Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for May 6, 2013

Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for May 6, 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.

Information on my books

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

Immigrant from Gambia

While in DC on business, I met a waiter at an out door cafe who was from Gambia. Legal immigrant, now a citizen. Degree in criminal justice, working on one in business. Very bright, very well spoken, very black, very angry at the attempt to give illegals the status he worked for. "If you are going to be part of a country, you should learn the language and something about it, he said. Guess he's a racist. ~Bob.

Worth Reading: Vietnam: The battle for historical truth. By Richard Botkin

http://www.wnd.com/2013/04/vietnam-the-battle-for-historical-truth/

Excerpt;: Thirty-eight years ago today, the war in Vietnam, for Americans, came to its inglorious, ignominious official conclusion. For many millions of freedom-loving Vietnamese left behind, the end of the “American War” would simply be prelude into a longer, near-endless period of darkness and suffering. Those of us old enough to recall the date April 30, 1975, will forever remember those final newscasts from Saigon being overwhelmed by invading North Vietnamese infantry and armor, images of multitudes futilely attempting to join the American exodus, shots of U.S. Navy ships steaming offshore crowded with refugees and flight decks awash in helicopters being pitched into the abyss of the South China Sea – the sinking aircraft a metaphor to many for the tremendous waste of American blood and treasure. And since that dark sunset on that day the wounds that were the Vietnam War would never quite heal or be remembered in proper perspective.

Guest Post: This Is Not A CSI Television Show

http://www.tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2013/05/guest-post-this-is-not-csi-television.html

Guest Post: More On Leadership

http://www.tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2013/05/guest-post-more-on-leadership.html

Obamacare is not living up to its promises and even the media knows it. By Ben Howe 

http://www.redstate.com/2013/05/02/obamacare-is-not-living-up-to-its-promises-and-even-the-media-knows-it/

Excerpt: This is a quote from President Obama, and it’s also incorrect. One might even suggest it’s a lie, but let’s deal in facts here: President Obama is making claims he can’t back up with facts and even friendly publications like the Washington Post are calling him out on it.

20 dead in Muslim attack on Christian funeral

http://www.thecommentator.com/article/3445/20_dead_in_muslim_attack_on_christian_funeral

Didn't get the 'Islam is a Religion of Peace" memo. ~Bob. Excerpt: At least 20 people have been murdered in a violent attack on a Christian funeral in central Nigeria's Taraba state on Friday. A round-the-clock curfew is now in place as a result of the "Muslim mob" action, according to a report by the Agence France Presse.

Pothead Tried to Shoot Obama

http://patriotupdate.com/2013/05/pothead-tried-to-shoot-obama/#ixzz2SB3sjAk2

Excerpt: An Idaho man charged with attempting to assassinate President Barack Obama by shooting at the White House practiced with his weapon for six months and may have been upset about the country’s marijuana policy, prosecutors said in a newly filed court document.

How American Muslims Radicalize

http://pjmedia.com/blog/how-American-muslims-radicalize/?singlepage=true

Excerpt: Certainly, the conditions for those that live under tight mosque control do not reflect anything that resembles America. Constitutional rights and due process protections do not penetrate many sharia-observant mosque domains. After speaking with several Muslim individuals seeking to reassert constitutional rights after summary judgments were rendered … documents reveal that there was no semblance of legal process expected in arbitration proceedings, no conflict of interest disclosures, and no provision for structural fairness rules. (Living about 40 miles from Boston and working in the convenience store industry, I’ve known many people from the Middle East. While religion is not normally a subject of casual conversation, when it did arise, few were forthcoming. Most seemed content to be left alone and showed no particular desire to influence anyone else’s beliefs. But, I noticed the men I worked with frequently seemed to be envious and resentful of taking instruction from ordinary American seniors (most especially so if the senior was female); the few women I dealt with were uniformly surprised pleasantly that they had been treated with courtesy and equity. The conclusion I drew from this was that the women expected to be treated like crap, and anything better exceeded their expectations. (I hesitate to further that conclusion to mean their home life was also rough, but only they know for sure.) “Equality before the law” may not be a uniquely American concept, but it is distinctly NOT a Muslim concept. If we allow more than one set of laws to govern our people, why should we be surprised that some are more supportive of our ways and laws than others? Justice’s blindfold should cover both her eyes, but both edges of her sword should be sharpened. --Ron P.)

Surprise! US report names ‘worst’ violators of religious freedom

http://blog.indexoncensorship.org/2013/05/02/us-report-names-worst-violators-of-religious-freedom/

Excerpt: The 15 countries are Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Vietnam, all of which severely restrict independent religious activity and harass individuals and groups for religious activity or beliefs. These nations are classified as Tier 1 “countries of particular concern” (CPCs) in the report. (Surprise--almost all Muslim or Communist! ~Bob.)

Communist Vietnam -- Human Trafficker Extraordinaire. By Michael Benge

 https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#inbox/13e72e7eacbc5531

Excerpt: Vietnam is now the proud possessor of the inglorious title "The Worst Human Rights Violator in Southeast Asia," according to recent testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. State-affiliated labor export companies are major suppliers of men, women, and children to the forced labor and sex trafficking markets, while government officials profit from kickbacks.

Possible Human Trafficking Investigated at Saudi Diplomatic Compound in Virginia

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Federal-Local-Authorities-Investigate-Possible-Human-Trafficking-at-Diplomatic-Compound-in-Virginia-205653811.html

Excerpt: Homeland Security Special-Agent-in-Charge John Torres, who is leading the probe, said Fairfax County Police responded to a tip Tuesday night citing a possible case of modern slavery. (Why on earth would someone in the Saudi diplomatic compound get involved in such a thing? Well, maybe because the Qur'an allows for the owning of sex slaves: --Robert Spencer, JihadWatch.org. http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/05/possible-human-trafficking-investigated-at-saudi-diplomatic-compound-in-virginia.html)

Sunni-Shia confrontation pushes Iraq back to the brink of war
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Sunni-Shia-confrontation-pushes-Iraq-back-to-the-brink-of-war-27812.html

Excerpt: In one month, more than 460 people are killed in suicide attacks and clashes, the worst level of violence since US troops pulled out in 2011. New incidents are reported in Anbar province and the cities of Ramadi and Baiji, north of Baghdad, with more than 20 dead. Mostly due to Sunni groups, attacks target anti-terrorist Sahwa militia and police. (The vast majority of people killed by Muslim jihadists are fellow Muslims. The vast majority of Muslims who die violently do so not at the hands of American, Israelis, Christians or Jews, but at the hands of fellow Muslims. But it's their culture, so must be okay... ~Bob.)

Robert Spencer: The Human Cost of Jihad Denial

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/05/robert-spencer-the-human-cost-of-jihad-denial.html

Excerpt: Wednesday brought new confirmation of the increasingly obvious fact that the U.S. intelligence apparatus in the age of Barack Obama is woefully unprepared to deal with the foremost threat to the safety of Americans today: Islamic jihad terrorism.

Worth Reading: The Left's Sick Fetish for Cop-Killing Radicals. By Michelle Malkin

http://townhall.com/columnists/michellemalkin/2013/05/03/the-lefts-sick-fetish-for-copkilling-radicals-n1585856?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl

Excerpt: There's a stomach-turning segment of the American population that sees surviving Boston bomber suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as a romantic maverick. The New York Times mused about the accused jihadist's "Holden Caulfield-like adolescent alienation." Pop singer Amanda Palmer wrote a fan girl "Poem for Dzhokhar." An adoring "Free Jahar" movement thrives on social media. Fringe, you say? Think again. The fetish for cop-killing fugitives and cop-hating radicals is a mainstay of Hollywood, academia, the liberal media and Democratic Party circles. 

Broken Immigration Laws...or Just Not Enforced?

http://justcommonsense-lostinamerica.blogspot.com/2013/05/broken-immigration-lawsor-just-not.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FMoXTa+%28Lost+in+America%29

Excerpt: Have you ever wondered what Amnesty Advocates mean when they say we have a broken immigration system? Have you ever wondered why they will never respond when you ask "why don't you just enforce the immigration laws we have now?" It's very simple. When they say our immigration system is broken they're really saying they want the laws changed to allow some 20 million illegal Mexicans to be rewarded with citizenship and a front row seat to America's generous social welfare programs.

Another Un-convicted Chicago Crook Nominated To Obama’s Cabinet

http://lastresistance.com/2050/another-un-convicted-chicago-crook-nominated-to-obamas-cabinet/

Excerpt: Ms. Pritzker hails from the Chicago Pritzker’s who claim 11 spots on the Forbes Richest Americans List. Ms. Pritzker’s long and sordid history of contemptible if not criminal business expertise should fit in well with the Obama Chicago syndicate running the Executive Branch. As the old adage goes, behind every great fortune, is a great crime. Ms. Pritzker has an estimated net worth is $1.8 billion “hard-earned” dollars acquired in the fields of banking, finance, hotel ownership/management and consumer credit scoring. Aside from her well-documented loyalty to raising obscene amounts of campaign cash for Obama, Ms. Pritzker, a former member of the President’s Economic Advisory Board, has made a career out of enriching herself at taxpayer expense.

Commerce Appointment Opens A New White House Rift

http://www.buzzfeed.com/evanmcsan/commerce-appointment-opens-a-new-white-house-rift

Excerpt: Pritzker and Obama confidante Valerie Jarrett share roots in their native city's insular business community and will have overlapping portfolios of outreach to corporate America. But there is no love lost between the two women, people who know both say: Indeed, Jarrett tried to torpedo the appointment, someone she made the case to told BuzzFeed. And their tense relationship could help define the administration's attempts to mend ties with the business world that frayed badly during the first term.

The Benghazi Talking Points: And how they were changed to obscure the truth

http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/benghazi-talking-points_720543.html?page=1

Even as the White House strove last week to move beyond questions about the Benghazi attacks of Tuesday, September 11, 2012, fresh evidence emerged that senior Obama administration officials knowingly misled the country about what had happened in the days following the assaults. The Weekly Standard has obtained a timeline briefed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence detailing the heavy substantive revisions made to the CIA’s talking points, just six weeks before the 2012 presidential election, and additional information about why the changes were made and by whom.

Sessions: 57 Million New People To Enter America, Compete For Jobs

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/03/Sessions-57-million-new-people-to-enter-America-compete-for-jobs-if-immigration-bill-passes

Excerpt: Senate Budget Committee ranking member Sen. Jeff Sessions estimates about 57 million new people, immigrants and people with nonimmigrant visas, will be entering the United States to compete with middle class Americans for their jobs if the “Gang of Eight” immigration bill passes. Sessions’ staff released an analysis detailing how they reached that number on Friday morning. (Says number exceeds population of California….If they say they were persecuted farmers a la Pigford, can they get $$ in addition to SNAPS benefits, disability and free phones? Entire communication displays in this article. Maybe they are joining the new citizens militia…Barb)

Obama Blames U. S. For Gun Smuggling In Mexico; No Mention Of Fast And Furious

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/03/Obama-Blames-America-For-Gun-Smuggling-In-Mexico-No-Mention-Of-Fast-and-Furious

Excerpt: President Barack Obama told the Mexican people today that the United States is partly to blame for Mexico’s drug violence because of illegal drugs and gun smuggling. However, he did not mention the gun smuggling undertaken by his own administration under the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Operation Fast and Furious.

Iran Cleric: Women To Blame For Earthquakes

http://www.breitbart.com/InstaBlog/2013/05/04/Iran-Cleric-Women-to-Blame-for-Earthquakes

Excerpt: A senior cleric in Iran says that the immodesty and whorish dress of women is responsible for Earthquakes. “Many women who do not dress modestly ... lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which increases earthquakes,” Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi told Iranian media. Sedighi claims Iranian women are "owning and using a giant earthquake machine."

High School Track Team Disqualified When Runner Gestures Thanks To God

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/03/track-team-disqualified-for-religious-gesture

Excerpt: The Columbus High School Mighty Cardinals had won the 4x100-meter relay--by seven yards, no less--and had a shot at the state championship. That was until Junior sprinter Derrick Hayes pointed to the sky. Hayes's father, K.C., said that his son made a gesture of thanks to God, but raising a hand to the sky is considered excessive celebration according to the state scholastic rules. And with that, the team was disqualified.

Israel Strike On Syria Targeted Weapons Shipment

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/05/04/Israeli-strike-on-Syria-targeted-weapons-shipment

Excerpt: An Israeli airstrike against Syria was targeting a shipment of advanced missiles believed to be bound for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Israeli officials confirmed Saturday. It was the second Israeli strike this year against Syria and the latest salvo in its long-running effort to disrupt Hezbollah's quest to build an arsenal capable of defending against Israel's air force and spreading destruction inside the Jewish state.

NYT: Real Unemployment At 21.9 Million

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/03/NYT-Real-Unemployment-Total-21-9-Million

Excerpt: But as the New York Times notes, including “those who are underemployed—that is, adding in those workers who are part-time but want to be employed full time, and workers who want to work but are not looking—brings the total up to 21.9 million." Since President Barack Obama took office, 9.5 million Americans have fallen out of the U.S. workforce. Today, 89,936,000 people living in the U.S. no longer work. That means America is trapped in the slowest job market recovery since World War II.

Names Of Benghazi Witnesses Revealed

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/05/04/Benghazi-Hearing-Witnesses-Revealed

Excerpt: The names of three men who will testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee next week on Capitol Hill, have been released. Gregory N. Hicks, the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Libya at the time of the Benghazi terrorist attacks; Mark I. Thompson, a former Marine and now the deputy coordinator for Operations in the agency’s Counterterrorism Bureau; and Eric Nordstrom, a diplomatic security officer who was the regional security officer in Libya, the top security officer in the country in the months leading up to the attacks.

Mexicans slam Obama for being out of touch on economic issues
http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/04/mexicans-slam-obama-for-being-out-of-touch-on-economic-issues/#ixzz2SLCB3ynh

Excerpt: But the president’s lofty language, in the face of Mexico’s awful conditions, raises concern about the effectiveness of his three-day Latin American trip. “Obama is a great speaker — its really impossible not to feel excited. However, the reality is different in Mexico. We need more action and fewer speeches,” said 26-year old economics student Alberto Rios Lara.

Obama cites Mexican writer who called the United States ‘protector of tyrants’
http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/04/obama-quoted-mexican-writer-who-called-the-united-states-the-protector-of-tyrants/#ixzz2SLAWzpKH

Excerpt: President Barack Obama cited in his address to the people of Mexico on Friday a deceased Mexican writer who wrote that the United States was “the protector of tyrants,” condemned “North American imperialism” and expressed sympathy with an anti-American regime. Obama repeatedly referenced Nobel Prize-winning Mexican writer Octavio Paz (1914-1998) in his speech Friday at the Anthropology Museum in Mexico City, which he visited on the second day of a three-day tour of Mexico and Costa Rica.

Why the Gosnell case resonates

http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/03/why-the-gosnell-case-resonates/#ixzz2SLBLtlqK

Excerpt: Prosecutor Ed Cameron delivered a passionate closing argument. At one point Cameron turned to Gosnell and asked, “Are you human?” In light of the facts revealed during the trial, it was a legitimate question. Gosnell responded with laughter.

Study Devastating for ObamaCare Backers

http://townhall.com/columnists/johncgoodman/2013/05/04/study-devastating-for-obamacare-backers-n1586429?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl

Excerpt: Within the White House, within the Democratic chambers in Congress and among the (overwhelmingly liberal) health policy community there was considerable anguish this week. The reason: a new study finds that (as far as physical health is concerned) there is no difference between being in Medicaid and being uninsured.

You Can 'Kill Some Christians Today,' Says Egypt's Secretary-General of Islamic Jihad Party
http://global.christianpost.com/news/you-can-kill-some-christians-today-says-egypts-secretary-general-of-islamic-jihad-party-95175/#CXK507kOK6fwXWCW.99 

Excerpt: Mohamed Abu Samra, secretary-general of the Islamic Jihad Party, made the claim that "it is permissible to kill some Christians today," then gave his argument defending such a position.

Stoning Returns as Punishment. By Firoozeh Matin

http://www.roozonline.com/english/news3/newsitem/archive/2013/april/30/article/stoning-returns-as-punishment.html

Excerpt: The controversial “Islamic Punishment” law that was rejected by the Guardians Council returned and eventually was passed last week. To the disappointment of human rights activists and the promises of some Majlis representatives, not only stoning is not negated in the law, it is in fact emphasized.

Sources: 3 al Qaeda operatives took part in Benghazi attack

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/02/world/africa/us-libya-benghazi-suspects/index.html?iref=allsearch

Excerpt: Several Yemeni men belonging to al Qaeda took part in the terrorist attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi last September, according to several sources who have spoken with CNN.

Special ops called for military backup during Libya attack, sources say
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/02/special-ops-called-for-military-assets-to-move-into-position-during-libya/#ixzz2SSi9sZdm

Excerpt: On the night of the Benghazi terror attack, special operations put out multiple calls for all available military and other assets to be moved into position to help -- but the State Department and White House never gave the military permission to cross into Libya, sources told Fox News. 

State Department's Benghazi review panel under investigation, Fox News confirms
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/02/state-department-benghazi-review-panel-under-investigation-fox-news-confirms/#ixzz2SSiTfv3T

Excerpt: The IG's office is said by well-placed sources to be seeking to determine whether the Accountability Review Board, or ARB -- led by former U.N. Ambassador Thomas Pickering and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen -- failed to interview key witnesses who had asked to provide their accounts of the Benghazi attacks to the panel.

SC House Approves Bill Criminalizing Enforcement Of ‘Obamacare’

http://charlotte.cbslocal.com/2013/05/03/sc-house-approves-bill-criminalizing-enforcement-of-obamacare/

Excerpt: The South Carolina House approved a bill Wednesday criminalizing the implementation of President Obama’s health care law in the state. The Republican-controlled House voted 65-39 on the Freedom of Health Care Protection Act. The act renders “null and void certain unconstitutional laws enacted by the Congress of the United States taking control over the health insurance industry and mandating that individuals purchase health insurance under threat of penalty.” (sorry…no snarky comment; George)