Political Digest for January 9, 2012

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

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

White House threw secret 'Alice in Wonderland​' bash during recession

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/in_blunderland_hKpNQkHfvpEWe4F51kI4dP#ixzz1isXQ6wsV

If this happened and the public didn't know, it was because the media prefers covering for Obama than doing it's job. ~Bob. Excerpt: It was the tea party the Obamas just couldn’t resist. A White House “Alice in Wonderland” costume ball — put on by Johnny Depp and Hollywood director Tim Burton — proved to be a Mad-as-a-Hatter idea that was never made public for fear of a political backlash during hard economic times, according to a new tell-all. “The Obamas,” by New York Times correspondent Jodi Kantor, tells of the first Halloween party the first couple feted at the White House in 2009. It was so over the top that “Star Wars” creator George Lucas sent the original Chewbacca to mingle with invited guests.

No Doctor For You: How The Federal Government Is Chasing Millions Of Good Doctors Out Of The Medical Profession by Michael Synder

http://beforeitsnews.com/story/1596/739/No_Doctor_For_You:_How_The_Federal_Government_Is_Chasing_Millions_Of_Good_Doctors_Out_Of_The_Medical_Profession.html

Excerpt: Most Americans do not realize this, but we are on the verge of a major doctor shortage in the United States. All over America, good doctors are going broke. The way that our health care system is currently set up, they simply cannot make it. These days a lot of politicians are warning us about the dangers of "socialized medicine", but the truth is that we already have it. About half of all health care dollars in the United States are now spent by the federal government, and a lot of health insurance companies base reimbursements on what the federal government does. In addition, there are a whole host of parasites that have gotten between the doctor and the patient these days.

Kenyan Airstrike Kills 60+ al-Shabab Somali Terrorists

http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/home/2012/01/kenyan-airstrike-kills-60-al-shabab-somali-terrorists.html

Excerpt: A Kenyan spokesman says jet fighters have killed dozens of al-Qaida-linked terrorists gathered in southern Somalia, as part of an ongoing effort to force them out of the country. The spokesman told reporters Saturday that at least 60 al-Shabab terrorists were killed in Friday's airstrikes in the town of Garbaharey in Somalia's Gedo area. He said the military was tipped off about the militants' whereabouts, and that he expects the death toll from the attack will rise. Kenyan forces entered Somalia in October to push back al-Shabab, which controls large sections of southern and central Somalia, and is blamed by Kenya for a series of cross-border kidnappings.

Santorum could win

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/santorum_could_win_9sj5UjmHKX0WSmbody1yfI#ixzz1is6BZRLB

Excerpt: A rangier Rick, more ready for The Show, was on display late Tuesday when both Santorum and Romney addressed supporters in Des Moines after midnight. A smiling Santorum was gracious and moving. He even showed a little self-effacing humor, joking about his widening waistline. He kept the God talk to a minimum and articulated a vision based on his grandfather, an immigrant coal miner, that didn’t seem conspicuously right-wing.

Op-Ed Columnist: The Grating Santorum By Maureen Dowd

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/opinion/sunday/dowd-the-grating-santorum.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Excerpt: In New Hampshire, Rick Santorum's hot politics of aggrievement are competing with Mitt Romney's cold politics of convenience. (Dowd is a card carrying member of the Soros left wing attack machine. If she's after Santorum, he may be for real. ~Bob.

The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/us/illegal-immigrants-who-commit-crimes-focus-of-deportation.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

Excerpt: The federal agency in charge of deportations is conducting a far-reaching training course to push immigration enforcement officers and prosecutors nationwide to focus their efforts on removing immigrants convicted of crimes. The training course is the clearest sign yet that administration officials want to transform the way immigration officers work, asking them to make nuanced decisions to speed deportations of high-risk offenders while halting those of illegal immigrants with clean records and strong ties to the country. The policy is President Obama’s most ambitious immigration initiative before the November elections, senior administration officials said.

Worth Reading: China Takes Aim at U.S. Naval Might by Julian E. Barnes, Nathan Hodge and Jeremy Page

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204397704577074631582060996.html

Excerpt: The USS Gerald R. Ford was supposed to help secure another half century of American naval supremacy. The hulking aircraft carrier taking shape in a dry dock in Newport News, Va., is designed to carry a crew of 4,660 and a formidable arsenal of aircraft and weapons. But an unforeseen problem cropped up between blueprint and expected delivery in 2015: China is building a new class of ballistic missiles designed to arc through the stratosphere and explode onto the deck of a U.S. carrier, killing sailors and crippling its flight deck. (The rise of China as an economic and military power, determined to control Asia, is one of the four existential threats I discuss in The Coming Collapse of the American Republic. ~Bob.)

Obama-Corzine Were Wrong

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Quag9dp1Nn4&feature=youtu.be%20

We should play this over and over. ~Bob.

Allegation​: Santorum Won the Iowa Caucus

http://www.westernjournalism.com/allegation-santorum-won-the-iowa-caucus/

Excerpt: A 28-year-old Iowa caucus goer may have exposed the biggest political story of the year: GOP officials in his country misreported Mitt Romney’s vote in the Iowa caucus, and Rick Santorum actually won. Edward True, a Ron Paul supporter, told local KCCI-TV: “When Mitt Romney won Iowa by eight votes and I’ve got a 20-vote discrepancy here, that right there says Rick Santorum won Iowa,” True said. “Not Mitt Romney.”

500,000 Military Layoffs Planned As Obama Proposes Raise for Federal Workers

http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2012/01/500000-military-layoffs-planned-as.html

Excerpt: The Washington Post reported yesterday that President Obama has proposed pay increases for federal employees. The White House effort comes despite reports in USA Today and other media outlets that the federal workforce -- which has grown substantially under the Obama administration -- is already grossly overpaid compared to the private sector. Please consider the following snippets of articles from USA Today:

When the Tea Party Died by Kevin McCullough

http://townhall.com/columnists/kevinmccullough/2012/01/08/when_the_tea_party_died

I don't know what happened between November of 2010 and January of 2012, but from the looks of things the Tea Party died. How else do you explain it?

Egypt Islamists claim 62% in latest voting

http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-islamists-claim-62-latest-voting-131242628.html

Egypt's two main Islamist parties claimed on Saturday to have together taken 62.2 percent of the vote in the final stage of a general election, maintaining their lead in the overall contest. The Freedom and Justice Party of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood said on its website that it had garnered 35.2 percent of the party list vote in the polling in the final nine governorates on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Al-Nur party of the even more conservative Salafists, said it received 27 percent. (I wonder if the media which naively cheered the "Arab Spring" will feel so happy with the coming effusion of blood. Probably; good stories are worth any number of dead as long as it isn't you and your family. ~Bob.)

Libya welcomes Sudan's Bashir, wanted by International Criminal Court for genocide

http://jihadwatch.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=12857896c3097382b25b80a09&id=e85041f75d&e=e7dc22f4a7

Excerpt: Many reports from the time of the fall of Gadhafi's regime described terrible brutality by Libya's revolutionaries against black Africans, as Bashir has heaped abuse on Darfur and the now-independent South Sudan. The great irony is that Bashir, who considers himself an Arab, would be described as a black man in any town in the West. Life imitates art, as Bashir could be described as the Arab world's answer to Dave Chapelle's blind black Klansman. That both regimes are indifferent to non-"Arab" causes would not be surprising.

Nigeria: Jihad against beauty parlors, as gunmen shout "Allahu Akbar"

http://jihadwatch.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=12857896c3097382b25b80a09&id=0ffa5ae714&e=e7dc22f4a7

Excerpt: The intrepid, manly mujahedin, keeping the world safe from beauty parlors as well as so many churches. On the other hand, the jihadists don't seem to do as well when they have to fight like men. "13 killed in attacks in northeast Nigeria," by Jon Gambrell for the Associated Press, January 7: MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Members of a radical Muslim sect attacked a church in northeast Nigeria during a worship service, part of a series of assaults that killed at least 13 people, authorities said Saturday.

Quote

Bureaucracy is a giant mechanism operated by pygmies. --Honore De Balzac

PING Aids Wounded Veterans

http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/ping.asp

Bob, Don't remember ever seeing this in your blog. What a great effort from Ping. All your former golfing buddies should know about this program that PING provides with no publicity or fanfare. Michael

Full Metal Jacket Speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBz8ywqPyRE&feature=BFa&list=FLKxZbgRciBtmv8jseXshhxQ&lf=BFp

The Boot Camp part of the movie was great, until the recruit shot the DI. That & the Vietnam part was pure BS. ~Bob.

'If Fred Got Two Beatings Per Day…' Homework Asks

http://news.yahoo.com/fred-got-two-beatings-per-day-homework-asks-230717586--abc-news.html

Excerpt: Third graders in Gwinnett County, Ga., were given math homework Wednesday that asked questions about slavery and beatings. Christopher Braxton told ABC News affiliate WSB-TV in Atlanta that he couldn't believe the assignment his 8-year-old son brought home from of Beaver Ridge Elementary school in Norcross. (As offensive as questions about how much a black kid could make selling drugs. ~Bob.)

Calif. targets 'underground economy' of off-the-books hiring, pay

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/state&id=8489370

The state of California targets an "underground economy." Agencies are going after businesses that pay employees in cash, avoiding workers compensation insurance and withholding taxes. The state's going high-tech to crack down on those employers. The Contractors State License Board of California has videotaped numerous sting operations where they catch businesses operating without a license and hiring workers under the table -- meaning those businesses aren't paying payroll taxes, workers compensation insurance or contributing to unemployment benefits like legitimate businesses, and pocketing that money instead. California's underground economy, which includes the landscaping, restaurant, farming and construction industries, is estimated to cost the state $7 billion per year in lost revenue. (just doing off-the-books jobs Americans won't do. ~Bob.)

Romney Continues Slide in N.H. Poll

http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/romney-continues-slide-in-n-h-poll-20120108

Excerpt: New Hampshire voters love Mitt Romney, they’re just not in love with him, according to a tracking poll released Sunday morning. Romney, who still holds a commanding 15-point lead, slipped for the fourth consecutive day in the Suffolk University/7News two-day tracking poll, dropping four points to 35 percent, a total fall of eight points since Tuesday. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, is in second with 20 percent, up four points from Tuesday. The candidate who has paid the most attention to the Granite State, Jon Huntsman, holds third place with 11 percent, trailed by Newt Gingrich at 9 percent and second-place Iowa finisher Rick Santorum at 8 percent.

Being There — the Obama Sequel

http://pjmedia.com/victordavishanson/being-there-the-obama-sequel/?singlepage=true

Excerpt: Sleep, quiet, and solitude — all that appears wiser than campaigning, visibility, and speaking, both for Obama and Americans. In short, the president has really hit on something: an Obama going into a Rip Van Winkle somnolent state might just mean waking up again as president. If conservatives once alleged that Obama got elected as Being There’s Chauncey Gardiner — the empty vessel that all put their hopes and dreams in — they might complain even louder that he now plans on getting reelected as him as well, as if 2009-2011 were now a dream and we are back to fall 2007 when a political unknown proclaimed himself a new Lincoln declaring his candidacy from Springfield.

Appointments Challenge Senate Role, Experts Say

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/us/politics/experts-say-obamas-recess-appointments-could-signify-end-to-a-senate-role.html?_r=1&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=cheatsheet_morning&cid=newsletter%3Bemail%3Bcheatsheet_morning&utm_term=Cheat%20Sheet

Excerpt: Republicans, lawyers and parliamentary experts say the move, if it survives potential legal challenges, could herald an end to the Senate’s constitutionally guaranteed right to advice and consent. Eric Ueland, who was chief of staff to former Senator Bill Frist, said that using Mr. Obama’s logic, presidents could make recess appointments when the Senate chamber closed for as little as a night or a weekend. “If his position is ever upheld, it gives any president of any party at any time the undiluted power of naming any person to any position in the federal government,” Mr. Ueland said. (From liberal NYT via left-center Daily Beast. There must be some quiet—but strong—disagreement within Democratic circles over this tactic. Although NYT goes to some length to paint a picture of “it isn’t THAT unusual,” they point out even during the Democrat hold-up of so many of his nominees, Bush never did anything like this—and if he had, the Democrats would’ve been rioting in the streets and courts. So, clearly, NYT is conflicted because they can foresee a future use of this power that they don’t like. If Obama loses the NYT, he’s lost America. We need to hammer this. Ron P.)

Iran to launch nuclear work in bunker in "near future"

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/08/us-iran-nuclear-idUSTRE80706S20120108?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=cheatsheet_morning&cid=newsletter%3Bemail%3Bcheatsheet_morning&utm_term=Cheat%20Sheet

Excerpt: Iran is already refining uranium to a fissile purity of 20 percent - far more than the 3.5 percent level usually required to power nuclear energy plants - above ground at Natanz. The country said last year it would move this higher-grade enrichment to Fordow, which like other Iranian nuclear sites is regularly inspected by the IAEA, and also sharply boost output capacity. (…) Tehran says it will use 20 percent-enriched uranium to convert into fuel for a research reactor making isotopes to treat cancer patients, but Western officials say they doubt that the country has the technical capability to do that. (Previous reports have credited Iran with about 3,000 centrifuges at OTHER locations not mentioned in this report. The Iranians also have a further 3,000 on order from Russia, but the Russians have been “temporarily” withholding delivery for about a year (ever since Russia, too, began to believe they were building a bomb). Some of those centrifuges have been damaged by the Stuxnet computer virus, but surely not all of them. So, the “six months to a year” before attaining weapons-grade material may have begun ticking more than a year ago (comforting thought, eh?). Even if we tried to take the bunkers out with nukes of our own, it would be very difficult to be certain the sites were actually out of business without some boots on the ground to look and see. Seimens may well have sold the rope to hang us with. The days of a quick, easy, surgical solution passed long ago. History shows dictatorships are exceptionally good at two things: working on secret projects that have no application to their country’s civilian life, and killing their own subject populations. Between daily news items from Iran and Iranian-backed Syria, we can see clearly how effective they are at the second. Do we want to let them try for the first as well? We need a modern Cato to demand Iran’s destruction and eventually announce “Persia delenda est.” Ron P.)