I post articles because I think they are of interest. Doing so doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree with every—or any—opinion in the posted article. Nor that I disagree with them, of course.
Bliadhna mhath ur
(Or, for the politically correct: عام سعيد)
New comment on “I’m Tired”
I saw this bit in the Military Press. Originally I thought another white man with issues in America United States America to be America
GEICO's R. Lee Ermey, appearing on behalf of Toys 4 Tots & USO unloads on President Obama
Excerpt: Well, the old Gunny demonstrates clear and direct communication skills once more. He's got brass ones, because the Hollywood establishment will hold this against him, and that's where a lot of his work has come from in the past. But he IS an old Marine! Semper Fi, Gunny! –Del.
Liberals Give 'Til It Hurts (You)
Excerpt: This week, we'll take a peek at the charitable giving of these champions of the poor. In 2009, the Obamas gave 5.9 percent of their income to charity, about the same as they gave in 2006 and 2007. In the eight years before he became president, Obama gave an average of 3.5 percent of his income to charity, upping that to 6.5 percent in 2008. The Obamas' charitable giving is equally divided between "hope" and "change." George W. Bush gave away more than 10 percent of his income each year he was president, as he did before becoming president. Thus, in 2005, Obama gave about the same dollar amount to charity as President George Bush did, on an income of $1.7 million -- more than twice as much as President Bush's $735,180. Again in 2006, Bush gave more to charity than Obama on an income one-third smaller than Obama's. In the decade before Joe Biden became vice president, the Bidens gave a total -- all 10 years combined -- of $3,690 to charity, or 0.2 percent of their income. They gave in a decade what most Americans in their tax bracket give in an average year, or about one row of hair plugs. Of course, even in Biden's stingiest years, he gave more to charity than Sen. John Kerry did in 1995, which was a big fat goose egg. Kerry did, however, spend half a million dollars on a 17th-century Dutch seascape painting that year, as Peter Schweizer reports in his 2008 book, "Makers and Takers."
Excerpt: Most readers will be familiar with the spectacle of mass Muslim prayer on the streets of Paris Paris
Army edits its history of the deadly battle of Wanat
Excerpt: An initial draft of the Wanat history, which was obtained by The Washington Post and other media outlets in the summer of 2009, placed the preponderance of blame for the losses on the higher-level battalion and brigade commanders who oversaw the mission, saying they failed to provide the proper resources to the unit in Wanat. The final history, released in recent weeks, drops many of the earlier conclusions and instead focuses on failures of lower-level commanders. The battle of Wanat, which took place in a remote mountain village near the Pakistan Afghanistan
Mumbai On The Oresund
Excerpt: According to various media reports, the intention of the would-be Copenhagen Motoon mujahideen was to stage a Mumbai-style attack. They planned storm the Jyllands-Posten building and kill as many people as possible before the police took them out. The latest reports say that only four were “Swedes”; the other was a “Dane”. The Swedish and Danish intelligence services had been following the plot for a long time, and allowed it to mature to the point where the evidence would be sufficient to guarantee convictions on terrorism charges.
Border Patrol’s Battle Against Illicit Activity On Federal Borderlands Suffers From Lack of Resources, Report Says
Excerpt: The U.S. Border Patrol is losing the battle over human and drug smuggling on lands owned and managed by the federal government in the south-west, where illegal entries have outpaced apprehensions, according to a government audit. The “logistical and operational challenges” facing Border Patrol agents responding to unauthorized crossings on federal lands include a lack of resources, rather than access to environmentally-sensitive areas on federal lands as some lawmakers had indicated, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit released last week. “Illegal cross-border activity remains a significant threat to federal lands,” said the report. “On the southwest border, the Tucson Del
Owner kills 3 robbers in jewelry store shootout
Excerpt: In the back room of a humble jewelry store and pawn shop in Houston 's East End Thursday afternoon, a gunman tied Eva Castillo's wrists tightly — too tightly. She complained of the pain, so he loosened the bindings. Then Castillo's husband was ordered at gunpoint to put his hands behind his back. But Ramon Castillo had a surprise for the gunman and two cohorts, who had announced they were robbing the business. Castillo pulled a pistol from his waistband and shot the gunman dead. Then he grabbed a shotgun from his office and engaged in a shootout with the other two armed robbers. When it was over, all three robbers were dead — and Castillo, though shot at least three times, was still standing, having successfully defended what was rightfully his. (OK Mr. Castillo! Here is someone who knows how to handle threats to his family and his property. This guy should be running for office. Oh, and about that debate on gun ownership.... enough said. --Del
Worth viewing and sharing. ~Bob.
Still Arguing For Civil Trials for the Uncivilized!
Excerpt: Every once in a while, I am questioned about my stand on one element of this ongoing debate or another and the question is almost always couched in such a way as to bring discredit to this particular viewpoint. I find that interesting in general because I am not thin skinned and because this argument is not difficult to follow. Because it is not difficult to follow, it forces people to consider their true nature and their true allegiances. I have always maintained that my sole concern is for our Warriors. This is not some misguided plea to protect Warriors from the dangers of warfare, it is in fact an attempt to protect them from the negligence and agenda of those in our own government. So when I receive the occasional hand wringing diatribe that so often allies the hand wringer with the enemies of this nation and our Warriors, I feel compelled to 'chew butt'. What follows is an answer I gave to one such person who is morally conflicted about the handling of prisoners at Gitmo. Of course she has no particular moral conflict with the way our Warriors are treated by their own government, foreign prosecutors, the national media, the lies perpetrated by dirt bags hiding behind the doctrine of Taqiyya and left wing nut cases that are looking for any opportunity to help dismantle this country.
The People of Ascension Fight to Save Their Town
Pay attention—this is what societal collapse looks like. You will be able to recognize it when it starts here. ~Bob. Excerpt: The small town of Ascensión in the crime ridden state of Chihuahua U.S. Chihuahua
Manmade Famine in America
Statism in full cry. ~Bob. Excerpt: It seems inconceivable, but people in America Fresno is the agricultural capital of America America Fresno is starting to resemble Zimbabwe or 1930s Ukraine Central Valley , water allotments as low as 10% of normal have created a visible dust bowl. The knock-on effect can be seen in cities like Fresno
The Chief of General Staff: “We did not lose the right to defend ourselves”
Excerpt: “We will not allow a situation in which our citizens and towns are being fired at from a safe area among citizens. We did not lose the right to defend ourselves. During the next war, we will do everything we can to minimize injuries amongst civilians as we have done in the past.” The Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi said this on Sunday at a meeting with students from the High School for the Sciences and Arts in Jerusalem
Is There a Cure for Liberalism?
At least partially satire, this piece still manages to make good points. Ron P. Excerpt: ...[T]here may well be a heightened tendency among conservatives to perceive and assess threats, whereas liberals just assume everybody’s just got the best of intentions at heart. Which, if it’s true, is among the many reasons liberals should never be elected president. A world full of Kim Jong Ils and Vlad Putins and Osama bin Ladens and ayatollahs, Hugo Chavez’s and Castros and other assorted evils in power and in waiting is no place for a smiley face whose natural tendency is to seek the approval of others. We have that now, and it’s not working out so well. A POTUS needs to be geared to defend to the homeland and citizens against threats, as a default response.
The Net Neutrality Coup
Excerpt: The campaign to regulate the Internet was funded by a who's who of left-liberal foundations. The Federal Communications Commission's new "net neutrality" rules, passed on a partisan 3-2 vote yesterday, represent a huge win for a slick lobbying campaign run by liberal activist groups and foundations. The losers are likely to be consumers who will see innovation and investment chilled by regulations that treat the Internet like a public utility. There's little evidence the public is demanding these rules, which purport to stop the non-problem of phone and cable companies blocking access to websites and interfering with Internet traffic. Over 300 House and Senate members have signed a letter opposing FCC Internet regulation, and there will undoubtedly be even less support in the next Congress.
Islamic Sect Claims Nigeria
Didn’t get the “Islam is a Religion of Peace” memo. ~Bob. Excerpt: A radical Islamist sect said on Tuesday it was behind bombings in central Nigeria Nigeria
Gitmo Is Not Al Qaeda's 'Number One Recruitment Tool'
Excerpt: President Obama and his surrogates have made this argument before, but they have provided no real evidence that it is true. In fact, al Qaeda’s top leaders rarely mention Guantanamo
European Freedom Alliance
Filip Dewinter is the leader of Vlaams Belang, the party which resists Islam in Belgium
Excerpt: Peter Foster, a Beijing-based correspondent for the UK 's Daily Telegraph newspaper, has reported on an interview with Defense Minister Gen. Liang Guanglie published by several state-run media outlets in China China , Russia , Japan , North and South Korea , and the United States have called into question the concept of "peaceful times" and of Beijing China also announced this month that it was preparing to launch its own aircraft carrier next year in a signal that China US
Jihad Against Australia
Excerpt: This is what you might call a Counterjihad video for beginners. It’s a short introductory film about jihad, designed for an Australian audience, and does a good job of laying out the basics. The beginning of it is “old material” as far as regular Gates of Vienna readers are concerned. But watch it through to the grueling audio segment from a call-in radio show near the end — Australian readers may want to send this to their friends who don’t “get it” yet. WARNING: some of the images use in this video — particularly those from the Bali bombing — are graphic, and may be disturbing for sensitive people.
Excerpt: A California San Francisco
Obama bypasses Senate to name new envoys
Didn’t Senator Obama complain about Bush doing this? ~Bob. Excerpt: President Barack Obama has bypassed the Senate and directly appointed four new U.S. Azerbaijan , Syria and NATO allies Turkey and the Czech Republic Syria
'We the people' to open next Congress
Excerpt: The Constitution frequently gets lip service in Congress, but House Republicans next year will make sure it gets a lot more than that - the new rules the incoming majority party proposed this week call for a full reading of the country's founding document on the floor of the House on Jan. 6. The goal, backers said, is to underscore the limited-government rules the Founders imposed on Congress - and to try to bring some of those principles back into everyday legislating.
The R
ight Way t
o Balance the Budget
Excerpt: The federal debt is at its highest level since the aftermath of World War II—and it's projected to rise further. Simply stabilizing debt levels would require an immediate and permanent 23% increase in all federal tax revenues or equivalent cuts in government expenditures, according to Congressional Budget Office forecasts. What's clear is that to avoid a crisis, the federal government must undergo a significant retrenchment, or fiscal consolidation. The question is whether to do so by raising taxes or reducing government spending. Rumors have it that President Obama will propose steps to address growing deficits in his next State of the Union address. The natural impulse of a conciliator might be to split the difference: reduce the deficit with equal parts spending cuts and tax increases. But history suggests that such an approach would be a recipe for failure. In new research that builds on the pioneering work of Harvard economists Alberto Alesina and Silvia Ardagna, we analyzed the history of fiscal consolidations in 21 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development over 37 years. Some of those nations repaired their fiscal problems; many did not. Our goal was to establish a detailed recipe for success. If the United States
Homicides fall in large American cities
Excerpt: When Washington debates whether America Chicago and Los Angeles New York New York
The Fix's 11 big questions for 2011
Excerpt: The calendar is about to turn on a very active 2010 election cycle, but another one waits just around the corner, with the 2012 election expected to begin shortly after the calendar reads "January." To help you keep track of what's ahead, we came up with 11 key questions that are likely to be answered in 2011, and what they mean for the road ahead. Click through, and once you've had a look at our ideas, let us know what you're watching for. The comments section awaits. Can the tea party and the GOP coexist peacefully?
Dozens of incoming GOP freshmen represent districts carried by Obama
Excerpt: The 2010 election netted Republicans 63 House seats, which means there are plenty of targets for Democrats in 2012 — especially in districts that went for President Obama in the last presidential cycle. There are 31 newly elected Republican representatives who represent districts won by Obama. Add those to the current members and that makes 62 Republican-held House seats that Obama carried in 2008. Here are the 31 incoming GOP members who represent districts won by the president.
Boehner taps Alabama
Excerpt: Incoming Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has tapped Rep. Jo Bonner (R-Ala.) to be chairman of the ethics committee in the GOP-led House. In his announcement, Boehner said Bonner is “widely respected” on both sides of the aisle and has a “deep appreciation for the importance of both ethics education and enforcement in the House.” “The American people have every right to expect the highest standards of ethical conduct from their elected leaders, and it is important for members of both the majority and the minority to work together to ensure that such standards are observed and respected at all times within the institution,” Boehner said in a written statement. “A functioning Ethics Committee will be central to that effort in the 112th Congress.” (Tough job. The Ethics chair needs to be above reproach in his/her own ethics, fair, have the courage to go after anyone regardless of politics, know the rules and law. ~Bob.)
Obama's carbon deals kill jobs, benefit Big Business
Excerpt: Democrats based much of their 2010 midterm congressional election campaign on the risible claim that Republican candidates wanted to "outsource jobs." Set aside the fact that this claim, repeated in literally hundreds of races, was as ineffective as it was ludicrous. More importantly, President Obama's new carbon control scheme, which begins next week, provides conclusive evidence that it was the Democrats who planned to do the outsourcing. Carbon limitation laws will send American manufacturing jobs overseas. Carbon emissions, unlike pollutants regulated under the Clean Air Act, can only be reduced significantly through reductions in output, which necessarily means the loss of jobs, increases in prices, or both. As Obama's carbon limitation program begins next week, with new regulations coming into effect over the next two years, energy-intensive industries will begin weighing the costs and benefits of relocating manufacturing operations to countries -- think China and India
Excerpt: Building a navy requires a particularly long lead time. The designing, financing and building of ships requires thinking in terms of at least two decades. Providing experienced commanders and trained crews takes longer. The Chinese Navy's expansion program began in the 1990s, as China 's fleet began to venture away from China Indian Ocean . China China India to Japan Vietnam and the Philippines China China
The high costs of 50 years of pesticide paranoia
Government overreach led to November's voter revolt and congressional shake-up, but one wonders if President Obama is listening and will rein in his own administration, particularly the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA has been the progressive agenda's vehicle on climate change, pesticide regulation and other orders totaling 29 major regulations and 172 major policy rules, far outpacing previous presidential administrations. The more challenging legislative road ahead could lead the EPA to an even more strident path in its regulatory overreach. This could spell bad news in particular for American farmers, when you consider the shaky foundations on which the EPA builds its regulatory cases. Why does the government increasingly seek to quash the technologies that make the American farmer so phenomenally productive? Thank Rachel Carson. Children are still taught the environmentalist's 1962 book, "Silent Spring," showing DDT thinning out bird eggshells and leading to the American bald eagle's extinction. Despite thorough debunking of the "Silent Spring" morality tale, Carson Carson
Surprise!
Excerpt: When Director of National Intelligence James Clapper got stumped on national TV by a Diane Sawyer question regarding the arrest of a dozen terrorist suspects in the UK Britain London : The U.S. State Department confirms that the 12 terrorism suspects arrested in the United Kingdom last week had targeted the American Embassy in London
Excerpt: It isn’t just Fresno Fresno , four other Central Valley cities got listed in the bottom ten of MarketWatch’s 2010 survey on the worst places to do business in the US Fresno Central Valley . One reason the budget hole is so large is because of the lack of revenue from normally-robust agricultural production in that region. Instead of being a net revenue producer, the Central Valley threatens to become a sinkhole of welfare spending that will hasten the bankruptcy of the nation’s largest state, and an economy that would normally rank among the top 10 in the world if considered as a nation unto itself. This is entirely the result of federal government intervention in agriculture, which might be understandable if it was intended to help agriculture. Instead, it comes as a hostile act to both the people of the region and Americans as a whole. Thanks to the collapse of the Central Valley , food prices will increase as we have to import more from countries with much less strict environmental controls, which is merely an inconvenience. The starvation that has begun is more than an inconvenience — it is a national embarrassment, and a moral outrage.
The American 21st Century
I’m on the doom and gloom side. ~Bob. Excerpt: Two symptoms of all this doom and gloom are constant over the decades. First, America United States , it is understandable that developing countries like China , India or Brazil America integrates immigrants and assimilates races and ethnicities in a way Europe cannot. Russia , China and Japan China , the European Union, India , Japan , Russia and South Korea America