Political Digest for May 13, 2011

Sorry this is late--Blogger was down this morning and I was tied up the rest of the day.

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.

The Coming Collapse of the American Republic

http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2011/05/my-new-book-is-out-coming-collapse-of.html

Info about my book. All royalties go to wounded veterans. Please forward and post where possible.

Resources

For those who want further information about the topics covered in this blog, I recommend the following sites. I will add to this as I find additional good sources.

http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2011/03/resources-for-opinion-leaders-who.html

Limited Posts

I have a pulmo appointment Friday (the 13th) and out-of-town family stuff Saturday and Sunday, so posts may be limited until Monday. Maybe Tuesday if the doc decides to do a lung transplant. LOL.

Armstrong Williams Radio Show appearance about my new book

Thank you very much for agreeing to be a guest on The Armstrong Williams Radio Show Tuesday, May 17 at 4:30 PM EDT. The topic will be your new book. We broadcast daily on WGCV Radio in Columbia, WLMC Georgetown, SC, WCPK Chesapeake, VA, from 4-5:00 PM and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio New 128 daily from 7-8:00 PM. You may listen to our daily broadcast from 4-5:00 PM EDT on www.livestream.com/armstrongwilliams

Libraries will order my book if asked

Forwarded to me by a friend in Florida: Thank you for contacting the library system. The Coming Collapse of the American Republic will be ordered in a matter of days. The library system does not have a system of notification as items arrive. But, you may place a reserve on the title when it appears in the library catalog,

Getting media coverage

Have you noticed that the media won’t cover folks yelling, “Allah Akbar” when they do weird or violent stuff? If they want front page coverage, when they shoot someone or storm a cockpit, they should yell, “TEA PARTY!” That would do it. ~Bob.

Newt Gingrich has ideas. Can he turn them into presidential appeal?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/newt-gingrich-has-ideas-can-he-turn-them-into-presidential-appeal/2011/05/11/AF7rEYqG_story.html?nl_headlines

Huge gifts and huge flaws. ~Bob. Excerpt: Like others in the Republican field, Gingrich, 67, has been moving steadily toward a candidacy for months. But in formally declaring, he set himself on an uncertain journey that will test whether his assets can overcome his liabilities. There are many questions he will confront. Gingrich is an idea-spewing machine, unlike anyone else in the Republican Party. But does America want a one-man think tank, particularly one with his history, as its president? Is he yesterday’s man at a time when Republicans may want a fresh face? A number of GOP strategists think his time has passed, though he obviously does not and looks to history for inspiration.

Republicans throw right hooks in escalating fight over budget, debt

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/160717-right-seeks-381b-in-cuts-

Excerpt: House conservatives said Wednesday the budget deficit should be cut in half and spending should be reduced by as much as $381 billion next year in exchange for a higher debt ceiling. Separately, GOP appropriators spelled out deep non-defense spending cuts for agencies in order to meet the $46 billion in reductions promised in the House 2012 budget resolution. Appropriations also vowed to move nine of the 12 spending bills through the lower chamber by the August recess. 

Important: The Facts About the Corporate Income Tax: Separating economic myths from economic truths.

http://reason.com/archives/2011/05/06/the-facts-about-the-corporate

Excerpt: Myth 1: We can collect more revenue by raising the tax rate on corporations or by increasing the top bracket. Fact 1: The wealth of the economy is a much better indicator of corporate tax revenue than tax rates and tax brackets.

ERs are busier, despite state law

http://www.boston.com/news/health/blog/2011/04/survey_ers_are.html

Gee, government gets involved and things get worse. Who could have guessed. Thanks, Mitt. ~Bob. Excerpt: When the Massachusetts Legislature made health insurance mandatory five years ago, supporters of the first-in-the-nation law hoped it would keep patients out of hospital emergency rooms. Patients with insurance, the theory went, would have better access to internists, family practitioners, and pediatricians, lessening their reliance on emergency rooms for routine care. There is more evidence today that it did not turn out that way.

Obama: 'Keep on Praying' for immigration reform

http://dailycaller.com/2011/05/12/obama-keep-on-praying-for-immigration-reform/#ixzz1M9slx

Excerpt: Today’s National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast was converted into a crass political rally by President Barack Obama, who called on the clerics to mobilize their flocks for congressional passage of national amnesty for illegal immigrants, even though it could spur “raw feelings … and fear” of Hispanics according to the president. “I’m asking you to keep on preaching… keep on activating, getting involved, mobilized,” until Congress passes a “comprehensive immigration reform” law, he told the assembled clerics. “I’ll keep pushing and working with Congress, but the only way we will get this done is by building a widespread movement..."That's why we all need to keep on praying." (I have lived in many places, including NJ, PA, FL, Manhattan for five years, Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland, Cardiff in Wales, West Yorkshire in the north of England, Someret, Berkshire, Liverpool, in London twice for four years each time, and now for five years in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is by far the very worst place I have ever lived. The people here have made my life an utter misery for the entire time I've been here. Get Them Out. - Kate in LA. Not to worry. Once they destroy our economy and culture, they won’t want to come here any more. ~Bob.)

Celebrate American National Day of Prayer, Not Mexican

http://www.newswithviews.com/Lloyd/rees117.htm

Excerpt: However, the National Day of Prayer was all but completely ignored on May 5 as the liberal, “progressive” politically correct politicians, media, and education bureaucrats and teachers, continued the farce of celebrating Cinco de Mayo as a grand day which Americans should celebrate a supposed glory day of Mexico -- although in fact even Mexico does not recognize “Cinco de Mayo” as a day of celebration. On the National Day of Prayer, the liberal media, printed and broadcast not calls to prayer, but, rather, “Happy Cinco de Mayo” greetings to Americans. Governmental agencies carried out “Cinco de Mayo” celebrations by government employees in public taxpayer-supported facilities all over the country, including on what would be “work time” in the private employment sector, but not in the politically-correct public employment sector. America’s government schools overflowed with celebrations of “Cinco de Mayo” led by overwhelmingly liberal education bureaucrats and teachers, while America’s “National Day of Prayer” was ignored in the progressive curricula. Indeed, American school kids were not told by their overwhelmingly liberal, politically-correct teachers of the history of the American National Day of Prayer, going all the way back to George Washington in 1775. Instead, the kids were propagandized about Mexico's great victory (sic) over the French in the Battle of Pueblo. Alas, however, they weren’t educated to the fact that it was a singular, and shortlived "victory," as Napoleon III sent in the French troops and quickly trounced the Mexican army, won the war, and re-took Mexico.

White House Slams Bill That Would Expand Oil Production

http://visiontoamerica.org/598/white-house-slams-bill-that-would-expand-oil-production/

See, they want higher gas prices so you’ll be forced to buy a coal-powered Chevy Volt. But they don’t dare say that. ~Bob. Excerpt: The Obama administration on Wednesday slammed a House bill that would allow oil companies to drill in at least 50 percent of the Outer Continental Shelf and open up areas in the South Atlantic for oil production.

The bill, titled, “Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act,” is expected to pass the House late Wednesday or Thursday. In its “Statement of Administration Policy,” the White House claimed the bill would undermine and circumvent the process by which officials currently deem areas safe to lease for drilling.

Bin Laden's Preoccupation with U.S. Said to be Source of Friction with Followers

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/bin_ladens_preoccupation_with_us_said_to_be_source_of_friction_with_followers/2011/05/11/AFy8zAuG_story.html?wprss=rss_world

Excerpt: [Bin Laden] exhorted followers to explore ways to recruit non-Muslims “who are oppressed in the United States,” in the words of one official — particularly African Americans and Latinos — and to assemble a plot in time for the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Even while sealed inside a cement compound in a Pakistani city, bin Laden functioned like a crime boss pulling strings from a prison cell, sending regular messages to his most trusted lieutenants and strategic advice to far-flung franchises, including al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen. Some followers pledged their fealty to him; others, however, chafed at his exhortations to remain focused on U.S. targets instead of mounting less risky operations in places such as Yemen, Somalia and Algeria.

Editorial: Partisanship has no place in League of Women Voters

http://www.gloucestertimes.com/opinion/x364972379/Editorial-Partisanship-has-no-place-in-League-of-Women-Voters

Excerpt: The Cape Ann League of Women Voters consistently provides a number of services come every election time, whether it's hosting its own candidates debates and preparing questions, disseminating other voter information on issues or — as its local members did a few weeks ago, actively contributing questions for other debates or forums, like our own Gloucester Daily Times debate in the late-developing race for Rockport's School Committee. A big part of the league's credibility, however, depends on its bipartisanship. And a nasty, ill-conceived step by the League on the state and national levels has unfortunately now jeopardized that for all of its chapters. That shameful action came in the form of a set of vicious attack ads sponsored by the League of Women Voters against Sen. Scott Brown that aired throughout the Boston market last week. (The Gloucester Times is not a particularly partisan paper. Indeed, like most of the state, it tends to be on the liberal side of most issues. I’ve seen these ads—there are at least two, one with a Caucasian-looking mother and daughter and one where they appear African-American, perhaps there are more ads coming to pander to other targeted groups—and they are not only misleading, but offensive to anyone capable of thought. The clear intent is to demonize Brown as much and as early as possible in the run up to the 2012 election. Until this incident, I’d always thought of the LWV as non-partisan. Clearly, I was wrong. I do wonder if clearly partisan political activity is allowed by their tax status and charter? Perhaps someone should look into that. Ron P.)

Ron Paul to Israel: I want to cut off US foreign aid to you!

http://www.examiner.com/american-politics-in-vancouver/ron-paul-to-israel-i-want-to-cut-off-us-foreign-aid-to-you#ixzz1M9ZBZkz6

Going for the Muslim vote. ~Bob. Excerpt: Of course, Paul and his band of merry and fanatical followers called Paul-ites like to spin their hostility towards Israel by couching it in devious terms, but we still know hostility to Israel when we see it. In example, the way that Paul argued his anti-Israel, anti-foreign aid point last night was to claim that he didn’t want the US to continue to have to give Israel permission to do things. In other words, he wants a more hands-off US foreign policy not only with Israel, but with the broader Middle East, too. That’s how Paul spins his hostility to Israel: By disguising it as him wanting Israel to be more “independent” and “freer” to do its own thing, without any US involvement or influence.

Denmark Suspends the Schengen Agreement

http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2011/05/denmark-suspends-schengen-agreement.html

Excerpt: Denmark has suspended the Schengen treaty and re-introduced controls at its borders with Germany and Sweden. It was announced by the country’s Finance Minister, Claus Hjort Frederiksen. As our regular readers know, the Baron has been following closely the events in Italy as its coast continues to be inundated with boatloads of refugees from North Africa and environs. Besides documenting the numbers of asylum-seekers, he’s also been commenting on the EU’s stunning willingness to let Italy simply drown in effluvia.

Report: Obama Moving Towards Regime Change in Syria

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/report-obama-moving-towards-regime-change-in-syria/?singlepage=true

Regime Change? That Cowboy, Obama, throwing America’s weight around in the middle east. When does the bombing start? ~Bob. Excerpt: The decision has not yet been made — and this is likely a calculated leak meant to deliver a last warning to Assad — but this is nonetheless a huge change in policy. An official has told the AP: “we are getting close” to demanding the Syrian dictator’s resignation. Apparently the language is already being crafted, with the report stating: “The first step would be to say for the first time that President Bashar Assad has forfeited his legitimacy to rule.” This will be coupled with language supporting a transition towards democracy — a softer way of saying two words the Obama administration is so reluctant to utter: “regime change.” (Another timely decisions by the Obama administration. And it only been two months, or is it three? Ron P.)

Court Ruling: U.S. Terror Victims Beat DOJ in Claiming $5M of Hamas Funds

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/court-ruling-u-s-terror-victims-beat-doj-in-claiming-5m-of-hamas-funds/?singlepage=true

Excerpt: The HLF had bank accounts in New York, New Jersey, South Carolina, Illinois, and Washington and the victims’ families immediately filed execution proceedings in all these places to satisfy, in part, their judgment against Hamas. The DOJ, however, was not going to simply allow the victims’ families to receive their compensation. The government filed a restraining order to block the families from collecting the funds against their judgment. The U.S. attorneys argued that once the DOJ had filed its indictment against the Palestinian charity, the HLF’s assets had been forfeited to the government under the criminal forfeiture statute and the families were out of luck.

The Case Isn't Closed on Terrorism

http://townhall.com/columnists/philgingrey/2011/05/11/the_case_isnt_closed_on_terrorism/page/full/

Excerpt: Even with Bin Laden’s death, we have not eliminated terrorism’s presence in the world and therefore cannot dismiss it as some sort of antiquated threat. … While President Bush constructed and implemented programs to capture, detain, and survey threats, the Obama Administration has done little but criticize those decisions and policies. Within the first few months, it attempted to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay and reduce the authorized interrogation procedures used there. The Administration also attempted to have al Qaeda leaders tried in civilian courts and launched an investigation into the interrogations of al Qaeda leaders by CIA officers. Even in the aftermath of this victory in our counterterrorism efforts, Attorney General Holder has indicated that the Administration has every intention of closing the Guantanamo Bay detainment facility. This is not only irresponsible, but sends a message that the threat of terrorism has diminished when it hasn’t.

Tough Times for Radical Islam

http://townhall.com/columnists/victordavishanson/2011/05/12/tough_times_for_radical_islam/page/full/

Excerpt: Although candidate Barack Obama was elected as the anti-Bush who promised to repeal the Bush protocols and end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, President Obama did no such thing. He continued the Bush-Petraeus withdrawal plan in Iraq. He escalated in Afghanistan. He kept all the antiterrorism measures that he had once derided. And he expanded the Predator drone assassination missions fivefold, while sending commandos inside Pakistan to kill -- not capture and put on trial -- bin Laden. He ignored most recommendations from Attorney General Eric Holder and guessed rightly that his own left-wing base would keep largely quiet. The effect was twofold. America kept up the pressure on terrorists and their supporters. And the liberal opposition to our antiterrorist policies simply evaporated once Obama became commander in chief. Some who once protested the removal of Saddam lauded the efforts to do the same to Gadhafi. Those who once sued on behalf of detainees at Guantanamo joined the government to ensure the Predator drone targeted-killing program continued. (Hanson has always said he was an optimist. I suspect the picture he paints here is a little too optimistic. Al Qaeda is like Hercules’ hydra, the snake with many heads. When one head was cut off, two more grew back. Hercules solved his problem by burning the heads off, cauterizing the wounds so nothing could grow in the future. We appear to be using a different strategy: We’re attacking the snake’s body. If the body can’t support the heads, the whole snake dies. But, this will only work if we have the will and the means to continue to hurt that body. At the moment, the means are a given—though this may change in the future—but the will is doubtful. Ron P. )

Camp of the Saints: Death on the High Seas

http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2011/05/camp-of-saints-death-on-high-seas.html

Excerpt: Refugees continue to land on the coast of Italy, mostly at the port on the tiny island of Lampedusa. On Sunday, however, a relatively small group of culture-enrichers landed in Sicily. Based on their South Asian ethnicity, their port of origin was presumably not on the North African coast: Migrants: Clandestines Land in Calabria (AGI) Bianco — More clandestine migrants land in Calabria near Locri. The alert this morning at 7.20 when some of them were spotted walking along the Statale Jonica 106 road, near the Sant’Anna hamlet in the Africo municipality. On the spot Police, Carabinieri, Tax Police and Coast Guard; 29 people, men between 20 and 30 yers of age, have been stopped. They are 25 Pakistani aliens and 4 Indians, who landed on the Jonian coast -known as the “Jasmine Riviera” — with a speed boat which pulled away immediately after.

Scroll Down for VIDEO: "Go to Hell, Hippie, go to Hell!": Angry Mob Arrives in Hundreds to Stop Student's Flag-Burning Protest for "Human Rights" of Terror Subjects

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1386346/USA-USA--Angry-mob-arrives-hundreds-stop-students-flag-burning-protest.html

Excerpt: An angry mob stormed a university campus yesterday to stop a student burning the U.S. flag in support of the 'human rights' of suspected terrorists. Louisiana State University student Ben Haas widely advertised his 'free speech' protest on social networking sites in an attempt to draw attention to the supposed maltreatment of those suspected of terrorism. But the event did not go quite as planned after patriotic students turned up in their hundreds, booing loudly, heckling and chanting 'USA! USA!' in a huge counter-protest which stopped him from going through with his threat.

Kochs Get Slammed for Donating Money to Education

 http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/kochs-get-slammed-donating-money-education_560927.html

Have you heard the news? First the nefarious Koch brothers were trying to end education for kids in Wisconsin (well, until they weren’t actually). And, now, if you can believe it, the news is that the Koch brothers are trying to promote education! Some nerve…The phony outrage this time is over a $1.5 million donation that the Koch Foundation gave to Florida State University (FSU) to hire new professors and implement a program that promotes political economy and free enterprise. The agreement was made in 2008 with FSU, and though it was transparent at the time, it went largely unnoticed—that is, until just recently. Here’s how an article in the St. Petersburg Times describes the agreement between the Koch Foundation and FSU:

Triumph of the Conservatives

http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/triumph-conservatives_559362.html

Excerpt: Who’s the most powerful conservative leader in the Americas, north and south? That may sound like a trick question, but it’s not. The answer is Stephen Harper, the Canadian prime minister who triumphed last week in an election that all but destroyed two opposition parties, the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois (BQ). Harper, prime minister since 2006, has been called an “elected dictator”—and that was when he headed a minority government with limited power. Now he has a majority (167 of 308 seats in the House of Commons). In Canada’s parliamentary system, this means Harper and the Conservative party control both the legislative and executive branches.

Harvard Grapples with Rejection

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/05/harvard_grapples_with_rejectio.html

Excerpt: Harvard is far more accustomed to giving rather than receiving rejection. But in the wake of the devastating electoral rejection of alumnus/professor Michael Ignatieff and the Canadian Liberal Party, the university community is struggling to cope. As Tamsin McMahon of Canada's National Post chortles, "Boston's chattering classes are struggling with the stunning political defeat of one of Harvard's most popular academics at the hands of Canadian voters, painting Michael Ignatieff's historic loss as Liberal leader as a new low in Canadian politics." Keep in mind that the putative best-and-brightest Ignatieff didn't just lose an election, under his leadership, the most dominant political party in the Western world, holding power for 69 years of the 20th century and the first 5 years of the 21st, lost its status as the Loyal Opposition, dropping to number 3 behind the loony left New Democratic Part. Humiliatingly, Ignatieff lost his seat in Canadian Parliament, to boot. He immediately resigned as the Party's leader.

NYPD Handles Synagogue Terror Plot

http://www.investigativeproject.org/2860/nypd-handles-synagogue-terror-plot

Probably they were Baptists….~Bob. Excerpt: New York police have arrested two men intent on attacking a Manhattan synagogue after one bought a hand grenade, semi-automatic handguns and bullets from undercover officers. Ahmed Ferhani and Mohamed Mamdouh face charges including second degree conspiracy charges relating to terrorism and hate crimes and first degree attempted weapons possession in connection with terrorism.

Obama Demeans Himself on Immigration

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/05/obama_demeans_himself_on_immig.html

Excerpt: The matter of illegal immigration, and more importantly the current regime's unwillingness to secure the southern border, is among the defining issues of the day.  It encompasses not only the legality of unfettered immigration and its impact on a devastated economy, but rampant crime and national security. Yet this President treats it as if it was simply a topic to exploit for his personal ends. For a President of the United States to behave in this manner is crass and reprehensible, as he has no intention on working with others to solve this issue in a fair and equitable manner. Illegal immigration is first and foremost a violation of the law and cannot be rewarded. I say this as an undocumented alien who eventually became a citizen by going through a long and winding process. More specifically, I arrived in America as a "displaced person" from World War II. I did not speak English and had no name. I did not have a passport, a birth certificate, or papers of any sort as neither I nor anyone else had any knowledge of what country I was born in or when ( except to guess sometime in the latter years of the War), and certainly not to whom. After numerous misadventures I was eventually put on a ship bound for the United States. On the seventh day, as dawn broke, I stood, alone, at the railing and watched the image of the Statue of Liberty slowly emerge from the mist, framed majestically by the skyline of New York in the distance, the peaks of its skyscrapers reflecting the morning sun. I did know what the future would bring in this strange land that had so willingly taken me in.

Lloyd Marcus: Black Race Pimps! I'm Callin' You Out!

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/05/black_race_pimps_im_callin_you.html

Excerpt: I am so sick of these racist so-called civil rights groups bullying people with race. It is an indisputable fact that the liberal mainstream media exempted presidential candidate Barack Hussein Obama from the usual vetting process of one seeking to be elected Leader of the Free World. Obama's skin color trumped everything. Thus, for the first time in U.S. history, we have a president who cannot be criticized in any way. "Hear ye, hear ye, all who dare criticize King Obama is automatically guilty of racism and will suffer the consequences!"  This is totally absurd and insane. Obama has been in the Oval Office for two years. Black race pimps continue to despicably, without reservation, drive a wedge into the heart of national race relations. Whenever these black race pimps, including the Obama administration, find themselves on the losing end of an argument, they turn it into a racial issue branding the opposition racist.

Border Patrol agents trade fire across Rio Grande

http://weareaustin.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=145036

Probably trying to join BO at the Latino Prayer Breakfast. ~Bob. Excerpt: Authorities on both sides of the Texas-Mexico border are investigating after U.S. Border Patrol agents traded gunfire with an unidentified man who fired at them from across the Rio Grande. Border Patrol spokeswoman Rosalinda Huey tells The Monitor of McAllen that U.S agents were near an RV park in the lower Rio Grande Valley city of Mission just before midnight Tuesday when they saw smugglers trying to bring marijuana across the river on rafts.

Sneaker net! How Bin Laden Emailed Without Being Detected By U.S.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110512/ap_on_re_us/us_bin_laden

Excerpt: Holed up in his walled compound in northeast Pakistan with no phone or Internet capabilities, bin Laden would type a message on his computer without an Internet connection, then save it using a thumb-sized flash drive. He then passed the flash drive to a trusted courier, who would head for a distant Internet cafe. At that location, the courier would plug the memory drive into a computer, copy bin Laden's message into an email and send it. Reversing the process, the courier would copy any incoming email to the flash drive and return to the compound, where bin Laden would read his messages offline.

Climate vs. Voldemort

http://blog.chron.com/climateabyss/2011/05/climate-vs-voldemort/

Excerpt: The Weather Coalition is a consortium of companies, universities, and associations whose purpose is to advocate for initiatives that advance US weather observation, prediction, and warning capabilities. As part of that effort, they’re trying to organize a caucus of members of the House of Representatives interested in weather-related issues.  John Snow, former Dean of the College of Geographic and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Oklahoma, is one of the people working on this. Two weeks ago, he met with staffers of two representatives from Oklahoma. With both sets, the response was the same: “Don’t talk to us about climate. Now, what can we do for you?” (…) But the basic message was consistent: Don’t use the c-word. My first guess was that these were Democrats who had become shell-shocked at lack of success and loss of political capital with the pre-Copenhagen climate bill. But no, these were Republican congressmen who, as a matter of basic principle, were avoiding taking any active role in climate policy altogether. I found it rather disconcerting to hear that my current profession (climatology) was viewed by our leaders as being so evil that it should be treated with the same respect as Lord Voldemort himself. So I asked John about why he thought the c-word had become so politically incorrect. (…) Said Snow, “When I listen to some of my colleagues who make the pronouncements they do, they come across as speaking on behalf of the Deity. This doesn’t work with Senators.” (It seems to me that contrary to the author’s assertion, policy is the province of elected officials, not advocates. Like every other American, climate advocates should be free to speak their minds to support their positions, but seeing those who disagree as “evil” is improper (though they may prove themselves evil in other ways). Policy decisions involve balancing ALL the competing needs, wants, and yes, fears of ALL the constituents, not just those the advocates represent. And, when the economic and political stakes are as big as the entire global economy and the existence of individual liberty itself…. (This comment submitted for cross-posting at blog.chron.com) Ron P. The Left has to see those who disagree as evil, stupid or both. It’s in their world view. ~Bob.)

Feds: Don't Screen Students for Immigration Status

http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/feds-dont-screen-students-941314.html

Excerpt: In Georgia, state lawmakers considered legislation this year that could have run counter to the warning. House Bill 296 would have required the state Board of Education to tally the expenditures, by school district, for illegal immigrants in kindergarten through 12th grade. That information would have been published on the state board's website. But in accordance with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Plyler v. Doe, the state Board of Education's rules prohibit school officials from inquiring about the legal status of students. Supporters of tougher immigration legislation in Georgia have argued that the state needs to take action because illegal immigrants are burdening taxpayer-funded resources here, such as schools, hospitals and prisons.

Pakistan: The Problem, the Solution

http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/2011/05/09/pakistan-the-problem-the-solution/

Excerpt: The most significant fact to emerge from the killing of Osama Bin Laden is that Pakistan’s military intelligence service (ISI) had been sheltering him for years. This confirms what we have been warning for the best part of the past decade: that Pakistan is an irredeemably flawed entity, unable to turn itself into a stable polity or a benign global presence. It needs to be quarantined and its disintegration along its many ethnic-tribal fault lines actively encouraged. It is indicative of a long-overdue onset of realism in Washington that the U.S. decided not to inform the government in Islamabad of the raid until after it happened.

VIDEO: Geert Wilders in Canada: 'I don't hate Muslims. I hate Islam.'

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/video/featured/prime-time/867432237001/i-dont-hate-muslims-i-hate-islam/937393411001

I hate some Muslims and some forms of Islam—the aggressive versions that wish to destroy the west and freedom. I have no problem with live-and-let-live versions of Islam or Muslims. ~Bob.

US Freezes Chicago Palestinian Leader's Bank Accounts

http://electronicintifada.net/content/us-freezes-chicago-palestinian-leaders-bank-accounts/9926

Excerpt: The US government has frozen the bank accounts belonging to Hatem Abudayyeh, a Palestinian community organizer and director of a social service organization serving the Arab community in Chicago, and his wife, Naima. Meanwhile, several members of Congress have written to the Obama administration to express their concerns about violations in civil liberties as a result of earlier government actions toward Abudayyeh and other activists. The freezing of the Abudayyeh family’s bank accounts on Friday, 6 May is the latest development in a secret grand jury investigation that has been launched by US District Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s office in Chicago. The freezing of the accounts has raised concerns that criminal indictments in the case may be imminent.

Bin Laden Caught: But Another Black Hawk Down On Critical Mission

http://translogic.aolautos.com/2011/05/10/bin-laden-caught-but-another-black-hawk-down-on-critical-missio/

Excerpt: The biggest American casualty from the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound last week was a multi-million dollar secret helicopter that dropped 30 to 40 feet in the air onto the hard ground. It took a while for all the details to emerge, but it appears the crash happened for one really surprising reason: The air on ground was much hotter than anticipated. That, combined with the high walls of the compound, created an air vortex that sucked the air right out from under the chopper. A mission that should have started with the U.S. Navy Seals rappelling into the yard instead began with a hard thud.

More Gutsy Calls from Obama!

http://townhall.com/columnists/anncoulter/2011/05/11/more_gutsy_calls_from_obama!

Obama has been making "gutsy calls" all over the place! In full campaign mode, he's been deploying his administrative agencies to do favors for his big contributors, to the detriment of ordinary Americans. Last week, Obama made the gutsy call to threaten public schools that are asking students for proof of residency. The memorandum warned school districts that it's illegal to ask students for proof of citizenship or legal residency status. Obama's wealthy donors need illegals so they can get cheap nannies, cooks and pool boys. On the other hand, illegals being paid off the books are not helping Americans find jobs.

Bin Laden's Death Changes Little

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703859304576306941215709576.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Excerpt: It's immaterial whether the Taliban and others are currently targeting the U.S. homeland. We can't allow them to create a fundamentalist caliphate stretching from Kabul to Kashmir.

Al Qaeda's Leadership in Yemen

http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20110511-al-qaeda-leadership-yemen?utm_source=SWeekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=110512&utm_content=readmore&elq=6fbe9fe44067468aa85fb95d1f51a788

Excerpt: On May 5, a Hellfire missile fired from a U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) struck a vehicle in the town of Nissab in Yemen’s restive Shabwa province. The airstrike reportedly resulted in the deaths of two Yemeni members of the Yemen-based al Qaeda franchise group al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and injured a third AQAP militant. Subsequent media reports indicated that the strike had targeted Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born member of AQAP, but had failed to kill him. The May 5 strike was not the first time al-Awlaki had been targeted and missed. On Dec. 24, 2009 (a day before the failed AQAP Christmas Day bombing attempt against Northwest Airlines Flight 253), an airstrike and ground assault was launched against a compound in the al-Said district of Shawba province that intelligence said was the site of a major meeting of AQAP members. The Yemeni government initially indicated that the attack had killed al-Awlaki along with several senior AQAP members, but those reports proved incorrect.

Saudi Arabia's Coming Revolution

http://www.investigativeproject.org/2859/saudi-arabia-coming-revolution

Excerpt: A Saudi-born, liberal intellectual claims that while the Saudi regime has bought off and suppressed current dissatisfaction, revolution still is coming. In excerpts of an article translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Mansour al-Hadj argues that disenfranchisement of weak sectors of the society will lead to an inevitable backlash. Shiites, women, children of immigrants, political prisoners, and liberals are all volatile elements in Saudi society, al-Hadj argues in his article at the liberal Arabic-language website Aafaq.org. The Saudi government uses a carrot-and-stick method to suppress dissent, employing brutal crackdowns and controls on intellectual freedom, while issuing royal decrees to disperse massive amounts of funds.