Political Digest, April 23, 2012

I’m traveling, but time for a few things. We attended the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation awards dinner Saturday night, at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, VA. I received the Robert A. Gannon award for my book Old Jarhead Poems. In addition to meeting the Commandant, at my table was a Medal of Honor recipient from Vietnam. Great guy. I’ll post pictures and more details when I get home.

American professors attend

Occupy Wall Street

Conference in Tehran

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/04/american-professors-attend-occupy-wall-street-conference-in-tehran.html

Excerpt: Leftist dupes displayed by their Islamic supremacist handlers in the belly of the beast. Useful Idiots were seldom this idiotic, if not actually useful. In 2012 it is not news that U.S. academics are traitors who consort freely with the enemies of their country. They're just window dressing for the mullahs, who must have been laughing up their sleeves at their earnest professorial naïveté.

Muslim gang jailed for kidnapping and raping two girls as part of their Eid celebrations

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2132985/Muslim-gang-jailed-kidnapping-raping-girls-Eid-celebrations.html

Excerpt: A group of Muslim men who abducted and raped two teenage girls as part of their Eid celebrations laughed in court yesterday as they were jailed for a total of 38 years. The girls, aged 15 and 16, were lured miles from their home to a dingy hostel. In a horrifying weekend-long ordeal, they were plied with alcohol and repeatedly raped by two men, Shamrez Rashid and Amar Hussain, before being offered to a number of others who also ‘used them for sex’.

Astronomers: World may be entering period of global cooling

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/04/21/astronomers-world-may-be-entering-period-of-global-cooling/#more-61759

Excerpt: While scientists had predicted that the next flip would begin from May 2013, the solar observation satellite Hinode found that the north pole of the sun had started flipping about a year earlier than expected. There was no noticeable change in the south pole. If that trend continues, the north pole could complete its flip in May 2012 but create a four-pole magnetic structure in the sun, with two new poles created in the vicinity of the equator of our closest star. (The Sun will develop 4 magnetic poles. Really. This report from the Japanese National Observatory independently confirms findings by others. The news, however, was released in Japanese and English versions that do not agree. (In years gone by, someone might have had to slit his belly to atone for the shame of making false claims. Too bad that doesn’t apply to modern-day climate “scientists” that are really just advocates.) Worth reading are the two comments (at 10:42AM & 11:09AM) by Leif Svalgaard, an internationally known and respected solar physical science specialist. And, the Mayans are still wrong, too. Ron P. The Mayans are wrong? Damn, and I shorted the market for December 24. ~Bob.)

LEAKED STRATFOR EMAILS: Democrats Manipulated The 2008 Election Results By Michael Kelley

http://www.businessinsider.com/leaked-stratfor-emails-democrats-tampered-with-2008-election-2012-4

Excerpt: A successful challenge of Obama's wins in Pennsylvania and Ohio would not have overturned his victory but would have tarnished the subsequent celebratory atmosphere. [........and may have triggered a massive outpouring of enraged Americans - instant Tea Parties all over the country.] John McCain's 2008 campaign staff allegedly had evidence that Democrats stuffed ballot boxes in Pennsylvania and Ohio on election night, but McCain chose not to pursue voter fraud, according to internal Stratfor emails published by WikiLeaks.

Feds won’t deport Egyptian Muslim illegal alien with 35 arrests to Egypt because he says he’s ‘Palestinian’

http://barenakedislam.com/2012/04/21/alabama-feds-wont-deport-egyptian-muslim-illegal-alien-with-35-arrests-to-egypt-because-he-says-hes-palestinian/

Excerpt: Illegal alien, Sofyan Eldani, 45, carries an Egyptian passport, but claims to be from 'Palestine.' He's been arrested 35 times in twelve years while living in Alabama, but he remains here, because they can't deport him to 'Palestine.' a country that doesn't exist.

A Quixotic Quest to Mine Asteroids

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303513404577356190967904210.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories

Excerpt: The venture, called Planetary Resources Inc., revealed little in a press release this week except to say that it would "overlay two critical sectors—space exploration and natural resources—to add trillions of dollars to the global GDP" and "help ensure humanity's prosperity." The company is formally unveiling its plans at an event Tuesday in Seattle. (Although this is real and current, this is the kind of thing science fiction fans were discussing in the 60s and 70s. The article rightly points out the metals, water, and gasses that might be obtained would be far more useful in space than they would on Earth. In space, they could be used to construct and stock habitats, ships, factories, and do it far more easily than by having to boost it up from the surface. For the near future, this will probably remain a plaything for billionaires, but at some point, it will be (or become) vital for all humans. And, the USA still has no plans in place to provide for a manned space program. Learn to speak Russian or Chinese, I guess. Ron P.)

How We Nearly Lost Discovery

http://waynehale.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/how-we-nearly-lost-discovery/

Excerpt: Now that Discovery is safely delivered to the Smithsonian, I think I can tell the story of how we nearly lost her in July of 2005, and how well-intentioned, highly motivated, hard-working, smart people can miss the most obvious. It’s tough to know people who have died. Many of us knew the astronauts on Challenger and Columbia well. (Wayne Hale was a senior manager at NASA working with the shuttles for most of his career. I remember some of this from the newspaper and TV coverage at the time. I recall wondering if we’d lose still another (the third!) shuttle in flight. Ron P.)

20,000 lbs of Paki Explosives Captured in Afghanistan

http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/home/2012/04/20000-lbs-of-paki-explosives-captured-in-afghanistan.html

Excerpt: Afghan security forces have detained five insurgents – three Pakistanis and two Afghans – with 10 tons of explosives that authorities say the militants intended to use in attacks in the capital, Kabul.

Afghanistan Has Fewer Marines for Same Mission Goals by Cpl. Katherine Keleher, II MEF

http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/home/2012/04/afghanistan-has-fewer-marines-for-same-mission-goals.html

Excerpt: As troop numbers continue to decrease in Afghanistan, the counter-insurgency mission remains the same — to maintain hard-won momentum. Marines are once again being called to do more with less. In this case, this means handing over increasing responsibility to Afghan National Security Forces, all while the number of Marines and sailors operating in theater steadily decreases.

Our Afghan timetable for betrayal By Jeffrey Goldberg

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/our_afghan_timetable_for_betrayal_umJ3qHu963Qzb6xXDdkX1H#ixzz1sg6rKydr

Excerpt: The multipronged attack carried out by a Taliban faction in Afghanistan last weekend, including sustained raids in the capital’s diplomatic quarter and on Parliament, was meant, The New York Times reported, to “undermine confidence in NATO and Afghan military gains.” Well, mission accomplished. (Saturday night, the CMC Gen. Jim Amos said at the dinner two years ago, he reported that LtGen Ron Christmas’s son was then attacking Marjah in Afghanistan, but in his recent visit he walked the streets there with tribal leaders without body armor or helmet. ~Bob.)

5.4 Million Join Disability Rolls Under Obama

http://news.investors.com/article/608418/201204200802/ssdi-disability-rolls-skyrocket-under-obama.htm?p=full

Excerpt: A record 5.4 million workers and their dependents have signed up to collect federal disability checks since President Obama took office, according to the latest official government data, as discouraged workers increasingly give up looking for jobs and take advantage of the federal program. (Culturally disabled. The system has to collapse. ~Bob.)

A 50-State Tax Lesson for the President By Arthur Laffer And Stephen Moore

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304432704577349860656569348.html?mod=djemITP_h

Excerpt: Barack Obama is asking Americans to gamble that the U.S. economy can be taxed into prosperity. That's the message of his campaign for the Buffett Rule, which raises income-tax rates on millionaires to a minimum of 30%, and for the expiration of the Bush tax cuts. He wants to raise the highest income tax rate by 20%, double the rate on capital gains, add a new 3.8% tax on all capital earnings, and nearly triple the dividend tax rate.

The Great California Exodus: A leading U.S. demographer and 'Truman Democrat' talks about what is driving the middle class out of the Golden State.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304444604577340531861056966.html?mod=djemITP_h

Excerpt: 'California is God's best moment," says Joel Kotkin. "It's the best place in the world to live." Or at least it used to be.

Democrats Are Jumping Ship

http://news.investors.com/article/608706/201204201854/democrats-increasingly-abandon-obama-webhed-are-democrats-fleeing-sinking-obama-ship-.htm?

Excerpt: : Perhaps Democrats know something the rest of us don't about Barack Obama's political fortunes. What else explains the increasing numbers who are openly defying the president on two key election issues? The notoriously thin-skinned Obama could not have been happy with the news last week that, as the Hill newspaper put it, "an increasing number of Democrats are taking potshots at President Obama's health care law."

Appeals Court Gives Arizona Partial Victory on Voter-ID Law

http://townhall.com/columnists/kenblackwell/2012/04/20/appeals_court_gives_arizona_partial_victory_on_voterid_law/page/full/

Excerpt: The general rule is that when a federal and state laws conflict, federal law wins. This almost always happens under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution. But election law issues arise under the Elections Clause of the Constitution, which says that states have primary responsibility for conducting elections but that “Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such [state] Regulations.”

Create the family you want: Boy or Girl’: Sex selection advertized in Canadian newspapers

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/create-the-family-you-want-boy-or-girl-sex-selection-advertized-in-canadian

Excerpt: “Girls are fighting for their lives before they're even born,” said Sabrina Atwal, project director for the Indo-Canadian Women's Association in Edmonton. (Comment from Tom D: Interesting point. It probably also makes Multiculturists scratch their heads a little bit too. They are going to have to finally publish the previously unwritten caveat on multiculturalism. (which is: some non-white, non American cultures are cherished, while others are actually bad bad bad cultures. Baad cultures!) Some new calculus is called for.)

Scott Brown, Elizabeth Warren Trade Charges At Fenway Park

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/20/scott-brown-elizabeth-warren-fenway-park_n_1440665.html

Excerpt: He pushed back against Warren's charge against him. "Listen, I was the supporter. I worked on that. It never would have passed if it wasn’t for me," he said. "I was tired of having banks and Wall Street act like casinos with our money. But not for me being involved, that never would have passed.

CBO estimates Obama 2013 budget will hit economic growth

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/222767-cbo-sees-obama-budget-reducing-growth-in-long-term

Excerpt: The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Friday that President Obama’s 2013 budget will hurt the economy in the long term, arguing the larger deficits it would produce would reduce the amount of capital available to businesses. After five years, the CBO says the Obama proposals would reduce economic output by between 0.5 percent and 2.2 percent.

Pro-Hamas Exhibit Opens in France

http://www.investigativeproject.org/3542/pro-hamas-exhibit-opens-in-france

Excerpt: The local government in the French city of Angoulême has provided a room for a pro-Hamas photography exhibit, a month after a French Islamist terrorist murdered a Rabbi and three Jewish youth to "avenge the Palestinian children." The organizing Charente Palestine Solidarity Association explained that the exhibit was at the center of a Palestinian cultural event, "in order that people could understand better what Hamas really is," according to the Jerusalem Post. (France: Still collaborating with the final solution. ~Bob.)

Dog-Eating and Obama’s Identity By David “Spengler” Goldman

http://pjmedia.com/spengler/

What a careful reader will take away from Barack Obama’s memoir Dreams from My Father is not only that the president used to eat dog meat, but more importantly, that he identifies with dog-eaters. He wants us to understand that he is one of them.

May Day Warning Issued: Abandon Chicago

http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2012/04/may-day-warning-issued-abandon-chicago.html

Excerpt: Residents of a high-rent Chicago condo are being warned that they should move out for the weekend in May when NATO will hold its meetings in the city, or risk being trapped inside by rioters. President Obama has already moved a G8 meeting that was scheduled for Chicago in May. That meeting will now be held at Camp David.

President Obama Pensively Peering Out of Windows -- Daily Intel

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/04/president-obama-pensively-peering-out-of-windows.html

Excerpt: Yesterday, the White House released a photo of President Obama peering through the windows of the famous Rosa Parks bus in Detroit's Henry Ford Museum, seemingly deep in thought. This is actually a fairly common pastime for Obama. In fact, according to White House records acquired through a Freedom of Information Act request, Obama has spent 14 percent of his presidency pensively gazing through windows.

A Sharp Rise in Retractions Prompts Calls for Reform

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/17/science/rise-in-scientific-journal-retractions-prompts-calls-for-reform.html?_r=4

Excerpt: Indeed, the scientific method itself is intended to overcome mistakes and misdeeds. When scientists make a new discovery, others review the research skeptically before it is published. And once it is, the scientific community can try to replicate the results to see if they hold up. But critics like Dr. Fang and Dr. Casadevall argue that science has changed in some worrying ways in recent decades — especially biomedical research, which consumes a larger and larger share of government science spending. (In the past 10 years, retraction of scientific articles, especially in medical journals, has increased by a factor of ten. Some are retracted simply because they’re wrong, others because the results were faked or manipulated. If you don’t think this will matter to your life, you’re probably wrong. Ron P.

The Great 2012 Debate: Who Broke the Economy?

http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/the-great-2012-debate-who-broke-the-economy--20120422

Excerpt: The general-election contest between President Obama and his presumptive Republican challenger, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, is shaping up to be less a debate about how to get Americans back to work than it is a re-litigation of a decade of recent economic history. Romney’s core attack on Obama is that he’s made a bad economic situation worse. Obama’s main response is that Romney wants to go back to the policies that made the economy bad in the first place. In other words, we’ll get to Morning in America, just as soon as we’re done sorting out whom to blame for nightfall. (We need to constantly remind people of the $787B Stimulus under Pelosi's Congress that didn't stimulate anything except Obama's supporters. Obamacare is merely the icing on the cake for anyone out of work, and may even sound good to some of them. If we make pains in the butt of ourselves, never letting up on this one point, everything is thrown back on the Dems in a way they can't dodge. Ron P.)

Daily Beast Columnist Politely Calls for George Zimmerman’s Lynching: The alleged shooter should take a plea deal to avoid "Rodney King Part II." By Bob Owens

http://pjmedia.com/blog/daily-beast-columnist-politely-calls-for-george-zimmermans-lynching/

Excerpt: Daily Beast columnist Mansfield Frazier has turned the concept of “justice” upside down, arguing that George Zimmerman should be convicted in the shooting of Trayvon Martin merely to avoid race riots. The case was already heavily politicized even before prosecutor Angela Corey filed a charge of second-degree murder against Zimmerman based upon an extremely thin affidavit.

Worth Reading: Obama ladles up hot bowls of class warfare by John Kass

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-met-kass-0422-20120422,0,3890679.column

Excerpt: Naturally, the class warrior didn't mention charging regular folks $1,000 for a handshake at a fundraiser, but class warfare is the theme of the Democrats in 2012. The Republican is of the equestrian class that rides over the poor, leaving hoof prints on their necks. And Obama is of the people, so please forget that presidential media guru David Axelrod just dropped $1.7 million on a gorgeous Chicago condo. (Politics has been good to them—you would know they were part of the 99%. ~Bob.)

Worth Reading: All the Morals of a Bulldozer by Daniel Greenfield

http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/46172

Excerpt: To be genuinely outraged about something, you need to actually believe in something. Without principles, outrage is just tactical anger, or bullying in plainer language. Principles, values and codes, are universal. That is if you are angry about a dog being mistreated by riding on top of a car, then you should at least be equally angry at dogs being eaten.