Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for April 9, 2013
Robert A. Hall
Sorry for no SitRep on Monday, but many great links today. Life got in the way, including a writing project that I’ve been working on for about three months. It would have taken 3-4 days if I had 3-4 days totally free, instead of having to grab an hour here or there in the evenings and weekends between doing the blog, conference calls, laundry, shopping, baking, training for American Idol, etc. But on the way back to Chicago
Molon Labe
Worth Reading
Excerpt: President Bush went to Congress repeatedly for years warning them that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were going to destroy the economy (17 times in 2008 alone). Democrats continuously ignored him, shut down his proposals along party lines and continued raiding the institutions for campaign contributions on their way down. John McCain also co-sponsored urgently critical reforms that would have prevented the housing market collapse, but Democrats shut that down as well, along party lines, and even openly ridiculed anyone who suggested reforms were necessary…to protect their taxpayer-funded campaign contributions as the economy raced uncontrollably toward the cliff.
New Study Finds CRA 'Clearly' Did Lead To Risky Lendinghttp://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials-perspective/122012-637924-faults-community-reinvestment-act-cra-mortgage-defaults.htm?p=full
Excerpt: Democrats and the media insist the Community Reinvestment Act, the anti-redlining law beefed up by President Clinton, had nothing to do with the subprime mortgage crisis and recession. But a new study by the respected National Bureau of Economic Research finds, "Yes, it did. We find that adherence to that act led to riskier lending by banks."
Excerpt: Former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, the grocer’s daughter whose overpowering personality, bruising political style and free-market views transformed Britain and transfixed America Washington
Margaret Thatcher Predicted The Failure Of The Euro In Forbes, October, 1992
Excerpt: But, in a scathing tone, Lady Thatcher insisted to me that a single currency was impossible. It would never work. “Every single fixed exchange rate has cracked in the end. We’re all at different levels of development of our economies. Some countries simply couldn’t live up to a single currency… We should each of us be proud to be separate countries cooperating together.”
Thatcher Quote
"The single currency will be fatal to the poorer countries because it will devastate their inefficient economies.” Margaret Thatcher, 1990 (Proven right again as the EU implodes. ~Bob.)
Hundreds gather in Glasgow
The left. Ever vile and brimming with hate. ~Bob.
Worth Reading : America
Excerpt: Obama, Kerry and Hagel thought that they had a plan for putting North Korea North Korea
Don't Underestimate North Korea
Excerpt: Many mainstream media commentaries have disparaged the North Koreans. … NightWatch judges it is a mistake to judge Kim Jong Un by the behavior of his risk-averse father. Jong Un has taken action that not even his grandfather dared take in ending the Armistice. (There are also short, interesting comments on Jordan and Egypt
Deception Part of North Korea
Excerpt: NightWatch judges that North Korea Guam , and a shooting incident against South Korean forces, such as those on the islands off the west coast. The North Koreans told the embassies that this can occur any time after 10 April. (This represents a major change in NightWatch’s attitude toward North Korea
China rebukes North Korea, says no state should sow chaos
Excerpt: China 's leaders issued thinly veiled rebukes to North Korea for raising regional tensions, with the president saying no country should throw the world into chaos and the foreign minister warning that Beijing North Korea U.S. off, but he can't afford to piss off China North Korea is beholden to China Vietnam
Is North Korea
Excerpt: Politicians and pundits painted a pretty bleak picture of the situation in North Korea on the Sunday talk-show circuit, with South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham predicting a "major war" breaking out if Kim Jong Un attacks South Korea China is putting the boot on North Korea
Be Our Guest: How China Enables N. Korea 's Mischief. By Gordon G. Chang
Excerpt: Washington is looking to China Beijing Pyongyang could not launch without Beijing
Illegal aliens bypass U.S.
Excerpt: Foreign nationals seeking to enter the United States illegally have been known to avoid Border Patrol screening procedures by surreptitiously crossing into areas between these ports of entry, including Indian reservations, many of which have been vulnerable to illicit cross-border threat activity, such as drug smuggling, according to the Department of Homeland Security officials in a report released on Friday. (DUH! They just figured this out! --DH)
About 100 million Christians persecuted around the world: report
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/08/us-religion-christianity-persecution-idUSBRE9070TB20130108
Excerpt: About 100 million Christians are persecuted around the world, with conditions worsening for them most rapidly in Syria and Ethiopia, according to an annual report by a group supporting oppressed Christians worldwide. (Apparently being a Christian is illegal inNorth Korea Saudi Arabia
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/08/us-religion-christianity-persecution-idUSBRE9070TB20130108
Excerpt: About 100 million Christians are persecuted around the world, with conditions worsening for them most rapidly in Syria and Ethiopia, according to an annual report by a group supporting oppressed Christians worldwide. (Apparently being a Christian is illegal in
Excerpt: The Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services is raising questions about an official US Army Reserve Equal Opportunity presentation on “Extremism and Extremist Organizations.” Have a look at page 10 of the 33 page briefing.
MSNBC Host: We Need To Get Over Idea ‘That Kids Belong To Their Parents’
Guess they belong to the State. ~Bob
Only 100 Federal Employees Tasked With Monitoring EBT Fraud
Excerpt: While nearly 220,000 stores take EBT cards, only 100 federal employees have been tasked to monitor fraud. In addition, the USDA only monitors less than 10% of all food stamp vendors. As a result, there is no way to measure the amount of fraud in the $75 billion-a-year food stamp industry. Government bureaucrats have said in their defense that only 1% of the food stamps program is subject to fraud.
'Selfless' US
Excerpt: At a news conference with Turkey Afghanistan Africa . - LLW. Slaughtering the innocent is part of their culture. Who are we to judge? ~Bob.)
Please define ‘secure border’
Excerpt: Yet, at the same time, one of the key ingredients in the debate has become amazingly uncertain, infuriatingly elusive: What, in fact, constitutes a secure border? (Keep in Mind-- La Republica is Illegal Alien Friendly. That's why it was surprising to see this. --Don Hank)
Excerpt: This past weekend the Arizona Republic ran an investigative report on taxpayer support for Arizona Arizona taxpayers paid out over $200 million dollars to foot the cost for over 53% of all births in the state of Arizona
Permit & Background Check Required For Guns, But Not To Kill Your Baby
http://politicaloutcast.com/2013/04/permit-background-check-required-for-guns-but-not-to-kill-your-baby/
Excerpt: Liberals argue that requiring permits, background checks and registration for guns is not an infringement on the 2nd Amendment. After all, we have other rights, like the right to travel in a car, and we’re required to get a driver’s license, car insurance policy and to register our vehicle with the state. So see? It’s no different.
http://politicaloutcast.com/2013/04/permit-background-check-required-for-guns-but-not-to-kill-your-baby/
Excerpt: Liberals argue that requiring permits, background checks and registration for guns is not an infringement on the 2nd Amendment. After all, we have other rights, like the right to travel in a car, and we’re required to get a driver’s license, car insurance policy and to register our vehicle with the state. So see? It’s no different.
DHS Tells Border Patrol They Have Ammo Shortagehttp://freedomoutpost.com/2013/04/dhs-tells-border-patrol-they-have-ammo-shortage/#ixzz2PgtNXXbD
Excerpt: I know, you are probably thinking like I am after reading the title, “You’ve got to be kidding!” I’m not. Even after the Department of Homeland Security indicated that they had nearly 264 million rounds of ammunition back near the end of November 2012, they have sent out an email to Border Patrol agents yesterday informing them that they will not be issued any new proficiency ammunition for next quarter.
Obama Budget To Cap Retirement Accounts At $3 Million
The budget President Barack Obama will submit on April 10 will contain a proposal that would prohibit individuals from accumulating more than $3 million in Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and tax-preferred retirement accounts. According to a White House statement, the Obama administration believes the current rules allow some wealthy individuals "to accumulate many millions of dollars in these accounts, substantially more than is needed to fund reasonable levels of retirement saving." "The budget would limit an individual’s total balance across tax-preferred accounts to an amount sufficient to finance an annuity of not more than $205,000 per year in retirement, or about $3 million in 2013," the statement said."
Obama Attacks IRAs. Who is he to set limits on what one can save for retirement? By Ross Kaminsky
How much would you need to be able to retire comfortably? If you’re not sure of the answer, don’t worry: the Obama administration will answer for you. 9Once they establish the principal, they can lower the limit you can save whenever the government needs revenue. Which is, they think, always. See next item. ~Bob.)
The Next Domino: Australia
Excerpt: Though Australia
Excerpt: Days after dropping “illegal immigrant” from its influential stylebook, the Associated Press has revised its definition of another politically-charged term: Islamist. The AP now defines an ”Islamist” as an “advocate or supporter of a political movement that favors reordering government and society in accordance with laws prescribed by Islam.” The organization specifically instructs journalists, “Do not use as a synonym for Islamic fighters, militants, extremists or radicals, who may or may not be Islamists.”
West embargoes arms to Syrian rebels over their resale to al Qaeda
Excerpt: The Western arms pipeline to the Syrian rebels fighting Bashar Assad is starting to run dry since the discovery that some of the weapons are being resold and used by al Qaeda in its conquest of southern Syrian and takeover of positions on the Jordanian and Israel borders. French President Francois Hollande for this reason reversed his government’s policy.
Judge orders FDA to make 'morning after' pill available without prescription to children all ages despite side effects & drug warnings
"It's about a child's safety" is the most overused lie in the world used to push self interest regulations, political agendas and line the pockets of the morally bankrupt in this world. But a court "approving medications" proven to be harmful without prescription or parental consent is all about harming children. On a personal note: I have a daughter and the idea that she would be alone and could take a pill that could kill her while she is trying to prevent another human life from being born goes beyond my minds, heart and souls ability to process. During the darkest decisions and moments in our lives no one deserves to be alone, especially a child who is loved. -Chris
ObamaCare takes friendly fire
Excerpt: Delays in implementing popular pieces of ObamaCare are hurting it with Democrats. Ahead of an election year in which Republicans promise to make healthcare an issue again, Democrats are criticizing the White House for delaying policies that could help build support for the unpopular law.
Tax Freedom Day Five Days Later than Last Year
Excerpt: Tax Freedom Day is the day when the nation as a whole has earned enough money to pay its total tax bill for the year. As taxes have increased over the last year, this year's Tax Freedom Day is April 18 -- five days later than last year, say William McBride, Kyle Pomerleau and Elizabeth Malm of the Tax Foundation. Tax Freedom Day is calculated using federal budget projections, data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In 2013, Americans will pay $2.76 trillion in federal taxes and $1.45 trillion in state taxes for a total tax bill of $4.22 trillion. The total tax bill represents 29.4 percent of total income. April 18 is 29.4 percent into the year. (If it gains five days a year, eventually they will take every penny you earn. ~Bob.)
Why Uninsured Might Not Flock To Health Law's Marketplaces. By Phil Galewitz
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2013/April/01/subsidized-insurance-enrollment-marketing.aspx
Excerpt: “The ‘if you build it, they will come’ philosophy doesn’t work in health care,” said Linda Quick, president of the South Florida Hospital
Obama administration pushes banks to make home loans to people with weaker credit
Excerpt: The Obama administration is engaged in a broad push to make more home loans available to people with weaker credit, an effort that officials say will help power the economic recovery but that skeptics say could open the door to the risky lending that caused the housing crash in the first place. (Here we go again. Progressive (n): Slow learner. ~Bob.)
Is disability the new welfare? By Jonah Goldberg
Excerpt: The government in Britain recently did something interesting. It asked everyone receiving an "incapacity benefit" — a disability program slowly being phased out under new reforms — to submit to a medical test to confirm they were too disabled to work. A third of recipients (878,000 people) didn't even bother and dropped out of the program rather than be examined. Of those tested, more than half (55%) were found fit for work and a quarter were found fit for some work.
The Sequester Scare Stories Keep Coming, and the President Keeps Flying. By Jim Geraghty, Morning Jolt
President Obama is off to Connecticut today, doing an event at "the University of Hartford Denver Washington
Democrats push problem solvers in House contests
Excerpt: Democratic Party officials believe that Kevin Strouse is exactly the kind of candidate who can help them retake the House next year. He’s a smart, young former Army Ranger — good qualities for any aspiring politician. But what party leaders really like is that Strouse doesn’t have particularly strong views on the country’s hottest issues. (Vote Democrat! They have no strong views! Until they read the polls. ~Bob.)
Death toll in Egypt
Excerpt: The death toll in clashes between Muslims and Christians in Cairo Cairo 's main Coptic cathedral, which brought Egypt
11 killed in central Nigeria
Excerpt: Officials in central Nigeria
Who Will Be The First To Leave?
http://onlygunsandmoney.blogspot.com/2013/04/who-will-be-first-to-leave.html
Excerpt: Now that both Maryland and Connecticut Arizona
Fed Up With Obamacare, Doctors Increasingly Prefer Cash For Care. By Sally Pipes
Excerpt: Others are considering a departure from the current system of third-party payment. Instead, they’re exploring direct payment, with patients paying for care on their own.
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (TV 2009)
Caught the end of this the other night….came in where his wife had just miscarried twins. He worked through it and then coordinated the separation of Siamese twins from a German couple; the babies were attached at the skull and chest. Amazing with Cuba Gooding, Jr in the role. Bet it does not get screened at the White House theater….Barb
Excerpt: But that's a misleading picture. The war on drug lords waged by President Felipe Calderon from 2006 to 2012 has had considerable success and has been de-emphasized by his successor Enrique Pena Nieto. The focus on the drug war ignores Mexico Mexico
The American workforce collapses on top of the young. By John Hayward
Excerpt: Here’s a simple media analysis tool for you: if you hear a “news report” describing the March unemployment report as good news in any way, you are listening to a propaganda operation, a political organ of the Democrat Party, not a “news organization.” Make a note, and treat all further “news” from this source with great suspicion, at least until you receive word of large-scale staff turnovers.
An English class for trolls, professional offence-takers, and climate activists. By James Delingpole
Excerpt: I note that warmists are often banging on about the fact that sceptics like Christopher Booker and myself "only" have arts degrees. But actually that's our strength, not our weakness. Our intellectual training qualifies us better than any scientist – social or natural sciences – for us to understand that this is, au fond, not a scientific debate but a cultural and rhetorical one.
The Great DHS Ammunition Stockpile Myth
Excerpt: There are dozens of articles hyping government purchases of ammunition over the last nine months. After spending weeks researching this topic, this is a collection of commonly held myths that are based more on panic than fact. (OK, to give credit where credit is due, Breitbart goes for the truth, whether it's what conservatives like or not. –Del. Conservatives need to focus on the truth. When we spread falsehoods, it wastes time, energy and helps the opposition, in addition to being unethical, the first consideration. ~Bob.)
Guns, Background Checks, and Your Rights
Excerpt: Harry Reid has a doozy of a gun plan, but President Obama wants to reassure you that it’s just “common sense.” (Common sense? Obama don't need no stinkin' common sense. He certainly hasn't demonstrated any thus far and I don't expect we will see any -- ever! --MM.)
Student: Teachers Bully Me Because I’m Conservative. By Todd Starnes
Excerpt: A Wisconsin school district has launched an investigation into accusations that teachers have bullied and harassed a politically active conservative student. Benji Backer, a 15-year-old student at Appleton North High School in Appleton
Worth Reading: E-mail Overload (I feel his pain. ~Bob.)
I am now getting over 100 emails a day, sometimes closer to 200. It was bound to happen. Besides, there are now more email warriors out there than ever and that is a good sign. But the thing is, I literally no longer have the ability to open all my emails. By way of apology, if you have sent me a personal email and I did not respond, it is because your email got lost in the 100-200 emails that day. I am very sorry. The thing is, I have to sort them out. For example, if someone sends me an email with the subject line 'YOU MUST READ THIS,' I delete it ASAP. I have no choice. I have to open emails based on the subject line. If there is no indication of what is in there, it goes into the trash. Likewise, I also delete emails with subject lines that say 'AGREE OR DELETE.' Well, what if I have something to contribute that you didn't think of? Do I still have to agree with you? Sorry, into the trash! Something else: I am on Pastor Lee's distribution list and he sends a lot of good info out. But there are 2 others on his list and they send me the same stuff. I routinely delete all of their emails because they are all repeats of what I learn from Pastor Lee. After all, I only need it once, right? Finally, there are some people who send me a LOT of hoaxes and dubious information. Let me give you a tip on hoaxes. The EU Times, while reporting some useful information, also sends a lot of hoaxes. They are on my permanent poop list. If you send me one of their reports, I will delete it. Here is a favorite trick of hoaxters: Make up a plausible sounding story (they are all plausible) about something that Obama said to a confidant and say that a security agency in Russia reported this information to Putin. This idiot Sorcha Faal keeps writing BS using this inane trick. The first time I saw a Sorcha Faal story with this subterfuge, I went to the web site linked in the report. It turned out to be a Wikipedia article about said agency. Zero proof that the agency had divulged this story. It was clear to me something was fishy. I did a search and found nothing like it, at least not in English. So I did a search in Russian to see if it had shown up in a Russian language online periodical or blog, and particularly the alleged source agency. I found nothing, as I suspected. I then was convinced it was a hoax. (Why do these hoaxters like to pretend that a Russian agency divulged these phony stories? That is a no brainer. Because almost no one in the US reads Russian!). PLEASE realize, folks, that a Russian spy agency is NOT going to share its findings with the public. It will go to Putin with the report but it will end there, like in Vegas. If they divulged it, they would probably disappear. Many of these silly reports pretend to be privy to insider White House information. Now how in heaven's name would a Russian spy agency know, for example, what Obama said to his closest confidants? If you believe these stories, I don't want to hear from you. Sorry. On the other hand, Russian TV (RT) seems fairly reliable and I read their stuff. I also received a link to a talk by Putin on the New World Order, and this turned out to be bona fide. His Russian language speech matched the English subtitles. Ok, sorry to be so harsh. Anyone who keeps me informed is my friend, but if you send me hoaxes you are not keeping me informed, and worse, if I inadvertently disseminate your story, then you are causing me to misinform my readers. Go and sin no more. Finally, one more thing: have a nice weekend, everyone. --Don Hank
Excerpt: In “The Company You Keep,” Robert Redford stars in as well as directs a story of an ex-Weather Underground radical who has been living quietly as a public-interest lawyer in upstate New York for more than 30 years. Redford, that noted “liberal activist,” shows where his sympathies truly are with a big wet kiss for the Maoist cult that declared war on AmeriKKKa.
Disabled Purple Heart veteran embarrassed at local business
It seems like there is a lot of this going on nowadays. Not from ordinary, patriotic Americans, but from the usual America hating trash on the left. They are the same people, or at least people with the same mindset, who greeted returning Vietnam veterans back in the 60's and 70's. So far, at least, they haven't started spitting on these returning heroes, but you just know they would like to. - LLW
Excerpt: Americans filled an estimated 3.8 billion retail prescriptions in 2011 — about 12 per person in the United States, on average. Sixty percent of all Americans take a prescription drug in any given year, and nearly all seniors do. Drug therapy is arguably the most efficient method to treat most illnesses — often substituting for more expensive hospital and physician therapy. It is the area of medicine where we get our highest rate of return. While drugs make up only about 10 percent of total medical expenditures, physicians account for twice as much, and hospitals accounts for three times the cost of drug spending. Yet unwise public policies make drugs more expensive than they need to be.
How three Canadians graduated from a rebellious high school friendship to the world of Islamist terrorism
Excerpt: The distressed family of Ali Medlej explained the unexpected death of their son by saying he was killed in a car accident. The truth, as they — and the world — now knows, is more ghastly and perplexing: The young London man died perpetrating January’s terrorist attack on an Algerian gas plant.
UK: Sharia court tells 'abused wife' to stay
Abusing women is part of their culture. Who are you to judge? ~Bob. Excerpt: Dr Suhaib Hasan told the undercover reporter that she should only contact police “as a last resort”, but she would be forced to leave her marital home if she did so. The shocking exchange, filmed by the BBC’s Panorama programme for a special report into Sharia courts, has infuriated equal rights campaigners. Baroness Cox is trying to take forward a private members’ Bill in the House of Lords to make it an offence for Sharia councils to set themselves up as courts.
China and Pakistan's Nuclear Collusion. By Jeff M. Smith
Excerpt: Last week the Chinese Foreign Ministry all but confirmed that it plans to sell its longtime ally Pakistan a new 1,000-megawatt nuclear reactor. The deal, reportedly signed in February, is a cause for concern in Washington. Though nominally a U.S. ally, Pakistan already has the world's fastest-growing nuclear-weapons arsenal and one of the world's worst nuclear-proliferation records. It is a country perpetually under threat from religious fanaticism, political instability and economic mismanagement.
Obama’s 1 Percent Lifestyle Hits a Nerve as Most Americans Try to Make Ends Meet
http://MinuteMenNews.com/2013/04/obamas-1-percent-lifestyle-hits-a-nerve/
http://MinuteMenNews.com/2013/04/obamas-1-percent-lifestyle-hits-a-nerve/
Excerpt: While the White House suddenly decided to drop its budget Friday in an effort to control the news, there was no covering up the disastrous jobless numbers: 90 million Americans out of the workforce, the highest level since 1979; another 663,000 joining the ranks of the long-term unemployed; a measly 88,000 jobs “created.”
Teen Girl's Pro-Gun Video Gets 2.3 Million Hits
Excerpt: A teenage girl skyrocketed to the center of the gun control debate when a YouTube video of her three-minute pro-gun speech went viral, acquiring more than 2.3 million views. … In her testimony, Merkle tells that she has become eligible for various shooting scholarships at prestigious universities, and the laws proposed would interfere with her eligibility to join their shooting teams.
India seeks access to US natural gas
India is urging the United States to greenlight natural gas exports to the energy-thirsty nation of 1.2 billion people, arguing it would be an economic benefit to both nations.(Well, Nancy Pelosi says natural gas is better than fossil fuels, so she’ll likely support this. ~Bob.)
The Crime Rate Among New York Politicians Is Out Of Control
Excerpt: When New York State Senator and former Majority Leader Malcolm Smith was arrested this week, he joined a remarkably large group: in the past six years, members of the New York State Senate have been about three times more likely than average Americans to run afoul of the law. And majority leaders have been over ten times more likely. (Of the senators I served with, six did time. There are 40 senators in Massachusetts, so over five terms, I probably served with 60 senators total, thus about 10%. Politics breeds opportunity, hubris and a sense of entitlement. ~Bob.)
Actress Ellen Barkin: American people belong to Obama
Excerpt: On Wednesday, actress Ellen Barkin announced on Twitter that as long as Barack Obama is President, the people of the United States belong to him, Twitchy reported. (Another spewing self righteous Hollywood type. –JB. Do we have to call him “Massa”? ~Bob)
Cindy Sheehan vs. Pat Smith: How The Media Continues To Serve As Obama’s Bodyguard. By AJ Delgado
Excerpt: That same media, however, who believed Sheehan was owed an explanation, is curiously dismissive of Pat Smith. Pat Smith lost her son, Information Officer Sean Smith, in the Benghazi attack last autumn. But apart from a few scattered interviews, the mainstream media has, for months, turned its back on Smith, seemingly echoing Hillary Clinton’s “What difference does it make?” sentiment.
I Bought a Bitcoin: How I Joined a Virtual Currency Megabubble
Excerpt: A Bitcoin is a unit of virtual, encrypted currency. Right now, a single Bitcoin unit (abbreviated as BTC) is worth about $140, but that value has fluctuated wildly. A Bitcoin functions like a normal currency, with a few exceptions: First, Bitcoins aren't issued by a government or a central bank. They're produced by a complex computer processing scheme called "mining." (Pass. ~Bob.)
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