Political Digest for March 9, 2012

The Old Jarhead Blog: Bringing you news and information the MSM is too busy covering American Idol, celebrity affairs and sensational missing person cases to cover. Please forward to friends who need to be informed.

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

Passings

I'm very sorry to report the death of LtCol Wayne Babb, PhD, USMC (Ret). He was a frequent contributor to this blog, sending information to educate folks until a few days ago, despite a long health battle that he knew was nearing an end. He frequently forwarded this digest to friends. Though we knew each other only by e-mail, I was honored to have him call me friend. I only learned today that he held the Silver Star for his gallant service in Vietnam. I had wanted to meet him in person during a trip to Quantico and DC in April, but it is not to be. I hope that when my tour winds down I'll be able to face the final formation with half his grace and courage. He purchased 40 copies of Old Jarhead Poems to give to his Marine friends, which I count as a singular honor. We seem to be losing more and more of the kind of men America cannot spare.

I was also saddened to learn from another buddy that a member of my Parris Island, 1964 boot platoon, Joseph F. Bukles, Jr. has died. After 48 years, I'm afraid my memory of Joe is dim, but another comrade of my youth, with whom I went through the tempering fire, is gone. (Two platoon mates died in Vietnam.)

Important: Wisconsin’s unemployment rates drops to 6.9%

http://fox6now.com/2012/03/08/wisconsins-unemployment-rates-drops-to-6-9/

Excerpt: Wisconsin labor officials say the state added 12,500 jobs in January. (Meanwhile, The Illinois unemployment rate is 9.4% and Governor Quinn, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the state employees union, says the state is on the verge of fiscal collapse. So who are they spending millions to recall? Gov. Walker of Wisconsin, in an effort to make Wisconsin as bad as Illinois. Idiots. ~Bob.)

Iran Nuclear Program Definitely for Weapons

http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=ewJXKcOUJlIaG&b=7712197&ct=11657765&notoc=1

Excerpt: The world should have no doubt that impartial evidence from the United Nations nuclear watchdog clearly shows Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon, the former chief of Israeli army intelligence said. “They (Iranians) were caught red handed already with high level of enrichment, with military aspects of the program,” Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin told reporters at a briefing organized by The Israel Project.

10 disasters America will face if Obama gets a second term By Marc Thiessen

http://blog.american.com/2012/03/10-disasters-america-will-face-if-obama-gets-a-second-term/

Excerpt: In today’s Washington Post, I argue that while electing a transformational conservative president may not be in the cards this November, stopping a transformational liberal president still is. The damage of a second Obama term could be potentially irrevocable. I asked a number of conservative thinkers what they feared most from a second term, and compiled this list of the top ten disasters that would befall America if Obama were re-elected this fall:

Electric cars and liberals’ refusal to accept science

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/electric-cars-and-the-liberal-war-with-science/2012/03/05/gIQA7SpYtR_story.html

Excerpt: President Obama boasted at a United Auto Workers conference last week that General Motors was back in business, producing cutting-edge vehicles like the plug-in electric Chevrolet Volt. He even promised to buy one when his time in office ends “five years from now.” Whoops! Just three days later, GM announced that it would suspend Volt production for five weeks this spring, idling 1,300 workers at a Hamtramck, Mich., factory. (Something that really bothers me is Obama’s continuing push for “green” cars. Recently, in North Carolina, he bashed fossil fuels in favor of electric cars. And this was after GM suspended production of the Volt! What he doesn’t realize is that electricity depends on fossil fuels. The above article, from the Washington Post, is one of the better ones I have seen on the subject. --PS)

Greedy Unions Raid Pensions, Then

Blame Wall Street

http://news.investors.com/article/603585/201203071856/pension-spiking-trashes-california-finances.htm

Excerpt: : Reports from a variety of media reveal California state employees are spiking their pensions to stratospheric levels, leaving nothing for their brother employees. Sorry, can't blame Wall Street for this one. In a laudable instance of the mainstream media doing its job, the Los Angeles Times, the Sacramento Bee, Bloomberg News and City Journal have all exposed "pension spiking" by California public employees. Basically, they manipulate rigid unionized pay and promotion systems to raise their pensions well above what they earned during their working years.

Bibi's Gift to Barack

http://news.yahoo.com/bibis-gift-barack-144245368--abc-news.html

Excerpt: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a gift to President Obama: The Book of Esther. Aides to the Israeli politician referred to the book as "background reading" on Iran for President Obama, the Jewish Daily Forward reports. ... It tells the story of a plot by Persians to exterminate the Jewish people.

A Call For Mercy

http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2012/03/call-for-mercy.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Excerpt: Yesterday we received an email plea from one of the Baron’s co-workers in the UK. He asked that we sign on to the petition for Asia Bibi, that Christian woman in Pakistan who is in jail awaiting execution.

Federal Judge: Citizens Need Not Ask Permission to Exercise 2nd Amendment Rights

http://thenewamerican.com/usnews/constitution/11105-federal-judge-citizens-need-not-ask-permission-to-exercise-2nd-amendment-rights

Excerpt: A federal judge struck down a Maryland law requiring individuals to prove that they have “good and substantial reason” for seeking a handgun carry permit from the state. “A citizen may not be required to offer a ‘good and substantial reason’ why he should be permitted to exercise his rights,” wrote U.S. District Judge Benson Everett Legg. “The right’s existence is all the reason he needs.”

In bin Laden's lair, his wives split by suspicions

http://news.yahoo.com/bin-ladens-lair-wives-split-suspicions-202027997.html

Excerpt: Osama bin Laden spent his last weeks in a house divided, amid wives riven by suspicions. On the top floor, sharing his bedroom, was his youngest wife and favorite. The trouble came when his eldest wife showed up and moved into the bedroom on the floor below. Others in the family, crammed into the three-story villa compound where bin Laden would eventually be killed in a May 2 U.S. raid, were convinced that the eldest wife intended to betray the al-Qaida leader. (Lends credence to the joke that, with fighting wives, he called the SEALs himself. ~Bob.)

AP Exclusive: Iran may be cleaning up nuke work

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iSYai4zaB33ik1U_CGcYrqCYUDaw?docId=5494d2f65da846329bb46b96a44d45cd

Excerpt: Satellite images of an Iranian military facility appear to show trucks and earth-moving vehicles at the site, indicating an attempted cleanup of radioactive traces possibly left by tests of a nuclear-weapon trigger, diplomats told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The assertions from the diplomats, all nuclear experts accredited to the International Atomic Energy Agency, could add to the growing international pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, which Tehran insists is for peaceful purposes.

'Iran is not telling us everything,' U.N. atomic agency chief says

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/07/world/europe/iran-nuclear/

Excerpt: "Iran is not telling us everything. That is my impression. We are asking Iran to engage with us proactively, and Iran has a case to answer," said Yukiya Amano, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency. (Oh, Yukiya, how could you say that? Are you Islamophobic? ~Bob.)

France says Iran "two-faced", skeptical talks can succeed

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-says-iran-talks-calm-drums-war-051827780.html

Excerpt: France voiced skepticism on Wednesday that a planned revival of talks between six world powers and Iran would succeed, saying Tehran still did not seem sincerely willing to negotiate on the future of its contested nuclear program. (Gee, now France has gone Islamophobic. ~Bob.)

Md. teen plans guilty plea in terror case in Pa.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/03/05/md-teen-plans-guilty-plea-in-terror-case-in-pa/#ixzz1oW7v2FNh

Didn't get the "Islam is a religion of peace" memo. ~Bob. Excerpt: Mohammad Hassan Khalid became a rare juvenile suspect held in FBI custody after his arrest last summer, when he was a 17-year-old high school student in Ellicott City, Md. Khalid had met a Pennsylvania woman who called herself Jihad Jane in an online chat room when he was 15 and had agreed to help her seek money and recruits to wage a Muslim holy war in Europe and South Asia, authorities said.

Terror group demands $37m ransom

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/al-qaida-offshoot-in-algeria-blast/story-fn6e1m7z-1226288349730

Excerpt: "The Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa is demanding 30 million euros to free two Spanish nationals and the Italian woman," a source close to the mediators said yesterday. "Their respective countries know about this." The kidnapping was staged in Tindouf, western Algeria, in a refugee camp run by the Polisario Front which seeks Western Sahara's independence from Morocco. (Econ 101: If you reward behavior, you get more of it. If you reward terrorism, as we long have, you get more terrorism. Duh. You save lives now, lose more down the road. They will spend the $37M on weapons. ~Bob.)

Afghan concern over 'guidelines for women'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17272935

Excerpt: Afghanistan's top religious council has said women should not mix with men in school, work or other aspects of daily life. The Ulema Council has also said that women should not travel without a male relative. (I no longer think we have any hope of keeping Afghan women and girls from being thrust back into a 7th century Islamic hell that comes from strict interpretation of the Qur'an and Hadiths. They will get acid thrown in their faces again for going to school, and the western progressives will avert their eyes and mutter some pabulum about all cultures being equally valid. ~Bob.)

Arizona mom accused of burning teen's face for refusing arranged marriage to older man
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/03/05/plea-entered-in-az-arranged-marriage-beating-case/?intcmp=trending#ixzz1oWBy20zp

Excerpt: An Iraqi mother accused of beating her teenage daughter for not going along with an arranged marriage pleaded not guilty Monday in a case police said involved burning the teen on her face and chest with a hot spoon. Yusra Farhan, 50, entered the plea to charges of aggravated assault, unlawful imprisonment and resisting arrest. The daughter, 19, refused to participate in an arranged marriage with a 38-year-old man, authorities said. (Afghanistan? We can't even protect girls here from Islamic law. ~Bob.)

Libya rules out British visit on Lockerbie

http://news.yahoo.com/libya-rules-british-visit-lockerbie-171028931.html

Excerpt: Libya's interior minister on Tuesday ruled out a visit by British police to investigate the 1988 Lockerbie bombing or the killing of British policewoman Yvonne Fletcher almost two decades ago. (Those were Americans murdered on that PanAm flight by people now being shielded by the "rebels" that Obama sent out warplanes and ships to help. ~Bob.)

Judge David Flanagan linked to Scott Walker recall. Twice.

http://www.redstate.com/moe_lane/2012/03/07/judge-david-flanagan-linked-to-scott-walker-recall-twice/

Excerpt: Quick background, as to why you should care: Judge Flanagan has placed a temporary (although you can count on the Democrats wanting to put that adjective in scare quotes, and right quickly) restraining order on last year’s Wisconsin voter reform law mandating that voters show picture ID. There are a few “this just happens” involved, here:

Lots of Taxpayer Green Going to Greens

http://www.redstate.com/dhorowitz3/2012/03/07/lots-of-taxpayer-green-going-to-greens/

Excerpt: Democrats have a penchant to misconstrue the parlance related to tax credits and subsidies. They refer to subsidies as tax cuts and tax cuts as subsidies. They would have you believe that oil companies are completely on the dole, while solar and wind companies are heavily taxed entities in desperate need of some “tax breaks” and loans in order to alleviate the burden of producing their auspicious form of energy. Yesterday, CBO released a report stating the obvious. They found that in 2011, federal subsidies for green energy totaled $24 billion.

Republicans fear rough primary could cost them the House and the Senate

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/214869-gop-fears-rough-primary-could-cost-it-the-house-and-the-senate

Excerpt: Republicans are worried the long, drawn-out presidential primary could cost them the House and the Senate. For months, Republicans had been bullish about their prospects for widening their margin in the House and picking off Democratic senators. But some are now questioning whether they could be done in if Mitt Romney limps out of the primary a severely weakened nominee. (Well, there is this to be said for the Democrats winning the House, Senate and White House. It will put the country out of its misery fairly quickly, while a GOP win might draw the Republic’s death spiral out for a decade or more. Of course, give my age and health, I’m working for the latter. ~Bob.)

Worth Reading: Analysis: Quirks in jobless data could bite Obama

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/07/us-usa-economy-jobless-idUSTRE8261W020120307

Excerpt: Several Wall Street economists believe the government is mismeasuring seasonal shifts in the labor market, and suggest the jobless rate's sharp winter drop was partly an illusion. If their research is on the mark, the unemployment rate could change little in the coming months as pay back, robbing the Obama campaign of what otherwise might have been steady progress in the lead up to the election. (Well, if all those unemployed folks would just stop looking, the unemployment rate would drop to zero, thus helping Obama. Here are some key figures on Americans participating in the workforce. January of 2007 (Democrats take control of Congress): 66.4%. January of 2009 (Barack Obama becomes President): 65.7%. January of 2012: 63.7%. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. ~Bob.)

Obama tops recent presidents in fundraising attendance

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-03-07/obama-campaign-fundraising/53402226/1

Excerpt: President Obama has attended 191 fundraisers for himself and others, far exceeding the fundraising pace of presidents going back to Jimmy Carter as he drives to stockpile money for his re-election, according to new data compiled for USA TODAY. (The White House says he’s not in campaign mode. When he really gets going, the golf game will suffer! ~Bob.)

Hybrids' Unlikely Rival: Plain Old Cars

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-02-23/hybrids-unlikely-rival-plain-old-cars

Excerpt: As automakers use new and not-so-new technology to wring efficiency from traditional motors, gasoline-electric hybrids are falling out of favor. Hybrids fell to 2.2 percent of the U.S. auto market last year, from 2.4 percent in 2010, after peaking at 2.8 percent in 2009, says researcher LMC Automotive.

Obama Mentor: We Hid Harvard Race Tapes

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/03/07/buzzefeed-selectively-edits-obama-tape-original?utm_source=e_breitbart_com&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Breitbart+News+Round+Up%2C+March+8%2C+2012&utm_campaign=Breitbart+News+Round+Up%2C+March+8%2C+2012&utm_term=More

Excerpt: However, the video has been selectively edited--either by the Boston television station or by Buzzfeed itself. Over the course of the day, Breitbart.com will be releasing additional footage that has been hidden by Obama's allies in the mainstream media and academia.

Obama Palled Around With Radical Professor Derrick Bell - Katie Pavlich, Townhall.com

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2012/03/08/barack_obama_palled_around_with_radical_professor

Excerpt: Derrick Bell: “Slavery is, as an example of what white America has done, a constant reminder of what white America might do...Black people will never gain full equality in this country. . . . African Americans must confront and conquer the otherwise deadening reality of our permanent subordinate status.” (Tell that to Allen West. - Kate)

Worth Reading: Sick and Tired of the Middle East by Victor Davis Hanson

http://townhall.com/columnists/victordavishanson/2012/03/08/sick_and_tired_of_the_middle_east/page/full/

Excerpt: In the last 10 years the United States has spent more than $1 trillion and has lost thousands of American lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both places seem far better off than when ruled by the Taliban and Saddam Hussein -- at least for a while longer. Yet the Iraqis now bear Americans little good will. They seem friendlier to Iran and Syria than to their liberators. (Hanson covers all the possibilities except one. He neglects to mention the Carthage option, sometimes known as the “hoof-and-mouth disease cure.” If there isn’t any, there won’t be any. I know, I know; I'm a horrible monster. Ron P.)

Slave voyages

http://www​.slavevoya​ges.org/ta​st/assessm​ent/intro-​maps.faces

This map is typical in that it covers black slaves brought to America, but not the million white slaves captured and taken to Muslim lands in the same time period when about have that many were being brought to the 13 colonies. When the Muslims were defeated in 1571 at the navel battle of Lepanto, ending one of their many crusades to subjugate Christian Europe, about 7,000 Christian galley slaves were freed. Nor does it cover the large numbers of black slaves taken to Muslim lands. They didn’t survive to breed, and there are no records. It still goes on today, as Islam sanctions slavery. See the Sowell piece below or his essay on the History of Slavery in Black Rednecks and White Liberals. ~Bob.

Filtering History by Thomas Sowell

http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2010/04/27/filtering_history/page/full/

Excerpt: Just as Europeans enslaved Africans, North Africans enslaved Europeans-- more Europeans than there were Africans enslaved in the United States and in the 13 colonies from which it was formed. The treatment of white galley slaves was even worse than the treatment of black slaves picking cotton.

NightWatch: Hamas Deals Iran Setback on Israel

http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/nightwatch/2012/03/08/nightwatch_hamas_deals_iran_setback_on_israel/page/full/

Excerpt: Israel-Iran-Hamas: A member of Hamas' political bureau in Gaza City said that Hamas will not be a part of a war between Israel and Iran. The member said the group would not launch rockets into Israel at Tehran's request in response to a strike on its nuclear sites. Comment: This confirms the report of a strategic shift in favor of Sunni Arab causes. Last week Hamas announced it would support the Sunni opposition in Syria. (If true, Hamas’s “official policy” doesn’t necessarily bind each individual member to follow it on his own. Also worth reading are the sections on North Korea and Libya. Ron P.)

Veteran with PTSD says he can’t take service dog to work

http://myfox8.com/2012/03/06/veteran-with-ptsd-says-he-cant-take-service-dog-to-work/

Excerpt: Ray said his PTSD causes him to struggle with suicidal thoughts and often take incredibly high risks. Ray said Doc helped with that, which is why he’s shocked his employer doesn’t allow him to have it anymore. “At the facility, they allow pets to be there and other service animals, and here I am denied access with my dog,” Ray said. (The center maintains that they are following DOJ instructions, but it takes very little searching to find that the ADA, which falls under the DOJ, states that one of the requirements of defining a service animal is one that example of a service dog is one that is "...calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties." MasterGuns)

Many Muslims Are Making Many Atheists - Dennis Prager, Real Clear Politics

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/03/06/many_muslims_are_making_many_atheists_113378.html

Excerpt: She was not the first Muslim-born atheist from Iran I have met. And from what I am told, an entire generation of atheists has been produced by the Islamic Republic of Iran. How could it be otherwise? Nothing produces atheists like despicable religious people. They do far more harm to religious faith than all the atheist writers and activists in the world put together.

The Real 'China Threat' - The Japan Times Online

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ed20120308a1.html

Excerpt: Despite the downturn triggered in 2008, China's economic resilience, while the rest of the world flirted with a new depression, imbued the country with a status and image that exceeds its actual wealth. In recent months, however, economists are troubled by the prospect of a "hard landing" as the Chinese economy slows. The country's manufacturing sector has shrunk for four consecutive months, as global demand slows.

National GOP: Romney 39%, Santorum 27%, Gingrich 17%, Paul 10%

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

Excerpt: Mitt Romney still holds a double-digit lead over Rick Santorum among Republicans nationwide, although the gap between the two is slightly narrower following Super Tuesday’s mixed signals. But more GOP voters than ever now expect Romney to be the party’s nominee. (My guess is Romney will be the nominee, but will be so damaged by other Republicans that Obama will be reelected and the country lost. In other sunny news…~Bob.)

Abdo Husameddine, Syria Deputy Oil Minister, Defects

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/08/abdo-husameddine-defects_n_1331175.html

Excerpt: Abdo Husameddine's announcement came one day after the top U.S. general said President Barack Obama has asked for a preliminary review of military options in Syria, as the conflict grows increasingly dire. The U.N. estimates 7,500 people have been killed. "I do not want to end my life servicing the crimes of this regime," Husameddine said in a video posted on YouTube, adding that he was joining "the dignified people's revolution." (No doubt this guy was smart enough to be located outside Syria when he recorded his message. Ron P.)

Obama adviser slams Romney for Limbaugh while planning to go on Maher

http://www.thedaily.com/page/2012/03/07/030712-news-web-limbaugh-fluke/

Excerpt: While slamming Mitt Romney for not standing up to the “strident voices” on his side, a top Obama advisor is planning to spend some quality time with one on his own, The Daily has learned. David Axelrod, President Obama's senior campaign strategist, is scheduled to appear on Bill Maher's late-night talk show within the next few weeks, according to Kelley Carville, an HBO spokesman. As the controversy over Rush Limbaugh's comments about Sandra Fluke continued, a former Obama White House official today joined Republicans in pointing out that Maher, who recently donated $1 million to a pro-Obama super PAC, has a history of his misogynistic slurs.

China testing cyber-attack capabilities, report says

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/china-testing-cyber-attack-capabilities-report-says/2012/03/07/gIQAcJwDyR_story.html

Excerpt: For a decade or more, Chinese military officials have talked about conducting warfare in cyberspace, but in recent years they have progressed to testing attack capabilities during exercises, according to a congressional report to be released Thursday. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) probably would target transportation and logistics networks before an actual conflict to try to delay or disrupt the United States’ ability to fight, according to the report prepared by Northrop Grumman for the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. (Aimed at us? Damn, I thought they were training to take out the Uighur rebels’ geek squad. ~Bob.)

6 British Soldiers Are Killed in Afghanistan

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/08/world/asia/six-british-soldiers-killed-in-afghanistan-explosion.html?_r=1

Excerpt: British forces suffered their deadliest attack in six years when an armored vehicle struck an explosive device in southern Afghanistan, killing six soldiers, the British government announced on Wednesday.

Obama's War on Women: Afghan Women's Rights Lost In Taliban 'Peace' Deal

http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2012/03/afghanistan-womens-rights-lost-in-taliban-peace-deal-lawmakers-warn.html

Excerpt: Under the sharia, women are always thrown under the bus, unless you want $9,000 worth of contraception under the Catholic Church's health plan. Funny how busy Obama is congratulating Sandra (of the 8 condoms a day) Fluck for her "bravery." Funny how Obama plays the "Republican hates women" card at his puff press conference yesterday. But truly oppressed women? O says, screw 'em, and you won't need birth control for that.

TLC Cancels ‘All-American Muslim’

http://www.deadline.com/2012/03/tlc-cancels-all-american-muslim/

Excerpt: All-American Muslim, the TLC reality series depicting the everyday lives of five Arab-American families in Michigan, was canceled due to low ratings, according to a report in the Detroit Free Press. The network confirmed the decision. The freshman series lost retail advertisers like big box store Lowe’s back in December after some customers complained that the show did not portray Muslim-Americans as extremists. (Well, that blew up in their faces….What? What? ~Bob.)

Kicking every can down the road

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/kicking_every_can_down_the_road_V4hs6ReEuvWeiWu5lSTKfK#ixzz1oWpzKg1q

Excerpt: Kicking the can down the road: That’s been the Obama administration’s response on issues from Iran’s nuclear-weapons program to America’s entitlement systems.

Afghan Air Force Probed in Drug Running

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204276304577263032415519426.html

Excerpt: The U.S. is investigating allegations that some officials in the Afghan Air Force, which was established largely with American funds, have been using aircraft to ferry narcotics and illegal weapons around the country, American officials told The Wall Street Journal. Two probes of the Afghan Air Force, or AAF, are under way—one led by the U.S. military coalition and another by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, officials said. (Probably they hide drugs inside Qur’ans. Defacing them by Muslims seems to be no big deal. ~Bob.)

Panetta: 'International Permission’ Trumps Congressional Permission For Military Actions

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2012/03/07/Shocking%20Defense%20Secretary%20Says%20International%20Permission%20Trumps%20Congressional%20Permission

I know I’ve said it before, but imagine how rabid the left and the media would have gone if Bush had said this stuff. ~Bob.

The Lure of the Scarlet Tulip by William Newton

http://blogofthecourtier.com/2012/03/08/the-lure-of-the-scarlet-tulip/

Excerpt: The fact remains that no one seems to be willing to ask the more uncomfortable questions of themselves, their families, and their neighbors, such as, “Why does a middle-income family of four need to purchase a brand-new, six-bedroom, five-bathroom house?”, or “Does a lower-income single parent raising two children really need a home renovation loan to get a hot tub and a sunken patio put in?”

Unite the Right By Michelle Malkin 

http://michellemalkin.com/2012/03/08/unite-the-right/

Excerpt: But we ALL need to unite against the progs’ collective, coordinated whitewash of Barack Obama and the organized effort to criminalize and silence conservative dissent. Don’t shrug your shoulders. Get in battle mode, people.

Mass. Republican Reps.: "Its Time Our Great Country Has a Great President Once Again"

http://www.mittromney.com/news/press/2012/03/mass-republican-reps-its-time-our-great-country-has-great-president-once-again

Excerpt: Let’s start with the economy. When Mitt was elected Governor, Massachusetts was on the verge of financial disaster. Workers across the state were being laid off at the rate of thousands a month. Our state budget was bleeding red ink, and Democratic politicians were proclaiming that only tax increases could fill the gap. Raising taxes, of course, was not Governor Romney’s way. Quite the opposite. With the same energy and intelligence he brings to every challenge he faces, he brought efficiency to our state government. He streamlined our budget and cut unneeded programs Without raising taxes—indeed, he cut taxes nineteen times—he balanced the budget every year of his term. By the end of four years, he had turned a $3 billion deficit into a $2 billion rainy-day fund. With the state government’s finances in order, the economy picked up steam. Unemployment at the end of Mitt’s term was 4.7 percent, a rate the state envies now.

Obama Will Make Taxpayers Guarantee Mortgages Without Checking Borrowers' Incomes or Employment

 http://cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-will-make-taxpayers-guarantee-mortgages-without-checking-borrowers-incomes-or

Excerpt: With no authorization from Congress, President Barack Obama has announced that his administration--through the Federal Housing Administration--will insure refinanced mortgages for 2 to 3 million borrowers without verifying their income or even if they hold a job, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). (Isn’t this how the Democrats got us into this fiscal mess? ~Bob.)

Senate rejects GOP measure to construct Keystone pipeline, 56-42

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/215051-senate-blocks-keystone-pipeline-approval-plan

Excerpt: The Senate has rejected a GOP plan to approve construction of the Keystone oil pipeline after President Obama made personal calls to Democrats urging them to oppose it. The 56-42 vote staves of an election-year rebuke of Obama, but will give political ammunition to backers of TransCanada Corp.’s plan to build a pipeline connecting Alberta’s massive tar sands projects to Gulf Coast refineries. Sixty votes were needed to move forward with the measure.

New ads pitch Marine Corps' kinder, gentler side

http://home.myhughesnet.com/news/read.php?id=18853359&ps=1018&srce=news_class&action=5&lang=en&_LT=UNLC_NKNWU00L5_UNEWS&page=1

Excerpt: They've long been known as devil dogs, leathernecks and "the first to fight." But U.S. Marines, with their self-described expertise in "killing people and breaking things," now want to promote their kinder side as well. A new Marine Corps advertising campaign starting this weekend takes its cue from research showing today's recruit-age generation is interested in helping people. So the campaign is crafted to show Marines not only as warriors but as humanitarians and peacekeepers; not only as courageous but also as compassionate. (I don't have a problem with it. Fits right in with "no better friend, no worse enemy," popularized by General Mattis. --MasterGuns “Listen up, Maggots. From now on, when you gut ‘em with a bayonet, you say, ‘Sorry!’ Got it?” ~Bob.)

American Islamist Groups Mum on Iranian Repression

http://www.investigativeproject.org/3478/american-islamist-groups-mum-on-iranian-repression

Excerpt: In what has become a recurring pattern, American Islamist groups again have turned a blind eye to the misdeeds of the brutal Iranian regime, further calling into question their inconsistent positions on civil rights violators and their tacit support of the radical Iranian government. Amnesty International released a new report Feb. 28 documenting the growing campaign of repression orchestrated by the regime in Tehran against dissenters in advance of new parliamentary elections.