Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for March 19, 2013

Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for March 19, 2013

Click on the link to get the full SitRep

Robert A. Hall

The Chicago forecast is for continued winter, fried Groundhog for dinner, and spotty SitReps as I go into a week filled with early and late meetings. ~Bob.

Best older posts for new blog readers

http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2011/05/best-older-posts-for-new-readers.html

Important: Rep. Rogers: Iran could have nuclear weapons in under one year

http://thehill.com/video/house/288619-rogers-questions-white-house-timeline-for-iran-getting-nuclear-arms#ixzz2Nu9vjzjD

Excerpt: A top House Republican is casting doubt on President Obama's assertion that it will be nearly a year until Iran will be able to develop a nuclear weapon. "I wouldn't be as certain where the president is [on the timeline] and the Israelis believe it's going to be sooner than that," House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) said Sunday on CNN's State of the Union. (If we lose New York or Washington DC to a terrorist A-bomb, it won’t be just the folks there who will suffer. It will put the country into an economic collapse, likely followed by political and social collapse, riots, starvation and death. This is one possibility I cover in my book, The Coming Collapse of the American Republic. ~Bob.)

Worth Reading: What Obama Is Doing to the Labor Market. By John Goodman

http://healthblog.ncpa.org/what-obama-is-doing-to-the-labor-market/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=HA#more-29455

Excerpt: President Obama’s proposal to increase the minimum wage and the health insurance employer mandate will combine to destroy job opportunities for young, unskilled workers in cities and towns across the country. The minimum wage, currently set at $7.25 an hour, will jump to $9 an hour and be indexed going forward if the president gets his way. The Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) is already the law of the land and its effects are being felt right now, even though the employer mandate doesn’t go into effect until next January. (Not an accident. Obama’s union allies have always fought to keep low skilled blacks and kids from getting jobs. ~Bob.)

Hill Poll: Voters prefer Republican budget ideas, but dislike GOP

http://thehill.com/polls/288641-hill-poll-voters-prefer-gop-budget-ideas-but-dislike-republican-party-#ixzz2NuBUKtxO

Excerpt: More voters trust the Democratic Party than the Republican Party on budgetary issues, according to the results of a new poll for The Hill — even though a strong majority actually prefer Republican fiscal policies. The discrepancy would appear to be rooted in the GOP’s image problem, as the party attempts to recover from a bruising general election and recalibrate for a new generation of voters. (Low information Democrat voters are like the wife going back to the abusive husband, because he “loves her and promises to change.” They want to be lied to. ~Bob.)

Cyberattacks sound alarms, spark DC scramble to bolster defenses

http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/288643-cyberattacks-sound-alarms-dc-scrambles

Excerpt: Fears the United States could fall victim to a catastrophic cyberattack have reached a new high in the capitals of business and politics. With just a few strikes on a keyboard, officials warn, hackers could knock out the electric grid of a major city, leaving millions without power or heat. (Another potential trigger for serious economic disruption. ~Bob.)

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal uninjured after SUV crash
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/18/suv-carrying-jindal-involved-in-crash-governor-ok/?test=latestnews#ixzz2NrcO14oy

Excerpt: A news release from Louisiana State Police sent Sunday night said a trooper driving a second SUV swerved to avoid the large rental truck and then hit a utility pole. …Police said the rental truck made an illegal U-turn from the outside lane and sideswiped the first SUV carrying the governor and another trooper. They were not hurt.

Jordanian criminal alien convicted of sexual assaults deported

http://www.examiner.com/article/jordanian-criminal-alien-convicted-of-sexual-assaults-deported

Excerpt: The Jordanian national, Nassar Issa Ibrahim Nassar, came to the attention of ICE agents on Oct. 17, 2011, when he was arrested at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport while attempting to re-enter the country, according to ICE. … Unfortunately, even after ICE agents issued an illegal alien detainer order on Nassar with the Cook County Sheriff's jail, Cook County officials released Nassar from custody the day after his arrest. The city of Chicago, which is in Cook County, and the surrounding areas are know as "Sanctuaries" for illegal aliens. (Chicago—where stopping sexual assault is considered “racist.” ~Bob.)

Leftists Drop the “N-Word” on Dr. Carson for Criticizing BHO
http://clashdaily.com/2013/03/leftists-drop-the-n-word-on-dr-carson-for-criticizing-bho/

Excerpt: This morning at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Dr. Ben Carson mentioned the “nastygrams” he received after he spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast. He said some of his oh-so-tolerant admirers lobbed the N-word at him for “insulting” President Obama. “When did we reach a point where you have to have a certain philosophy because of the color of your skin?” he asked? (Typical Progressives. ~Bob.)

The Tit-Sucker's Lament

http://justcommonsense-lostinamerica.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-tit-suckers-lament.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FMoXTa+%28Lost+in+America%29

Excerpt: Last Wednesday morning I went over to a thrift shop not far from my home. I was looking for a used replacement for my old G.E. 60's era toaster. Just adjacent to that thrift shop is a community food bank. I've taken cans of soup and boxes of citrus from my trees there on several occasions. On this particular morning I noticed a Help Wanted sign displayed prominently in the front window of the community bank. That sign sparked my curiosity. I walked in the door to the food bank and asked the counter clerk in the little "sorting foray" they have at the front why they would need to solicit volunteers for help when so many are getting stuff for free? I'm sure I was overheard by some of the dozen or so folks sitting in chairs filling out applications for access to the free food. The clerk just shook her head; she didn't want to say what she was really feeling. So I left, still wondering how could it be that, among the thousand or so people who come here every week, that there's not a single one of them who are willing to put in a few hours of stocking shelves in exchange for the free grub. 

President Obama in Israel: Symbolism over substance

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/03/obama-in-israel-symbolism-over-substance-88969.html

Excerpt: President Barack Obama spent his first term dismissing the idea of a symbolic visit to Israel: He didn’t want to go there unless he had something concrete to accomplish. But his four-day trip that begins Tuesday night is symbolism on steroids. (Huh. Just like here. ~Bob.)

Palestinian lawmaker, mother of militants, dies

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/17/5269866/palestinian-lawmaker-mother-of.html

Guess she never got the “Islam is a Religion of Peace” memo. ~Bob. Excerpt: A Palestinian lawmaker known as the "mother of martyrs" who praised and supported three of her sons who were killed while carrying out deadly attacks against Israelis died Sunday, a Gaza official said. Mariam Farhat, who said she wished she had 100 sons to die while attacking Israelis, died in a Gaza city hospital of health complications including lung ailments and kidney failure, health official Ashraf Al-Kidra said. She was 64.

Cyprus, a sunny place for shady people

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/cyprus/9936537/Cyprus-a-sunny-place-for-shady-people.html

Excerpt: Cyprus had already joined the bailout club. In December, it became the latest country in the eurozone to apply for a rescue programme, to the tune of 17.5 billion euros. The problem was that the money couldn’t be found from the international creditors and institutions that had propped up, by various methods, Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain. So, for the first time since the debt crisis erupted, the Eurogroup – the finance ministers of the 17 states in the eurozone – decided that depositors in Cypriot banks should pay directly to keep those banks afloat.

Detroit protesters vow ‘civil disobedience’ in opposition to city’s emergency manager

http://dailycaller.com/2013/03/17/detroit-protesters-vow-civil-disobedience-in-opposition-to-citys-emergency-manager/

Excerpt: Hundreds of well-organized demonstrators vowing “civil disobedience” will greet Michigan Republican Gov. Rick Snyder’s visit to Cobo Hall in Detroit Monday for an economic summit in order to protest Snyder’s selection of a powerful “emergency manager” to save the city of Detroit from bankruptcy. (If they aren’t careful, they’ll wreck the place! Hoping they can make things so bad Obama will borrow more money from China to kick the can down the road for them. This is our future. ~Bob.)

Author­i­ties: Mex­i­can Drug Car­tels Big in Pa.
http://philly.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
Excerpt: Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane caught more than a few people by surprise last month when she told a legislative budget hearing she was losing sleep over Mexican drug cartels. (Yes, this is one of the biggest problems of illegal immigration along with job snatching, drunk driving [Mexicans are the top ranked group in this category], hit and run with no car insurance, disease, rape, murder and a whole host of non drug related crimes, but it won't be solved by giving amnesty to ALL illegal aliens. That is what we anti-invasion activists have been screaming about all these years. We had some close friends from the Dominican Republic. He worked with Hispanics in a church group and they were in the US legally. He once told me he tried to help illegals find ways to hide and stay in the US. He figured we must be on board. He was shocked when I told him the illegal immigrants all need to go home and then apply for legal residency. Later they moved to Falls Church. His wife called one day to talk to my wife, who was not home. We spoke in Spanish as always. When I asked how they were doing in Falls Church, she almost broke down crying. She said she was afraid for her children to play on the street because of the gangs in the neighborhood. I said "what ethnic group are the gangs?" She said "Hispanic." I said "now do you understand why I said we can't afford to allow people to stay in our country illegally?" "Si," she murmured weakly. She really did understand. Amnesty for all is a punishment for the good ones. We shouldn't be doing this. --Don Hank)

4 Strategies for the Coming of Obamacare

http://www.inc.com/magazine/201303/adam-bluestein/4-strategies-for-coming-obamacare.html

Inc. is not a political magazine, but reality is setting in. ~Bob. Excerpt: After years of often bitter debate, health care reform--a.k.a. the Affordable Care Act, or if you prefer, Obamacare--will take full effect January 1, 2014. How will it affect your company? Good question. Like Tolstoy's unhappy families, every business will be made unhappy in a different way by the new law.

Lots of Obamacare promises will go unfulfilled

http://www.indystar.com/article/20130317/OPINION10/303170022/Lots-Obamacare-promises-will-go-unfulfilled?nclick_check=1

Excerpt: The president made many promises before the federal health reform bill became law. He said, “If you like your plan, you can keep it.” He said the cost of a family insurance policy would drop by $2,500 in his first term. He said everyone would be covered. In short, he said, “Fear not.” But reality has arrived. (Right before ObamaCare passed, a doctor who voted for Obama in 2008 said to me, “This is going to be a disaster.” “Yes,” I replied. “But I knew that in November of 2008…” ~Bob.)

The War Intensifies. We Babble About Peace and Retreat. By Michael Ledeen

http://pjmedia.com/michaelledeen/2013/03/17/the-war-intensifies-we-babble-about-peace-and-retreat/

Excerpt: Obama lectures about peace, but the war intensifies. North Korea has cut the hotline with the south, after threatening war, and warns of imminent attack. The Saudis have once again warned Iran to stay away from Abu Musa island. What if they don’t? Meanwhile, a leading cleric warns of domestic unrest in the kingdom (h/t Drudge), where the Iranians have long incited the Shi’a minority to confront the Wahabbi royal family. Small and not-so-small armies are marching over and around Syria. 

An unstable truce with the Axis of Crazy. By Mark Steyn

http://jewishworldreview.com/0313/steyn031813.php3#.UUdIzBe-o0E

Excerpt: I greatly enjoy the new Hollywood genre in which dysfunctional American families fly to a foreign city and slaughter large numbers of the inhabitants as a kind of bonding experience. Liam Neeson takes his estranged wife and their teenage daughter for just such a vacation in "Taken 2," in which the spectacular mountain of corpses in Istanbul brings the family back together again and ends with them (spoiler alert) enjoying a chocolate malt back at the soda fountain in California and getting to know the daughter's new boyfriend.

Oklahoma House Passes Obamacare Nullification Bill. By Philip Hodges

http://godfatherpolitics.com/9931/oklahoma-house-passes-obamacare-nullification-bill/#ixzz2Nup4cFPP

Excerpt: State Representative Mike Ritze, a doctor and surgeon, has been a fierce opponent of Obamacare since its inception. He made headlines last summer when he introduced Obamacare nullification legislation that would not only render Obamacare null and void, but also would criminalize any federal agent attempting to enforce Obamacare mandates and regulations inside the state of Oklahoma. Now that the Oklahoma state house is back in session, the bill was voted on and passed by a vote of 72 to 20. (I won’t worry until Obama calls for 200,000 volunteers for three months service. ~Bob.)

Support for gay marriage hits new high in Post-ABC poll

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/03/18/gay-marriage-support-hits-new-high-in-post-abc-poll/

Excerpt: Public support for gay marriage has hit a new high as Americans increasingly see homosexuality not as a choice but as a way some people are, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. The poll shows that 58 percent of Americans now believe it should be legal for gay and lesbian couples to get married; 36 percent say it should be illegal. Public attitudes toward gay marriage are a mirror image of what they were a decade ago: in 2003, 37 percent favored gay nuptials, and 55 percent opposed them. (The threat to our culture is not gays wanting to get married. The threat is straight people having kids but not wanting to get married. Two orders of magnitude more of a problem. ~Bob.)

Michelle Obama for Vice President? And They Said Sarah Palin was Inexperienced!
http://politicaloutcast.com/2013/03/michelle-obama-vice-president-sarah-palin/
Excerpt: Both of them? Seriously? It doesn’t take much of a leader to tell me what to eat. Heck, if that were the case, my mother should run for president.(Shall I puke now? --Jer)

Tweet from S.M ‏@redsteeze

Hey awesome…It only took Hillary Clinton 5 years to evolve to Dick Cheney's position on Gay Marriage.

MSNBC Coverage Almost Entirely Opinionated, While Fox News Includes More Factual Reporting, Study Says

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/msnbc-coverage-almost-entirely-opinionated-while-fox-news-includes-more-factual-reporting-study-says/

Excerpt: True to its motto, MSNBC has been leaning forward. To the point that its opinionated programming far outweighs its “factual reporting,” according to a new Pew study. While Fox News, too, had more opinionated programming, the network had a much smaller discrepancy between opinion and straight reporting. The study — which came as part of Pew Research Center’s annual “State of the Media” report — states that opinionated programming comprised 85 percent of MSNBC’s airtime (versus 15 percent of “factual reporting”). Meanwhile, Fox News had opinion 55 percent of the time, with 45 percent straight news. (I never listen to MSNBC, rarely to Fox. Sometimes when getting ready for work if there might be breaking news. Too many folks shouting at each other, too many human interest stories or no interest to me—guess I’m not human. I get 98% of my news from the Internet, reading outlets on both sides. ~Bob.)

Media Condemn Fox News For Airing 16-Year-Old Rape Victim’s Name, But Neglect That CNN And MSNBC Did It Too

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/media-rush-to-condemn-fox-for-airing-16-year-old-rape-victims-name-but-neglect-that-cnn-and-msnbc-did-it-too/

Excerpt: Many other outlets picked up on the story, including Huffington Post, Jezebel, New York magazine, ThinkProgress, and AlterNet. But all the reporting outlets seemed to have missed one key part of the story: CNN, MSNBC, and a CBS local affiliate all also took part in airing the rape victim’s name. And they did it before Fox ever did.

Tweet from JC Shannon ‏@BillClintonTHOF

There is nothing I enjoy more than being lectured on Wealth Distrib.& Fairness by a Multimillionaire who's penniless brother lives in a hut.

Dems preserve US-Mexico food stamp 'partnership,' while USDA prepares for meat inspector furloughs
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/18/dems-preserve-us-mexico-food-stamp-partnership-while-usda-prepares-for-meat/#ixzz2NvTFUHy1

Excerpt: These are among the scenarios the Obama administration warned about last month as it claimed the sequester would force the U.S. Department of Agriculture to furlough meat inspectors. But while the administration prepares to take that step, it continues to pursue a "partnership" with the Mexican government to "raise awareness" about food stamps among immigrants from that country. When a top Senate Republican proposed cutting off funds for that program last week -- in the form of an amendment to a budget resolution -- Democrats on the Budget Committee shot it down.