Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for January 5, 2013
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.
The Coming Collapse of the American Republic
All royalties go to a charity to help wounded veterans. E-Book available at Smash Words: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/59105
Please forward and post where possible. For a free PDF of Collapse, write to me at tartanmarine(at)gmail.com.
One Cheer for the Cliff Deal: A recession may have been averted, but you can’t tax your way into prosperity. By Larry Kudlow
Excerpt: In the short run, extending tax cuts up to $450,000 probably saved us from a recession. If all the tax cuts had expired, we’d have a $500 billion tax hike, plus marginal rate increases, and that would have sunk the economy. So I’m going to bet that the big stock rally was a sign of relief that the final deal wasn’t worse. The final product was sort of a least-bad tax scenario.
Cleric may have booked pre-9/11 flights for hijackers, FBI documents show
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/01/03/exclusive-al-awlaki-booked-pre-11-air-travel-for-hijackers-fbi-documents-show/#ixzz2Gy5mj0AK
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/01/03/exclusive-al-awlaki-booked-pre-11-air-travel-for-hijackers-fbi-documents-show/#ixzz2Gy5mj0AK
Excerpt: The FBI suspected within days of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that the American Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki may have purchased tickets for some of the hijackers for air travel in advance of the attacks, according to newly released documents reviewed exclusively by Fox News.
An Israeli state of mind. By Yoram Ettinger
Excerpt: On the eve of the January 22, 2013 Israeli election, the Israeli public demonstrates more realism than its politicians. Israelis highlight security imperatives when responding to reality-driven polls, which pose questions based on the stormy Arab Winter and not on the mirage of the Arab Spring.
For ‘A Well-Regulated Militia,’ What Firearms, Gear, and Skills Should You Own? By Bob Owens
Excerpt: This is ignorance, and further, completely misses the point. To cite something I wrote earlier in the week [3]: The Second Amendment was not written to protect firearms designed for the taking of game, nor firearms designed for sport or individual personal defense, except that such a purpose proves to be militarily useful. The explicit purpose that the Second Amendment was written was so that civilians that comprised the militia and alarm list would be armed with military-capable arms to depose would-be tyrants. (Some time ago, I made the point that the founders wrote the Second Amendment so that citizens could protect themselves against a tyrannical government. At that time, citizens were armed with weapons that were comparable if not identical to those of the British and later, the US
Happy New Year from US Drones: US drone strike kills local AQAP commander, 2 fighters in central Yemen
Excerpt: The US killed a local al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula commander and two fighters in the first recorded drone strike in Yemen US stepped up the Predator and Reapers strikes in Yemen
'Good Taliban' leader Mullah Nazir killed in US drone strike
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/01/good_taliban_leader_1.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LongWarJournalSiteWide+%28The+Long+War+Journal+%28Site-Wide%29%29#ixzz2Gy9BaNXh
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/01/good_taliban_leader_1.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LongWarJournalSiteWide+%28The+Long+War+Journal+%28Site-Wide%29%29#ixzz2Gy9BaNXh
Excerpt: The US Pakistan
US drone strike kills 5 'militants' in South Waziristan
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/01/us_drone_strike_kill_18.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LongWarJournalSiteWide+%28The+Long+War+Journal+%28Site-Wide%29%29#ixzz2Gy9SP1eZ
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/01/us_drone_strike_kill_18.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LongWarJournalSiteWide+%28The+Long+War+Journal+%28Site-Wide%29%29#ixzz2Gy9SP1eZ
Excerpt: The US conducted its first strike in Pakistan
Boehner Telling Reid To “GFY”? Not A Big Deal
Excerpt: For all the complaints we conservatives have about Speaker John Boehner, there can be no denying that we felt a certain camaraderie with him, a certain pride that he is on our side, at least in party affiliation, when we learned that he told Senate Majority Leader Harry Read to “Go f*** yourself”–twice–after Harry Reid likened him to a dictator.
Bill O’Reilly: There’s ‘No Question’ President Obama Wants to Redistribute Income
Excerpt: Bill O’Reilly’s back for his first new show of the New Year! Tonight in his Talking Points Memo, the Factor host reacted to the fiscal fallout and reveals what he says is President Obama’s true agenda. According to The Wall Street Journal, the fiscal debate was a “fake crisis.” (Why I stay out of certain areas in Chicago
Excerpt: In an end-of-year press release — posted under the banner headline "Accomplishments Under the Leadership of Attorney General Eric Holder" — the Justice Department boasts of charging "nearly 3,000" bankers with lending discrimination and fraud. If all of them were guilty, this would be quite an accomplishment. Few would argue that prosecuting racists to the fullest extent of the law would be something worth crowing about. (When the government takes the position that it "need not prove discrimination with scientific certainty" that is the very height of arrogance and blatant dishonesty. It really says "we can do anything we want, any way we want, as all the justification we need for taking actions we desire to take". The statue of Justice holds a scale, but has on a blindfold, which symbolizes all actions taken are based only on the full set of facts, with no prior assumptions or bias on the part of the judges. The DOJ under holder has no blindfold, instead it wears a set of magnifying glasses that are colored with the personal views of Mr. Holder. Just consider for a moment if the DOJ under Mr. Bush had reached the conclusion that Blacks are inherently prone to violence, based on one way to look at the data on addicts. (Which would be another easy way to use data to reach a previously selected conclusion.) Would that have gone unnoticed, or better yet, been held up as a great accomplishment? The DOJ under Holder is functioning as a heavily biased organization with enormous powers. This is an affront to every American, regardless of race, religion, ethic origin, gender, or anything else. Holder should be fired immediately, but of course while his personal friend is the President, he is safe from being held responsible for any misdeeds. --Del
Excerpt: The Daughters of the American Revolution, one of the nation’s oldest patriotic organizations, has erased any mention of Jesus Christ in their official book, removed prayers and poems that reference Christian imagery, and directed members to refrain from praying in the name of Christ, an outraged group of members alleged.
Excerpt: The solid job growth wasn’t enough to push down the unemployment rate, which stayed 7.8 percent last month, according to the Labor Department’s report Friday. November’s rate was revised higher from an initially reported 7.7 percent. (I suspect the continued fiscal turmoil, fear over the deficit, no effort to cut spending and higher tax rates will cause investors to pull back, hurting job creation. I hope I’m wrong, as my wife is among those looking. She doesn’t get benefits, so is among the millions not counted in the unemployment rate. ~Bob.)
Predicting violence is a work in progress
Excerpt: It’s now fairly clear, for example, that people with severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and some personality disorders, are more likely to commit violent acts than others. But the risk is small. The vast majority of mentally ill people won’t commit assault, rape, arson or homicide, although the risk rises sharply among those who abuse drugs and alcohol. (But it would be a privacy violation to have a database so they couldn’t buy guns. When I managed the Florida Psychological Association, a psychologist told me the judge always wanted to know if they released a guy, would he be violent. And they were not good at predicting that. ~Bob.)
Worth Reading
Good list. ~Bob.
Trillion-dollar deficits are sustainable for now, unfortunately. By John H. Makin
Excerpt: Efforts to force a fiscal crisis like the latest "fiscal cliff," designed to compel Congress to an agreement to cut the deficit, have failed and will continue to fail. Though the US deficit is in the trillions of dollars, the United States is not in immediate danger of a financial crisis on the level of Greece
Worth Reading
Excerpt: All eyes have been on the clear and present danger of the fiscal cliff—understandably—but there's a sound in the mountain range that's even scarier than the cliff. It's the sound made by an avalanche, the trillions of dollars of debt that's heading our way, gathering speed and mass. For most people, it's out of earshot now, and that's the way our government prefers to play it in its financial statements.
Surprised Democrat: What happened that my SS withholdings in my paycheck just went up.
My paycheck just went down by an amount that I don't feel comfortable with.
Democrat fan of the Hobbit?
Excerpt: Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-CT., wore her Sunday Best to the Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi sponsored photo opportunity with the Democratic women… (This photo suggests that Representative Rosa DeLauro, Democrat of Connecticut
Excerpt: Life is good when you’re in the majority—and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) seems to believe he’ll be there forever. Reid has already effectively shut down the opportunity for minority Senators to offer amendments to bills. Now he is angling to change the Senate’s rules so that minority members cannot filibuster a bill.
Why Obamacare's Health Care Cost Controls Won't Work: Our sad, failed history of technocratic cost controls. By Peter Suderman
Excerpt: There’s little question that what’s ultimately driving the nation’s long-term debt is entitlement spending—in particular spending on Medicare. Yet as the fiscal cliff negotiations have dragged on, many prominent Democrats and liberal analysts have made it clear that they oppose any and all reductions to Medicare’s benefit structure.
1st Grader Suspended for Gun Gesture
Excerpt: A 6-year-old boy who was suspended from his elementary school for making a gun gesture with his hand and saying "pow" is fighting his suspension through a lawyer. (When fingers are outlawed, only outlaws will be able to give you the finger. ~Bob.)
Unchanged: Americans Are Still Fleeing High-Tax, Forced-Unionism States With Good Reason
Excerpt: Like some sort of communicable disease, as they have for decades, Americans are still finding union-dominated states that force workers to pay unions (or be fired) very unattractive to live in and, as a result, are leaving by the droves.
Egyptian Magazine: Muslim Brotherhood Infiltrates Obama Administration. By John Rossomando
Excerpt: An Egyptian magazine claims that six American Islamist activists who work with the Obama administration are Muslim Brotherhood operatives who enjoy strong influence over U.S.
4 Killed In Attack In Northeast Nigerian Town
Excerpt: Witnesses and authorities say at least four people were killed when gunmen suspected of belonging to a radical Islamist sect attacked a town in northeast Nigeria
Suicide car bomber kills at least 27 Shiite pilgrims in Iraq
Members of the Religion of Peace killing each other for Allah? Hardly news. ~Bob.
Morsi in 2010: Israelis are "blood-suckers...warmongers, the descendants of apes and pigs...All ties of all kinds must be severed with this plundering criminal entity"
No wonder Obama supports him. ~Bob.
Honour Acid: Turkish Man Contracts out for an Acid Attack on His Girl Friend
The “war on women” liberals never mention. ~Bob.
Investigators: “Good Deed.” 24-Year-Old Jew Murdered in Iran
Excerpt: The woman whom Magrufta was dating was reportedly arrested on suspicion of being responsible for the murder but was released without being indicted. Members of the Jewish community in Iran
Al-Jazeera seen as using Al Gore to bolster network’s legitimacy in United States
Excerpt: Is Al-Jazeera trying to use former Vice President Al Gore to gain acceptance in America
FLASHBACK: Top Al-Jazeera host said Hitler, Holocaust were ‘divine punishment’ for Jews
http://dailycaller.com/2013/01/04/flashback-top-al-jazeera-host-said-hitler-holocaust-were-divine-punishment-for-jews-video/#ixzz2H1VjjtWc
http://dailycaller.com/2013/01/04/flashback-top-al-jazeera-host-said-hitler-holocaust-were-divine-punishment-for-jews-video/#ixzz2H1VjjtWc
Al Gore’s new boss. ~Bob. Excerpt: With the Qatar-government-owned Al-Jazeera network buying Current TV, viewers of former Vice President Al Gore’s left-leaning cable franchise may be wondering what sort of programming the newly Christened “Al-Jazeera America” might feature. Wonder no more: As a public service, The Daily Caller is presenting a moment with Al-Jazeera’s top-rated host as an example.
Defense bill’s Guantanamo Bay
Excerpt: “President Obama has utterly failed the first test of his second term, even before Inauguration Day,” said Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. “He also has jeopardized his ability to close Guantanamo
Excerpt: Most of us, even those of us who are the products of America ’s collapsed public education system have heard of the fall of Rome
Obama denounced ‘signing statements’ under Bush, now uses them as president
http://dailycaller.com/2013/01/03/obama-denounced-signing-statements-under-bush-now-uses-them-as-president/#ixzz2H1eh1TST
http://dailycaller.com/2013/01/03/obama-denounced-signing-statements-under-bush-now-uses-them-as-president/#ixzz2H1eh1TST
Excerpt: “Congress’ job is to pass legislation,” Obama explained. “The president can veto it or he can sign it. But what George Bush has been trying to do as part of his effort to accumulate more power in the presidency. … He’s been saying, well I can basically change what Congress passed by attaching a letter saying ‘I don’t agree with this part or I don’t agree with that part, I’m going to choose to interpret it this way or that way.’” “That’s not part of his power, but this is part of the whole theory of George Bush that he can make laws as he goes along,” he went on to say.
FBI: More People Killed with Hammers, Clubs Each Year than Rifles
Excerpt: According to the FBI annual crime statistics, the number of murders committed annually with hammers and clubs far outnumbers the number of murders committed with a rifle. (While it’s true that the vast majority of hammer owners are responsible citizens who don’t abuse them, we must end the carnage and ban assault hammers for all. ~Bob.)
Crime Down in L.A., Local Newspaper Baffled. By Jack Dunphy
Excerpt: It is widely known but rarely mentioned that crime is higher among some demographic groups than others. Indeed, it’s considered impolite to talk about such things, but facts are facts, and some facts bear discussion when pondering those demographic shifts. In Los Angeles Los Angeles
Why Banning High-Capacity Magazines Will Not Save Lives. By Bryan Preston
Excerpt: “Assault weapons” have no firm definition. They are modern firearms that writers of liberal legalese don’t like. They look mean. … Would banning 30-round magazines stop killers like the one in Newtown? Not if he has access to any lower-capacity magazines, the Internet, and some masking or duct tape.
The Homeless & The Clueless. By Burt Prelutsky
http://www.burtprelutsky.com/2013/01/the-homeless-clueless.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+burtprelutsky%2FSQlQ+%28BurtPrelutsky.com%29
http://www.burtprelutsky.com/2013/01/the-homeless-clueless.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+burtprelutsky%2FSQlQ+%28BurtPrelutsky.com%29
Excerpt: Far too many people are up in arms over the dreadful economy we are leaving for our kids and grandkids. I used to be one of them. But ever since the youth of America helped saddle us with Obama, not once, but twice, I say it serves them right. (My granddaughter Britnye is only 12. And in a mock school election in 2008, when she was 8, she voted for McCain, against the majority in Madison, WI, not to mention her mother, who said Obama would “help little people like her.” It doesn’t serve Britnye right, but she will get it with the rest. ~Bob.)
House approves $9.7 billion in Sandy relief. By Pete Kasperowicz
Excerpt: "No" votes included Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the House Budget Committee chairman and former vice presidential candidate, who said after the vote that Washington should not be creating new debt. … During Friday's debate, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said he agreed, and that a House-Senate negotiation should focus on removing billions of dollars' worth of unnecessary spending in the Senate's bill.
Muslims Against Hamas
Excerpt: Frontpage Interview’s guest today is Hisham, the founder of Muslims. He is a Palestinian born in Jabaliya, in the Gaza Strip. He is protecting his full name for obvious reasons. Visit his “Muslims Against Hamas” page on Facebook here.
Obama’s corporate tax breaks look bigger than his tax hikes on the rich
Excerpt: My column listed who was lobbying for these tax breaks — the likes of General Electric, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, the Motion Picture Association of America, and the Biotechnology Industry Organization of America. This tax-extenders package is clearly a gift to big business.
Tweet from Frank J. Fleming @IMAO_
Good News: Taxes are only going on up on the rich. More Good News: You're rich!
Tweet from PlasticMoney888 @plasticmoney888
Nothing is spent by Government that will not eventually have to be paid by Taxes, devaluation or defaulting on its lenders.
Unemployment Rises for Women, African-Americans in December. By Matt Cover
The Obama Economy—keep the slaves dependent on government. ~Bob.
Desperate Spain Raids Pension Fund
Excerpt: Since its financial crisis began, Spain has been having trouble finding buyers for its increasingly risky government bonds. It thought it had found the perfect solution to this problem: tapping its own Social Security Reserve Fund as a buyer of last resort. But there’s one small catch. (Don’t laugh, we’re next. ~Bob.)
Is Europe on the Mend? Probably Not. By Walter Russell Mead
Excerpt: The Financial Times has some good news for the Eurozone: the ratings group Fitch announced that U.S. banks have increased their exposure to the EU for the fifth straight month as of last November, with investment up by 8 percent month-over-month. German banks were the greatest beneficiaries, but even French borrowers got some love. So things are all good in the Eurozone? Not quite.
Ex-Burglars Say Newspaper’s Gun Map Would’ve Made the Job Easier, Safer
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/01/04/ex-burglars-say-newspapers-gun-map-wouldve-made-job-easier-safer/#ixzz2H29CJUBw
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/01/04/ex-burglars-say-newspapers-gun-map-wouldve-made-job-easier-safer/#ixzz2H29CJUBw
Excerpt: Reformed crooks say the New York newspaper that published a map of names and addresses of gun owners did a great service – to their old cronies in the burglary trade.
SNOPES: Medical Excise tax viral picture is ruled FACT
Making Millionaires and Billionaires pay their fair share, you know. ~Bob.
Tweet from John Hawkins @johnhawkinsrwn
It's despicable for the Democrats to hold up Hurricane Sandy relief by putting billions in pork for special interests into the bill.
That Magic Touch: Furniture Company Praised By Obama as Sign of So-Called Recovery Shuts Down
Excerpt: Lincolnton Furniture Company closed abruptly Thursday just one year after it was hailed by President Barack Obama as an example of the recovering U.S. economy.
Chart Of The Day: The Scariest Jobs Chart Everhttp://www.businessinsider.com/pct-job-losses-in-post-wwii-recessions-2013-1#ixzz2H2BwiBmB
The Obama Economy. ~Bob.
Tweet from The Real ExTex @theRealExTex
Truth> #WhyIsMyPaycheckLessThisWeek because Obama Phones and birth control are more important than reducing the debt.
Tweet from Kent Vig (1 of 5) @badfr0g
I really loved when my wife called the temp agency and was told that medical jobs are drying up because everyone is cutting staff.
Tweet from deb carter @debcarter6
WhyIsMyPaycheckLessThisWeek Al Gore didn't pay his fair share.
Show me your shocked face. ~Bob.
Islamist Group Tries to Kill Use of "Islamist"
Excerpt: After doing everything it can to ensconce a new word, "Islamophobia," into conversational English, the nation's most visible Islamist group is trying to stop use of a well-established word: Islamist. Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) national spokesman Ibrahim Hooper released a column urging journalists to "Drop the term 'Islamist.'" (I hear Hitler was offended by the word “Nazi” too. ~Bob.)
Billionaires Dumping Stocks, Economist Knows Why
Excerpt: Despite the 6.5% stock market rally over the last three months, a handful of billionaires are quietly dumping their American stocks . . . and fast. Warren Buffett, who has been a cheerleader for U.S. stocks for quite some time, is dumping shares at an alarming rate. (No idea if this is fact based or alarmist. ~Bob.)
And so it begins: ObamaCare kills jobs. By Herman Cain
Excerpt: Just one problem. You can’t keep your coverage if, thanks to ObamaCare, it no longer exists. According to Mark Zandi at Moody’s Analytics – and Zandi is a big Obama supporter, by the way – ObamaCare is going to have a negative impact on job creation in 2013 because companies who have 50 full-time employees or more are going to be forced to provide health coverage for everyone who works more than 30 hours a week, or pay a fine.
Tweet from Daniel Gray @misterseamster
#WhyIsMyPaycheckLessThisWeek Because Sandra Fluke can afford 47k per year for tuition, but can't afford $10 for birth control.
Obama 2008 campaign fined $375,000
Excerpt: President Obama’s 2008 campaign was fined $375,000 by the Federal Election Commission for campaign reporting violations — one of the largest fees ever levied against a presidential campaign, POLITICO has learned. (Meaningless. Chump change to them. Laws are for the little people, not Chicago Way thugs. Voters won’t care. ~Bob.)
Tim Scott Becomes Latest Beneficiary of NAACP’s Bias. By Demetrius Minor
Excerpt: Let’s cut to the chase: Scott was ostracized by the NAACP because he’s a black conservative Republican who refuses to subscribe to the myth that all blacks must be loyal to liberals and big government policies.
Louisville woman tries to buy iPads with food stamps
Excerpt: A Louisville woman was recently arrested for trying to purchase iPads with a food stamp card and subsequently fleeing the store with the stolen merchandise, reports the Weekly Vice, (Even poverty ain’t what it used to be. ~Bob.)
New study suggests U.S. fiscal stimulus generates less than $1 in GDP growth for every $1 spent. By James Pethokoukis
Excerpt: We have investigated the proposition that multipliers are greater during periods of slack using newly constructed historical data for the U.S. and Canada. Using Jordà ’s (2005) local projection method, a threshold model based on the level of the unemployment rate, shocks to military news, and definitions of variables that obviate the need for ad hoc conversion factors, we find no evidence that multipliers are higher during periods of slack in quarterly U.S. data from 1890 to 2010. In all states, multipliers appear to be between 0.6 and 0.7. (Duh. It’s not about stimulating the economy. It’s about buying votes. Does that well. ~Bob.)
Obama calls Conscience Clause for Military Chaplains “Ill-Advised.” By Todd Starnes
Excerpt: Religious liberty advocates are concerned after President Obama said a conscience clause that would allow military chaplains to opt-out of performing gay marriages is “unnecessary and ill-advised.” (I personally don’t have a problem with Gay Marriage. Won’t hurt my marriage a bit and the far bigger problem is straight people having kids and not getting married. But I don’t understand why gays would want a pastor at their ceremony who thought it was sinful? ~Bob.)
Excerpt: On Friday, Egyptian authorities following a tip from local Bedouin seized six US-made antiaircraft and anti-tank missiles. The missiles are believed to have been smuggled from Libya and likely destined for the Gaza Strip.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment