Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for October 11, 2012
Robert A. Hall
I’m in Madison , have a day of health care appointments Thursday, then a visit by a friend from Scotland
A lot worth reading today, some more than others. ~Bob
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.
Great Column-Worth Reading : The Sesamization of America
Excerpt: Unlike Mitt, I loathe Sesame Street
Worth Reading
Excerpt: If you are sick and tired of seeing politicians and others playing the race card, or if you are just disgusted with the grossly dishonest way racial issues in general are portrayed, then you should get a copy of Ann Coulter's new book, "Mugged." Its subtitle is: "Racial Demagoguery from the Seventies to Obama." Few things are as rare as an honest book about race. This is one of the very few, and one of the very best.
Done with fundraising, Obama hits homestretch http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/261135-done-with-fundraising-obama-hits-homestretch
Excerpt: President Obama will attend his last fundraiser of the 2012 campaign Thursday and then shift into top gear following his disastrous recent debate performance that vaporized his polling lead over challenger Mitt Romney. With momentum in the race flipping to the Republican, sources have told The Hill the president will spend the rest of the campaign at swing-state rallies or preparing for the next two debates instead of attending more private fundraisers. (No fund-raising parties with stars, no golf—the man has to be suffering. ~Bob.)
Rep. Issa closes in on Clinton
Excerpt: Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is setting his sights on his biggest political target yet: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Issa, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is treading more carefully than he did with his investigation of Attorney General Eric Holder and the Fast and Furious gun-tracking program, which led to a House vote placing Holder in contempt.
State Dept. officials contradict claims on deadly Libya
Excerpt: Senior State Department officials on Tuesday refuted claims by administration members that the deadly attack in Libya Benghazi
Al Qaeda Responsible for 4 Attacks on US Embassies in September. By Thomas Joscelyn
Excerpt: On and around September 11, 2012, al Qaeda attacked multiple American assets around the world. The attack that has received the most attention is the deadly attack on the American consulate in Benghazi , Libya U.S. consulate in Libya
Reports of Al Qaeda’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated. By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
Excerpt: Al Qaeda is returning to the shadows. The experiment by al-Shabab, al Qaeda's Somali affiliate, of attempting to govern a broad area in Somalia 's south officially came to a close this weekend when its fighters fled from their final stronghold, the port city of Kismayo
Excerpt: When Barack Obama took office four years ago, the United States was fully engaged in two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; strongmen sympathetic to the United States ruled Egypt and Tunisia; and Bashar al-Assad’s Syria was the standard-bearer of resistance to Israel and the United States. Now, at the end of Obama’s first term, U.S. troops are out of Iraq and on their way out of Afghanistan Iran
Excerpt: Imagine you are a homeowner and — tragedy for you — one night your house burns down. Fortunately, you have homeowners insurance. But when you report the incident to Prudential, your insurer, you get a strange response. “We’re actually not very good at paying claims like this,” the agent says. “You would be a lot better off if you switched to State Farm.” Of course in the real world State Farm wouldn’t agree to sell you insurance to rebuild and repair your home after it has already burned down. But suppose we had some crazy law that says it has to. … Welcome to the world of health insurance.
Long But Worth Reading
Excerpt: The question of who pays a tax has a discernible answer that need not be shrouded in technical mystery. This paper offers those who have little or no formal exposure to economics a tutorial in the economics of tax incidence. The analysis begins by considering a simple market for butter in a provincial town in France United States
Tax Cuts, Spending Multipliers and Economic Growth
Excerpt: Economic policy debates almost always center on how taxes and government spending affect the overall economy. One important factor to look at is the multiplier on government spending and the supply side effects associated with marginal tax rate reductions, says Economic Policies for the 21st Century. The notion of a multiplier is essentially the ratio of government spending and investment relative to the increase in gross domestic product (GDP). For example, if the "multiplier" is 1, then $50 million in government investment would yield a $50 million increase in GDP. It is important that the government make these investments in order to utilize productive resources such as human and physical capital that would otherwise be idle. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act included major provisions that included a transfer of money from the government. It is important to look at the estimated multiplier effects of such investments to see whether the returns justify the expenditures. The following look at the high-end estimates for output multipliers of different activities the government engages in through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Organic Illusions. By Blake Hurst
Excerpt: A recent study by a group of scientists at Stanford University
Excerpt: Spain US
Panetta: US sends forces to Jordan
Excerpt: The United States has sent military troops to the Jordan-Syria border to bolster that country's military capabilities in the event that violence escalates along its border with Syria
US Army Prepares Jordan for 'Loose' Chemical Weapons: US military officers are in Jordan
Excerpt: The American military personnel are based at an outpost north of Amman and just 35 miles (55 kilometers) from the border, making it the closest U.S. United States
Voters Trust Romney 50% to 43% Over Obama on Economy
Excerpt: Voters again trust Mitt Romney slightly more than President Obama on five major issues regularly tracked by Rasmussen Reports. The widest gap in trust continues to be the economy where Romney has a seven-point lead.
From the Halls of Montezuma, to the Shores of Tripoli
Excerpt: We see silliness, deception, delusions, cowardice, weakness, and lies. We also see people, foreign and American, killed for no morally justifiable reason because of the behavior of our President and his political, bureaucratic, and media acolytes. (Good column, except it’s “The Marines Hymn,” not the “Marine Corps Hymn.” ~Bob.)
Left Hook, Right Jab: Obama Battered from All Sides at SF Stop
Excerpt: Things quickly turned sour for President Obama on Monday in San Francisco
Of Skulls and Podiums. By Richard Fernandez
Excerpt: Chris Rock tweeted shortly after the first Obama-Romney debate that “Obama is bringing Bin Laden’s skull & setting it on the podium for the next debate.” … Television has Reality TV. The Obama administration has Reality Secret Ops.
For president: Mitt Romney (Las Vegas Review-Journal endorsement)
Excerpt: On Wednesday night, Nevadans watched Mr. Romney trounce the president. The evidence Mr. Romney systematically laid out exposed how the president's top-down interventions have virtually paralyzed our economy - and he presented a solution.
Excerpt: So the latest Obama ad – not running in any swing states, just on cable, presumably an attempt to get free exposure – is all about Big Bird. First, it turns out that Sesame Workshop (formerly the Children’s Television Workshop), which produces “Sesame Street
New book shows U.S.
Excerpt: The Wall Street Journal's Stephen Moore has just come out with a new book titled Who's the Fairest of Them All?: The Truth about Opportunity, Taxes, and Wealth in America and he reveals some interesting information about how much the top ten percent of income earners in the United States pay in federal income taxes as opposed to any other industrialized nation in the world. According to Moore U.S.
Important: Revealed: VP Debate Moderator Martha Raddatz Hosted President Obama at Wedding, Never Told Public. By Matthew Sheffield
Excerpt: The liberal media/politician/bureaucrat revolving door spins so rapidly, sometimes it's hard to keep pace. Today we learn via the Daily Caller that the moderator for tomorrow's vice presidential debate
ABC News scrambles to cover up Barack Obama’s attendance at VP debate moderator’s wedding. By Josh Peterson
Excerpt: President Barack Obama was a guest at the 1991 wedding of ABC senior foreign correspondent and vice presidential debate moderator Martha Raddatz, The Daily Caller has learned. Obama and groom Julius Genachowski, whom Obama would later tap to head the Federal Communications Commission, were Harvard Law School
Tweets from Dennis Miller Show @DennisDMZ
Biden could moderate the Biden-Ryan debate and Biden would still lose.
Biden sequestered for 6 days studying for debate. Although if you asked Biden to spell "sequestered" he would spontaneously combust.
I hear Martha Raddatz is reaffirming her wedding vows at the midway point in the Vice Presidential debate.
Debate Cartoon
Obama 'believed he had BEATEN Romney' in
Excerpt: When President Barack Obama stepped off the stage in Denver
Excerpt: Will he prepare differently? It is important not to underestimate the opponent. Even though the polls may be slanted; though reports are uncertain, nothing can be worse than proceeding on the basis of a wish, rather than the best available facts. Now that he’s training with Big Bird maybe things will be change. Or maybe not.
There Was No Protest, Only a Terrorist Attack, in
Excerpt: The Obama Administration’s story on the attack that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens has changed yet again. In advance of a hearing on diplomatic security in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee today, more details have leaked out—and the State Department is now saying it never thought that the attack in Benghazi
New Details From Libya
Excerpt: According to reports from ABC and the Associated Press, the State Department now acknowledges that "gunfire and explosions near the front gate" were the first signs of danger precipitating the attacks that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. This revelation stands in contrast to the story originally reported by the Obama administration and others, who claimed that a protest against the anti-Islam film "The Innocence of Muslims" outside the American consulate was co-opted by violent extremists. (Miraculous! The NUMBER 1 story at HUFFPO this morning. The story has finally become too big for the MSM to ignore. The administration has lost control of the narrative. Let’s use it to beat the lying bastards to death. Without the internet and bloggers, this would've taken years to come out, if it ever did. --Ron P.)
Voices Without A Vote
Worth Sharing. ~Bob.
Obama fails to provide aid to victims of Hurricane Isaac, despite 2007 anti-Bush rhetoric on Katrina relief. By Quin Hillyer
http://dailycaller.com/2012/10/10/obama-fails-to-provide-aid-to-victims-of-hurricane-isaac-despite-2007-anti-bush-rhetoric-on-katrina-relief/#ixzz28uwhnhGO
http://dailycaller.com/2012/10/10/obama-fails-to-provide-aid-to-victims-of-hurricane-isaac-despite-2007-anti-bush-rhetoric-on-katrina-relief/#ixzz28uwhnhGO
Excerpt: President Barack Obama has refused to extend to victims of Hurricane Isaac in Louisiana the same relief he criticized former President George W. Bush for withholding from New Orleans
New House Bill Seeks to Reform EPA’s Science Advisory Board
Excerpt: …almost 60% of the members of EPA’s standing scientific advisory panels directly received National Center for Environmental Research grants from the agency since 2000. “These advisors served as investigators for grants representing hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars… the research they are being asked to independently review is often directly related to the grants they received… Another important reform that will go nowhere; even if passed by the House, it’ll die in the Senate. What right do we unwashed have to expect our science advisors to give advice based on science rather than politics, anyway? --Ron P.)
Malala Yousafzai: Pakistan
Excerpt: Surgeons have removed a bullet from the head of a 14-year-old girl, a day after she was shot by Taliban gunmen in north-western Pakistan 's Swat Valley
The operation on Malala Yousafzai, a campaigner for girls' rights, went well, her father told the BBC. (Say a prayer for this brave girl, another Muslim victim of Jihadist violence. ~Bob.)
Excerpt: The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which attacked National Award Peace winner Malala Yousafzai on Tuesday have said that they will target her again if she survives because she was a “secular-minded lady”. A TTP spokesperson told The Express Tribune that this was a warning for all youngsters who were involved in similar activities and added that they will be targeted if they do not stop. (these folks make my trigger finger itch. We must offer her and her family sanctuary. ~Bob.
French police find explosives in Islamist probe
Didn’t get the memo. ~Bob. Excerpt: French anti-terrorist police have found bomb-making materials and weapons while investigating suspected radical Islamists across the country, Paris
$1.3 billion for 288 jobs: The failure of government-subsidized renewable energy: Another reason why government shouldn’t pick winners and losers in the economy
Excerpt: The Crescent Dunes Solar Project in Tonopah received a $737 million stimulus loan, but once construction is complete, it will only employ 40 to 50 people. The Copper Mountain solar plant in Boulder City
Excerpt: Via Gateway Pundit, I’ll give you the RCP averages tonight and leave you to judge. They’ve got Romney by three points in NC (although the latest poll has him up nine), Romney by less than a point in FL, and Obama by less than half a point in VA. See Guy Benson for more good news in various state polls. Ohio and Pennsylvania
The 2nd Civil War; A Front Line Report
Excerpt: Dateline: Philadelphia , Pennsylvania America
Atlas Shrugged II
Saw this trailer and thought it was a political ad describing our current situation. Oops. –Barb
Hey, how come Jay Carney’s not holding televised press briefings anymore?
Excerpt: Good catch by the Standard. Carney’s held gaggles with reporters recently, but gaggles are inferior for reasons Daniel Halper explains at the link. According to the White House website, there’s been no full-fledged “face the nation”-style televised press briefing in more than two weeks.
GOP lawmaker wants new employment measure after disputed jobs report. By Peter Schroeder
Excerpt: A House Republican is using rumblings of foul play on Friday's surprisingly positive jobs report to push a bill he says would more accurately capture the state of the nation's employment. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) did not directly suggest that the report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which showed unemployment dipping below 8 percent one month before the presidential election, is proof of political tinkering. Rather, he contended the controversy over the report "raises interest" in how the nation's unemployment rate is calculated, and suggested his approach might be more accurate.
Must-watch video: Behind Obama's Green Agenda - Gun Control - U.S. Sovereignty
Excerpt: This aired Sunday night on Fox News and includes Mark Levin talking about Obama's dangerous green agenda. This is the full must-see clip of Brett Bair's insightful look into the EPA and Obama's green agenda, so if you missed it, be sure to take the time to watch it while you can ... it just might not be staying up on YouTube much longer.
Videos Show the Dismal Record of Obanomics and the Corruption in Obama's Stimulus
Excerpt: Also via Dan Mitchell, this previous video in the CF&P Foundation's Economics 101 series shows how the so-called stimulus was a "rat's nest of waste and corruption."
How the Soviet Union Seeded Antisemitism into The Nation. By Ion Mihai Pacepa http://pjmedia.com/mihaipacepa/2012/10/07/how-the-soviet-union-seeded-antisemitism-into-the-nation/
Excerpt: So, why do I put America’s oldest continuously published weekly, The Nation, on the same page with Moscow and Makashov? Because The Nation has been Moscow’s mouthpiece for almost nine decades. …Let’s not forget that in fact The Nation‘s “hero of a legend” (Lenin) fathered the world’s bloodiest tyranny in history, which eventually killed some 90 million of its own people, unleashed a 44-year Cold War, and ignited the current international terrorism.
Obama’s Islamic Supremacist Human Rights RepMeet Salam al-Marayati, 9/11 Truther and Hamas-supporter. By Robert Spencer
Excerpt: It would be inconceivable for Barack Obama to appoint a man who had praised the Ku Klux Klan to a commission discussing race relations; what he has actually done, however, is all too predictable. Obama has appointed a man who has praised Hamas and Hizballah, and blamed Israel for 9/11, to be the United States’ representative at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) annual 10-day human rights conference, the Human Dimension Implementation Meetings (HDIM). The Obama State Department is sending Salam al-Marayati, founder and executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), to the OSCE conference.
Liars and their Compulsive Lying
Excerpt: Paul Krugman—the current pop culture apologist for Keynesian economics—doesn’t like when Mitt Romney tells untruths. In fact, he went on national television after the first presidential debate calling the Republican candidate out for what he referred to as “flat-out untruths.” However, when confronted with similar “untruths” from President Obama, Krugman was far less indignant in his assessment.
It Looks Like Carter All Over Again. By Michael Ledeen
Excerpt: In the end, Carter lost to Reagan because he dithered too much, because he was just too feckless, because our enemies were running amok, and Carter was trying to make a deal with them instead of acting the way most of us thought a real American leader should act. Then, as now, the media were overwhelmingly behind the Democratic incumbent, but the real world overwhelmed them. (We have long thought Obama was replaying Carter’s term. I fear Ledeen is overstating Romney’s strength and understating Obama’s (and the media’s) weakness. But, we can hope, can’t we. --Ron P.)
Latest O’Keefe Video Shows Obama Campaign Voter Fraud. By J. Christian Adams
Excerpt: James O’Keefe has done it again – this time capturing video of a paid Obama Organizing for America director in Houston, Texas, assisting a double-voting scheme directed toward Florida. In the video, an undercover Obama “volunteer” tells Organizing for America’s Stephanie Caballero that she wanted to vote twice to help reelect President Obama. The undercover “volunteer” tells Caballero, “I’m going to vote by ballot and then I have mine here too.” (See Mr. Adams’ comments regarding Caballero’s involvement with SDS and the Workers World Party, on staff at DNC. –Barb)
"We The Veterans" Video:
Excerpt: "We The Veterans" is produced in its entirety by U.S. Marine combat veterans. We pay tribute to our fallen comrades and ask the American voter to join us in not allowing their sacrifices be in vain. They gave up their lives for our freedom and now its time that we honor them by keeping America free. Semper Fidelis (Please Share)
Brazilian city council candidate passes out cocaine in exchange for votes
Excerpt: “According to locals, she had been distributing the drugs since early in the morning, on condition that people vote for her,” police chief Daniel Ottoni told TNONline…..Lima was arrested for drug dealing and electoral corruption. If convicted, she could be banned from taking public office for at least eight years. (She’d be welcome in Chicago. ~Bob.)
House Oversight Committee Opens Hearing On Benghazi-Gate Tomorrow. By AWR Hawkins
Excerpt: The House Committee On Oversight and Government Reform will have a hearing on the Benghazi attack and possible cover-up tomorrow. ….Chaffetz added that the attack "was clearly never, as administration officials once insisted, the result of a popular protest." The hearing begins at 12 p.m. EST Wednesday, October 10.
Intel Personnel: Obama Admin Covering Up Iran, Egypt Involvement In 9/11 Attacks. By AWR Hawkins
Excerpt: Some U.S. intelligence personnel claim the Obama administration tried to cover up details of the Benghazi attack as part of a broader attempt to cover up Egyptian and Iranian support for jihadists throughout North Africa and the Middle East. To this end, these intelligence community members claim the Obama admin is withholding critical information from senior officials and the public…..The admin is also being scrutinized for its plans to expand financial aid to Egypt by $450 million. (Like we have it to give to our enemies….Barb)
GOP senator demands USDA stop pressuring people to enroll in the food stamp program
Excerpt: Given Vilsack’s assurance that the USDA does not “pressure” people, Sessions demanded Tuesday in his letter that Vilsack “eliminate all materials, training and recruitment efforts that contradict your above statement.” In his Tuesday letter, Sessions also requested information pertaining to USDA’s enrollment goals, as well as further details on USDA’s meetings with the Mexican government and the cost of non-citizen participation in SNAP. Nearly 47 million people are currently participating in SNAP, and spending on the program has increased by more than 100 percent in the last four years. (Vote buying? Alinsky, using the system to destroy the system; then the “hooked” needy will rise in discontent when no more $$/”benefits”—or the coming famine hits. –Barb.)
Is this why military not getting ballots? Absentee vote requests strangely down by staggering numbers. By Aaron Klein
Excerpt: During one of the most hotly contested elections in recent U.S. history, the number of military absentee ballot requests is strangely down by staggering numbers compared to the 2008 election. The information comes as WND confirmed today that SCYTL, an international firm headquartered in Spain, has been contracted by seven states to provide secure online ballot delivery for overseas military and civilian voters for the upcoming presidential election.
No Increase in Standard of Living Since 1997
Worth listening to this video. –GBH
Obama Supporter Brags About Illegal Foreign Donations on President's Own Website. By Wynton Hall
Excerpt: Just last week, a Canadian woman writing on President Obama’s official campaign website claims she made a campaign donation to the Obama campaign during the last election and that she intends to do so this time as well—a clear violation of U.S. election laws:
Amid foreign contributions scandal, Obama campaign claims it tries to stop illegal donations. By Matthew Boyle
Excerpt: President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign commented for the first time Monday afternoon about a scandal concerning campaign donations that first broke at The Daily Beast, but the campaign offered no specifics about its social media fundraising system.
Matt Damon’s Anti-American Movie Funded by Enemies of America?
Excerpt: Serious, patriotic Americans know that the ultimate solution to America's national security challenge is energy independence.
Big Bird vs. Budget Cuts That Matter. By Bronson Stocking
Excerpt: America is headed toward a fiscal cliff, the U.S. military is being gutted by budget cuts, and the President has been focused on…Big Bird. (Our Ambassador was killed because…Hey! Look over there! Big Bird! ~Bob.)
Tweet from James Pethokoukis @JimPethokoukis
If the labor force participation had just stayed steady all year -- forget since 2008 -- the U-3 rate would be 8.4%
Video: Renowned Economist Arthur Laffer Teaches Obama A Math Lesson
Excerpt: Laffer takes issue with Obama’s oft-repeated claim that Romney will cut taxes by $5 trillion, calling it “not correct,” and giving the president a basic math lesson in how deficits are reduced.
Trucker slain during street robbery in Englewood
Excerpt: A Canadian truck driver in town visiting relatives was shot and killed during an apparent robbery attempt in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side, authorities said. (No Obama statement about who’s son he looked like, because 85% likely he was white, shooter black. ~Bob.)
Republican Rep. Scott DesJarlais pressed mistress to get an abortion, report says
Excerpt: Freshman Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.), an anti-abortion rights physician, once had a relationship with a patient and tried to persuade her to get an abortion, according to a Huffington Post report published Wednesday.
Tweet from Kristina @KristinaRibali
Jay Carney thinks "Benghazi" is Arabic for "Big Bird."
Excerpt: Egyptian Arabic-language media is reporting that Salah Soltan, a notorious anti-Semite and formerly part of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood,, has been appointed as Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (SCIF) attached to the Egyptian Ministry of Waqf.
Stacey Dash supports Mitt Romney, gets racial backlash on Twitter: Not all blacks must be Democrats. By Crystal Wright
Excerpt: Crystal Wright is an occasional contributor to The Root DC and is the editor of the political site “Conservative Black Chick.” … Before she endorsed Republican candidate Mitt Romney for president, actress Stacey Dash forgot to read the “black memo” that states all blacks must vote Democrat — or else!
Worldwide Caution
Excerpt: The Department of State has issued this Worldwide Caution to update information on the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against U.S. citizens and interests throughout the world. …The Department of State remains concerned about the continued threat of terrorist attacks, demonstrations, and other violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests overseas. Current information suggests that al-Qaida, its affiliated organizations, and other terrorist organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks against U.S. interests in multiple regions, including Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. (No worries—Obama said al Qaeda is “on its heels” in a recent campaign speech. What does the State Department know? ~Bob.)
Posts
Obama may seek to use a prop skull, and have to explain how it can be bin Laden's when he was "respectfully buried at sea."
ReplyDeleteIn the mean time, I have offered to loan Paul Ryan the carbide lamp my grandfather used when he was a coal miner in Missouri. I would like to see see Clueless Joe, the make believe grandson of a coal miner, respond to such an item. I wonder whether Joe would even know what he was looking at..... I mean no disrespect to the elder Mr. Biden, who no doubt would be embarrassed by his feckless grandson.