~Bob.)

Haggis wontons? Robbie Burns Night meets Chinese New Year

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/relationships/news-and-views/sarah-hampson/haggis-wontons-robbie-burns-night-meets-chinese-new-year/article2304305/

Excerpt: At this very moment, I bet you’re not thinking about deep-fried haggis wonton for dinner. But then, you’re not Toddish McWong. That’s the famous persona of Todd Wong, a 51-year-old Chinese-Canadian who works as a library assistant in Vancouver. His annual Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner marks its 15th year next Sunday. An amalgam of traditions for Chinese New Year and Robbie Burns Night, the dinner is a celebration of Canadian multiculturalism that has grown in popularity every year. (There’s a spin-off Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner in Seattle and ambitions to roll them out across Canada.) [Came in on Burns' birthday. ~Bob.]

The Big Chill: Energy Needs Fueling Tensions in the Arctic

http://www.fraserinstitute.org/research-news/news/display.aspx?id=2147483979

Excerpt: The United States devotes much of its diplomatic and military energies to the Middle East today for a very simple reason: The Middle East is the source of much of the world’s energy, and not coincidentally, much of the world’s tensions. Tomorrow’s source of energy reserves and geopolitical tensions may not be the deserts and densely populated urban areas of the Middle East, but rather the icy waters and desolate tundra of the Arctic. … The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic may hold 1,670 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 90 billion barrels of oil—30 percent of the world’s undiscovered gas and 13 percent of undiscovered oil (USGS). About a third of the oil is in Alaskan territory (Carroll).

Gingrich says Pelosi is living in a fantasy world

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/206429-gingrich-says-pelosi-is-living-in-a-fantasy-if-she-thinks-she-has-dirt-on-him%22

Excerpt: Newt Gingrich said Nancy Pelosi is living in a fantasy world if she thinks she has dirt on him. “She lives in a San Francisco environment of very strange fantasies and very strange understandings of reality," Gingrich said Wednesday as he laughed off the notion that the House minority leader could derail his bid for the GOP presidential nomination. "I have no idea what's in Nancy Pelosi's head," Gingrich said on NBC's "Today" show. "If she knows something, I have a simple challenge: Spit it out." (Pelosi is for Obama. Pelosi is trying to hurt Gingrich in the primaries. Conclusion: Obama prefers to run against Romney. ~Bob.)

States Created Their Public Pension Problems, and States Should Solve Them

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/01/state-and-local-government-problems-with-public-pension-plans

Excerpt: Although underfunded state and local government public pension plans pose a very real threat to our national economy, “a federal bailout of the states should be avoided at all costs,” says a new report by the Senate Finance Committee Republican staff.[1] This is an appropriate policy response. The citizens of states that have handled their public pension plans responsibly or made the appropriate changes to reform them should not be asked to bail out states that have acted irresponsibly. … A significant 2010 academic study [2] estimates that 116 major state-sponsored pension plans have assets of about $1.8 trillion—to pay pension promises of between $3.6 trillion and $5.2 trillion. (A significant part of the coming fiscal collapse, covered in my book. ~Bob.)

More Spending Doesn't Lead to Higher Test Scores

http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=21530&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DPD

Excerpt: Despite the grim economy, Governor Jerry Brown is asking Californians to approve a $7 billion tax hike. The governor emphasizes that without the increase in spending enabled by higher taxes, public education in the state would face significant cuts. The question for California voters, therefore, is a comparison of the respective benefits of lower taxes and higher education spending, says Andrew J. Coulson, director of the Cato Institute's Center for Educational Freedom. In making this decision, voters should look to education spending in the past, and realize from this data that an ever-growing state education budget has done little to improve educational outcomes as measured by SAT results. Between 1968 (the first year for which the data is available) and 2010, real spending per student increased by 95 percent. This represents increased spending of $27 billion dollars since 1974, adjusting for increased enrollment. In almost the same time span, from 1972 to 2010, SAT scores among California high school student dropped by 4 percent, taking into account test rescaling in 1996. (But California also absorbed the children if the illegal immigrant colonizers, who have a different language and a culture not focused on education. That could also create a drop. ~Bob.)

Iran

preparing now for Armageddon: Select fighters being described as 'Soldiers of Imam Mahdi' By Reza Kahlili

http://www.wnd.com/2012/01/iran-preparing-now-for-armageddon/

Excerpt: Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has held several secret meetings with his economic and military advisers in recent days to prepare for the possibility of war with the United States. Sources report the preparations are to include the execution of those Iranians who oppose the regime. Khamenei has been heard to say that the coming of the last Islamic Messiah, the Shiites’ 12th Imam Mahdi, is near and that specific actions need to be taken to protect the Islamic regime for upcoming events.

'Operation Fast And Furious': Jacob Chambers, Jacob Montelongo Plead Guilty In Weapon Smuggling Scandal

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/24/fast-and-furious-gun-scandal_n_1229124.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl3%7Csec3_lnk3%26pLid%3D130034

Excerpt: The goal of the federal government's investigation was to catch weapons-trafficking kingpins, but firearms agents lost track of many weapons they were trying to trace to smuggling ringleaders, and some guns ended up at crime scenes in Mexico and the U.S. (...) Several agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have said they were ordered by superiors to let suspected straw buyers walk away from Phoenix-area gun shops with AK-47s and other weapons believed headed for Mexican drug cartels, rather than arrest the buyers and seize the guns there. The federal agency lost track of some 1,400 of the more than 2,000 weapons whose purchases attracted the suspicion of the Fast and Furious investigators. (Okay. Say you’re a liberal publication that still retains a little bit of integrity. Telling outright lies isn’t allowed. An administration you support has screwed up badly resulting in deaths. How do you report the story when the first of the perpetrators pleads guilty without casting blame on the administration? By wording your coverage very carefully. There is nothing here that would indicate this “plot” originated within the government or that it was known and supported at the highest levels. If you didn’t already know what was going on, you still wouldn’t after reading this. This article is a jewel of not-quite-information designed to leave you uninformed while looking like information. Ron P.)

Good Column: You're right Mr. President, We Need More 'Fairness' by Michael Bargo Jr.

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/01/youre_right_mr_president_we_need_more_fairness.html

Excerpt: Thank you Mr. President, for bringing up the issue of fairness. I'm sure that's important to many people. One curious thing, though, with regard to the application of "fairness" it seems that all the recommendations you have, are decided by the government. Who decides what is fair? Here's some suggestions: The average Federal employee can be paid no more than the average American employee, currently $42K a yr. Wouldn't that be fair? And the highest amount paid to any retired Federal employee should be no more than the highest Social Security monthly amount. Wouldn't that be fair?

Nigeria arrests dozens of Boko Haram suspects in Kano

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16710086

Excerpt: Nigerian forces have arrested 158 suspected members of the Islamist Boko Haram organisation in raids in the northern city of Kano. Boko Haram said it carried out a series of bombings in Kano on Friday in which at least 185 people died. The group says it wants to overthrow the Nigerian government and impose Islamic law.

Planning Genocide in Plain Sight by Lawrence Kadish

http://www.stonegateinstitute.org/2779/planning-genocide

Excerpt: When a group of high-ranking Nazi bureaucrats sat down 70 years ago today (Jan. 20, 1942), they didn't plot the death of 6 million Jews; they aimed at 11 million. Dubbed the Wannsee Conference, after its location, it was chaired by SS Obergruppenfuhrer Reinhard Heydrich, who brought together some of the most efficient managers of mass murder history has ever seen.

The Real State of the Union John Stossel

http://townhall.com/columnists/johnstossel/2012/01/25/creators_oped/page/full/

Excerpt: Has Barack Obama learned nothing in three years? Last night, during his State of the Union address, he promised "a blueprint for an economy." But economies are crushed by blueprints. An economy is really nothing more than people participating in an unfathomably complex spontaneous network of exchanges aimed at improving their material circumstances. (People reject facts that go against the under pinning of their religious faith. And Obama’s faith is not Islam or Black Liberation Theology, but secular statism. ~Bob.)

Obama's Green Robber Barons--Michelle Malkin

http://townhall.com/columnists/michellemalkin/2012/01/25/obamas_green_robber_barons/page/full/

Excerpt: Had enough of fat cat Barack Obama, his jet-setting wife and his multi-millionaire Chicago consigliere/real-estate mogul Valerie Jarrett attacking the "rich"? Well, brace yourselves. You'll be hearing much more from the White House about the "wealthy few" who aren't paying their "fair share" as Obama's re-election campaign doubles down on class-war demagoguery.

How Green Became Obama's Albatross: The president is trapped by his own rhetoric amid America's energy boom.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203718504577180680098962586.html?mod=djemITP_h

Excerpt: Barack Obama may believe a lot of things, but he probably doesn't believe the Sierra Club is key to his re-election. His decision to nix the Keystone XL pipeline will cost him votes but he did it anyway. We'll admit that Mr. Obama's global warming talk has often seemed to us perfunctory.

Showdown at the Strait of Hormuz By Arthur Herman

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/showdown_at_the_strait_of_hormuz_ZWlYSnTlgapPXXOuCf73OK#ixzz1kTQ3m93N

Excerpt: The build-up of the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz took another big step this weekend, when the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln entered the Persian Gulf together with British and French naval escorts — defying Iran’s warnings not to send another carrier there. The Lincoln is there in case Iran tries to make good on its threat to close that vital international waterway in response to harsh new US and European Union sanctions against the radical Islamicist regime. What happens next in this high-stakes game depends on three people.

National Poll: Gingrich 35%, Romney 28%, Santorum 16%, Paul 10%

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/election_2012_republican_presidential_primary

Excerpt: After his game-changing win in South Carolina, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich continues to ride his surge to the front of the pack among likely Republican primary voters nationwide. He now leads Mitt Romney by seven points.

Quotes from the Patriot Post

www.patriotpost.us/subscribe/

"Politicians never accuse you of 'greed' for wanting other people's money -- only for wanting to keep your own money." --columnist Joseph Sobran (1946-2010)

"Warren Buffett now says that his offer to help pay down the national debt was merely 'symbolic.' Ah ... sorta like an Obama 'stimulus' program." --Fred Thompson

Obama Uses Same Lines from 2010, 2011

http://cowboybyte.com/3597/obama-uses-same-lines-from-2010-2011/

Excerpt: The Republican National Committee has compiled this video comparing lines President Obama used tonight in his State of the Union Address with lines he used in previous addresses before Congress:

The Three Reasons Mitt Is More Electable Than Newt

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/01/25/the-three-reasons-mitt-is-more-electable-than-newt/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fdd616c423-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag

The Three Reasons Newt Is More Electable Than Mitt

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/01/25/the-three-reasons-newt-is-more-electable-than-mitt/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fdd616c423-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag

Interesting: We’re Fighting Over Two Guys and Neither Side Thinks the Other Can Win

http://www.redstate.com/erick/2012/01/24/were-fighting-over-two-guys-and-neither-side-thinks-the-other-can-win/

Excerpt: The fight has gotten so bitter and acrimonious with only three states chosen because neither side thinks the other side can win. Gingrich supporters understand that the secularists in the media — not the Democrats, but the media to the extent it can be separated from the Obama Machine — will spend six months creeping out independent suburban voters about Mormons, holy underwear, Kolob, postmortem baptism, and views on black people and then, as the coup de grace, Barack Obama will fire up millions of dollars of ads on Bain Capital raiding pension funds forcing the government to cover the debt so Mitt Romney could make millions whether he won or lost a deal. Romney supporters understand Newt Gingrich will open his mouth. … Surely there is someone out there that both the Romney supporters and Newt supporters can agree on who is not named either Romney or Newt.

Failed treasury auction portends Egyptian disaster

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/NA24Ak02.html

Excerpt: Investors bought less an a third of the 3.5 billion Egyptian pounds (US$580 million) worth of Treasury bills offered to the market on January 22, a red flag warning that Egypt's foreign exchange position is close to the brink. Yields on Egyptian government debt maturing in nine months jumped to nearly 16%, but the government could not place its local-currency debt to Egyptian investors, even at that exorbitant rate. This is a new and ominous decline in the financial position of the most populous Arab country. (Maybe Israel will give them a bailout? More likely, Obama will borrow money from China to give them. ~Bob.)

Newt: Why People Are Choosing An Unlikeable Guy

http://melissablogs.com/2012/01/25/newt-why-people-are-choosing-an-unlikeable-guy/

Excerpt: Pretty much everyone, except Callista and his daughters, believes Newt Gingrich isn’t a very nice guy. I felt like his multiple marriages and “angry little attack muffin” persona as Peggy Noonan called him would be a deal breaker. I am coming to believe his impatience with the bullshit and general grumpiness is the reason people like Gingrich.

Big Labor's Wisconsin Vendetta: Walker's reforms are saving money, which unions cannot forgive.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204301404577170740792232880.html

Excerpt: If they do make the ballot and cause a recall vote as early as this spring, they'll have to campaign against reforms that have already saved taxpayers tens of millions of dollars and rescued the state from a budget crisis. Game on. Since last summer, unions have fired every weapon in their arsenal at Mr. Walker and state senators who voted for his collective-bargaining reforms for government workers. Union members must now contribute a very reasonable 5.8% of salary toward pensions and 12.6% toward health insurance, and unions must collect dues from members, rather than having it done by the government.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) on Keystone Pipeline: ‘Twenty Thousand Jobs Is Really Not That Many Jobs’ by Joel B. Pollak

http://biggovernment.com/jpollak/2012/01/25/rep-jan-schakowsky-d-il-on-keystone-pipeline-twenty-thousand-jobs-is-really-not-that-many-jobs/

My Congress Critter—she’d scunner a sow. ~Bob. This morning, Rep. Jan Schakowsky appeared on the Don Wade and Roma show on WLS-AM Chicago to comment on President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address. Schakowsky praised the president’s green energy initiatives, claiming that the (recalled) Chevy Volt “is doing pretty well” and defending Obama’s failed investment in Solyndra.

"My Message is Simple": Obama's SOTU Written at 8th Grade Level for Third Straight Year

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cspg/smartpolitics/2012/01/my_message_is_simple_obamas_so.php

Excerpt: Obama's SOTU addresses have the lowest average Flesch-Kincaid score of any modern president; Obama owns three of the six lowest-scoring addresses since FDR. (Not his fault. The teleprompter didn’t finish high school. ~Bob.)

Straight-Shooter Jon Stewart: I Can't Believe Mitt Romney Makes $57,000 Per Day
That's So Much More Unbelievable Than My Own $41,000 Per Day

http://ace.mu.nu/archives/326045.php

Funny.

What really happened in the Gingrich ethics case?

http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/article/what-really-happened-gingrich-ethics-case/336051

Excerpt: House Ethics Committee holding Gingrich to an astonishingly strict standard of behavior, after which Gingrich in essence pled guilty to two minor offenses. Afterwards, the case was referred to the Internal Revenue Service, which conducted an exhaustive investigation into the matter. And then, after it was all over and Gingrich was out of office, the IRS concluded that Gingrich did nothing wrong. After all the struggle, Gingrich was exonerated.

VIDEO: Newt on Pelosi: Frankly, I'd rather have her threaten me than endorse me. - Jeff Poor, Daily Caller

http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/25/newt-on-pelosi-frankly-id-rather-have-her-threaten-me-than-endorse-me-video/

Barack Obama's Not-So-Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2012/01/25/barack-obamas-not-so-amazing-technicolor-dreamcoat/

Excerpt: Maybe the problem is that Obama believes there is nothing the government can’t do better than the private sector. But time and again, experience has proved this assumption wrong. In 2010, the South Carolina Department of Education privatized four schools that were 98% black in enrollment. In the space of one year, math scores on the Palmetto Assessment of State Standardized test (PASS) increased on average by 11%.

Friends of the Earth's Tony Juniper asks: Why isn't Lord Lawson Dead Yet? - James Delingpole, Telegraph UK

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100132518/why-isnt-lord-lawson-dead-yet/

Excerpt: I'm sure Lord Lawson can take consolation from the words of his old boss Margaret Thatcher: "I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left." Never were these words truer than in the case of the climate change debate. The alarmists simply haven't got a leg to stand on, so the best they can do to shore up the ruins of their collapsing cause is to engage in ad homs, appeals to authority and utterly dishonest campaigns like the current Guardian-encouraged witch-hunt to try to force the Global Warming Policy Foundation to reveal its sources of funding.

Political Digest for January 25, 2012

2012-01-24T21:13:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to Robert Burns, Scotland’s Bard

Fun fact: When Burns was my age, he’d been dead for 28 years. Imagine what he could have produced if he’d lived to 65. “Wha will be a traitor knave? Wha can fill a coward's grave? Wha sae base as be a slave? Let him turn and flee!” http://www.darachweb.net/SongLyrics/ScotsWhaHae.html

Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew Paul Carpenter will never meet his son

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11284/1181116-109-0.stm

A very moving picture. ~Bob.

IMF report: Global economy to slow sharply

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/imf-report-global-economy-to-hit-mild-recession/2012/01/24/gIQAWR6SNQ_story.html?wpisrc=al_comboNE_b

Excerpt: The world economy is slowing sharply, and the euro region headed for recession this year, the International Monetary Fund predicted Tuesday in a bleak update of global conditions. Overall, the world economy is expected to expand 3.25 percent in 2012 -- down from the 4 percent projected by the IMF in the fall. That figure includes 8.2 percent growth in China, still the world’s most quickly expanding economy, and 7 percent in

India

. U.S. Growth is forecast at 1.8 percent, the same as the fund projected in the fall. (Very thoughtful of Obama to divert that Keystone oil to China, as clearly they will need it more than we will, and the working stiffs in the US can always afford a few more shekels for energy. ~Bob.)

Worth Reading: South Carolina Message by Thomas Sowell

http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2012/01/24/south_carolina_message

Excerpt: Whomever the Republicans choose as their candidate is going to have to run against both Barack Obama and the pro-Obama media. Newt Gingrich has shown that he can do that. Romney? Not so much. Mitt Romney's fumbling when trying to answer the simple question of whether he would or would not release his income tax records is the kind of indecisiveness that is not going to cut it in a nationally televised debate with President Obama.

Mitt Romney’s tax returns shed some light on his investment wealth

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitt-romney-releases-tax-returns/2012/01/23/gIQAj5bUMQ_story.html?wpisrc=nl_politics

Excerpt: The Romneys sent somewhat less to Washington over that period, paying an estimated $6.2 million in federal income taxes. According to his 2010 return, Romney paid about $3 million to the IRS, for an effective tax rate of 13.9 percent. (What people forget or don’t understand is that Romney’s income is taxed twice. First the companies in which he is a part owner (stockholder) were taxed at about the highest corporate tax rate in the world, around 35%. [

Japan

is higher, but is lowering rates.] Then they distributed the profits that were left after that tax to the stockholders, who were taxed again on the same money at the 15% capital gains tax rate. It isn’t just the Romney and Warren Buffet who pay this double tax rate. If you own stocks or mutual funds in your IRA, 401K or in a pension plan, you’re being hit twice too. ~Bob.)

I’m Tired—still getting comments three years on

Wow. This couldn't have been said better, I'm EXHAUSTED at listening and watching the human garbage in

America

. Thank you for sticking your nose out, and saying what's on most of our minds. Respectfully, Isabelle

British al Qaeda/Shaabab leader may have been killed after calling home

http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2012/01/british_al_qaedashaabab_leader.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LongWarJournalSiteWide+%28The+Long+War+Journal+%28Site-Wide%29%29

Excerpt: Yesterday the Guardian provided a clue on how Bilal al Berjawi, the al Qaeda commander who was killed in a US drone strike on Jan. 21, may have been tracked: The 27-year-old's wife is understood to have given birth to a child in a London hospital a few hours before the missile strike, prompting suspicions among relatives that his location had been pinpointed as a result of a telephone conversation between the couple. If true, it would be interesting to know if the Brits helped in gathering the signals intelligence. Additionally, the report has a few more details on Berjawi: (Huh. We could have gotten E.T. ~Bob.)

Taliban execute Pakistani soldiers

http://www.longwarjournal.org/videos/2012/01/taliban_execute_pakistani_sold.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LongWarJournalSiteWide+%28The+Long+War+Journal+%28Site-Wide%29%29

Murdering fellow Muslim prisoners is fine, as long as you don’t piss on them afterwards. ~Bob. Excerpt: The Times of India reports on and features a clip from a video released by the Taliban showing the execution of 15 captured Pakistani soldiers. A Reuters report includes a translation and description of the video:

California's Millionaire Tax Mirage: A new report says Jerry Brown's revenue projections are fanciful.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204542404577156871353490202.html?KEYWORDS=jerry+brown

Excerpt: Governor Jerry Brown insisted in his State of the State speech last week that California is "still the land of dreams." He's certainly right if he's referring to his latest fantasy that raising taxes on the upper middle-class will generate an additional $5 billion annually over the next five years, eliminate the state's chronic budget deficits and pay down a large portion of its debt. Fortunately, the state's Legislative Analyst's Office, of all unlikely Sacramento institutions, has checked in from realityville. (This should help other states where a lot of the California millionaires will relocate to. None will come here to Illinois, I think. ~Bob.)

Federal employees owe $1.03 billion in unpaid taxes

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/federal-employees-owe-103-billion-in-unpaid-taxes/2012/01/20/gIQAv7KKJQ_blog.html

Excerpt: Congressional staffers owed about $10.6 million in unpaid taxes in 2010, a slight increase from the previous year and a growing slice of the roughly $1 billion owed by federal and postal workers nationwide. The figures come as Republican efforts to pass legislation allowing federal agencies to fire tax delinquent federal employees have slowed and as the White House continues to crack down on improper payments made by agencies to delinquent government contractors and federal beneficiaries.

Gallup: Gingrich and Romney Are Faring Equally Well Versus Obama

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/gallup-gingrich-and-romney-are-faring-equally-well-versus-obama_617578.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Excerpt: The latest Gallup polling shows Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney each trailing President Obama by exactly the same tally — 50 to 48 percent.

Bulletproof balls deliver fuel to front line

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/EquipmentAndLogistics/BulletproofBallsDeliverFuelToFrontLine.htm

Excerpt: Giant sacks, specially designed to transport fuel by air to the front line, have been delivered to troops in

Afghanistan

. (And to think how hard I prayed for bulletproof balls in

Vietnam

. ~Bob.)

After Democrats Destroyed Shovel-Ready Keystone Jobs, New Revelations That Now-Bankrupt Stimulus Poster Child Solyndra Threw Millions in the Trash While Still Owing Taxpayers

http://www.nrcc.org/blog/main.asp?Tid=1843

Most Foreign Postal Services Are Profitable

http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=21521&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DPD

Excerpt: The U.S. Postal Service has come under severe scrutiny and criticism in recent years because of its record-breaking losses (the agency has lost $25 billion in five years). Running billion-dollar deficits, advocates of the agency point to numerous factors that have compromised the postal service's revenues, says Michael Schuyler, a senior economist with the Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation…. However, it bears mention that two of these three factors are worldwide events, and that many other postal services should be running large deficits as well if these factors are truly to blame. A recent study compared 30 high-income nations' postal services with data furnished by the Universal Postal Union: Nine percent saw losses in 2007, 25 percent in 2008, 38 percent in 2009 and 36 percent in 2010. The U.S. Postal Service reported losses in each of those years ($5.1 billion, $2.8 billion, $3.8 billion and $8.5 billion, respectively). Of the 30 reporting nations, only two saw losses in all four years: the United States and Macao. (The progressive-union alliance, still killing golden geese. ~Bob.)

Important: Bet the house: why the FHA is going (for) broke

http://www.aei.org/outlook/economics/financial-services/housing-finance/bet-the-house-why-the-fha-is-going-for-broke/

Another contributor to the coming fiscal collapse. ~Bob. Excerpt: No serious observer of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) believes its financial future is bright. But few recognize just how troubled this government agency really is. That is because it uses lax accounting standards that obscure real and present danger to its own bottom line and the American taxpayer. In fact, when measured against the accounting system used by private mortgage insurers, the FHA is deeply insolvent, with a capital shortfall of tens of billions of dollars. If it were a private firm, state regulators would immediately shut it down. Even using its own rosy numbers puts the FHA’s leverage at 840 to 1, a far more scandalous ratio than even Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. As shown by Fannie and Freddie as recently as 2008 and the slow-motion collapse of the savings and loans (S&Ls) in the 1980s, if government-backed entities are allowed to continue operating when they are insolvent, their losses will only compound. Indeed, the FHA has almost tripled its insurance in force in only three years, in part to cover its losses. And Congress made matters worse last fall when it raised the FHA’s conforming loan limit to $729,750. That pleased the powerful National Association of Realtors, but it simply poured fuel on the fire. Before the agency’s losses skyrocket, triggering a massive taxpayer bailout that deepens our nation’s debt, Congress should reverse that mistake and enact reforms to pull the FHA back from the brink.

Solar Stocks Plunge as Germany Vows to Quicken Subsidy Cuts

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-20/solar-stocks-plunge-worldwide-as-germany-accelerates-rate-cuts.html

Excerpt: Solar stocks plunged around the world after

Germany

, the largest market for panels, said it will make quicker cuts to subsidized rates and phase out support for the industry by 2017. Chinese manufacturers listed in New York fell for a second day, with Trina Solar Ltd. (TSL) and JA Solar Holdings Co. skidding at least 17 percent over the two-day period. GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd. (3800), which makes the raw material for most panels, fell the most since November in Hong Kong. In Europe, Meyer Burger Technology AG (MBTN), Solarworld AG (SWV) and SMA Solar Technology AG (S92) dropped at least 5.3 percent each today. (Boy, this could put Solyndra under, sticking the taxpayers with a half billion dollar loss despite the owners’ political connections. What? Did I miss something? ~Bob.)

Dems fear union cash drain in Wisconsin

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/205965-dems-fear-union-cash-drain-in-wisconsin

Excerpt: Organized labor’s plans to spend heavily to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) has sparked angst on the left that the effort will come at the expense of Democrats in other states. The funding disparity between groups allied with either Republicans or Democrats is one of the biggest concerns for New York Sen. Charles Schumer, the Senate Democrats’ chief political strategist.

Health Problems Ignored In The Incandescent Bulb Ban

http://energy.aol.com/2012/01/17/health-problems-ignored-in-the-incandescent-bulb-ban/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl15%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D129623

Excerpt: Studies estimate that nearly one-quarter of the population, with varying degrees of light sensitivity (photophobia), may suffer negative physical effects if this ban becomes a reality. For this portion of the population, the most commonly found alternative, fluorescent lights (particularly the CFLs), may triggers headaches, migraines, stomachaches, fatigue, eye strain, anxiety, and irritability. Fluorescent lights can also negatively impact the immune system, literally making people sick. (This is from progressive (liberal) Huffington Post, written by an author who distances himself from any possible connection to the Tea Party in the first sentence, and has written several nonfiction books to assist businesses in becoming “more green.” I’ll bet they kick him out of the Green Writer’s Guild. Ron P.)

Public employees union heaps cash into GOP ad attacks on Romney

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/22/public-employees-union-heaps-cash-into-gop-ad-atta/

Excerpt: An unlikely combatant has jumped into the big-money battle between independent groups running ads weighing in on the Republican presidential primary: a national union representing public employees. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) spent $1 million Friday on an ad accusing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney of greed, Federal Election Commission records show. … The strategy seems to indicate that the union views Mr. Romney as the most realistic threat to President Obama and would much prefer to see Republicans field another candidate, such as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, against Mr. Obama in the general election. (The enemy of my enemy is my friend. ~Bob.)

Romney, Gingrich & Obama: The World, The Flesh, and The Devil

http://pjmedia.com/blog/romney-gingrich-obama-the-world-the-flesh-and-the-devil/

Excerpt: Barring yet another unexpected twist in the plot over the next nine months, the American electorate has a choice of three candidates for president. All are flawed. The presidential campaign between now and Election Day will be devoted to exposing and highlighting these failings.

U.S. Defense Cuts Hobble Allies, Embolden Enemies: A cut-rate approach to national security. By Morgan Lorraine Roach

http://pjmedia.com/blog/u-s-defense-cuts-hobble-allies-embolden-enemies/

Excerpt: President Obama’s new defense strategy is sending the wrong message to

America

’s foes. The new cut-rate approach to national security provides opportunities for

Iran

and others to exploit an under-funded and under-equipped military. During the 2008 presidential campaign, then-Senator Obama made no secret of his plans to reduce defense spending. And so it was no surprise when, in April 2011, President Obama ordered the Pentagon to slash its budget by $400 billion. This, of course, came in addition to the $400 billion in cuts he had already imposed.

Calif. HS student devises possible cancer cure

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57358994/calif-hs-student-devises-possible-cancer-cure/?tag=pop;stories

Excerpt: Angela's idea was to mix cancer medicine in a polymer that would attach to nanoparticles -- nanoparticles that would then attach to cancer cells and show up on an MRI. so doctors could see exactly where the tumors are. Then she thought shat if you aimed an infrared light at the tumors to melt the polymer and release the medicine, thus killing the cancer cells while leaving healthy cells completely unharmed. (unfortunately, she may have trouble getting into college. She’s Asian, and our multicultural universities discriminate against Asian to maintain racial balance. ~Bob.)

Troops swoop on Boko Haram, claim end of sect is near

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=74858:troops-swoop-on-boko-haram-claim-end-of-sect-is-near&catid=1:national&Itemid=559

Excerpt: Suspected Boko Haram members took their terrorism to Minna, Niger State as they set ablaze a Christian missionary home, Bethany Home, and destroyed property worth millions of naira. Although no life was lost in the attack, occupants of the home, mostly orphans and the less-privileged were rendered homeless as a result of the attack. … “This is why they have resorted to suicide bombers and by the grace of God, they will soon run out of idiots.” (Nothing like burning an orphanage to show you belong to a religion of peace. But run out of idiots? Very doubtful. ~Bob.)

“This is why they have resorted to suicide bombers and by the grace of God, they will soon run out of idiots.”

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2012/01/22/man-in-cardiff-counter-terror-raid-told-police-he-would-cut-your-head-off-and-machine-gun-the-lot-of-you-court-told-91466-30172696/

Excerpt: A MAN arrested in a police counter-terrorism operation told an officer he would “cut your head off and machine gun the lot of you”, a court has heard. Mohammed Abdin, 21, will be sentenced in Cardiff Crown Court next month after admitting throwing furniture and threatening officers when they stormed a meeting in Canton Community Centre, Cardiff, on Thursday. (He didn’t get the “Islam is a religion of peace” memo. Hope this doesn’t make the cops Islamophobic. ~Bob.)

Stavanger, Norway: Nine out of ten rapists are 'men from minority groups'

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/01/stavanger-norway-nine-out-of-ten-rapists-are-men-from-minority-groups.html

Excerpt: Muslim men rape Muslim women because they do not dare to go to the police out of fear of their family's "honourable" reaction. Muslim men rape non-Muslim women because it is their right. … In Oslo, Norway's capital, 100 percent of rapes are committed by 'non-Western' immigrants.

Honour killing: Victim’s body exhumed on court orders

http://tribune.com.pk/story/325287/honour-killing-victims-body-exhumed-on-court-orders/

Excerpt: Rehnaz Bibi, 13, was allegedly shot dead by one of her cousins in September 2010. According to reports, Bibi left home to convince the boy she liked to marry her without her family’s consent. However, she was sent back home by his family, who lived in the same village, with the promise to send a proposal for her later.

15 Questions the Mainstream Media Would Ask Barack Obama If He Were A Republican by John Hawkins

http://townhall.com/columnists/johnhawkins/2012/01/24/15_questions_the_mainstream_media_would_ask_barack_obama_if_he_were_a_republican

Excerpt: During the practically endless series of Republican debates, we have heard almost every question imaginable asked to Republican candidates – if by every question imaginable, you mean horribly slanted, often irrelevant questions designed to make them look bad and help Obama. (I think answers to #1, #2, and #5 would be welcomed by many voters of both parties. I also think there is zero chance the MSM will ask any of them; they’re quite content with things just as they are. Ron P.)

America

lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent By Caroline B. Glick

http://jewishworldreview.com/0112/glick012412.php3

Excerpt: The Muslim Brotherhood (and its fellow jihadists in the Salafist al-Nour party) will control

Egypt

's internal affairs. This is bad news for women and for non-Muslims.

Egypt

's Coptic Christians have been under continuous attack by Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist supporters since Mubarak was deposed. Their churches, homes and businesses have been burned, looted and destroyed. Their wives and daughters have been raped. The military massacred them when they dared to protest their persecution.

Former John Kerry staffer John Kiriakou arrested for blowing CIA agents’ cover.

http://www.redstate.com/moe_lane/2012/01/23/former-kerry-staffer-arrested-for-blowing-agents-cover/

Excerpt: Mind you, you wouldn’t know that from the Washington Post’s article on the arrest of John Kiriakou. While the Washington Post – from appearances, somewhat reluctantly – reported that Kiriakou (a former CIA officer and Senate Foreign Affairs staffer) had been arrested for revealing names, operations and investigations to the media back in 2008-2009, the paper completely neglected to mention who Kiriakou ended up working for – which is to say, Senator John Kerry (D, MA). Oddly enough, the Washington Post managed to simultaneous note that “[t]he committee had not been aware of the criminal probe of Kiriakou, according to a former U.S. official familiar with the matter” in its article, while unaccountably mentioning that Kiriakou has been leaking classified information publicly for years – including to the, well, Washington Post.

Boston Bruins Goaltender Tim Thomas Snubs Obama White House

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/01/24/boston-bruins-goaltender-tim-thomas-snubs-obama-white-house/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=94d37849c1-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag

Excerpt: Hockey’s culture of conformity took a hit Monday when Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas snubbed an invitation from the Obama White House, declining to visit the President during his annual meeting with the NHL’s reigning Stanley Cup Champion. … Monday night, Thomas released his own statement via his Facebook page: “I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People,” Thomas announced.

Schools of Education: The Academic Slums by Walter Williams

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/01/24/schools-of-education-the-academic-slums/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=94d37849c1-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag

Excerpt: According to a Heartland Institute-published School Reform News (September 2001) article titled “Who Tells Teachers They Can Teach?”, those test questions came from prospective teacher tests. The first two questions are samples from the Praxis I test for teachers, and the third is from the 1999 teacher certification test in Illinois. According to the Chicago Sun-Times (9/6/01), 5,243 Illinois teachers failed their teacher certification tests.

What exactly would President Obama do in a second term?

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71854.html

Excerpt: Take this quiz: If President Barack Obama wins a second term, he has promised that he will do … what exactly? There are people who follow the president closely who couldn’t answer that question. And even those who try would surely find themselves disagreeing with one another. As he stands before the nation Tuesday evening to present his State of the Union address, Obama is a president whose positions may be well-known but whose agenda — what he actually intends and can reasonably expect to achieve if voters give him four more years — is blurry.

Why Newt won

http://ace.mu.nu/archives/325974.php

Excerpt: For me, it was the part where he stood up for work. Where he discussed the essential virtues of work. Nobody does that anymore. It was refreshing. It was important to me to hear someone say it. To hear that someone has a f*cking clue what's going on down here in Realityland. We are out of work and we want it. This administration seems to think that Americans should view work as a vampire perceives holy water, and nearly every policy out of DC reflects that. Well, we don't think that way. We're Americans. We want to work. Dammit, we're ready to get back to it. Give us the reins to our own lives, stick your food stamps back in your ass where they came from, and get out of the way. You're killing us.

China

accuses Tibet activists of 'distorting' clashes

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-16695806

Excerpt: China has accused Tibet activists of ''distorting truth'' over a clash in Sichuan province on Monday. Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said "overseas secessionist groups" trying to discredit the government would not succeed, state news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday. One man was killed and nine, including five policemen, were injured, he added.

Gunmen in southern Philippines kill 15 fishermen

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16695544

Didn’t get the memo. ~Bob. Excerpt: At least 15 men were killed in the southern

Philippines

when gunmen opened fire on three boats, in what military officials say was fishing turf rivalry. The incident happened on Monday off Basilan province, a stronghold of Muslim rebels.

Moroccan law student who burned himself dies

http://news.yahoo.com/moroccan-law-student-burned-himself-dies-123723228.html

note to Occupy wall Street. ~Bob. Excerpt: A 27-year-old Moroccan who set himself on fire to protest his unemployment died from his burns Tuesday in a Casablanca hospital, his wife says. Abdelwahab Zaydoun was part of a group of unemployed graduates who occupied an Education Ministry building in Rabat, the Moroccan capital, to protest their unemployment and threatened to set themselves fire when police didn't let supporters deliver them food.

UN police in Haiti accused of sexual abuse

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-16693441

Excerpt: The United Nations says it is investigating two alleged cases of sexual exploitation of children by UN staff in

Haiti

South Africa

investigates 'gay slur' King Zwelithini

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16697943

Excerpt:

South Africa

's Human Rights Commission is investigating reports that Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini called gay people "rotten" during a speech.

Turkey

PM says French bill on genocide denial 'racist'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16695133

See, the Armenians were Christians, so it was no big deal. ~Bob. Excerpt: The Turkish prime minister has said a bill passed by the French parliament on the mass killing of Armenians under Ottoman rule is "racist".

Romney invested in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

http://www.ksdk.com/news/world/article/299001/18/Romney-invested-in-Fannie-Mae-and-Freddie-Mac

Excerpt: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has criticized rival Newt Gingrich for earning more than $1.6 million in consulting fees from Freddie Mac even though he had invested as much as $500,000 in the U.S.-backed lender and its sister entity, Fannie Mae. Romney's latest financial disclosure report listed several investments in the mortgage giants that he, Gingrich and other GOP critics have repeatedly singled out as prime villains in the housing crisis that played a central role in the nation's long and deep recession. (So did the book Reckless Endangerment by a NYT’s writer, hardly a GOP critic. ~Bob.)

Obammigration: 102,000 Saudi Muslim Visas to US Approved

http://www.debbieschlussel.com/

Excerpt: Whoever the Republican Presidential nominee is, let’s hope that, if elected to the White House, he turns off the spigot of visa rubber-stamping to

America

. (But don’t hold your breath.) Last week, Barack Hussein Obama announced that he was going to make it even easier for foreigners to come to

America

on visitor and student visas. He made the absurd announcement–appropriately–at Disney World. But he’s apparently already made it very easy for Saudi Muslims, to the detriment of

America

’s national security.

Obama’s coming to Arizona, Ground Zero of his Fast and Furious debacle

http://michellemalkin.com/2012/01/23/attention-obamas-coming-to-arizona-ground-zero-of-his-fast-and-furious-debacle/

LA Sec’y of State: DOJ abusing Motor Voter law for ‘political agenda By Kevin Mooney

http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/24/la-secy-of-state-doj-abusing-motor-voter-law-for-political-agenda/

Excerpt: Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler told The Daily Caller that the federal Motor Voter law was set up to “ensure controversy” and that the Obama administration is using it “to advance a political agenda.” “I think it’s time for someone in the states to stand up against this foolishness coming out of Washington D.C.,” he said. Schedler’s concerns echo those of a former Justice Department civil rights lawyer who recently told a Tulane Law School audience that the Obama administration is selectively choosing which parts of the National Voter Registration Act to enforce, in order to expand the voter rolls in every way possible.

Syracuse to students: If you think a comment is racist, shut up

http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/23/syracuse-to-students-if-you-think-a-comment-is-racist-shut-up/

Excerpt: By now, we should all know that the things we say or do on the Internet can come back to haunt us. Your online guide to cannabis cultivation can be a tricky conversation topic during a job interview. That scandalous photo from college can make its way to the horrified eyes of your parents. But would you ever imagine that complaining on Facebook about a comment you thought was racist could get you expelled from graduate school?

A Generation Losing Hope: The Shattering of the American Dream By Frank Ryan
http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/01/a_generation_losing_hope_the_shattering_of_the_american_dream.html#ixzz1kO5QPYNT

Excerpt: Before our very eyes, a generation of Americans is losing faith in the American dream and adopting attitudes and behaviors that emphasize living for the day, not planning to take care of their own futures. They clearly see the problems ahead and draw rational conclusions. Most of our problems have been caused by government. The unintended consequences of poorly thought out legislation or legislation designed merely to garner votes for re-election is wreaking havoc on economic opportunity for our country.

Newt +9: Poll throws cold water on Romney firewall

http://times247.com/articles/new-florida-rasmussen-poll-throws-cold-water-on-romney-firewall

Excerpt: Less than two weeks ago, Mitt Romney had a 22-point lead in Florida, but that’s ancient history in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Following his big win in South Carolina on Saturday, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich now is on top in Florida by nine.

Indiana unions threaten to occupy Super Bowl

http://times247.com/articles/indiana-unions-threaten-to-occupy-super-bowl

Excerpt: Indiana unions, opposed to becoming the first right-to-work state in the Rust Belt, may disrupt Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. Their unnecessary roughness will cost the Hoosiers needed jobs. (Unions and leftists are always willing to punish the innocent to get their way, because the ends justify the means. ~Bob.)

Gingrich vs. Leftism by Bruce Walker, American Thinker

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/01/gingrich_v_leftism.html

Excerpt: The endorsement of Newt Gingrich by Rick Perry, as well as the virtual endorsement of Gingrich by Sarah Palin, forms the battle lines for the Republican nomination. Look quickly for Santorum and Bachmann to line up behind Gingrich as well, just like Huntsman has endorsed Romney. In a three-man race with Gingrich representing historic conservatism, Paul embracing constitutional libertarianism, and Romney representing the pragmatic political wing of the party, Gingrich should wrap up the nomination relatively quickly.

Marine's career threatened by controversial rules of engagement

http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/world/2012/01/marines-career-threatened-controversial-rules-engagement/2127401

Joshua Waddell, a first lieutenant in the U.S. Marines, appeared on his way to a stellar career as an American military officer. The son of a retired Navy SEAL commander, Waddell had won a Bronze Star during his first tour of duty in

Afghanistan

and had returned for a second. Then he made a decision in combat that military experts say has severely jeopardized his future in the corps. (Unreal. Given the choice, I’d rather go into battle with Lt. Waddell than the CO who relieved him. ~Bob.)

A major FOI victory

http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2012/1/23/a-major-foi-victory.html

Excerpt: …UEA's non-disclosure of the email was upheld, on the grounds that the information was, on the balance of probabilities, 'not held'. However, by the time of the ICO's ruling, it was clear that CRU had its own backup arrangements - the CRUBACK3 server that was at the centre of the Climategate affair - and it was therefore fairly clear that the email did still exist. UEA were in essence trying to argue that since it was no longer on Phil Jones' hard drive, it was no longer legally 'held' for the purposes of the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR), regardless of its presence on the backup server. (The fight over the original Climategate emails has just taken a sharp turn for the better. At the end of the article is a link to the full tribunal report. This is an interesting look at how the legal system works in the

. Other implications are that any email, once sent, is retrievable—and therefore available as evidence in court—regardless of whether or not the writer/sender has deleted it from his hard-drive. Thought-criminals beware! Ron P. if the Warmists are right, why do they try so hard to hide stuff? ~Bob.)

The GOP Deserves to Lose

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203806504577178594236642420.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

Excerpt: Let's just say right now what voters will be saying in November, once Barack Obama has been re-elected: Republicans deserve to lose. It doesn't matter that Mr. Obama can't get the economy out of second gear. It doesn't matter that he cynically betrayed his core promise as a candidate to be a unifying president. It doesn't matter that he keeps blaming Bush. (Worrisome since this is coming from the Wall Street Journal. In the early stages of the Primary Election, it seems many people are voting based on emotion rather than logic. At this point it comes down to who has the best chance of winning. The Republican candidate must get the majority of the Independent vote. Hard to see how a candidate with lots of baggage (your call on this one) will be successful. There will only be 2 maybe 3 debates in the General Election. The agreed rules (Obama must get his way) will probably limit the give/take, so doubt debates will make much of a difference. The extent of attack ads by Republican candidates is another concern, as they are playing into the hands of Obama. You can expect extensive attack adds by Obama since he has over a billion dollars for his campaign! Hopefully, Republicans and those in the Tea Party will ultimately pick the best candidate based on who can win! I still think Obama can be defeated! --GBH)

WOLF: Tea Party rising for Newt Gingrich

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/23/titans-grapple-for-southern-advantage/

Excerpt: So long as the Washington establishment continues to underestimate - and even misunderstand - the Tea Party, insiders will continue to be pummeled by the grass-roots giant that no longer sleeps. Democrats dismissed the Tea Party in 2010 and took a historic shellacking. Republicans would be wise to learn from their mistake. First, let’s remind ourselves, the Tea Party is not a formal political party or even an advocacy group, but rather a state of mind. If you believe in constitutional fidelity, limited government and the free market, then you don’t need your name on some official roster or even to have attended a rally to be part of the Tea Party movement. You simply need to use your vote and your effort to demand that our leaders embrace these principles as well.

President Obama’s Very Dishonest Campaign Ad Regarding Energy

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/01/24/president-obamas-very-dishonest-campaign-ad-regarding-energy/#more-55263

Excerpt: A new ad from President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign that touts his energy and ethics record began airing in Virginia this week even as Republican blasted him over a decision to reject a permit for a proposed oil pipeline from

Canada

. The 30-second spot (see below) makes a case that Obama’s policies have promoted clean energy jobs and reduced the nation’s dependence on foreign oil while enduring unfounded attacks funded by wealthy energy industry officials. This campaign ad is nothing but a collection of falsehoods. (The author has done an outstanding job of taking this ad apart and showing the lies for what they are. Although WUWT is usually apolitical, they do point out falsehoods wherever they come from. We probably need to take this ad on before everybody sees it in other states and accepts it as “truth.” Once a lie is accepted as truth, it is much more difficult to refute because many simply won’t listen to the rebuttal. Ron P.)

The Real State of the Union: Big Three Networks Covering Up Obama's Failures

http://www.mrc.org/realitycheck/realitycheck/2012/20120123105825.aspx

Excerpt: By many measures, Barack Obama has left the State of the Union in tatters, but the liberal media, led by the highly rated Big Three network (ABC, CBS, NBC) news shows, have attempted to cover up those holes in the Union by mostly ignoring the Obama administration’s greatest failings. From record numbers of people on food stamps, to the administration’s support of failed energy companies while rejecting an oil pipeline that would result in thousands of jobs, the Big Three networks haven’t told their viewers the full story of Obama’s pathetic track record.

Is The Air Force's X-37B Space Plane Spying On A Chinese Satellite?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/23/air-force-x-37b-space-plane-purpose-robot-unmanned_n_1224373.html?1327354562#s516461&title=X37B_Unmanned_SpaceExcerpt:

Excerpt: The X-37B, also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), is a 29-foot solar-powered craft NASA has been developing since 1999. In that time, the vehicle has been launched twice, including the most recent mission from which it has yet to return. According to the Air Force, the craft's purpose is to test "reusable spacecraft technologies for

America

's future in space and operating experiments which can be returned to, and examined, on Earth." (TOJ’s first coverage of the X-37B was on 5 Dec 2011 (two articles, one with pictures). While spying on a satellite is possible, it seems unlikely. Unless the Chinese have a new way to communicate the satellite’s instructions and data from/to Earth, we’d get just as much intel from snooping their comms, and at a much lower price. Also, ANY polar orbit will eventually over-fly every point on the Earth. The most likely answer is that the USAF told the truth, it’s testing instruments and methods. Ron P.)

Officers justified in invading home without warrant, court rules

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-burbank-search-20120124,0,3687264.story

Excerpt: Burbank police officers investigating a rumor that a truant teenager was planning to "shoot up" Bellarmine-Jefferson High School five years ago were justified in invading the student's home without a warrant because of concerns that violence was imminent, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday. The unanimous, unsigned decision by the high court served as fresh censure of the

U.S.

9th Circuit Court of Appeals, with which the justices are frequently at odds.

Solving the Rubik’s Cube

http://www.nationaljournal.com/columns/off-to-the-races/solving-the-rubik-s-cube-20120123

Excerpt: We hear so many times that the Republican nomination always goes to the winner of either the Iowa caucuses or the New Hampshire primary. Since 1980, South Carolinians are also supposed to have a 100 percent record of picking the nominee. But no one was prepared for the pinball-game aspect of this year’s contest. Nothing like this has ever happened, and it’s hard to figure out what is happening and why.

Romney paid 42 percent of 2011 income in taxes and charity By Jennifer Rubin

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/post/romney-paid-42-percent-of-2011-income-in-taxes-and-charity/2012/01/24/gIQAGe4qNQ_blog.html

Excerpt: Another way of looking at it is that in 2011 the Romneys paid out 42 percent of their income in taxes and charity. Here’s how I got there: Total tax (line 60) + foreign taxes (line 47) + state taxes and real-estate taxes + other taxes (Schedule A, line 9) + charitable contributions (Schedule A, line 19) divided by Adjusted Gross Income (1040 line 37). Let’s compare this percentage to that of average Americans. A 2009 Urban Institute study found: “The average charitable contribution per return filed in 2009 was about 2.0 percent of [adjusted gross] income.”

1,000 days since Senate Democrats passed a budget

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcSrc-zZOUo

CNN Video Shows Gingrich Cleared By IRS of Ethics Charges

http://themorningspew.com/2012/01/24/cnn-video-shows-gingrich-cleared-by-irs-of-ethics-charges/

Portantino introduces bill to ban openly carrying unloaded shotguns and rifles.

http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_19799894

Excerpt: After successfully pushing through a bill that severely restricts carrying unloaded handguns in public places, state Assemblyman Anthony Portantino has proposed a new bill that would do much of the same for rifles and shotguns. AB 1527 would prohibit people from displaying unloaded rifles and shotguns in public. The move comes after open carry advocates switched from carrying handguns in public to brandishing rifles and shotguns, Portantino said in a statement Monday. (Well, I hope they have made an exception for Holder’s DOJ agents selling guns to Mexican drug dealers. ~Bob.)

American Bar Association President: "Obama Ignoring Constitution"

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/20/obama-ignoring-the-constitution/

Excerpt: In a Washington Times column Monday, "Obama Ignoring the Constitution," ABA President William T. Robinson III focuses on Obama's flagrant use of signing statements. "His use of a signing statement to ignore the clear intent of Congress runs counter to the constitutional obligation he has to 'take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.' That is not to say that Mr. Obama is obligated to accede to every whim of Congress. Rather, this President—like every other President who objects to language in legislation enrolled by Congress—should exercise the wholly constitutional authority he has to veto a bill.... (A question comes to mind for the attorneys in the

: IF BHO can just ignore laws --with no penalty or correction from the legal community--Would it not be predictable that citizens would: A-Lose all respect for that legal community, and B--Start ignoring the laws themselves? –Dave H.)

Angry Muslim divorces 3 wives at same time… keeps one after a fight between the four

http://sheikyermami.com/2012/01/24/angry-muslim-divorces-3-wives-at-same-time-keeps-one-after-a-fight-between-the-four/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Excerpt: A man returned home in Abu Dhabi to relax away from work only to find his four wives locked in a heated argument. His decision to end the fight was so decisive that he divorced three of them and beat up the fourth. (Yeah, I just hate it when my wives fight. ~Bob.)

Hitler Admired in PLO Youth Magazine

http://tulisanmurtad.blogspot.com/2012/01/hitler-admired-in-plo-youth-magazine.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Excerpt: Hitler tells a Palestinian girl in her dream: "I killed them [the Jews] so you would all know that they are a nation which spreads destruction all over the world."

Why Newt Could Win Florida

http://www.forbes.com/sites/merrillmatthews/2012/01/23/why-newt-could-win-florida/

Excerpt: The pundits all seemed to agree, up until about Friday morning, that Mitt Romney had South Carolina in his pocket. On Saturday, the conventional wisdom had a head-on collision with an unpredictable primary season. They also said that, with his money and massive media campaign, the Florida primary on January 31 was Romney’s to lose. Well, he may do just that.

First Ad for Mitch 2012?

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/first-ad-mitch-2012_618398.html

Great video. ~Bob.

Cuban-American Leader Perez Endorses Gingrich

http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/perez-endorses-gingrich-cuban/2012/01/23/id/425202

Excerpt: Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich has picked up another key endorsement with the backing of Carlos Perez, a Miami broadcaster and influential voice in Cuban-American circles. Perez, who once was President Ronald Reagan’s point man in Miami, formally endorsed the former House speaker on Saturday.

How you can get involved in the 2012 elections

http://redredhead.wordpress.com/2012/01/23/how-you-can-get-involved-in-the-2012-elections/

Excerpt: With the 2012 elections right around the corner, it’s essential that every able-bodied person join the fight to save our country. Aside from casting a vote on election day, most Americans have never been involved in the political process. In what I believe is the most crucial elections of our lifetime (and likely the make or break point for our country), I would encourage each and every one of you to get involved in some way.