Friday, March 1, 2013

Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for March 2, 2013

Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for March 2, 2013
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.

Worth Reading: They're All Good Days - Some Better Than Others. By Andy Weddington
Excerpt: Life is tough. And no one goes along without bearing a cross or two - big and small, to say the least, along the way. And some end up bearing more than others. Not only is life tough it's not fair. But oft times, so busy with our lives, families, and troubles, we forget others are not immune to trying times. I try not to - to forget, that is.

Excerpt: In 2008 candidate Obama said, "We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that is just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded." Listen to it. After he was elected in 2008, President Obama never again mentioned his "national security objectives," or the "national security force" he wanted to create. Was that 2008 statement just an applause line? Not really, citizen, not really. … Chet Nagle is a Naval Academy graduate, a Georgetown Law School graduate, and Cold War carrier pilot who flew in the Cuban Missile Crisis. After a stint as a Navy research project officer, he joined International Security Affairs as a Pentagon civilian involved in defense and intelligence work. Afterwards, he lived abroad for 12 years working with Aeromaritime, Inc. and as an agent for the CIA, spending time in Iran, Oman, and many other countries. … Nagle's first book is a fact-based novel about Iran's nuclear weapons program, Iran Covenant, available on Amazon. His second novel, The Woolsorter's Plague, was published in 2010 and describes an attack on Washington by terrorists using a biological weapon. (I highly recommend both novels. ~Bob.)

 

Worth Reading: The Sequester is Here
A short, timely, educational review of the issues from the National Center for Policy Analysis.

Twitter is going wild with funny stuff on the Sequester
David Burge‏@iowahawkblog: The corpses are piling up outside my window like cordwood, oh my God the humanity #OnTheSceneSequesterReport

Republicans warn Obama has 'poisoned' relations with campaign-style attacks
Excerpt: President Obama's public shaming of congressional Republicans to act on a range of issues may be winning at the polls — but it risks alienating the people needed to reach bipartisan compromise. (Campaigning, attacks and lies are his forte, not governing. When he says “Bipartisan,” he means, “Do it my way.” ~Bob.)

‘Kill That Baby!’: Students Stab Mock Balloon Fetuses in Abortion Party Gamehttp://conservativevideos.com/2013/02/kill-that-baby-students-try-to-stab-mock-balloon-fetuses-in-abortion-party-game/
Excerpt: Some students were shocked Wednesday evening by a YouTube video showing male students at Hunter College pretending to stab and kill fetuses.(How much more depraved can our schools get? --Jer. Future Planned Parenthood volunteers, helping prevent the "unfit" from being born. ~Bob.)

Knockout in Oosterhout
Excerpt: Last month a 25-year-old man was set upon by “youths” in Oosterhout, a town near Rotterdam known for its cultural enrichment. The rambunctious youngsters knocked the unfortunate man to the ground and kicked him in the head until he was unconscious. (Attacks like this are now commonplace across Europe. Joys of cultural enrichment. From Guy in the UK. They have gun control in Holland. I don't like to think of being anywhere like this without some protection. Yet that was their choice, for some reason. Knockout games are also getting commonplace in the US. --Don Hank)

Illegal alien wanted for raping child, captured in manhunt
Excerpt: A criminal alien from El Salvador wanted in Santa Barbara, Calif., for aggravated sexual assault and forcible rape of a child under 14 years of age was arrested by federal law enforcement officers, according to a report released by the Homeland Security Department dated Feb. 27, 2013. Santos Javier Guevara-Oliva was arrested in Hyattsville, Md., by officers of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Baltimore Criminal Alien Program (CAP) assigned to the U.S. Marshals' Capital Area Region Task Force after he was identified as being a criminal alien who illegally re-entered the United States after deportation, according to Baltimore CAP Director Calvin McCormack. (We have plenty of home grown perverts, so this can't be one of those jobs Americans won't do the Democrats talk about. ~Bob.)

Desperately Seeking Conservative Pope. By James Noel Ward
Excerpt: [Dissident 'Catholics'] will be “very very disappointed” when the cry “Habemus Papam!” is heard and will dejectedly say, “This selection has put the Church back hundreds of years.” I can’t wait. The Church is in a state of sloth from suckling on the state’s teat because most Catholic charities around the world are funded by grants, not the faithful.

Women Spoiling Men's Fun. By John Derbyshire
Excerpt: You haven’t made any connection with Chinese culture until you’ve toasted yourself blotto at a Chinese banquet. Then “the distance between people is very short,” true sincerity emerges, bonds of guanxi are formed or strengthened, and things can get done. Ms. Mason’s problem is that this is all very male.

The Idiot’s Guide to Guns: The Difference Between an “Assault Rifle” and an AR-15
http://clashdaily.com/2013/02/the-idiots-guide-to-guns-the-difference-between-an-assault-rifle-and-an-ar-15/

How US military plans to carry out Obama's 'pivot to Asia.' By Anna Mulrine
Excerpt: A US policy shift toward Asia means a greater role for the Navy. Even pre-'pivot to Asia,' it already stationed half its ships in the region, and it is developing a new 'afloat forward staging base' in the Pacific. (We are fast becoming a paper tiger. ~Bob.)

Joe Biden Encourages Oscar Pistorius’ Shooting Techniques: ‘Just Fire the Shotgun Through the Door’
Excerpt: VP Joe Biden never fails the public with his outlandish remarks. Although I do agree with his first statement that a shotgun is a good self-defense gun for a home invasion, I do not agree with his remark to ‘shoot through the door’ or his stance on making AR-15s illegal. It’s always best to know what your target is and unless you can see through walls, I don’t suggest shooting until you’ve got a visual. Blade runner Oscar Pistorius did exactly what Biden suggested, maybe not with a shotgun but he still shot through the door, and look where it landed him: single and on trial for the murder of his girlfriend.

Biden Advises Shooting Shotgun Through Door: Virginia Beach man charged for doing exactly that. By Steven Nelson
Excerpt: Vice President Joe Biden told Field & Stream magazine in an interview published Monday, "[if] you want to keep someone away from your house, just fire the shotgun through the door." Coincidentally, a 22-year-old man in Virginia Beach, Va., was charged Monday with reckless handling of a firearm after doing just that a couple days earlier.

Worth Reading: Once and for all: The leftist origins of National Socialism
Excerpt: This brings us nicely to defining conservative feature number two: Christianity. Himmler’s obsession with paganism is very well-documented. Hitler may have viewed the SS as his personal bodyguard, but Himmler viewed them as a pagan Knights Templar, destined to recreate a utopic, pre-Christian Teutonic society. Furthermore, the ‘official’ religion of Nazism was positive Christianity, a doctrine that can hardly be called positive or Christian. This ‘Christian’ ideology rejected the Jewish bible in its entirety, rejected Jesus’ Jewish origins, and wished to wipe Catholicism off the face of the earth (stalwart defender of tradition it is) and create a united Nazi protestant church.

Excerpt: Egypt is set to explode, according to former Finance Minister Samir Radwan. Joblessness stands at 74 percent for people under 30, according to government figures.

Las Vegas Drive-By Mass Murderer-Pimp Ammar Harris Arrested In Studio City, CA In Coordinated Police-FBI Effort (my version of title by the AP)
Bought and paid for by welfare dollars rewarding women for having illegitimate babies. Do you think this is what LBJ had in mind when he dreamed up the War on Poverty? (That war costs you $1 trillion annually now. But that's ok, we can tax the rich). --Don Hank

Excerpt: Because I am a conservative living in California, I often find myself thinking that, like those members of the French underground in World War II movies, I should be transmitting my dispatches by way of a shortwave radio. How crazy is California, you ask? Well, for openers, the voters back in November, voted to raise the state income taxes.

Bob Woodward: Quotes of the Day: Allahpundit
http://hotair.com/archives/2013/02/28/quotes-of-the-day-1303/
Excerpt: When they came for Fox, they did not stand up because they did not work for Fox. The media’s lot is now well and truly cast with the administration – their fates are linked. Whatever his contribution to journalism, Bob Woodward will soon find that no single reporter is irreplaceable.
U.S. Helping Israel's Defense. By Yaakov Lappin
Excerpt: Cooperation between the two countries today is at an unprecedented level. The other part involves devastating offensive capabilities, designed to surprise adversaries, bringing any war to a swift conclusion. The cheering and the hugs exchanged by Israeli and American teams this week at Palmahim Air Force base, south of Tel Aviv, marked a historical turn of events.

Gas Boom Projected to Grow for Decades
Excerpt: The most exhaustive study to date of a key natural-gas field in Texas, combined with related research under way elsewhere, shows that U.S. shale-rock formations will provide a growing source of moderately priced natural gas through 2040, and decline only slowly after that, says the Wall Street Journal. The research provides substantial evidence that there are large quantities of gas available that can be drilled profitably at a market price of $4 per million British thermal units, a relatively small increase from the current price of about $3.43.

The Jobs Crisis Is About Much More Than Unemployment. By Aparna Mathur & Daniel Hanson
Excerpt: But even for those who are fortunate enough to have jobs, the labor market has exacted a toll on their standards of living. Since 2007, the real median income of American families has dropped by over $5,000 per family, while the BLS reports that the average employed person spends 8.3 hours per day working, up from 7.6 hours per day in 2007. In other words, American employees are working more and earning less.

Worth Reading: The Democratic Majority Is Doomed: The entitlement mentality can't survive a weak economy. By Pete Du Pont
Excerpt: But the primary reason today's liberal Democratic coalition will fade is because the very policies it pushes sow the seeds of its own destruction. The coalition can survive over time only by allocating slices of our nation's economic pie in a way that favors and placates its constituent members. But people, being human, will continually want larger slices of our economic resources, so continued success in placating those members, while at the same time adding the necessary new members, requires a continuing and ever-growing economy. A flat or shrinking economy will never generate the resources needed to feed the coalition. (Wishful thinking, I fear. The shrinking pie is more likely to create riots, chaos and collapse. I won’t be here for it, but, alas, my granddaughter will. ~Bob.)

Why Do Some Liberals Become Conservatives? The intellectual transformation from left to right. By jean Kaufman
Excerpt: Political change is something I’ve thought about long and hard because it happened to me, too, about ten years ago. In fact, struggling to understand and explain that change was one of the things that first drew me to blogs and blogging. I agree with Roger Simon that the vast majority of people are exceedingly reluctant to change their political beliefs and identification, and that was my experience, too; in fact, I’ve titled my own change story “A mind is a difficult thing to change.” 9not me. I campaigned for Barry Goldwater in high school until August, 1964, when I reported to Marine Boot Came at Parris Island. ~Bob.)

Governor Cuomo: Hollywood Exempt From Gun Ban
Excerpt: In return, Hollywood producers have not only contributed to the state’s economy to the tune of $7 billion, but they also make big campaign contributions to the governor and other liberal lawmakers there. They want to keep those tax credits coming. And while they’re reeling in their tax credits from New York, they’re chanting, “Tax the rich!” As another favor, Governor Andrew Cuomo is now proposing that these Hollywood producers be exempt from the gun ban that was passed in January:

Death Toll From Bangladesh Unrest Reaches 44
Excerpt: The death toll from violent clashes between protesters and security forces in Bangladesh reached at least 44 on Friday, one day after a special war crimes tribunal handed down a death sentence to an Islamic leader for crimes against humanity committed 42 years ago, during the country’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.

Bahrain activist Zainab al-Khawaja sentenced to jail
Excerpt: A court in Bahrain has sentenced pro-democracy activist Zainab al-Khawaja to three months in prison. Ms Khawaja received the sentence after a court of appeal overturned an earlier acquittal. (What was she thinking? Democracy in a Muslim country? ~Bob.)

Soldier Admits Providing Files to WikiLeaks
Excerpt: Pfc. Bradley Manning on Thursday confessed in open court to providing vast archives of military and diplomatic files to the antisecrecy group WikiLeaks, saying that he released the information to help enlighten the public about “what happens and why it happens” and to “spark a debate about foreign policy.” (Where do I volunteer to serve on the firing squad? ~Bob.)

Woodward, Axelrod spar over Sperling email, sequester
Excerpt: As part of a whirlwind media tour that included appearances on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” and NBC’s “Today,” veteran Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward stopped off at MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Friday morning. Woodward was joined by former Obama top adviser David Axelrod, now a MSNBC contributor. Axelrod voiced his disapproval of Woodward’s recent criticisms of the White House, and discussed his now-famous email exchange with Obama economic adviser Gene Sperling, who told Woodward he would regret criticizing the Obama administration’s handling of the sequester.

Excerpt: A February State Department memo reveals that from 2001 to 2011, only 0.02 percent of all immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applications were denied because the potential entrants risked becoming “public charges,” or individuals who are primarily reliant on welfare for subsistence. For 2011 alone, that figure stood at just 0.0033 percent. The information came in a letter obtained by The Daily Caller and penned by Thomas B. Gibbons, the State Department’s acting assistant secretary for legislative affairs, in response to a Sept. 25 oversight request from Republican Sens. Jeff Sessions, Chuck Grassley, Orrin Hatch and Pat Roberts about the enforcement of Section 212(a)(4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). (I know you’re shocked to learn this. ~Bob.)

Sued: Obama Treasury Dept. Regarding possible drilling rights collusion
Excerpt: Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit on February, 14, 2013, against the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Judicial Watch v. United States Department of the Treasury (No. 1-13-cv-00199)) to obtain records relating to the Obama administration’s approval of the acquisition of the Canadian energy company Nexen Inc., by the Chinese government-owned Chinese National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). The $15.1 billion acquisition will allow CNOOC access to drilling in northern Canada and the Gulf of Mexico, while apparently providing a windfall of financial returns to major Obama campaign contributors. (I know you’re shocked to learn this. ~Bob.)

Dr. King, Dr. Carson and the future of black America
Excerpt: Sadly, many blacks are influenced by, if not held hostage to, the black liberal establishment, which is comprised of media outlets, progressive elected officials, nonprofit organizations and community activists. That establishment functions as an echo chamber, advertising the same failed policies that have trapped the black community in underachievement and government dependency for decades….Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are masters at misleading their constituents.

Worth Reading: Jack Lew and Citigroup: How the Corrupt Rich Get Richer with Cronyism. By Daniel J. Mitchell 
Excerpt: If you’re an amoral person with political connections, it’s possible to make a lot of money. Warren Buffett lined his pockets by making a government-subsidized investment in Goldman Sachs during the financial crisis. The rest of us suffered and he got richer, but the left seems to be okay with that perverse form of redistribution because he supports class-warfare tax hikes. Sort of like buying an indulgence in the Middle Ages.

Worth Reading: Congressional Abdication. By Sen. Jim Webb 
Excerpt: IN MATTERS of foreign policy, Congress, and especially the Senate, was designed as a hedge against the abuses exhibited by overeager European monarchs who for centuries had whimsically entangled their countries in misguided adventures. America would not be such a place. The Constitution would protect our governmental process from the overreach of a single executive who might otherwise succumb to the impulsive temptation to unilaterally risk our country’s blood, treasure and international prestige. Congress was given the power to declare war and appropriate funds, thus eliminating any resemblance to European-style monarchies when it came to the presidential war power. … THE FAILURE of Congress to meet its historical obligations while the president unilaterally engaged in combat operations in Libya promises even deeper consequences for future crises. (Webb was one of the finest Marines of my generation. As a Marine, I’m not fit to shine his boots. But I was disappointed he wasn’t more independent of Harry Reid in the Senate. ~Bob.)

Why Bob Woodward's Fight With The White House Matters to You
Excerpt: As editor-in-chief of National Journal, I received several e-mails and telephone calls from this White House official filled with vulgarity, abusive language, and virtually the same phrase that Politico characterized as a veiled threat. “You will regret staking out that claim,” The Washington Post reporter was told. Once I moved back to daily reporting this year, the badgering intensified.

The Obama-Media vs. Bob Woodward. By Arnold Ahlert
Excerpt: As the result of his efforts to recount the genesis, and likely effects, of sequestration, the across-the-board spending cuts slated to begin Friday, Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward is getting a taste of what happens to those who challenge the Obama-Democrat-media machine. 

Excerpt: I just read in the news yesterday that a fifteen year old rape victim in the Maldives will be receiving 100 lashes, her sentence in the Sharia courts for having pre-marital sex. She was introduced to sex by way of rape by her stepfather. According to Sharia Muslim law she deserved it. Why was she allowed to reach the age of fifteen without having her clitoris removed, as is the experience of millions of little girls in the Muslim world? (Mohammad said Allah requires a woman to have four male Muslim witnesses to prove rape. So under Shari’a Law, she is guilty. ~Bob.)

Worth Reading: Why the United States Should Stay Out of Egypt. By Daniel Greenfield 
Excerpt: Much like Festivus, American diplomacy to the Middle East usually begins with an airing of grievances. These are not the American grievances over decades of terrorism and acts of violent hatred. These are the grievances that are supposedly infuriating the Arab Street. The list begins with Israel, continues on to the “Arab Dictators” supported by America and concludes with warnings to respect Mohammed by not making any cartoons or movies about him.

Sudan man's foot, hand 'amputated' by court order
Excerpt: Government doctors in Sudan amputated a man's hand and foot to carry out a sentence for robbery, rights groups said on Wednesday, describing the extremely rare punishment as a form of torture. (It’s not just a good idea…it’s the [Shari’a] law! ~Bob.)

Excerpt: Then, when a sympathetic cousin helped her flee back to New York City, the irate father vowed to kill the relative and other kin if his daughter did not return to Pakistan, law-enforcement sources said. But Amina Ajmal refused her father’s demand — and Monday, someone made good on the dad’s heinous threat to do harm. (It’s not just a good idea…it’s the [Shari’a] law! ~Bob.)

Republicans: CIA nominee involved in Benghazi talking points
Excerpt: President Obama's pick to head the CIA was involved in crafting controversial talking points about last year's attack in Benghazi, Republicans said Tuesday after viewing intelligence documents.

Egyptian Muslim cleric: Christianity emerged from penis worship; Christian women raise dogs to replace husbands
Excerpt: Egyptian cleric Abu Islam: I swear to God the Almighty – and believe me, I am not lying – that the Church worship originated in the worship of the penis. I swear to God. This is documented in dozens of pictures.

In case you wondered: When mainstream media say "come up with more revenues," they mean "raise taxes." Sounds so much nicer.

Give Detroit to Mitt Romney. By David Weigel
Excerpt: The reckoning has arrived in Detroit. Michigan has an aggressive emergency manager law that allows the government to take over failing cities rather than sending them into bankruptcy. (I think he’s too smart to take it. I mean, what’s second prize? Damascus? ~Bob.)

Tweet from @CuffyMeh:
BREAKING: Obama releases March Madness brackets. GDP eliminated by Govt Cheese in final.

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