Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for November 15, 2012

Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for November 15, 2012

Robert A. Hall

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.

Information on my books

http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-book-published.html

Worth Reading: This is a thank you note to a good man.

http://freethinkesblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-thank-you-note-to-good-man.html

Worth Reading: Last Week's Loose Ends, Mostly. By Andy Weddington

http://acoloneloftruth.blogspot.com/2012/11/last-weeks-loose-ends-mostly.html

Excerpt: When opining anything politics or Marine, I submit to a Marine friend for review and consideration to post to his blog site. He notes in red "Worth Reading" when posting at the top of his daily. Recently, I sent a submission and offered he need not so denote as a priority if not merited - for he posts first rate work from some well known journalists. He replied, "I like your stuff. Besides, jarheads go to the front of the line." Made me smile - Marines, the best.

Worth Reading: Obama’s Post-Family America. By Daniel Greenfield 

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/dgreenfield/obamas-post-family-america/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=deec789f32-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag

Excerpt: The Republican Party went into the 2012 elections with a number of handicaps. One of the biggest of these handicaps was that it genuinely believed in a single country defined by the American Dream of family values, hard work and national greatness. The Democratic Party, which scored decisive victories across the country, never believed in any such thing, though its leading lights, like Obama, occasionally paid lip service to the idea as a sop to older white voters who would have been turned off by the 2012 version of Obama sounding like the 2002 version of Obama.

Is Demography Destiny? Thomas Sowell 
Http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2012/11/14/creators_oped

Some media pundits see in the growing proportion of non-white groups in the population a growing opposition to the Republican Party that will sooner or later make it virtually impossible for Republicans to win presidential elections or even to control either house of Congress. But is demography destiny? (Our problem is not race—it’s culture. See the article above. ~Bob.)

Israeli Airstrike Kills Hamas Military Chief

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324735104578118783342993080.html?mod=djemalertNEWS

Excerpt: Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip said an Israeli airstrike killed the commander of its military wing. Ahmed Jabari becomes the most senior Hamas official to be killed since an Israeli invasion of Gaza four years ago. Mr. Jabari has long topped Israel's most-wanted list. Witnesses say Mr. Jabari was traveling in his vehicle in Gaza City when his car exploded.

Uphill battle for Rice to replace Clinton at State

http://thehill.com/blogs/global-affairs/middle-east-north-africa/267769-uphill-battle-for-rice-to-replace-clinton-at-state

Excerpt: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice faces a steep climb to win Senate confirmation to succeed Hillary Clinton as secretary of State. Several Republican senators on Tuesday said they would oppose Rice’s nomination, suggesting her path to 60 votes could be rocky. (she has the most important characteristic Obama looks for in a cabinet member. She’s clearly willing to lie to give him political cover. ~Bob.)

Tweet from El SOOPer!! ‏@SooperMexican

"How dare you go after Susan Rice for lying to you on my behalf!!! Come after ME - also, I won't answer your questions."-Prez 7th Grade Math

Tweet From RB ‏@RBPundit

So go ahead #p2. Claim the party who made Condoleezza Rice the first black female SecState is blocking Susan Rice because she's black.

Workers strike, demonstrate through much of Europe to protest austerity, layoffs

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/spain-says-32-arrested-as-strike-begins-govt-disputes-union-claim-of-massive-participation/2012/11/14/8b70cb02-2e2e-11e2-b631-2aad9d9c73ac_story.html?wpisrc=nl_politics

Excerpt: Workers across the European Union sought to present a united front against rampant unemployment and government spending cuts Wednesday with a string of strikes and demonstrations across the region. (Entitlement Riots: Coming soon to a location near you, as the Socialists run out of other people’s money. ~Bob.)

Strikes, Protests Hit Much Of European Union

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/11/14/Strikes--protests-hit-much-of-European-Union

Excerpt: Most European governments have in recent years had to cut spending, pensions and benefits and raise taxes aggressively to bring public debt under control. That includes not only the most financially troubled governments, like Greece, but also the traditionally more stable ones, like France and Britain. The result has been a dramatic drop in living standards in many nations that leaders have accepted as collateral for policies they claim are unavoidable. With no end in sight to the economic misery, workers were trying to take a stand on Wednesday.

New Results: Hospitals that Spend More on Patients Have Lower Mortality Rates. By Linda Gorman

http://healthblog.ncpa.org/new-results-hospitals-that-spend-more-on-patients-have-lower-mortality-rates/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=HA

Excerpt: In the last two years, the results in several published papers suggest that higher, and more costly, hospital treatment intensities produce lower mortality rates. These results are in stark opposition to claims that because there is no observable relationship between variations in end-of-life hospital spending and mortality, a large fraction of high intensity care is wasteful. They also cast doubt on related claims that 20 to 30 percent of U.S. medical spending does no good. In a refreshing departure, Kaestner and Silber (Milbank Quarterly, December 2010) begin by noting that it is curious that such waste would persist despite the existence of numerous market participants, including large for-profit corporations that self-insure medical expenditures, large health insurers in competitive markets, and large managed care organizations, with both the “expertise and financial incentive” to eliminate wasteful spending.

The Best Teachers in the World. By John E. Chubb

http://www.hoover.org/publications/defining-ideas/article/134106

Excerpt: As a group, schools of education are non-selective. Their students post SAT scores at or below the average of all college graduates. Education school faculty members are weak in research and are dated in practical experience. The vast majority of U.S. teachers are produced in lower quality colleges and universities. (Might explain the retired teacher who told me the debt doesn’t matter, because the “government could just print more money.” ~Bob.)

What Happened To The Greatest Culture Ever? By Howard Galganov

http://www.galganov.com/editorials.asp?id=1506

Excerpt: The good news for Canada . . . is that we have a sort-of Conservative federal government, which is trying to solve “some” of the problems. The Bad News . . . is that the federal government is trying to solve “some” of our problems without pissing-off too many people who are considered to be centrist voters. Unfortunately For America . . . You Don’t Even Have That.

Election maps weighted by population

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/2012/

Rather than land area.

Casual Sundays with Mr. Curry. "Gobsmacked"

http://uga.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=1&tid=180867491&mid=180867491&sid=878&style=2

Excerpt: Well, It's official; I don't know anything. I thought for sure that given such a clear choice, Americans would vote for love of country over revenge. I was wrong.

Quote

Scientists have odious manners, except when you prop up their theory; then you can borrow money of them. –Mark Twain

Petraeus agrees to testify on Libya before congressional committees
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/11/14/petraeus-agrees-to-testify-on-libya-before-congressional-committees/#ixzz2CDJ7OUue

Excerpt: Former CIA Director David Petraeus has agreed to testify about the Libya terror attack before the House and Senate intelligence committees, Fox News has learned. (how can the media not cover it? ~Bob.)

Krauthammer: White House potentially used affair to influence Petraeus’ Benghazi testimony

http://dailycaller.com/2012/11/14/krauthammer-white-house-potentially-used-affair-to-influence-petraeus-benghazi-testimony/#ixzz2CBNDiY4G

Excerpt: Petraeus briefed congressional intelligence leaders just days after the attack on Libya, reportedly telling them he believed the attack was spontaneous and not carefully pre-planned. “And that brings us to the ultimate issue, and that is his testimony on Sept. 13,” he continued. “That’s the thing that connects the two scandals. And that’s the only thing that makes the sex scandal relevant.”

Rep. Chaffetz: How did DOJ get the Petraeus scandal emails, and how didn’t Obama know?
http://dailycaller.com/2012/11/14/rep-jason-chaffetz-how-did-doj-get-the-petraeus-scandal-emails-and-why-wasnt-president-obama-immediately-notified/#ixzz2CBPOOvEi

Excerpt: When asked if he thinks the FBI illegally hacked certain email accounts in the course of its investigation, Chaffetz said he thinks that’s “a legitimate question that is yet unanswered.”…“I think the timing is suspicious, as to when this all came to light,” Chaffetz said.

David Petraeus and the Failure of American Intelligence

http://pjmedia.com/spengler/2012/11/13/petraeus-and-the-failure-of-american-intelligence/

Excerpt: If you believe that elected Islamists are democrats before they are Islamists, you will blunder as badly as Stalin or the U.S. foreign policy establishment of 1980. Whatever details emerge about the Benghazi disaster last September, the incident reveals an intelligence failure embedded in a policy failure. The Islamist parties that rode the Arab revolts to power are hostile to the United States by construction, and incapable by their nature of stabilizing the economies and political systems of the non-oil-exporting Arab countries.

Petraeus: A loss of real military standards. By Thomas E. Ricks

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/11/12/petraeus-a-loss-of-real-military-standards/

Excerpt: The sudden departure of General David Petraeus from the CIA probably tells us more about the state of our nation than it does about Petraeus. President Barack Obama should not have accepted his resignation. We now seem to care more about the sex lives of our leaders than the real lives of our soldiers. 

PHOTO: CLOAK AND SHAG HER: Who's doing whom in the new Obama team's sex scandals: a handy guide. By Andrew Malcom
http://www.losangelescitycollege.blogspot.com/2012/11/whos-doing-whom-in-new-obama-teams-sex.html

Satire: Nation Horrified To Learn About War In Afghanistan While Reading Up On Petraeus Sex Scandal

http://www.theonion.com/articles/nation-horrified-to-learn-about-war-in-afghanistan,30367/

Excerpt: As they scoured the Internet for more juicy details about former CIA director David Petraeus’ affair with biographer Paula Broadwell, Americans were reportedly horrified today upon learning that a protracted, bloody war involving U.S. forces is currently raging in the nation of Afghanistan.

The Real Housewives of Centcom or Who Should Solve Benghazi?

http://pjmedia.com/rogerlsimon/2012/11/13/the-real-housewives-of-centcom-or-who-should-solve-benghazi/2/

Will we ever find out what happened in Benghazi or will the distractions of this military soap opera/reality show be so great that we will never get to the bottom of what is most likely the greatest American political/military scandal since WWII, a scandal, as many have noted, of far more seriousness and dimension than Watergate? … Which leads me to a modest proposal. The people who should be put in charge of unraveling Benghazigate are — ta-dum — the folks at the National Enquirer. (Is it my memory [no longer as infallible as I like to recall it being], or were there no FBI searches of Monica's house for potentially sensitive information from Slick? –TH)

It’s Not All in for Paula Broadwell Yet – or the Others

http://www.veteranstoday.com/2012/11/13/its-not-all-in-for-paula-broadwell-yet-or-the-others/

Excerpt: The FBI visited the West Point grad and fast track career girl on Veterans Day Monday evening. Lt. Colonel Broadwell has not been referred to by her reserve Army rank for some reason. It is not an oversight. There has to be a reason.

But she got a little more attention than I am sure she wanted when they began exiting with evidence boxes, and even taking her expensive large Mac monitor. 

Petraeus mistress had "substantial" classified data on computer: sources

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/14/us-usa-generals-idUSBRE8AD0GT20121114

Excerpt: A computer used by Paula Broadwell, the woman whose affair with CIA director General David Petraeus led to his resignation, contained substantial classified information that should have been stored under more secure conditions, law enforcement and national security officials said on Wednesday.

Reputation, Reputation, Reputation. By Maureen Dowd

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/opinion/dowd-reputation-reputation-reputation.html?emc=eta1&_r=0

Excerpt: Washington is suffused with schadenfreude. Yet President Obama and others felt genuinely sad to see a man so controlling about integrity and image — he warned protégés that “someone is always watching” — spin out of control on integrity and image. As Shakespeare wrote in “Othello”: “Reputation, reputation, reputation.” (She cites MacBeth. But the actual history suggests MacBeth was a pretty good king for Scotland for 17 years, with as good a claim to the throne through his wife as the man who deposed him, Malcolm Iv, my ancestor. ~Bob.)

Utterly shameless; There are the privileged, and then there are the rest of us.
http://news.yahoo.com/fla-socialite-center-generals-sex-scandal-184457817.html
Excerpt: When news vans camped outside her stately home, a Florida socialite tied to the Gen. David Petraeus sex scandal fell back on her informal credentials as a social ambassador for Tampa society and top military brass: She asked police for diplomatic protection. In the phone call to authorities, Jill Kelley, a party hostess and unofficial social liaison for leaders of the U.S. military's Central Command in Tampa, cited her status as an honorary consul general while complaining about news vans that had descended on her two-story brick home overlooking Tampa Bay. (If Bill Clinton could invoke the Soldiers and Sailors Act in an attempt to avoid suits brought against him personally, I guess this gal is on firm legal footing to claim that an honorary position protects her against the govt. that bestowed that position...—TH)

3 Windows into Obama’s Dangerous Second Term: The nightmare has already begun.

http://pjmedia.com/blog/3-windows-into-obamas-dangerous-second-term/

Excerpt: Several post-election developments have already served advance warning on America, or at least the portion paying attention between so-called reality TV shows, that President Obama’s second term will be every bit as dangerous and ultimately disastrous as those of us deeply concerned about the consequences of his reelection warned it will be. I will look at just three of them. There are many others.

Ohio Food Stamp Benefits To Decrease In 2013

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/11/13/Food-Stamp-Benefits-to-Drop-in-Ohio-Next-Year

The amount of food stamp benefits families in Ohio receive will drop $50 a month based on new US Department of Agriculture calculations. The monthly amount each household is offered under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program -- commonly known as food stamps -- is based on calculations made by the USDA. Those calculations considers such factors as the average cost of utilities.

Why Public-Sector Unions Must Be Rendered Felonious

http://www.fedupusa.org/2012/11/why-public-sector-unions-must-be-rendered-felonious/

Excerpt: From the mailbag comes a lesson in economics that touches on the inevitable friction between management and labor; the always-present friction that ultimately drives business forward. Hostess Brands Inc. is permanently closing three bakeries following a nationwide strike by its bakers union. (Many years ago, the unions struck the NYC newspapers. Many of the papers went out of business. Wonder where the workers are today? ~Bob.)

Share This Massive List Of Post-Election Firings And Layoffs With Everyone You Can

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/share-this-massive-list-of-post-election-firings-and-layoffs-with-everyone-you-can

Excerpt: The victory by Barack Obama on election night has resulted in a huge wave of firings and layoffs all over America. (More layoffs of workers means higher unemployment and less money coming into the treasury. Raising tax rates on the rich accomplishes very little and brings in less than 70 billion dollars a year. The deficit for the 5th year in a row will exceed a trillion dollars. Obviously, the fiscal issue is excessive spending and regulations on business. The Administration is adding huge numbers of new regulations every month. Adding to the problem is the cost of ObamaCare as many businesses will move full time workers to part time workers in order to preclude the impact of costly healthcare. More people on entitlement programs also adds to the problem. Encouraging huge numbers of people to get food stamps and social security disability was part of the Obama Administration election objective in order to get their votes. It is now coming back to seriously impact the deficit. Now that the election is over, Ohio is already cutting back on those getting food stamps. I believe we are heading towards a fiscal disaster regardless of what happens relative to the Bush era tax cuts due to expire in January 2013. Report this week indicates the stock market may take a 20% reduction, which will impact the wealth of those invested in the market. The question is whether the market can return based on Obama having no fiscal plan for the future? –GBH)

Racist Media: Ignoring The Devastation On Cracker Island. By Audrey Russo

http://clashdaily.com/2012/11/racist-media-ignoring-the-devastation-on-cracker-island/

Excerpt: Two weeks into the aftermath of Sandy … the North East’s Katrina, and many here in the NY area are wondering: Where’s the media coverage of the devastation?

Here’s the answer: We are all just TOO white to be important in this country anymore…

Saudi gets life term in bomb plot; sought 'nice targets' in U.S.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-saudi-student-texas-terrorism-20121113,0,7925080.story

Excerpt: Emails and secrets don't get along. A 22-year-old Saudi Arabian citizen who had studied chemical engineering at Texas Tech University was sentenced to life in federal prison Tuesday for attempting to make a bomb and identifying targets that included the Dallas home of former President George W. Bush.

Rx for the Mass. GOP: Clarity and Conviction

http://townhall.com/columnists/jeffjacoby/2012/11/13/rx_for_the_mass_gop_clarity_and_conviction/page/full/

Excerpt: Rather than trying to recruit big names to run for high office, Fattman says, the state GOP should be focused on the grassroots. The party needs candidates with close ties to their communities and the patience to learn the political ropes. But above all, he argues, it needs candidates who can explain, with enthusiasm and clarity and conviction, what Republicans are offering: a Massachusetts "that empowers its citizens with autonomy and initiative" – one that defends their "freedom to decide, to build, to earn." (While the author, Jacoby, lives and works in the Massachusetts area, this article applies nationally in every place Republicans are in the minority. But, there are some additional considerations, too. First, for decades, the Democrat machine has skillfully divided the population into smaller and smaller competing interest groups and then “coordinated” those interest groups to “work together” to elect Democrats. Sometimes, a small sop is thrown to each group to keep them encouraged and in line, but most of the time, only the highest leadership of any group really benefits. What that results in is that no group really trusts any of the other groups not to cut them out of the deals. So, our goal has to be to unite enough interest groups to form a working majority. Our problem is that we Republicans don’t usually think in terms of groups, but as individuals uniting for a purpose. Second, I’ve met Fattman very briefly. I found him very personable and genuine. Sutton is only two towns away from me, after all. Like most central Massachusetts towns and small cities, Sutton’s voters run MUCH more conservative than the rest of the state (which would make most of us “moderate Republicans” anywhere else in the country, though here we’re regarded as Nazis or worse). Arguments that can and will work in this area often fail when transported to the big cities. It is much harder to unite people than it is to divide them. A “manager” can direct a bunch of divided groups, and there are many managers; only a “leader” can unite people, and leaders are few and far between. --Ron P.)

Gallup is very upset at Nate Silver: The polling firm complains operations like FiveThirtyEight could spoil polling for everyone. By Andrew Leonard

http://www.salon.com/2012/11/13/gallup_is_very_upset_at_nate_silver/

Excerpt: Did Gallup just blame Nate Silver for ruining the art and science of polling?

You don’t have to read too far between the lines of a statement from Gallup’s editor in chief, Frank Newport, published on Friday, to get that impression. (However you may feel about Silver, he was right. I was never on the “Romney Landslide” bandwagon, but I thought he had a chance. I was wrong. ~Bob.)

From the So-Painfully-Obvious-We-Shouldn’t-Have-to-Run-This-Study Department:

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/11/13/Breaking-News-Americans-Won-t-Pay-40-000-for-a-17-000-Car

Study: Electric-Cars Won’t Make a Big Impact Until Prices Fall. Shocker. What are those sticker prices?

Salazar said to have threatened to "punch out" reporter. By Allison Sherry

http://www.reporterherald.com/news/loveland-local-news/ci_21989320/salazar-said-have-threatened-punch-out-reporter

Excerpt: Interior Secretary Ken Salazar reportedly threatened to punch a reporter with the Colorado Springs Gazette after he asked him about the Bureau of Land Management's wild horses program at an Election Day get out the vote event.

Bam’s next war? Syria mess may rope in US. By Benny Avni

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/bam_next_war_YyR1KpKUx8ZUolsHRnwfTI

Excerpt: Never mind President Obama’s vow to end a decade of Mideast wars; America instead soon might find itself embroiled in a new conflict in that region — perhaps even before the president’s Jan. 20 inauguration. Fact is, the Syrian civil war isn’t winding down, but threatening to spread beyond Syria’s borders — and some of America’s staunchest regional allies are seeking safety.

Jewish organizations and individuals fan out across the region to offer relief.

http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/new-york-news/you-dont-walk-away-you-just-help

Excerpt: “You don’t give up,” when someone needs helps, says Kahana, who has done his work around the clock, spending thousands of dollars for gas out of his own pocket, taking time off only for Shabbat, in his capacity as director of North American operations for Israeli Flying Aid, a Non-Governmental Agency (NGO)that does humanitarian work around the world on a nonsectarian basis. “You don’t stop. You don’t walk away. You just help.”

Worth Reading: Is It Time to Roll Up the Welcome Mat Here? Barack Obama won the election. By Erick Erickson

http://www.redstate.com/2012/11/13/is-it-time-to-roll-up-the-welcome-mat-here/

Excerpt: He did not win by stealing the election. Voter irregularities always happen. It is one reason we support voter ID rules. But even in the worse scenario of reports out there, there were not enough tales of voter irregularities to matter nationwide. This is another benefit and built in safeguard of the electoral college. Barack Obama won. He won by turning out the most people in a well run campaign. In other words, he won fair and square. 

Worth Reading: Saudi America: The U.S. will be the world's leading energy producer, if we allow it.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323894704578114591174453074.html

Excerpt: Consider the irony—and the opportunity—in Monday's report that the U.S. is likely to surpass Saudi Arabia as the world's largest oil producer as early as 2020.

In its annual world energy outlook, the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) says the global energy map "is being redrawn by the resurgence in oil and gas production in the United States."

Worth Reading: The Consolations of Denial. By Mark Steyn

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/333134/consolations-denial-mark-steyn#

Excerpt: While we’re at it, on the brink of another four years, the key point about Barack Obama is not that he’s a secret Muslim Kenyan Commie or whatever. Whether he was born in Honolulu or Mombasa or Stockholm or up on Planet Zongo, what matters (as I write in my book) is that in his general worldview he is entirely typical and perfectly representative of tens upon tens of millions of Americans. Tuesday’s majority confirmed that. They don’t need a “conspiracy”: They agree with him. That’s the problem.

Mark Steyn: Forget Benghazi; What About Our Diplomats in Tampa? 
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/333342/forget-benghazi-what-about-our-diplomats-tampa-mark-steynExcerpt: On the other, a fantasy ambassador who declares her own home her personal consulate gets untold hours of attention from the U.S. commander in Afghanistan and the director of the CIA, both of whom also have time to intervene in her twin sister’s custody case. As Victor [Davis Hanson] asks below: How did a single Jill Kelley warrant hundreds of hours of chat time from our highest generals, engaged in a life and death struggle in the war against terror and Afghanistan? Who was not consulted, not advised, not ordered — in order to free up time for Kelley and Broadwell?

Quotes from The Patriot Post

www.patriotpost.us/subscribe/ 

"The more people chant about their freedom and how free they are, the more loudly I hear their chains rattling." --English novelist George Orwell (1903-1950)

"One of the methods used by statists to destroy capitalism consists in establishing controls that tie a given industry hand and foot, making it unable to solve its problems, then declaring that freedom has failed and stronger controls are necessary." --philosopher Ayn Rand (1905-1982)

"Every nation has the government it deserves." --Savoyard philosopher Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821)

Letter to a future Republican strategist regarding white people

http://www.ericgarland.co/2012/11/09/letter-to-a-future-republican-strategist-regarding-white-people/

Excerpt: My name is Eric Arnold Garland and I am a White Man. Boy, am I ever – you need sunglasses just to look at my photo! … How can I put this gently? My wife and I are not sensitive to your messaging, nor did we vote for the candidates you proposed for us this past Tuesday. 

Worth Reading: Oh, We Forgot to Tell You. By Victor Davis Hanson

http://townhall.com/columnists/victordavishanson/2012/11/14/oh_we_forgot_to_tell_you/page/full/

Excerpt: The second-term curse goes like this: A president (e.g., Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, etc.) wins re-election, but then his presidency implodes over the next four years -- mired in scandals or disasters such as Watergate, Iran-Contra, Monica Lewinsky, the Iraqi insurgency and Hurricane Katrina. Apparently, like tragic Greek heroes, administrations grow arrogant after their re-election wins. They believe that they are invincible and that heir public approval is permanent rather than fickle.

It's all Delingpole's fault! Of course it is!: Greenpeace and the Guardian: yet again, sticking up for the bad guys. James Delingpole
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100189684/greenpeace-and-the-guardian-yet-again-sticking-up-for-the-bad-guys/
Excerpt: While obviously I'm delighted that The Guardian and Greenpeace think I'm so powerful that I have the ability to effect a 180 degree shift in government onshore wind policy just by the mere threat of standing in a by-election, I do think a little examination of news priorities might be in order here. In an op-ed for tomorrow's Daily Telegraph (which will probably appear online later this evening), I explain – not for the first time: but hey repetition is always useful if you want to get your idea across – why it was that I chose to stand in Corby as the anti-wind farm candidate. It's because I honestly believe that the Great Wind Energy Scam is by far the greatest scandal of our age.

The System Will Collapse, It Must Collapse. By Chris Duane

http://beforeitsnews.com/economy/2012/11/the-system-will-collapse-it-must-collapse-chris-duane-2463012.html

I think the question is when, not if. But I have no idea how to protect my family. Cash will be wiped out if we get hyper-inflation. Equities if the market collapses. Gold has always been all over, and gold help on paper is different from having it in piles in your basement, which is impractical—not that I’d have a very big pile. ~Bob

SOOPERMEXICAN: Why I had to step away from Twitter and why I'm back, gringos
http://www.soopermexican.com/2012/11/13/whyileftandwhyimbackgringos/
Excerpt: So I stepped away from the computer and started cleaning up. In the days leading up to the election I had built up an elegant castle of empty beer cans by my computer desk. My living room was a mess. The election had consumed a large part of my life, and I needed to just step away, cash some Koch checks, and recoup. And sleep. (I follow him on Twitter, when I have time for Twitter—which isn’t often. ~Bob.)

$1.6 Trillion? Obama Doesn't Want A Deal. By Joel B. Pollak

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/11/13/1-6-Trillion-Obama-Doesnt-Want-a-Deal?utm_source=e_breitbart_com&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Breitbart+News+Roundup%2C+November+14%2C+2012&utm_campaign=20121114_m114260083_Breitbart+News+Roundup%2C+November+14%2C+2012&utm_term=More

Excerpt: President Barack Obama has responded to House Speaker John Boehner's gesture last week towards reaching a deal to avoid the Jan. 1 "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and spending cuts, putting a specific demand on the table: $1.6 trillion in new tax revenues, reached by raising tax rates on the wealthy in addition to other "tax revenues." The offer is twice as high as a deal Obama scuttled last year, suggesting he may be prepared to let talks fail again.

Offsetting a Carbon Tax’s Costs on Low-Income Households: Working Paper
http://www.cbo.gov/publication/43713
Excerpt: Several studies have examined how setting a price on carbon—either by taxing it or by implementing a cap-and-trade program—would affect households at different points in the income distribution. Most studies have found that such policies would be regressive, imposing larger burdens (relative to income or to other metrics) on low-income households than on their higher income counterparts. (A CBO paper on how to have middle class foot bill for "carbon scam" Sure it only takes $1,400 out of people who can pay taxes pockets... but if you are on government assistance... that same class is inadvertently paying the other $25 non-tax paying public can not. At the end of the day between energy, gas and food we are talking about adding a $2,000-$3,000 tax burden to the middle class. “The proposed $1-2 trillion cap-n-trade, carbon tax policy is a political scam with little impact on CO2" Have a better day. –Chris)

Majority Supports Path to Citizenship; Greater Division on Other Social Issues

http://www.langerresearch.com/uploads/1144a1SocialIssues.pdf

Excerpt: Most Americans support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, an issue that may be high on the agenda of newly re-elected President Obama and the 113th Congress, given the increased importance of nonwhites – including Hispanic voters – in the nation’s political equation. On two other prominent social issues in last week’s voting, a bare majority continues to support legalizing gay marriage, and this ABC News/Washington Post poll finds a new high, 48 percent, in support for legalizing small amounts of marijuana for personal use. (My path to citizenship: fluent in English, pass civics and American history test, no criminal record, agree to no welfare. On Gay marriage, our really big problem is straights NOT getting married. ~Bob.)

Republicans lost the culture war. By William J. Bennett

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/14/opinion/bennett-gop-election/index.html

Excerpt: Looking at a breakdown of the 2012 election exit polling, Obama won the 18- to 29-year-old vote 60% to 37%, in spite of the fact that half of all recent college graduates are unemployed or underemployed. He won women by 11 points and unmarried women by an incredible 36 points. The marriage gap was far greater than the gender gap.

Study: Medicare spending increased by 198.7% during past 3 decades

http://www.healio.com/orthopedics/business-of-orthopedics/news/online/%7B9257B1E0-9144-4517-83DB-CB6397124E60%7D/Study-Medicare-spending-increased-by-1987-during-past-3-decades

Excerpt: Researchers from New York found that Medicare spending for elderly patients increased 198.7% between 1980 and 2009 while a similar program in Canada increased by only 73% during the same time period.

Why Kids Should Learn Cursive (and Math Facts and Word Roots)
http://ideas.time.com/2012/11/08/why-kids-should-learn-cu-cursive/#ixzz2CEK864HW

Shock Audio: New Black Panther Chair — Obama’s Bombed ‘Black & Brown People’ But Hasn’t Killed ‘One White Man Yet’

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/shock-audio-new-black-panther-chair-obamas-bombed-black-brown-people-but-hasnt-killed-one-white-man-yet/

Excerpt: The Chairman of the New Black Panthers, Malik Zulu Shabazz, had some harsh words for President Obama on a radio broadcast Tuesday, explaining that he’s angry with the president for killing “black and brown people” in Africa while not having killed “one white man yet.”

Taliban generate 70% of their income off narcotics 'taxes': Malik

http://tribune.com.pk/story/465463/taliban-generate-70-of-their-income-off-drug-taxes-malik/

Excerpt: Minister for Interior, Rehman Malik said on Tuesday that around 70 per cent of Taliban’s income comes from managing and taxing the illicit drug business. This nexus between opium producers, mafia and Taliban has had a detrimental impact on security of both Pakistan and Afghanistan, he said.

Janeane Garofalo was legally married for 20 years, somehow didn’t know it
http://dailycaller.com/2012/11/14/janeane-garofalo-was-legally-married-for-20-years-somehow-didnt-know-it/#ixzz2CENTzu00

Too funny. Liberal activist and Air America co-host. ~Bob.

Three pilots on way to air safety conference die in plane crash

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1287473--three-pilots-on-way-to-air-safety-conference-die-in-plane-crash#.UKP69laPxlU.twitter

Jubei Kibagami ‏@Pqlyur1

Anybody else notice Mr. The Buck Stops There still not taking ownership of the econ in that presser?

Obama Donor's Corporation Lays Off Employees Due to ObamaCare. By Dr. Susan Berryhttp://nation.foxnews.com/obamacare/2012/11/14/obama-donors-corporation-lays-employees-due-obamacare#ixzz2CEQbV753

Excerpt: Stryker Corporation has announced that it will close its facility in Orchard Park, New York, eliminating 96 jobs next month. It will also counter the medical device tax in Obamacare by eliminating 5% of their global workforce, an estimated 1,170 positions. … Stryker, a member of the Forbes 400 list, was one of the top five donors to the Obama campaign. (Karma is a bitch. ~Bob.)

Man Distraught Over Presidential Election Result Kills Himself

http://tampa.cbslocal.com/2012/11/14/man-distraught-over-presidential-election-result-kills-himself/

Excerpt: A Key West resident who police say was distraught over the presidential election results and worried about his business has apparently killed himself. (Seems a tad counter-productive. ~Bob.)

Cairo rally: One day we'll kill all Jews

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4153207,00.html

Excerpt: A Muslim Brotherhood rally in Cairo's most prominent mosque Friday turned into a venomous anti-Israel protest, with attendants vowing to "one day kill all Jews." (No wonder Obama, the Progressives and the Media loved the “Arab Spring.” ~Bob.)

Saudi High School Textbook Preaches Hate

http://www.investigativeproject.org/3335/saudi-high-school-textbook-preaches-hate

Excerpt: A twelfth-grade Saudi textbook is teaching hatred of Jews and jihad to liberate Palestine, according to MEMRI. The report illustrates that hatred and violence continue to be themes in Saudi educational materials, putting a black mark on the conservative Islamic kingdom's desire to become a "knowledge society." "Whoever studies the nature of the conflict between the Muslims and the Jews understands an important fact, [namely that] this is a religious conflict, not a dispute about politics or nationality, or a conflict between races or tribes, or a fight over land or country, as some describe it," states Saudi textbook Studies from the Muslim World.

Tweet from RB ‏@RBPundit

I'm sure it's just a coincidence that the stock market dropped 100 points while Obama was talking.

Secession: A Confederacy Of Dunces Play Into Media's Hands

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/11/14/Confederacy-of-dunces

Exactly. ~Bob.

Jesse Jackson Jr. Federal Investigation Reportedly Expands To Include Wife Sandi

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/13/jesse-jackson-jr-federal-_n_2121534.html

Excerpt: The federal investigation into U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s campaign finances has reportedly expanded to include Chicago Ald. Sandi Jackson, Jackson's wife.

Tweet from Ken Gardner ‏@kesgardner

Obama's punitive tax hike will pay for his spending for, at most, about 8 days. What is his plan for the other 357 days? (Probably not that, as likely to decrease revenue. ~Bob.)

First-Ever Terror Rocket Fired at Dimona Nuclear Plant: Gaza terrorists fired about 40 rockets at Israel. Iron Dome interceptions over Be'er Sheva, Ashdod.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/162099#.UKQQs-T7L0c

Excerpt: Gaza terrorists fired a rocket at Dimona Wednesday, where Israel's nuclear reactor is located. The rocket fell wide of its mark and caused no casualties or damage. Channel 2said this was the first time a terror rocket was fired at the sensitive site.