Political Digest for June 15, 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.

Charities I support

http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2011/09/charities-i-support.html

Economic Train Wreck

http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2012/06/economic-train-wreck.html

Cartoon.

Victim: 'They were enjoying frightening people.' By John Kass

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-met-kass-0613-20120613,0,5725691.column

Excerpt: I asked about that elephant in the room: Was it racial? "I don't think it was racially motivated," the doctor said. "They were black, I'm Asian, but I think it was something else. I think it was about having fun because they could. ... I'm not sure what this says. (If this Asian doctor had killed one of these black teens, it would have become racial very quickly, as a mob of howling race-baiters descended on him crying "Justice." See "A Censored Race War?" By Thomas Sowell. http://www.humanevents.com/2012/05/15/a-censored-race-war/ "Similar episodes of unprovoked violence by young black gangs against white people chosen at random on beaches, in shopping malls or in other public places have occurred in Philadelphia, New York, Denver, Chicago, Cleveland, Washington, Los Angeles and other places across the country... Asian American school children in New York and Philadelphia have for years been beaten up by their black classmates.

Stephen Kilcullen: Women Don't Belong in Ranger School: Do individuals serve the military or does the military serve them?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303830204577448821376681662.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Excerpt: The United States Army is debating whether to admit women to Ranger School, its elite training program for young combat leaders. Proponents argue this is to remove a final impediment to the careers of Army women. But the move would erode the unique Ranger ethos and culture—not to mention the program's rigorous physical requirements—harming its core mission of cultivating leaders willing to sacrifice everything for our nation. (If they allow women into Ranger School, it will be just fine, as long as none of the physical requirements change. They will flunk out on the tests that require high upper body strength (just as a percentage of men do) and that will be that. Of course, then NOW will claim gender discrimination, and want the physical requirements changed for women, as they were when women started attending the service academies. But being in close combat is not subject to any discrimination other than the skills and strength to survive. There's a reason women boxers don't box men, or women weightlifters compete with men, or women tennis players compete with men, etc, etc. If they are a disadvantage in those sports, how much worse off will they be in close combat? Pilots, sure, artillery, sure, maybe some other combat related jobs. But not close combat, unless we want to see either lots of the women dying or more men dying to try to protect them. --Del)

AFL-CIO Pulling Funds From Obama Campaign

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2012/06/13/afl-cio-redeploying-funds-from-obama-campaign-to-advocacy-and-infrastructure

Excerpt: The AFL-CIO has told Washington Whispers it will redeploy funds away from political candidates smack dab in the middle of election season, the latest sign that the largest federation of unions in the country could be becoming increasingly disillusioned with President Obama. The federation says the shift has been in the works for months, and had nothing to do with the president's failure to show in Wisconsin last week, where labor unions led a failed recall election of Governor Scott Walker.

What Greece Can Learn from Sweden's Pro-Market Successes: Greece should look to Sweden for reforms that deliver prosperity and fiscal sanity. by Matthew Feeney 

http://reason.com/archives/2012/06/13/nordic-lessons-for-the-mediterranean

Excerpt: This summer will bring more to Greece than just fiscal chaos. The Mediterranean summer will also bring tourists, many of whom will come from Europe’s colder north. While this year’s tourists will provide some of the usual economic benefits, there is one country whose citizens will also be able to bring lessons on economic growth and recovery. Sweden, often dismissed by free marketers and embraced by the left, provides some of the best examples of how privatization and sensible banking policy can lift a country out of an economic slump. (Greece? Hell, how about Obama and the Democrats learning from them? ~Bob.)

Democrats spout big lie about Fast and Furious snafu, say cops

http://www.examiner.com/article/democrats-spout-big-lie-about-fast-and-furious-snafu-say-cops

Excerpt: During Fox News Channel's Megyn Kelly's interview of Democratic Party operative Julian Epstein today, the Obama sycophant stated that President George W. Bush and his Justice Department were responsible for initiating the snafu known as Operation Fast and Furious.

Could NY be up for grabs?

Response to "Obama's Jewish Support Drops 22 Points in New York"

 http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/obamas-jewish-support-drops-22-points-new-york_647153.html

It is my opinion/projection that Obama will lose big. He has lost those who think he has mismanaged the economy and has no idea how to right it. I believe that he has lost enough of the Catholic vote who feel he has gone too far in intruding on the rights of religious institutions. I do not see where he will gain any votes he did not already have on coming out in favor of gay marriage. If this drop in the overwhelming historical support of Jews for any Democrat , many so-called blue states as well as swing states could go up for grabs. Take Illinois. In 2010, the weak Republican candidate only lost by less than one percent. He was not articulate and was perhaps more out of touch on social issues in Illinois that Santorum was nationally. Conversely, the Republican, Rutherford won statewide for Treasurer and Kirk beat Obama's buddy, Gianoullias, for US Senator. Given, Obama's increasingly recognized failures, there is no reason why a well run campaign for Romney would not be able to overcome the Democrat machine in Illinois in November. Cordially, Larry Greenberg. I try to stay away from predictions--I was off by 3% on Walker's win in Wisconsin. I recall my election night in 1972. One of the local radio stations, who should have been on top of things, said that, in their opinion, I had run a good campaign and would likely only get beat two to one (4-1 Democrat district, last won by a Republican in 1938). They then went off the air. When they came back on in the morning, with all precincts reporting, I was up by nine votes out of over 60,000 cast. They weren't the only ones stunned. I had thought we were close for a few weeks, but none of the political types did. ~Bob.)

It starts: the government’s plan to steal your money.

http://www.sovereignman.com/expat/it-starts-the-governments-plan-to-steal-your-money/?a_aid=CRX

Excerpt: The dominos have already started falling. Iceland. Ireland. Greece. Spain. Portugal. Italy. Cyprus. Soon even France and the rest of Europe. And it will come to the United States as well. There are over 15 trillion reasons why. (There is reason for concern even if you think the writer is paranoid. --MM. Even paranoids have enemies, Mac. ~Bob.)

Senators chide Clinton on Israel’s exclusion from counterterrorism forum

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/06/13/3098131/senators-chide-clinton-on-israels-exclusion-from-counterterrorism-forum

Excerpt: U.S. Sens. Joseph Lieberman and Mark Kirk have written a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressing their disappointment with Israel’s exclusion from the inaugural meeting of the Global Counterterrorism Forum. In the letter, Sens. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) told Clinton that “there are few countries in the world that have suffered more from terrorism than Israel, and few governments that have more experience combating this threat than that of Israel.” (Next time Hilary comes courting the Jews for elective office, for cash or votes, please remember that she stands up for Israel and Jews only on an expedient basis. This now mother-in-law to a Jewish man, when she was first lady, at a public forum once failed to confront Suhail Arafat who accused Israel of poisoning Palestinian wells. When she ran for US Senator from New York, there was nary a Jewish ass she did not kiss. Now as Secretary of State, she does not stand up against the exclusion of Israel from the NATO meeting (Pakistan was invited) or from an international conference on counter-terrorism. Excluding arguably the world's foremost authority on the subject is not only absurd and insulting, it is hypocritical in that the Turks, to whom she (and Obama) is kowtowing support the terrorist Hamas organization. Cordially, Larry Greenberg)

Rio conferees mull $1,325 'green tax' on U.S. families
http://times247.com/articles/un-to-consider-1-300-green-tax-on-american-families

Pirates off the port bow! Stand by to repel borders! ~Bob. Excerpt: Diplomats at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Conference in Rio de Janeiro next week will consider proposals that would levy taxes on American families and energy industries in order to support international efforts to combat global warming, according to a draft agenda for the conference.

Comparing Private Sector Unemployment Numbers To The Public Sector's

http://wwwwakeupamericans-spree.blogspot.com/2012/06/comparing-private-sector-unemployment.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FrnoHn+%28Wake+up+America%29

Excerpt: Obama and Reid have it precisely backward: It’s the public sector that’s doing fine. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for government workers last month was just 4.2 percent (up slightly from 3.9 percent a year ago). Compare that to private-sector industries such as construction (14.2 percent unemployment), leisure and hospitality services (9.7 percent), agriculture (9.5 percent), professional and business services (8.5 percent) and wholesale and retail trade (8.1 percent).

U.S. expands secret intelligence operations in Africa

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-expands-secret-intelligence-operations-in-africa/2012/06/13/gJQAHyvAbV_story.html?wpisrc=al_national

Excerpt: The U.S. military is expanding its secret intelligence operations across Africa, establishing a network of small air bases to spy on terrorist hideouts from the fringes of the Sahara to jungle terrain along the equator, according to documents and people involved in the project. (Gee, thanks for keeping our enemies informed of our “secret operations” media weenies. I know fewer folks every day read the lame-stream media, but if it’s in the Washington Post, can they fairly call it a “secret operation”? ~Bob.

Obama’s ‘are you better off’ problem

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/obamas-are-you-better-off-problem/2012/06/13/gJQA59OFbV_blog.html?wpisrc=nl_politics

Excerpt: The news out of the Federal Reserve last week that median family net worth had dropped roughly 40 percent between 2007 and 2010 drew huge headlines across the country. … Remember that the question that Obama must find an answer to — if he wants to win, that is — is “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” And much of Obama’s ability to answer that question depends on how voters perceive not only him, but also the relative health of the economy. (I saw a bumper sticker—here in Crook County, IL—that asked, “Are you better off than you were $4 Trillion ago?” ~Bob.)

At Justice, the grunts seem to be the fall guys in Stevens case

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/at-justice-the-grunts-seem-to-be-the-fall-guys-in-stevens-case/2012/06/12/gJQAGrvdYV_story.html

Excerpt: The National Association of Assistant United States Attorneys is upset: Of all the Justice Department people involved in the prosecution of Ted Stevens, it points out, the only folks disciplined by the agency were assistant U.S. attorneys, near the bottom of the food chain. (And Stevens lost his senate seat. Then his life in a plane crash. ~Bob.)

Worth Reading: The EPA’s flawed zero tolerance policy. By Kathleen Hartnett White
http://dailycaller.com/2012/06/04/the-epas-flawed-zero-tolerance-policy/

Excerpt: For the last three years, the Environmental Protection Agency has justified new air quality regulations — unprecedented in stringency and cost — on the assumption that even trace levels of particulate matter can cause early death. A recent EPA report states that by 2020, the EPA’s rules “will prevent 230,000 early deaths.” … This methodological change leads the EPA to the implausible finding that mortal risks increase to the extent that ambient levels of fine particulates exceed natural background levels of 1 microgram per cubic meter.

Crop Insurance Proposal Could Cost U.S. Billions

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/07/us/politics/bill-to-expand-crop-insurance-poses-risks.html?_r=4&ref=todayspaper

Excerpt: The sharp rise in the price of corn, wheat, soybeans and other crops, driven in large part by the growth of Asian economies, has caused farmers to plant land long prone to erosion and flooding. In the prairies and rolling hills of the Northern Great Plains in the Dakotas and in Montana, millions of acres that are home to ducks and other waterfowl, and attractive grounds for hunters, are rapidly being turned into corn, soybean and wheat fields. (When government puts its fingers in the market economy, it’s putting its hand in your wallet. ~Bob.)

Millatu Ibrahim, German Salafist Organization, Banned Amid Raids. By David Rising

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/14/millatu-ibrahim-german-salafist-organization-banned_n_1596127.html

Excerpt: German authorities launched a nationwide crackdown Thursday on an ultraconservative Islamic organization, raiding homes, meeting halls and mosques, while banning one related group and opening in an investigation of two others. Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said he had banned the Salafist organization Millatu Ibrahim, saying that it has been calling on Muslims to fight against Germany's "constitutional order." (The Germans have finally had it with "multi-kulti" and the power elites are doing something about it. Nonetheless, they insist on calling radical Islamists "ultra-conservatives," a subtle politically motivated slur against conservatives and Christians who refuse to go along, for example, with unfair speech codes that carry prison sentences, with the euro swindle that has brought Europe to its knees, with the sovereignty-killing, wasteful and tyrannical EU, etc. In other words, the real thrust of this anti-extremist policy reported below is to protect the government, not the people, who are still held captive by the government, officialdom and the media. The old regime morphed but didn't go away. Example of how this authoritarianism works: The German people do not want more bailouts for profligate nations. Yet Chancellor Merkel has started to acquiesce to a demand for further bailouts. Italy will be next if the madness doesn't stop soon. If it stops later, it will be because the machinery has finally ground to a halt. The Germans have been there before. The same mindset is leading to tragedy again. --Don Hank)

Spain's borrowing costs at fresh high after Moody's cut

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18438044

Excerpt: Spain's borrowing costs have risen to another euro-era record, with lenders demanding a higher interest rate. The yield on benchmark 10-year bonds hit 7% on Thursday morning, a level which many analysts believe is unsustainable in the long term. It came as Moody's cut Spain's credit rating to one notch above "junk" and ahead of an Italian bond auction. (Huh. Guess I’m too conservative. I wouldn’t buy Spanish bonds at 15%. Or Greek bonds at 50% if they threw in a gyro, ouzo and souvlaki. ~Bob.)

DoD Yanks Consent for Military Seals on Bibles

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2012/06/14/dod-yanks-consent-for-military-seals-on-bibles.html?comp=7000023435700&rank=3

Excerpt: Bowing to a complaint from a religious watchdog group, the Pentagon will no longer give consent for a publisher to use the official emblems of the military services on a line of Bibles sold on base exchanges. (Our leaders in the Pentagon have lost their moral compass. By continuing to bow down to and give in to the demands of the MRFF, they are abdicating their position of leadership. I'm so glad I am retired, but that fact doesn't bring much comfort when I look down the road and see what's in store. Will MRFF eventually demand that all Bibles be banned for sale by the PX? Will MRFF eventually demand the closing of chapels aboard military installations? Don't bet against it. --MasterGuns)

In Colorado Focus Group, Obama Voters Disillusioned. By Josh Kraushaar

http://decoded.nationaljournal.com/2012/06/in-colorado-focus-group-obama.php

Excerpt: Last night, veteran Democratic pollster Peter Hart conducted a focus group featuring 12 undecided, ticket-splitting voters in Colorado, which illustrated the tough challenge President Obama faces in winning a second term. He's lost significant ground among these swing voters: Ten of the participants voted for Obama in 2008; only three of them said they leaned towards re-electing him in 2012. … "I feel like I was somewhat lied to." (Somewhat? Somewhat? ~Bob.)

Kaus Files. By Mickey Kaus

http://dailycaller.com/2012/06/13/we-dont-recriminate-like-we-used-to/#ixzz1xitH8e3A

Excerpt: As everyone knows, much of the engaged left has effectively hived itself off in MSNBC world, where the typical show features a liberal host, and a guest who agrees with the host, and another guest who agrees with the first guest. Even in the printosphere, when Obama screws up Jonathan Chait or Michael Tomasky are there to explain why the screw up isn’t really such a screw up and actually hurts Republicans in the long run.

Axelrod ’94: Bush looked “out of touch” by … talking up a bad economy from the golf course

http://hotair.com/archives/2012/06/13/axelrod-94-bush-looked-out-of-touch-by-talking-up-a-bad-economy-on-the-golf-course

Excerpt from the video: "Bush tastelessly did it often from the ninth hole and from the cigar boat and other places. And the impression you got was that he was out of touch," Axelrod said. "You still like to beat up on Bush?" Callaway asked. "It's the only thing we have left," Axelrod responded. (Same old song in 1994. ~Bob.)

North Dakota voters reject ‘Fighting Sioux’ mascot amid protests of insensitivity
http://dailycaller.com/2012/06/13/north-dakota-voters-reject-fighting-sioux-mascot-amid-protests-of-insensitivity/#ixzz1xjveLVyY

Excerpt: North Dakota residents overwhelmingly voted on Tuesday to discontinue calling their state university’s sports teams the “Fighting Sioux” after opponents have long argued that the nickname is offensive to Native Americans. … A spokeswoman for Massachusetts Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren did not immediately return an email seeking comment. (Huh. Does Michigan State’s use of “Spartans” then not demean Greeks? Or U-Mass’s “Minutemen” not demean the heroes of the Revolution? But if Warren gets elected senator, I suppose Massachusetts should change to the “One-thirty-second Cherokees” in her honor. ~Bob.)

Holder’s last days? Woes growing ‘Fast & Furious.’ By Michael A. Walsh

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/holder_last_days_pH8uEb4ucYRVh2fPu8568M#ixzz1xmAp12ra

Excerpt: After more than a year of half-truths, stonewalling, obfuscating and outright lying to Congress about the “gunwalking” scandal known as Fast and Furious, Attorney General Eric Holder now finds himself trapped in a box canyon, out of ammo and surrounded by hostiles. It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

Eric Holder Slides into the Depths of Race Politics: An attorney general who plays the race card flirts with some ugly ghosts from American history. By Joe Hicks

http://pjmedia.com/blog/eric-holder-slides-into-the-depths-of-race-politics/

Excerpt: Barack Obama and Eric Holder had the opportunity to help steer the nation toward race-neutral policies — perhaps into a post-racial era. Instead, the first black president has often dabbled in the politics of racial identity, and the first black attorney general has often shamelessly exposed his own solidarity with “his people.” This is the man who lectured us about America being a nation of racial cowards because white Americans haven’t engaged in sufficient “soul searching.”

“Fast and Furious reporting earns Sharyl Attkisson an Edward R. Murrow Award”

 http://youviewedblog.wordpress.com/2012/06/13/an-edward-r-murrow-award-for-fast-furious-5/

Excerpt: We are happy for Sharyl in winning an award for her “Fast & Furious” coverage on CBS. We admire her work and detract from her and her well deserved accolades not in the least, yet can’t but wonder, on what CBS station was she allowed to make public her investigative findings?

‘Fast and Furious’ Figure Leaving Justice Department

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/06/13/fast-and-furious-figure-leaving-justice-department/

The Justice Department announced today that an assistant attorney general who gave the first responses to Congress on Operation Fast and Furious is leaving the DOJ. Ronald Weich will be the new dean of the University of Baltimore School of Law. On Feb. 4, 2011, Weich responded to Sen. Chuck Grassley’s (R-Iowa) initial requests for information about the gun-walking operation.

From Russia, With Death. By Ralph Peters

http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/from-russia-with-death?f=must_reads#ixzz1xlRkasOS

Excerpt: The low point of the American presidency over the past half-century wasn't Watergate, which is almost trivial compared to the corruption of the Obama administration, from treasonous leaks of classified material to the Justice Department's assault on honest elections. No, my fellow Americans, the lowest point of the presidency occurred a few months back when President Obama, caught by a microphone he didn't know was hot, told Russia's then-president, now prime-minister, Dimitry Medvedev to relay to strong-man Vladimir Putin a request for patience. Essentially, Obama said he needed time to fool the American people until the November elections then he could cut the deals that Putin wanted.

Honor murder in Kuwait: Four brothers kill teen sister on orders of father

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/06/honor-murder-in-kuwait-four-brothers-kill-teen-sister-on-orders-of-father.html

Excerpt: Muslims commit 91 percent of honor killings worldwide. A manual of Islamic law certified as a reliable guide to Sunni orthodoxy by Al-Azhar University, the most respected authority in Sunni Islam, says that "retaliation is obligatory against anyone who kills a human being purely intentionally and without right." However, "not subject to retaliation" is "a father or mother (or their fathers or mothers) for killing their offspring, or offspring's offspring." ('Umdat al-Salik o1.1-2). In other words, someone who kills his child incurs no legal penalty under Islamic law.

Metro State Approves Tuition Discount For Illegal Immigrants: New Rate Takes Effect This Fall

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/31166607/detail.html

Metropolitan State College of Denver trustees voted Thursday to cut tuition for illegal immigrants by more than half. The trustees voted 7-1 to accept the recommendation….Thirteen states -- including Texas, California, Illinois and Connecticut -- have passed legislation granting in-state tuition for immigrant students, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Travel Warning for Mexico: Possible Violent 'Retaliation' Against Americans

http://news.yahoo.com/travel-warning-mexico-possible-violent-retaliation-against-americans-143445504--abc-news-topstories.html

Excerpt: American travelers to Mexico should beware of possible violent retaliation for this week's arrest of alleged Zetas drug cartel associates and family members inside the U.S., the U.S. State Department has warned. 9stll okay to send your 13-year-old and 12 friends there for Spring Break as long as the taxpayers are picking up the costs of security. ~Bob.)

Future headlines: June 28, 2012 Attorney General Eric Holder Resigns
http://ericholderresigns.blogspot.com/

Excerpt: After a brief meeting with President Obama, Eric Holder tendered his resignation from the position of United States Attorney General. Faced with a Contempt of Congress citation, Holder had recently claimed that he had "no intention of resigning." (If Holder goes down, he will say the racists got him. But like so many arrogant people with an entitlement mentality, his own hubris will have done him in. ~Bob.)

Holder faces corruption scandal, too: Bankruptcy victims allege he's protecting Democrats from prosecution. By Jerome R. Corsi

http://www.wnd.com/2012/06/holder-faces-corruption-scandal-too/

Excerpt: At a time when millions of Americans are losing their homes as a result of questionable or fraudulent mortgage banking practices, Attorney General Eric Holder’s Justice Department is being accused of blocking prosecution of a high-visibility real estate deal. Holder, who is under pressure by Congress members investigating the Fast & Furious gun-running scandal to resign, allegedly aims to protect a high-profile international bank client of his former law firm and shield Democratic Party operatives implicated in the scheme.

Obamanomics Results: Pelosi’s wealth declined 25 percent in 2011
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/232743-pelosis-wealth-declined-25-percent-in-2011

Excerpt: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) lost nearly a quarter of her wealth in the past year, according to a financial disclosure report released Thursday. Pelosi’s minimum net worth dropped by roughly $8.8 million in 2011, the report suggests. It valued Pelosi’s wealth as at least $26.4 million at the end of the 2011 calendar year, down from at least $35.2 million the previous year.

Obama's Public Sector Full Employment Plan. By Ann Coulter
http://townhall.com/columnists/anncoulter/2012/06/13/obamas_public_sector_full_employment_plan

Excerpt: Last week, President Obama said "the private sector is doing fine." This was not reassuring to those of us who suspect the Democrats haven't the first idea what "private sector" means. He did not help matters by becoming lachrymose over the suffering of public sector employees: "Where we're seeing weaknesses in our economy have to do with state and local government. ... And so, if Republicans want to be helpful, if they really want to move forward and put people back to work, what they should be thinking about is, how do we help state and local governments ..."

Russian Intelligence, Barack Obama, Mikhail Gorbachev, Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin

http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/47329

Excerpt: In the 1950s, school children were taught how to crouch under their desks during air raid drills. The Lib-Left of the day ridiculed the drills as Cold War paranoia.

Who knew back then that celebrities would pre-fund $3.5 million for a soft landing to the Gorbachev Foundation for a move into a new, white shingled bay-front house at the historic Presidio overlooking San Francisco’s Golden Bridge?

Obama Listens to Rich Liberals, at His Peril: Is he taking advice from anyone else? By Michael Barone

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/302733/obama-listens-rich-liberals-his-peril-michael-barone

Excerpt: Who does Barack Obama listen to? Not Republican politicians. Evidently weeks go by between his conversations with Speaker John Boehner, who determines what legislation comes to the House floor. Not Democratic politicians.

Panetta Warns of Cyber Pearl Harbor: ‘The Capability to Paralyze This Country Is There Now’

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/panetta-warns-cyber-pearl-harbor-capability-paralyze-country-there-now

Excerpt: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned a Senate panel today that America faces "the potential for another Pearl Harbor" launched by enemies who have the capability to wield a cyberattack that would “paralyze this country.” (This article goes into the testimony in front of Congress by Leon Panetta, warning that the possibility exists right now of cyber attacks that could do a great deal of damage to the nation. I think we need not only a tremendous effort to strengthen cyber defense, but also we need our best hackers (get them out of prison, if needed) to set up cyber attacks on our main enemies. We need something like the old MAD doctrine, in which a nation that wants to hit us electronically knows they will suffer an equal or greater disaster if they try it. –Del)

SWAT rampage destroys Iraq vet's home over guns

http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/guns/2012/may/28/miller-swat-rampage-destroys-iraq-vets-home-over-g/

Excerpt: While Army Sgt. Matthew Corrigan was sound asleep inside his Northwest D.C. home, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) was preparing to launch a full-scale invasion of his home. SWAT and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams spent four hours readying the assault on the English basement apartment in the middle of the snowstorm of the century. (Why the Indiana law got passed -- DH)

Arizona prepares to enforce strict immigration law

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jun/13/arizona-prepares-enforce-state-immigration-law/

Excerpt: Arizona is already gearing up to enforce its strict immigration law as it anticipates a favorable ruling from the Supreme Court sometime this month, with Gov. Jan Brewer issuing an executive order this week telling police to bone up on the details of the law. Mrs. Brewer ordered that training materials produced to help police understand the law and its limits should be distributed throughout the state in preparation for a ruling.

Hello from Israel

Israel is one of the least imperfect countries in the world. In fact, if one considers the fact that it has been in a hot or threatened war for all of its existence, its achievements are all the more remarkable: democracy, ethnic-religious-cultural-gender pluralism, a world leader in technology, urban growth with environmental respect, a vibrant life. Take a short tour: http://www.youtube.com/embed/AoizSL-TEJQ?feature=player_embedded. Pass it on to others who might benefit. -- Larry Greenberg

The Great Republican Hypocrisy. By Thomas Magstadt

http://www.nationofchange.org/great-republican-hypocrisy-1339653520

Just so you know that, like Fox News, I’m “Fair and Balanced,” I include this piece of leftist thought sent to me by a friend and former legislative colleague. I don’t think we can put Dr. Magstadt in the “undecided swing voter” column. ~Bob. Excerpt: That's precisely what Romney and Republican leaders in Congress are doing, rather than admit the truth – that the biggest recipients of state aid (what they call "welfare") in America are its richest citizens and corporations; that the redistribution of income in America in the past three decades has shifted wealth from the middle class to the super rich, leaving American society looking more like Venezuela than Sweden; and that one reason for this historic shift is a tax system that allows – nay, invites – the 1% to pay taxes at a rate far below the maximum and far below that of most middle-class taxpayers earning a tiny fraction as much.

Where Are the Moderate Arabs and Palestinians? By Khaled Abu Toameh

http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3091/moderate-arabs-palestinians

Excerpt: Has anyone ever heard of an Arab or Palestinian "Peace Now" group? Palestinians have been radicalized to a point where it is virtually impossible to talk about peace and coexistence. Peace activists, human rights advocates, moderates, journalists and reformers have almost no say and are often denounced as "traitors" and a "fifth column." In Israel, there are dozens of organizations and parties that openly advocate peace with the Palestinians and the Arab world. (FYI, Khaled Abu Toameh is a Palestinian Arab who is a citizen of Israel. If you are not familiar with him, go to his archive. Cordially, Larry Greenberg)

US drones strike in Miramshah's bazaar, kill 3 militants

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/06/us_drones_strike_in_1.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LongWarJournalSiteWide+%28The+Long+War+Journal+%28Site-Wide%29%29

Excerpt: US drones struck for the second time in 24 hours in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan. Today's strike, which took place in the early morning, targeted the fighters "on the first floor of a shop" in the bazaar in Miramshah, Pakistani officials told AFP. The remotely piloted Predators or Reapers fired a pair of missiles at the shop, killing three "militants."

Worth Reading: The New American Helots: Our indebted graduates are the modern indentured class. By Victor Davis Hanson

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/302804/new-american-helots-victor-davis-hanson#

Excerpt: Ancient Sparta turned its conquered neighbors into indentured serfs — half free, half slave. The resulting Helot underclass produced the food of the Spartan state, freeing Sparta’s elite males to train for war and the duties of citizenship. Over the last few decades, we’ve created our modern version of these Helots — millions of indebted young Americans with little prospect of finding permanent well-paying work, servicing their enormous college debts, or reaping commensurate financial returns on their costly educations.