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.
Schilling Show Interview in Abu Dhabi
From a blog reader: “Poolside at the Fairmont in Abu Dhabi, where it's a cool 104, but hot enough to melt the butter into that yellow liquid perfect for dipping lobster. A half a click across the water is GHQ, and beyond that the Sheikh Zayed mosque. … And was able to listen to your podcast from yesterday right here.”
2012 Election Poster
Important: Greek parliament approves crucial financial measures
Huzzah! The can is kicked down the road, saving Euro-socialism … and our economy … for several months. BTW, your money is in some of those loans. And we will see these type “entitlement riots” here in a few years, as we are forced to implement austerity programs. (Good pictures of Greek cops on fire.) ~Bob. Excerpt: The Greek parliament on Wednesday approved a controversial package of tax hikes and spending cuts, clearing the way for $17 billion in international emergency loans needed to stave off a possible default. The largely party-line vote gives Prime Minister George Papandreou a critical victory in the midst of crisis talks with other European leaders and the International Monetary Fund. The approval comes despite a two-day nationwide strike and continued violent demonstrations. Police and protesters clashed in Athens
European Union: Everywhere you look, a crisis
Excerpt: Like an overladen container lorry laboring up a steep hill, the European Union is close to stalling. Greece Athens and the continued disunity of decision-makers in Brussels , Berlin , Frankfurt and Luxembourg Greece
Is Democracy Viable? By Thomas Sowell
Excerpt: Nuclear weapons in the hands of the world's leading sponsor of international terrorism might seem to be something that would sober up even the most giddy members of the chattering class. But that chilling prospect cannot seem to compete for attention with cheap behavior by an immature Congressman, infatuated with himself. A society that cannot or will not focus on matters of life and death is a society whose survival as a free nation is at least questionable.
Why Michele Bachmann is no Sarah Palin
Excerpt: Sarah Palin is in Iowa
Splashy Sarah Palin Movie Premiere Shuts Out Hollywood
Bad mistake. This could turn the media against Palin. If it does, they'll paw through her trash and e-mails looking for dirt, maybe move in next to her. They'll try everything to make her look bad. She shouldn't piss them off. ~Bob. Excerpt: Reporters from around the country that have descended upon tiny Pella , Iowa
Excerpt: The popular Inter-Continental hotel in Kabul came under attack by suicide bombers and gunmen Tuesday, a U.S. U.S. Afghanistan
Good pictures. ~Bob. Excerpt: There is heavy security around Kabul Kabul Baghdad Baghdad Kabul
Poll: Marines Most Prestigious Branch
Excerpt: As far as prestige goes, Americans named the Marines as the most prestigious branch of the armed forces in each of four surveys conducted from 2001 to 2011. Thirty-six percent named the Marines as most prestigious in 2001 while 46 percent did so in the latest poll. (Did they really have to take a poll to find this out? --MasterGuns Another reason the other services lobby to eliminate the Corps. We put more combat power on the ground at lower cost. ~Bob.)
N.J. Assembly passes bill calling on public unions to pay more for health care
Excerpt: Boos and screams from union workers broke out in the Statehouse Thursday night after the New Jersey Assembly approved a bill, 46-32, to have government employees pay more for their health and pension benefits. The session, scheduled for 1 p.m., started 5½ hours late and the vote was not taken until 9. The legislation passed with about a third of the Democratic majority joining the GOP minority after hours of passionate debate in an internal caucus meeting failed to persuade Speaker Sheila Oliver (D., Essex) to postpone the vote. The bill, described by unions and many Democrats as an unprecedented theft of collective-bargaining rights, is the greatest legislative achievement in Republican Gov. Christie's term so far, and it will serve as the backdrop for the looming budget showdown. (Covering this a tad late, but an important effort to try to stave off collapse in one of the fiscal disaster states. ~Bob.)
How Obama Bungled The War In Libya
Excerpt: With the prospects for Congressional action now remote, what we need is leadership from our president, but Obama has little credibility. Critics have savaged him for his military intervention—from his basic rationale and laughable interpretation of the War Powers Act, to the constraints he imposed on our military and his refusal to directly target Gaddafi. These criticisms are essentially correct. (From (previously) reliably liberal Daily Beast. Either Daily Beast is moving toward the center or they’re really, seriously, unhappy with Obama. -- Ron P. I thought he bungled by starting it. Chapman in the Chicago Tribune destroyed the "killing civilians" cover. We have zero national interest there--maybe that's the point. ~Bob.)
This will be followed by Bill Clinton hosting a fidelity conference. ~Bob. Excerpt: In an apparent effort to repair its regional and international standing, Iran hosted its second counter-terrorism conference in two months this weekend in Tehran Iran U.S. , the U.K.
HHS cancels 'mystery shopper' proposal
Excerpt: The Obama administration late Tuesday announced that it was abandoning a proposal to have "mystery shoppers" try to make doctor's appointments after Republicans and some doctors called it "spying." The proposal was aimed at studying Medicare and Medicaid patients' access to primary care. The proposal has gotten a deluge of criticism since the New York Times reported on it Sunday.
Pawlenty speech lays out aggressive foreign policy vision
Excerpt: Former Minnesota Afghanistan America Utah
Baucus announces grand bargain to clear three pending trade deals
Excerpt: Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) announced a deal Tuesday that should clear the path for congressional approval of three pending trade agreements with Colombia , Panama and South Korea
House Ways
House Ways
Ethics watchdog calls for FBI to investigate Rep. Richardson
Excerpt: A leading watchdog group is touting new evidence of alleged ethics violations by Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Calif.) and calling for a criminal investigation.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is accusing Richardson Richardson
For Obama, silver linings in dark clouds
Excerpt: President Obama is having a horrible start to his summer. The commander in chief is under siege from Congress on his Libya military intervention, he took flak from both sides over his decision to pull 10,000 troops out of Afghanistan and his approval numbers are mediocre at best, even after the mission to kill Osama bin Laden. To make matters worse, debt-limit talks led by Vice President Biden froze up last week, leaving Obama with about a month to convince Congress to raise the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling and stop what economist Mark Zandi on Tuesday said could be another recession. But for the ever-optimistic Obama team, there is a silver lining in the dark clouds that have haunted the White House so far this summer. No matter how it seems this summer, with possible GOP candidates for president emerging each week, the presidential election is not until next November. Obama still has a year to turn things around.
Bank of America
And I worry if I’m 4500 over budget in a line item for the organization I manage. ~Bob. Excerpt: Bank of America Charlotte , N.C.
Myths about Transportation Spending Dispelled
In other words, we taxed you for highways, but used the money to buy votes from people who like bike paths, light rail, etc. ~Bob. Excerpt: The United States
Long, but worth reading: Does inequality matter?
Executive Summary: This study argues that, for those of us who care about the welfare of the poorest and the most vulnerable, income inequality is not a useful measure. Measures of income inequality tell us nothing about the living conditions of the poor, their health and their access to economic opportunity. Income inequality can easily increase in societies in which everyone, including the very poorest individuals, is becoming better off. Conversely, a reduction in inequality can be associated with deterioration in the living conditions of the less well-off members of the society. While country-based measures of income inequality rose in the developed world in the 1980s, it is not clear that inequality in the developed world since then has constantly been on the rise. UK
Oil Oozes Through Your Life
Excerpt: Since petroleum replaced whale oil as a main fuel source more than a century ago, chemical companies and refineries have found a startling range of uses for it, from asphalt to vanilla flavoring in ice cream to pills from the drugstore. It has oozed into everyday life, so reducing dependency is a more complicated proposition than some might think.
Your Mileage May Vary
Luckily, Obama and his family will travel in protected limos for the rest of their lives, so the higher death rate in smaller, lighter cars won’t impact (pun intended) the elites. Sorry if you are not one of them and your loved ones get killed, but on the plus side, that reduces your carbon footprint. ~Bob. Excerpt: The Obama administration may require auto makers to roughly double the average fuel economy of their car and light truck fleets from current levels to 56.2 miles per gallon by 2025. White House officials outlined the plan to auto industry officials last week, said two people familiar with the matter, setting off a fight among auto makers, environmentalists and others. Car makers say the proposal would effectively require most new vehicles sold in the U.S. to be battery-powered by 2025 and raise prices by thousands of dollars. Makers of electric vehicle technology say declining costs for lithium batteries will allow the auto industry to make big gains in fuel efficiency without stoking sticker shock. Environmental groups, meanwhile, said they were generally pleased with the Obama proposal; they had sought a 62-miles-per-gallon standard.
Female Special Operators Now in Combat
Excerpt: Army Special Operations Command has deployed its first teams of female Soldiers assigned to commando units in Afghanistan, and military officials are assessing their initial performance in theater as "off the charts." In a controversial move early this year, the Army created a new avenue for women to serve with front-line combat units in some of the most specialized and covert missions. The so-called "Cultural Support Teams" are attached to Special Forces and Ranger units to interface with the female population to gain vital intelligence and provide social outreach. "When I send an [SF team] in to follow up on a Taliban hit … wouldn't it be nice to have access to about 50 percent of that target population -- the women?" said Maj. Gen. Bennet Sacolick, commander of the Army Special Warfare Center and School, which runs the CST program.
Senator Wants US-Israeli Op Against Flotilla
Excerpt: A U.S. senator wants U.S. special operations forces to help Israel halt a Gaza-bound international aid flotilla that includes a vessel carrying a number of American veterans, one of whom is a Sailor who served aboard the USS Liberty, the ship that Israel infamously attacked in 1967. In a report drafted following a visit to Israel in early June, Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., says the United States should "make available all necessary special operations and naval support to the Israeli Navy to effectively disable flotilla vessels before they can pose a threat to Israeli coastal security or put Israeli lives at risk." The U.S.-flagged ship, called "The Audacity of Hope" -- the name of President Obama's 2006 book -- is currently docked in Greece and is supposed to set sail by the end of this week along with ships from Ireland, Spain, Italy, Greece and other countries. More than 30 Americans are booked for passage on the Audacity of Hope.
Why Should I Pick Up The Tab?
Since WWII, every dollar in tax increases has resulted in something like $1.34 in new spending. We cannot tax our way out of the results of political vote-buying. ~Bob. Excerpt: I would like to thank House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Senator Jon Kyl for walking out of the bipartisan talks on debt reduction-not that I don't want the debt reduced or that I think that more drama is needed on the Hill. Cantor and Kyle deserve the thanks of those of us who don't want the budget balanced on our backs. Democrats would solve the problem of Congress' financial profligacy the way they always do: by sending us the bill. Frankly, my tax bill is about all I can handle. Democrats say it's only "thewealthiestAmericans" (that is one word in Barack Obama's Washington) who would pay for their sins. But I know better. Why can't Democrats spend less? South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint made a great point last night on Fox. DeMint said that Democrats can't cut because spending on these programs because spending on these programs is the essence of the Democratic Party. Spending is what it does. It was a clarifying insight.
Is the Pledge of Allegiance ‘Divisive?’ Some Politicians in Oregon Think So
Excerpt: How could something that includes the words ‘pledge of allegiance to the flag of the UNITED States’ be considered divisive? Believe it or not, the mayor and city council of Eugene, Oregon just voted on this very issue. (It should also be noted that the city of Eugene, Oregon is a member of ICLEI, part of the UN’s Agenda 21 Program.) Long before NBC Sports edited the Pledge of Allegiance, the city of Eugene, Oregon was busy debating if their City Council should recite it before each bi-monthly meeting. At the June 7th meeting of the council, a proposal was floated by Councilor Mike Clark, suggesting that every bi-monthly meeting start with a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. The Columbian reports that Mayor Kitty Piercy (a lead sponsor of Code Pink’s latest Anti-War Resolution) and others did not agree with this idea, suggesting that reciting the pledge might be “divisive.”
Lennon was a closet Republican: Assistant
Shocking! If he’s enjoyed sex with turtles, or abusing kittens, they could accept that. But being a Republican? Never! ~Bob. Excerpt: John Lennon was a closet Republican, who felt a little embarrassed by his former radicalism, at the time of his death - according to the tragic Beatles star's last personal assistant. Fred Seaman worked alongside the music legend from 1979 to Lennon's death at the end of 1980 and he reveals the star was a Ronald Reagan fan who enjoyed arguing with left-wing radicals who reminded him of his former self. In new documentary Beatles Stories, Seaman tells filmmaker Seth Swirsky Lennon wasn't the peace-loving militant fans thought he was while he was his assistant. He says, "John, basically, made it very clear that if he were an American he would vote for Reagan because he was really sour on (Democrat) Jimmy Carter.
Five Ways Obama Is Circumventing the Legislative Branch
Excerpt: For all of candidate Barack Obama’s campaign rhetoric promising to respect Congress’s authority to draft the nation’s laws, President Obama has demonstrated a persistent pattern of circumventing the legislative branch via administrative fiat whenever his agenda stalls. And though one of the Obama campaign’s legal advisers cautioned against a President who would "take the law into his own hands and shred it when it's convenient," he has done just that time and time again. The Obama Administration generally employs one of two strategies to legislate without—and often in spite of—congressional action: (1) administrative decree establishing a new federal rule, or (2) a refusal to enforce existing federal law. In five separate policy areas, the President and the federal agencies under his command have spurned congressional authority to achieve Obama’s objectives.
Gannett Cyberattack Targets U.S. Soldiers
Excerpt: Hackers broke into a Gannett Co database containing personal information about subscribers to publications read by U.S. government officials, military leaders and rank-and-file soldiers, the media company said on Tuesday. (…) Personal data on government officials and members of the military is highly coveted among cyber criminals because it can be used to launch targeted attacks against computer systems that hold classified information.
Bureaucratic Overreach Is Not Kids' Stuff
Excerpt: [A]long came a woman from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who asked to inspect the operation, to which the Dollarhites say they readily agreed. The inspector found not only that they lacked a federal permit for selling more than $500 worth of rabbits in a year, but that the tidy, 30-inch by 36-inch cages were – wait for it – a quarter of an inch too small. The FDA came back in January, 2010, and issued a warning. The case dragged on. On advice of an attorney, the couple went out of the bunny business, unloading their equipment on Craigslist. But the FDA sent them a certified letter in April 2011, assessing a fine of $90,643, which, if not paid, could result in civil fines of up to $10,000 for each violation (for about 390 bunnies sold), which adds up to $3.9 million. The FDA helpfully advised the couple to pay the $90,643 fine online with a credit card by May 23. (The problem isn’t “bad agents.” I expect every one of them is doing what they think is best for us all. The problem is we’ve allowed so much authority to be delegated to agencies that we no longer control them; instead, the agencies largely control us. We need to disarm the beancounters. Ron P. Bureaucrats are not allowed to use judgment and common sense, just enforce the rules regardless of the disasters it creates. And we have too many of them. ~Bob.)
Senate Panel Authorizes Libya Operations, With Conditions
Excerpt: [T]he panel rejected an effort to cut off funding for Predator drone strikes and other combat-related activities – essentially giving Obama what he needs to continue U.S. military support of the NATO-led mission to defeat the forces of strongman Muammar el-Qaddafi. (…) But the panel approved by voice vote a legally binding amendment that prohibits funding to deploy U.S. troops on the ground in Libya, including for participation in stabilization and peacekeeping operations. The amendment also prohibits U.S. funding for contractors to conduct operations in Libya. In a slap on the Obama administration, the panel also approved by voice vote an amendment that states that U.S. operations in Libya constitute hostilities under the 1973 War Powers Resolution and, therefore, require congressional authorization. (There's no reason to expect the full Senate vote to be radically different. Ron P.)
Quotes from The Patriot Post www.patriotpost.us/subscribe/
"Right now America is nothing more than Greece with better PR. And note I said right now, because at the rate we're going, we're well on our way to making that country look like amateurs by comparison." --columnist Arnold Ahlert
"The salient feature of America in the Age of Obama is a failed government class institutionally committed to living beyond its means, and a citizenry too many of whom are content to string along." --columnist Mark Steyn
The Immigration Policy of Absurdistan: Legal is Illegal; Illegal is Legal
Excerpt: Imagine for a moment that a pack of strangers – ranging from hooligans to plain homeless – illegally entered your home and started raiding the pantry, stealing your possessions, stuffing up the toilets, and sleeping on your bed. When you call the police to come down and remove them, you are told they cannot assist you because they lack the power to profile the unwanted guests from other members of the household. As desperation sets in, you join with your neighbors to chase them out. Much to your chagrin, lawyers for the intruders impel the courts to issue a ‘cease and desist order,’ obstructing efforts to deny the intruders anything, including the twinkies in the pantry. Moreover, teams of advocates for these brazen burglars begin to record the contact information of those locals who desire to stop the illegal entries. Sound absurd and perverse? Does it remind you of Sodom and Gomorrah? Welcome to the reality of our immigration system.
Union Sues State to Stop Teacher Evaluations
Excerpt: New York's largest teachers union is suing the state Board of Regents over the state's new system for evaluating public-school teachers, a move that could derail plans by the city and hundreds of other school districts to start basing reviews on how well students perform on standardized tests. In court papers filed in state Supreme Court late Monday, New York State United Teachers claimed that education officials violated the law when they gave school districts the option of assigning significantly more weight to state assessments in their annual reviews of teachers. Under the law, teachers could lose their jobs if their students continually fail to improve their scores on state standardized tests.
Religion of Rape
Warning—horrific picture. ~Bob. Excerpt: Jamie Glazov's article below, Muslim Rape, Feminist Silence, is reprinted from our Nov. 1, 2006 issue. The subject is Western feminist silence about the Muslim rape of kafirs (non-Muslims) and the Islamic theology that sanctions it. Frontpage's editors thought it would be relevant to rerun in light of the recent startling Oslo police report confirming that every single solved case of assault-rape in the country in 2010 was carried out by a Muslim immigrant. Meanwhile, the Western Left remains completely silent.
Police Report: All Assault Rapists in Oslo Follow Muhammad
Excerpt: Defenders of Islam call it a "religion of peace" but many Norwegian women are learning that Islam is the religion of rape. According to an amazing police report released there this month, every single solved case of assault-rape in the country in 2010 was carried out by a Muslim immigrant. The report was cited by an official Norwegian television station, which interviewed a victim who said that her rapist explained to her that his religion permits him to rape her. According to the police report there was a total of 186 of known rape cases in 2010. These fall into various categories, the largest one of which is assault-rape, carried out by sheer physical force, of which there were 86 cases. In 83 of these cases the perpetrator could be identified by the victim. In all 83, the attacker was described as having "non-western appearance," a laundered euphemism for Muslim immigrants from Africa, the Middle East, or Asia.
Houston Veterans Claim Censorship of Prayers, Including Ban on 'God' and 'Jesus'
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/29/houston-veterans-claim-censorship-prayers-ban-on-god-and-jesus/
Excerpt: Veterans in Houston say the Department of Veterans Affairs is consistently censoring their prayers by banning them from saying the words "God" and "Jesus" during funeral services at Houston National Cemetery.
China Credit Bubble Will Be Pop Heard 'Round the World
Excerpt: Lost in the worry over Greek debt defaults, China Daily reports on a default story of more significance. Please consider Local governments run up huge debts, risk defaulting Local governments had an overall debt of 10.7 trillion yuan ($1.65 trillion) by the end of 2010, said China's top auditor on Monday in a report to the National People's Congress. He warned that some were at risk of defaulting on payments. It was the first time the world's second-largest economy publicly announced the size of its local governments' debts. The scale amounts to more than one-quarter of its GDP in 2010, which stood at 39.8 trillion yuan.
Senior Leader of Al Qaeda Group Captured While Dressed as Woman
Gee, wonder why France wants to ban burkas? ~Bob. Excerpt: A senior leader of an Al Qaeda-linked terror group has been captured in northern Afghanistan dressed up like a woman -- the latest in a recent series of cases involving male militants disguised as females, the U.S.-led military coalition said Tuesday. A joint Afghan and coalition force apprehended a senior figure from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and two of his associates during a nighttime operation Monday in Kunduz city, NATO said.
A Culture War Against Conservative Women
Excerpt: Injecting conservative values into the cultural mainstream is a battle, especially for women’s issues in popular, female-geared media like magazines. Liberal ideology has attracted the female presidential vote—and the female magazine—for years. For most of these crusaders and publications, “women’s issues” comes down to one issue: abortion.
As freshman Representative Ann Marie Buerkle (R–NY) told the Conservative Women’s Network last Thursday, for liberal women, “It’s not about women’s rights; it’s about maintaining and pushing abortion rights.”
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