Your one-stop-shop for political news and opinion. Please forward to friends who need to be informed. This SitRep (Military for “Situation Report”) is created by many readers who send me items for inclusion, which I would have likely missed or skipped. And I can only spend at most three hours a night pulling stuff, plus the healthcare or economic stuff that crosses my desk at work. As always, I—and you—owe them thanks and appreciation. I post articles because I think they are of interest and will stimulate thought and discussion. Doing so doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree (or disagree) with every—or any—opinion in the posted article, or that I was able to verify the information presented, which is the responsibility of the author. I try not to post things that are false, or too far a stretch, regardless of the view point, but I don’t always succeed. As always on the Net, or in the legacy media, you must read critically and with skepticism.
Advice for my Granddaughter: For When I'm Gone
All royalties go to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.
Worth Reading
Excerpt: The Fraser Institute's Economic Freedom of the World 2012 index measures the degree to which the policies and institutions of countries are supportive of economic freedom. Forty-two variables are used to construct a summary index and to measure the degree of economic freedom in five broad areas: (1) size of government; (2) legal system and property rights; (3) sound money; (4) freedom to trade internationally; and (5) regulation. In this year's index, Hong Kong retains the highest rating for economic freedom, 8.90 out of 10. The other top 10 nations are: Singapore , 8.69; New Zealand , 8.36; Switzerland , 8.24; Australia , 7.97; Canada , 7.97; Bahrain , 7.94; Mauritius , 7.90; Finland , 7.88; and Chile
Economic freedom in the United States United States
Excerpt: China and Russia Beijing and Moscow
British Soldiers No Longer Trust the Afghans. By Con Coughlin
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/concoughlin/100181615/nato-soldiers-no-longer-trust-the-afghans/
Excerpt: Let us not forget that the main reason we have in excess of 100,000 Nato troops in Afghanistan is to help the Afghans rebuild their country after three decades of civil war, and be in a position to look after their own security. But if the only thanks we get for our trouble is our young soldiers being killed and maimed by ungrateful Afghans, then many people will ask what's the point of sustaining further casualties for a nation of ingrates?
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/concoughlin/100181615/nato-soldiers-no-longer-trust-the-afghans/
Excerpt: Let us not forget that the main reason we have in excess of 100,000 Nato troops in Afghanistan is to help the Afghans rebuild their country after three decades of civil war, and be in a position to look after their own security. But if the only thanks we get for our trouble is our young soldiers being killed and maimed by ungrateful Afghans, then many people will ask what's the point of sustaining further casualties for a nation of ingrates?
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100181565/duke-and-duchess-of-cambridge-nearly-drowned-by-climate-change/
Excerpt: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will have a narrow escape from watery death today when they visit the famous sinking Pacific island of Tuvalu – which, as we know, is in daily danger of total inundation thanks to the threat of man-made warming. How will they escape? God only knows but it's going to be a close one – to judge by this report from local broadcaster Radio Australia.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100181565/duke-and-duchess-of-cambridge-nearly-drowned-by-climate-change/
Excerpt: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will have a narrow escape from watery death today when they visit the famous sinking Pacific island of Tuvalu – which, as we know, is in daily danger of total inundation thanks to the threat of man-made warming. How will they escape? God only knows but it's going to be a close one – to judge by this report from local broadcaster Radio Australia.
The Muslim World Should Get Used To Being Offended. English Defence League
http://englishdefenceleague.org/home/edl-news/1801-the-muslim-world-should-get-used-to-being-offended
Excerpt: For some, the memory of how the Muslim world responded to a Danish newspaper’s decision to print cartoons of the prophet Mohammed appears to have faded – which may well explain their shock that a short, low-budget film by an unknown amateur American filmmaker could have somehow managed to provoke such rage. But the memory’s clearly fresh enough for most people to conclude that Muslims really need to ‘chill out’ (in the words of a work colleague I overheard this week).
http://englishdefenceleague.org/home/edl-news/1801-the-muslim-world-should-get-used-to-being-offended
Excerpt: For some, the memory of how the Muslim world responded to a Danish newspaper’s decision to print cartoons of the prophet Mohammed appears to have faded – which may well explain their shock that a short, low-budget film by an unknown amateur American filmmaker could have somehow managed to provoke such rage. But the memory’s clearly fresh enough for most people to conclude that Muslims really need to ‘chill out’ (in the words of a work colleague I overheard this week).
Muslims, media dhimmis enraged by Newsweek "Muslim Rage" cover. Jihad Watch
Excerpt: So all around the world Muslims are enraged because they are Muslims, explaining that they are rioting and killing because they believe Muhammad and Islam have been insulted. But if Newsweek runs a cover story referring to "Muslim rage," Islamic supremacists and their media toadies become...enraged.[I had cats at one time & if I was watching them, they would pick fights with each other. When they were out in the back garden & they didn't know I could see them through the kitchen window, it was The Peaceable Kingdom out there. Just Turn Off The Cameras. Kate.]
The Quote of the Decade
The fact that we are here today to debate raisingAmerica America Washington America
The fact that we are here today to debate raising
Worth Reading : Obama on the Middle East. Where is the president’s partisan snarling when we need it? By Victor Davis Hanson
Excerpt: The last three and a half years, Barack Obama has gone out of his way to bow, apologize, contextualize, and scapegoat in order to win Middle Eastern affection. Yet, his reset, “Bush did it” policy is now in shambles, and he apparently has nothing with which to replace it. So I have a modest suggestion.
Stephens: Muslims, Mormons and Liberals: Why is it OK to mock one religion but not another?
Excerpt: On the other hand, if you can afford to shell out several hundred bucks for a seat, then you can watch a Mormon missionary get his holy book stuffed—well, I can't tell you about that, either. Let's just say it has New York City Del
Saving Medicine: The Three Cs. By Lee D. Hieb, M.D.
Excerpt: American medicine today is truly in crisis, but not for the reasons most often reported. Those who generally believe in government solutions cite a need to improve quality, to provide access to care for everyone and to decrease cost. Government, with its inevitable over-regulation, does not solve these problems, but makes them worse.
Excerpt: But before you're impressed, consider this, only about 1 in 4 adults in these top-ranked states are eating five daily servings of fruits and vegetables. Yes, that means 75 percent of us are not!
Best Practices for Reforming State Employee Pensions: New Accounting Standards and Bold State Actions Show Momentum Gaining for Reform. By Ivan Osorio
Excerpt: Public awareness of America
Worth Reading
Excerpt: On Sunday, speaking in Melbourne , Fla.
Excerpt: But, beyond this well-trodden battlefield, something amazing has happened: Carbon-dioxide emissions in the United States
Cities' Revenue Keeps Shrinking. By Vauhini Vara
Excerpt: U.S.
Race Is On as Ice Melt Reveals Arctic Treasures
Excerpt: With Arctic ice melting at record pace, the world’s superpowers are increasingly jockeying for political influence and economic position in outposts like this one, previously regarded as barren wastelands. At stake are the Arctic’s abundant supplies of oil, gas and minerals that are, thanks to climate change, becoming newly accessible along with increasingly navigable polar shipping shortcuts. This year, China has become a far more aggressive player in this frigid field, experts say, provoking alarm among Western powers. (Since the pro-AGW scientists say there has been no real warming since 1995, do you think the melt might be caused by natural cycles? Nah. ~Bob. Climate scientist Phil Jones: No global warming since 1995
Worth Reading
Excerpt: One way to measure this impact is through mortality amenable to health care, defined as the number of deaths that should not occur in the presence of timely and effective health care. Examples of amenable mortality include childhood infections, surgical complications, and diabetes. The level of amenable mortality varies almost threefold among states, ranging from 64 to 158 deaths per 100,000 population. If all states had provided care of the quality delivered by the highest-performing state, 75,000 fewer deaths would have occurred across the country in 2005.
Worth Reading
Excellent article on what it’s like to live with a chronic disease. ~Bob.
Excerpt: The leak of a video featuring former Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) has sparked debate about government dependency and the number of people in the United States
“I Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear to preserve, protect and defend Islam from the Constitution of the United States
Excerpt: What an American President should be doing is to be telling the Islamic world that the US
Muslim Brotherhood in America
Mr. Obama, Why the Muslim Brotherhood? (Video)
Muslim Brotherhood in America
Best comment on releasing the blind sheik…
I say release him at 25,000 feet above Cairo , and tell Egypt
Excerpt: According to a new Gallup
Mr. President, Mitt Romney Is Not the Enemy. Al Qaeda is. Please inform your Ministry of Truth. By Ben Stein
Excerpt: Then along comes Governor Romney, who rightly says, "Hey, why are we appeasing an al Qaeda mob? Why aren't we calling these guys the vicious killers that they are? Why are we back in this apology to bad guys mode?" Then, and only then, the Obama White House goes into hyper drive.
Excerpt: Townhall magazine news editor Katie Pavlich told The Daily Caller that being a target of a collaboration between the Justice Department and the left-wing advocacy organization Media Matters indicates the Obama administration’s desire to “cover up” Operation Fast and Furious. Targeting journalists with the help of a liberal message group, Pavlich said in an email, “is just another example of Obama’s Justice Department, led by Eric Holder, to cover-up the lethal Fast and Furious scandal.” “The Justice Department has blood on its hands and Tracy Schmaler is doing everything possible to wash it off.”
Worth reading: Muslim Mobs Insult Muhammad's Legacy. By Dr. David Liepert, Canadian Muslim Leader and Spokesperson, Interfaith Advisor to the Canadian Council of Imams
Excerpt: Whether or not it turns out (as I expect it will) that Middle-Eastern Muslim mobs were duped by jihadist radicals -- provoked by an old, fringe video to provide cover for their own planned attacks on Muslim-friendly American forces in Egypt, Libya and Yemen -- those mobs are a worse insult to Muhammad and Islam that anything an ignorant non-Muslim could ever do. How can we expect non-Muslims to believe that Islam is a religion of peace, when Muslim mobs around the world make liars of us all, Muhammad included? (If you said this, the Transnational Progressives would call you Islamophobic. JihadWatch doesn’t think much of it, though. http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/09/canada-muslim-leader-asks-how-can-we-expect-non-muslims-to-believe-that-islam-is-a-religion-of-peace.html ~Bob.)
Romney under fire from Leftist media for stating the obvious fact that Palestinians are not interested in peace
Excerpt: It's good that he knows that. Hope he stands firm.
Anti-Islam film protesters lathicharged near US
Excerpt: Some vehicles were set on fire and police resorted to lathicharge on Tuesday to disperse a large number of people belonging to more than 20 Muslim organisations who had gathered to protest against an American movie which allegedly denigrated Islam.
Egyptian court sends Copt to prison over anti-Islam post
Excerpt: An Egyptian court on Tuesday sentenced a Christian teacher to six years in prison after convicting him of blasphemy and defamation of President Mohamed Morsy and a plaintiff lawyer, according to Egyptian news reports. The Sohag Misdemeanor Court
Excerpt: Hafiz Saeed alleged that the film, Innocence of Muslims, had been produced with the backing of US US must make a law against blasphemy – or we will not let the US consulates in Pakistan
Worth Reading
Excerpt: There was a time when Democrats and Republicans alike could talk sense about tax rates, in terms of what is best for the economy, without demagoguery about “tax cuts for the rich.” Democratic presidents Woodrow Wilson and John F. Kennedy spoke plainly about the fact that higher tax rates on individuals and businesses did not automatically translate into higher tax revenues for the government.
Excerpt: Three years ago Monday, President Barack Obama tossed cooperative agreements with the Poles and the Czechs, scrapping the previous administration’s plan to counter the growing threat of Iranian long-range ballistic missiles by deploying defenses in Poland and the Czech Republic. Last week, the National Research Council released a report, “Making Sense of Ballistic Missile Defense.” The report concludes that U.S.
White House hedges on claim anti-Islam YouTube video caused Benghazi attack. By Neil Munro
http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/18/white-house-hedges-on-claim-anti-islam-youtube-video-caused-benghazi-attack/#ixzz26uMBa5BM
http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/18/white-house-hedges-on-claim-anti-islam-youtube-video-caused-benghazi-attack/#ixzz26uMBa5BM
Excerpt: White House spokesman Jay Carney took a half-step back from the administration’s widely derided claim that an anti-Islam YouTube video prompted the Sept. 11 jihadi attack in Benghazi that killed the ambassador and three other Americans…The recognition of loose weaponry is a tacit admission of the jihadis’ success in scooping up heavy armaments during the administration’s extended bombing attacks against former ruler Moammar Gadhafi’s regime. The administration did not deploy troops to Libya
Obama Admin Sent Unarmed British Firm To Protect US Mission in Benghazi
Excerpt: For this reason, according to the source, American Marines were not stationed at the U.S. embassy in Tripoli or the American mission in Benghazi Blue Mountain
Libyan President: Attack Premediated, Al-Qaeda Involved, US Warned Beforehand. By AWR Hawkins
Excerpt: Libyan President Mohammed el-Megarif says his government received word of the pending attack and passed that information to US diplomatic officials no later than 48 hours before the attack. President Megarif said the attack was planned by an Islamist group with links to Al-Qaeda. A senior Libyan official in Benghazi
US State Dept Considers Releasing Blind Sheik to Egypt
Excerpt: Former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy believes the deal to release Rahman has already been reached by the administration, and they are just waiting until after the election to announce it. McCarthy believes this is why the DOJ so strongly ruled out Rahman's "release" but said nothing against his "transfer." (The ultimate perversion of justice by DOJ if this is the case. –Barb.)
Executive Order in the Works to Enact GOP-Blocked Cybersecurity Bill: Democrats are pushing Obama to act quickly to give another bill not passed by Congress the "We Can't Wait" stamp. By Bridget Johnson
Excerpt: Late last week Tech Dirt published what it says is an “incredibly vague” leaked draft of the forthcoming executive order, which doesn’t delve into how privacy concerns will be protected in tenets including “development of an information exchange framework.”
Chinese Protesters Chant "Down With US Imperialists", Attack Car Of US Ambassador In Beijing. By Tyler Durden
Excerpt: Anti-Japan protests may have quieted down on the day after the anniversary of Japan 's invasion of China
Worth Reading
Excerpt: How convenient for a hip, young resident of the Beltway living in comfort. While real people were dying real deaths, she enjoyed a fat salary for hiding the government behavior that caused it. She lied to the media about Fast and Furious and screamed at those she didn’t lie to.
Selective Edit? Mother Jones Admits Romney Tape Missing 'One to Two Minutes'
Excerpt: Mother Jones, the left-wing magazine that released a controversial video of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's remarks to a fundraiser in May, now admits that it has no full tape of what Romney said, and that its video is missing "one to two minutes" at the most important moment. (Unfortunately, none of the MSM will take any note of this. But it should be given the same publicity that the original release from the magazine got. --Del
Dems brimming with FALSE confidence?
I read the latest Rasmussen poll results. It looks like Obama is trailing Romney so those who were voting against Obama are still voting against him despite Romney's "gaffe." So the Dems are running on false hopes.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll
Since neither candidate looks like he has a plan for the economy, 55% of respondents say they would be voting for the lesser of 2 evils. However, I think something needs to be pointed out: The biggest hope for theUS economy is probably US
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll
Since neither candidate looks like he has a plan for the economy, 55% of respondents say they would be voting for the lesser of 2 evils. However, I think something needs to be pointed out: The biggest hope for the
A bit graphic in the language, but not inaccurate. ~Bob. Excerpt: Oh my! The liberals are bawling, throwing tantrums and stomping their feet over Mitt Romney's statement about the huge contingent of government tit-suckers. How sad. What's new? You have wide swaths of America
Excerpt: Under the First Amendment, the free-speech and free-exercise clauses are both compatible and complementary. Under the Islamism that drives the embassy besiegers, the one is, as the vice president would say, literally the mortal enemy of the other.
Quotes from The Patriot Post
"For the press, politics doesn't stop at the water's edge. It stops wherever is most convenient for Obama's reelection campaign." --columnist Rich Lowry
"Right after declining to meet with Israel 10 Worst Ways
"President Obama spoke at the White House to denounce the attacks on U.S.
"Well, according to the Labor Department, unemployment fell from 8.3 to 8.1 percent last month. But that was because ... 368,000 Americans gave up looking for work. And today, President Obama said that's a step in the right direction, and he is encouraging more Americans to give up looking for work so the numbers will come down a little bit." --comedian Jay Leno
French mag publishes nude pics of Mohammed
The Muzzies are mad! Of course, President Hollande urges the French to stop "pouring oil on the fire" now that the US
The mag, Charlie Hebdo, has been publishing anti-Catholic and anti-Christian stuff forever, but is bad boy of the week for this. According to Hollande, freedom of expression must be limited to anti-Christian cartoons. --Don Hank
The mag, Charlie Hebdo, has been publishing anti-Catholic and anti-Christian stuff forever, but is bad boy of the week for this. According to Hollande, freedom of expression must be limited to anti-Christian cartoons. --Don Hank
French Magazine Runs Cartoons That Mock Muhammad
Excerpt: A French satirical magazine on Wednesday published a series of cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad, setting off a new wave of outrage among Muslims and condemnation from French leaders amid widening unrest over an amateur video that has provoked violence throughout the Islamic world.
Tweet from @EWErickson
Kid down the street is telling his parents he's dressing up as Obama for Halloween and will demand his fair share of candy.
Obama’s foreign policy failures catalogue
Excerpt: With the help of the mainstream media, President Obama has been able to pass himself off as a successful president when it comes to foreign policy. Republicans don’t buy this line, of course, but neither do they push back much.
Just a few radicals???
We keep hearing that it's just a few radicals in the Islamic world who go on these violent rampages, that not everyone is subject to going crazy over a movie trailer made half a world away. That's a nice thought, but we wee that the government of Pakistan is ready to bring to court one man who simply refused to go nuts and join the protests, as if that meant he supported the movie trailer, and is thereby guilty of blasphemy. Which can get him a long jail sentence or maybe just an execution. Meanwhile, of course Iran wants the people involved in the trailer killed, and Egypt Del
Important: Justice report faults ATF officials for "Fast and Furious' actions
http://thehill.com/component/content/article/250445-justice-report-faults-atf-officials-for-qfast-and-furious-actions
http://thehill.com/component/content/article/250445-justice-report-faults-atf-officials-for-qfast-and-furious-actions
Excerpt: Attorney General Eric Holder did not know about the controversial tactics before Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent him a letter raising questions about the operation he had received from whistleblowers within ATF, according to the report. (So the report says that AG Eric Withholder isn’t culpable, just incompetent, the only conclusion when a Senator knows and he doesn’t know what is going on under his command. But how do they know that, given that he has stonewalled most of the documents? ~Bob)
Mitt Unplugged
There's a line in The Manchurian Candidate, the black & white version, after a Party Operative suggests shooting a Communist doctor as diversion. The doctor, knowing this tactic is well within the realm of possibility, breaks out in a sweat until the Operative chuckles indicating that he was only kidding. "Humor, my dear Zilkoff." he says. "Always with a little humor." There are several such funny moments in the movie, perfectly timed for a laugh but you don't actually laugh because the whole story is so unrelentingly tense and melancholy. In this spirit I offer a send up of Obama's appearance on David Letterman last night. It originated on a blog called JustOneMoment and was written by someone called "bgates". Whoever he is, he can write.... Here's the link and the text. Obama talking about Mitt Romney not being a president for "all the people" Go ahead and try to laugh...Jed
Excerpt: The Chicago Public Schools teachers’ union agreed Tuesday to end the strike and accept some of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s reforms in exchange for pay increases that would bring the average teacher’s salary to $100,000 a year. Reforms include holding teachers partly accountable for their students standardized test scores. But according to a 2008 study by Illinois Education Research Council, CPS teachers don’t perform much better on standardized tests than their own students. (I’m not surprised. –Steve.)
Why we should care about the CTU deal. From the Illinois Policy Institute. By Scott Reeder
So why should Illinoisans living outside of 
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