I'm visiting a Marine buddy, grabbing time on his computer, on an unfamiliar word processing program. Some of the blog formatting may thus be weird, but I hope readable.
As
U.N. Finalizes Arms Trade Treaty, Opponents Warn of Global Gun Grab
Excerpt: In a letter to
Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the eve of the
conference, 130 Republican lawmakers outlined their concerns that the
treaty being negotiated could negatively affect U.S. security,
foreign policy and economic interests – as well as Americans’
constitutional rights. “The ATT must not accept that free
democracies and totalitarian regimes have the same right to conduct
arms transfers: this is a dangerous piece of moral equivalence,”
the letter stated. (As with so many “feel good” proposals, this
one appears to do little to enhance our security while having the
potential to strip us and our allies of the ability to provide mutual
support. Further, because EVERY treaty becomes “law of the
land” over-ruling even the Constitution of the USA, our Senators
really need to read every word and think about how they could be
twisted by unfriendly foreign powers or domestic administrations or
judges to our disadvantage. Even if we remain members of the
UN—and there are legitimate arguments on both sides of that—we
should view this and any other proposed treaty supported by a
majority of UN member states—few of whom are democracies—with
great suspicion. Ron P.)
Obama Must Fight on Home Turf as Romney Hits Blue States. By Joel Pollak.
Excerpt:
As Mitt Romney kicks off a campaign bus tour into what ABC
News calls "hostile territory," Barack Obama is waging
a defensive campaign, visiting states he won in 2008. It is clear,
from campaign schedules alone, that Obama does not believe he can add
states to his column in the 2012 election--and that he is worried
about holding the line against an increasingly aggressive, and
effective, Romney ground operation.
When We Began to Lose America. By Tad Cronn.
Excerpt:
When I woke this morning, the first thing I heard was a young child
in the street yelling, “It’s the Fourth of July, everybody!”
That instantly brought back memories of
my own childhood and the excitement of July Fourths past. (I just
talked to a retired Army LtCol. He's been reading a lot about the US
industrial power and people who won WWII. His conclusion is that is
is not the same country, that we have neither the industry nor the
people today to face such a challenge. Alas, I believe he is right.
~Bob.)
Islam is coming for America just as
it has come for Europe. By Geert Wilders
Excerpt: For make no mistake: Islam is
also coming for America. Indeed, it has already arrived. Your
country, too, is facing a stealth jihad - an Islamic attempt to
introduce Sharia law bit by bit.
Unforced Errors Are Sinking Obama.
By Tom Blumer.
Excerpt: President Barack Obama’s
gaffes, tone-deaf statements, and inadvertent betrayals of his
elitist true beliefs now arrive with such frequency that they leave
one wondering if he’s deliberately trying to lose — until one
recalls that he was the same way four years ago.
ObamaCare's Lost
Tribe: Doctors; The practice of medicine is the Obama health-care
law's biggest loser. By Daniel Henninger
Excerpt: Back at the at the dawn of
ObamaCare in June 2009, speaking to the American Medical
Association's annual meeting, President Obama said: "No matter
how we reform health care, we will keep this promise: If you like
your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period."
But will your doctor be able to keep
you? Or will your doctor even want to keep you, rather than quit
medicine?
Iran
'ready to fire missiles at US bases'
Excerpt:
In an apparent response to reports that the US has increased its
military presence in the Gulf, the commander of the Revolutionary
Guards' air force
said on Wednesdaythat missiles had been aimed at 35 US military bases
in the Gulf as well as targets in Israel,
ready to be launched in case of an attack. The semi-official
Fars news agency reported Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh as
saying: "We have thought of measures to set up bases and deploy
missiles to destroy all these bases in the early minutes after an
attack."
Afghan Local Police group deserts to
Taliban-led insurgents
Excerpt: A group of Afghan militia
troops has joined the Taliban-led
insurgents, officials said on Wednesday, apparently the first
surrender of its kind by the force created as part of a U.S.
initiative to keep the militants at bay and help break the
battlefield stalemate.
There were few details and conflicting
estimates about the number of men who changed sides in various parts
of the restive northwestern Badghis province on Tuesday evening. One
Afghan security official put the number at 41.
Governor Walker Breaks New Ground in
Higher Ed
Excerpt: Governor Scott Walker (R-WI),
already well known for his efforts to curb union power, has now set
out to tackle an equally big task: busting the higher education
bubble. The problem of college affordability is recognized on both
sides of the aisle, but sadly, most efforts to abate the problem -
such as increasing federal subsidies - have only exacerbated it.
Walker wants to try a different approach for taxpayers and students
in his state. (Dangerous. He might lose the support of the Madison
academic community. ~Bob.)
They Never Stop, They Never Sleep,
They Never Quit. By Michael Walsh
Excerpt: In case you were naive or
foolish enough to assume that the Obama administration might call off
its war on traditional America in honor of our national holiday,
think again: The Obama administration pressed the U.S. Supreme
Court on Tuesday to take up the rights of same-sex couples, asking
the justices to bypass an appellate panel and review the case of a
San Francisco court employee seeking federal insurance for her wife –
a request the administration now supports.
2011:
Joint Chiefs Chairman – Pakistan funding attacks against US troops,
2012: Hillary apologizes to Pakistan. By
Patrick Poole
Excerpt: As a demonstration of how
short a memory the Obama administration has when it comes to their
“smart diplomacy”, just take yesterday’s apology by Secretary
of State Clinton to Pakistan for a air strike along the
Afghan/Pakistani border last November that killed members of the
Pakistani military…. Just some context for the Obama
administration’s “smart diplomacy”. Churchill called it
“appeasement”. Reagan called it “surrender”.
The 7 Most Badass Founding Fathers.
By David Forsmark
Excerpt: They all pledged their “lives,
fortunes and sacred honors,” and it was more than just an idle
boast. The Founding Fathers were committing treason against the most
powerful empire that the world to date had ever seen. It was
also their Mother Country, to which many of their friends, family,
and neighbors were still loyal. And while they certainly, in
the words of Patrick Henry, “made the most” of their treason, the
idea that they would establish the most free and powerful nation in
the history of mankind was not the most likely outcome.
Obama
Campaign Spokesman: President Disagrees with SCOTUS Decision on
Mandate. By
Bridget Johnson
Excerpt: President Obama’s campaign
spokesman said on CNN this morning that his boss disagrees with the
Supreme Court ruling on the individual mandate. When prodded by
host Soledad O’Brien, Ben LaBolt said that the Obama specifically
believes that the mandate consists of a penalty.
Supreme
Court Hypocrisies: By hailing Roberts, the Left reveals its double
standards. By Victor Davis Hanson
Excerpt: Until
last week, Chief Justice John Roberts was vilified as the leader of a
conservative judicial cabal poised to destroy the Obama presidency by
overturning the federal takeover of health care. But with his
unexpected affirmation, Roberts suddenly was lauded as the new Earl
Warren — an “evolving” conservative who at last saw the logic
of liberal big government.
Live Free
— and Uninsured: The Left can’t see that there are losers under
Obamacare. By Jonah Goldberg
Excerpt: So, Obamacare creates no
losers except where it fails to tax people sufficiently and where GOP
governors fail to accept the wisdom of the law. In short, the only
thing wrong with Obamacare is that it isn’t even more punitive,
more mandatory, and more intrusive. It is an interesting perspective
given that this is arguably the most controversial law in our
lifetimes.
Obama’s
Super-PAC Advantage: So far, Obama’s super PAC is outspending all
super-PAC efforts opposing him combined. By Jim Geraghty
Excerpt: Most of the media coverage of
the 2012 campaign treats a Republican advantage in super-PAC spending
as a given. This assumption is echoed by increasingly dire comments
from President Obama, his advisers, and other Democrats.
Medal of Honor winners lament
Supreme Court Stolen Valor decision, blame Congress. By Caroline May
Excerpt: The Supreme Court struck down
the Stolen Valor Act last week, overturning the law that criminalized
lying about one’s military honors and angering many
military veterans. The Supreme Court is not the lone target of
veteran disappointment, however — for some, Congress is the real
body to blame.
Full List of Obamacare Tax Hikes:
Listed by Size of Tax Hike
Excerpt: Obamacare contains 20 new or
higher taxes on American families and small businesses. Arranged
by their respective sizes according to CBO scores, below is the total
list of all $500 billion-plus in tax hikes (over the next ten years)
in Obamacare, their effective dates, and where to find them in the
bill.
Syria Crisis:
Al Qaeda Members Crossing From Iraq Into Syria, Say Iraqis
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/05/syria-al-qaeda_n_1650445.html
Excerpt: Iraq said on Thursday that it believed militants loyal to al Qaeda were crossing from Iraq into Syria to carry out attacks. "We have solid information and intelligence that members of al Qaeda terrorist networks have gone in the other direction, to Syria, to help, to liaise, to carry out terrorist attacks," Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari told a news conference in Baghdad.(Syria only country in the region to protect Christians... FWIW. --Barb.)
Excerpt: Iraq said on Thursday that it believed militants loyal to al Qaeda were crossing from Iraq into Syria to carry out attacks. "We have solid information and intelligence that members of al Qaeda terrorist networks have gone in the other direction, to Syria, to help, to liaise, to carry out terrorist attacks," Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari told a news conference in Baghdad.(Syria only country in the region to protect Christians... FWIW. --Barb.)
How the British Government Lobbies
Itself and Why
Excerpt: The relationship between
charities and the British state has been significantly transformed in
the last 15 years. There is a gulf between the public's perception of
what is charitable -- a traditional view still dominated by visions
of self-sacrificing volunteers and jumble sales -- and the reality
where charities have become operating bodies of the state, says
Christopher Snowdon, a research fellow at the Institute of Economic
Affairs. This relationship has changed over time as British charities
have become increasingly reliant upon the government for financial
support.
8,733,461: Workers on Federal
'Disability' Exceed Population of New York City
Excerpt: Of the142,287,000 people
employed, and8,707,185 workers
taking federal disability payments. (If you subtract military, gov,
edu, state & fed service jobs (jobs we pay for with taxes). 1 in
5 working people are actually "paying in" for services.
Take care, Chris)
How to Qualify for Assurance
Wireless, a Lifeline Assistance program
Excerpt: Assurance Wireless is a
Lifeline Assistance program brought to you by Virgin Mobile and
supported by the federal Universal Service Fund. If you qualify for
Lifeline Assistance, you can receive a FREE phone, 250 FREE monthly
minutes and 250 FREE text messages. (One of several, I'm sure.
--Barb.)
Racial Double Standards
Excerpt: Permit me to be brave and run
a few assertions by you just to see whether we're on the same page.
There should be two standards for civilized conduct: one for whites,
which is higher, and another for blacks, which is lower. In other
words, in the name of justice and fair play, blacks should not be
held accountable to the same standards that whites are and should
not be criticized for conduct that we'd deem disgusting and racist
if said or done by whites.
Excerpt: Do
you trust the Congressional GOP to do everything they can to repeal
Obamacare if Mitt Romney wins the presidency and if at least 51 GOP
senators are elected and the House GOP majority maintained? Do you
trust them to move as quickly as possible to do so? I do, because the
political consequences of failing to do so would be so immense as to
cost the GOP their newly won majorities in 2014.
Excerpt: Plans haven’t yet begun for
the monument to John Roberts on the National Mall. These things take
time. A location will have to be found somewhere between the Lincoln
and Jefferson memorials.
Issa report: VIP loans brought
influence
Excerpt: Failed mortgage company
Countrywide
Financial used a VIP program — including loans to lawmakers,
key congressional staffers and executive-branch officials — to help
the company wield influence and block legislation that would have cut
into its profit margin, according to a House investigation.
Countrywide also gave VIP loans to top officials at Fannie
Mae, the government-sponsored mortgage giant, according to a new
report by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee,
chaired by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.).
Muslim Witch Hunts. By Daniel
Greenfield
Excerpt: Wherever you turned, from CNN
to Jon Stewart, the consensus of Muslim terrorists and their media
collaborators was that investigating Islamism was just like hunting
for witches. Except that terrorists exist and witches don’t—a
minor fact that was lost on the progressive camp which often mistakes
its own talking points for magic spells that alter the nature of
reality. The United States doesn’t hunt witches. It’s the Muslim
world that has an unfortunate propensity for engaging in witch hunts.
The Doctor-Patient-Government
Relationship. By Arnold Ahlert
Excerpt: Two of the most pernicious
ones will be greatly exacerbated now that the Affordable Care Act has
been ruled constitutional. The first assumption is the idea that
having health insurance is the equivalent of having healthcare
itself. The second assumption is the idea that doctors will be
beholden to the interests of individual patients above all else. Both
assumptions are wrong.
Excerpt: A member of the Pakistani
Taliban explains that -- contrary to the dogma held so fervently in
Washington -- the conflict in Afghanistan is over Islam and the will
to impose Sharia. It is not about tribal rivalries.
Tampa terror suspect's lawyer wants
off of case
Excerpt: A lawyer for a man accused of
plotting a terror attack in Tampa wants off the case, partly because
he says the suspect's family has threatened him.
Quote
Tyranny is yielding to the lust of the
governing. --Lord Moulton
A National Anthem that Begins and
Ends with a Question. By David P. Goldman
Excerpt: There’s no mistaking Francis
Scott Key for a great poet, but like other minor talents at exalted
moments, Julia Ward Howe, for example, he wrote a great poem. It
might seem a stretch to think of “The Star-Spangled Banner” as
high art, but its first verse, despite some deficiencies, has true
grandeur.
Greek healthcare system collapses,
hospital workers now working without pay
Excerpt: Today, the situation has
gotten even worse, particularly because the Greek healthcare system
heavily relies on brand-name drugs rather than far-less-expensive
alternatives. Since the entire system is clogged because of unpaid
bills, many pharmacies, for instance, have had to simply close their
doors.(Can you think of another country that has a
government-mandated medical system and a debt exceeding GDP. Oh,
that's right. The USA! Take a good look at Greece, folks. We're
almost there. --Don Hank)
Marine Corps band plays Romney song
for Obama on White House lawn
Excerpt: A subset of the Marine Corps
band struck up one of Mitt Romney's walkout songs while President
Obama was greeting visitors at the White House Independence Day
celebration.
A White House pool report said the band
struck up Rodney Atkins's "It's America," and described it
as an "awkward moment."
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment