Sunday, December 8, 2013

Sunday's news pile

Good Column: What Does the President Know? By Andy Weddington
Excerpt: During a recent analysis and opinion segment on FOX News Bret Baier's 'Special Report' Dr. Krauthammer said Obama claiming he was not aware of the scope of his namesake's healthcare program - Obamacare, the pride and joy of his presidency - woes was, in so many words, nonsense.

D.C.’s online health exchange has “hundreds” of problem applications
Excerpt: The District’s online health-insurance exchange is grappling with “hundreds” of problematic applications from shoppers unable to enroll in health plans because of system error messages, an exchange spokesman said Friday.

In Government We Trust: The Progressive Religion. By Derek Hunter
Excerpt: In a column reeking of desperation on par with a kid hoping for a unicorn under his Christmas tree, the Washington Post’s Ryan Cooper complied a list of reasons “Why millennials will come around on Obamacare.” Aside from a desperate lack of understanding of health policy and how people work, the second reason Cooper lists stands out. He writes, “Going without health insurance is morally wrong.” ... " Getting insurance will be part of living in a decent society where everyone chips in when they can afford it, and free-riding is frowned upon — and over time, young people will come to see this as part of being a responsible citizen.” (Since when have liberals frowned on "free riders"--they are practically a sacred protected class. For more on this, see: "The Great Progressive Church" http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-great-progressive-church.html ~Bob)

Another ObamaCare Misstatement: Protecting Those With Pre-Existing Conditions
Excerpt: The people most threatened by ObamaCare have pre-existing conditions, meaning health problems that make it hard to get insurance. To sell ObamaCare, the president actually lied, claiming he would protect these people. He even lied that his mother, Anne Dunham, a cancer victim, suffered because her insurer used the pre-existing condition excuse to drop her. The truth, revealed in a 2011 biography, is she had employer-provided insurance which paid her hospital bills until the end of her life. ... Since 1996, employer-provided plans have been barred from dropping or excluding anyone based on a pre-existing condition. Nor does Medicare or Medicaid. (This one I really had no idea of, if there was anything that ObamaCare was going to do, it was protect people with preexisting conditions. Now that really main part of the promises also turns out to be ...... an inoperative statement? Wow, this is really, really impressive! --Del)

Excerpt: The Obama administration knew in advance that Obamacare’s online small business exchanges would not be ready by deadline and agreed to delay part of the website as early as August, according to emails obtained by House Energy and Commerce Committee investigators. The Committee accused Obama administration officials of misleading Congress about the website’s progress. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) officials and Obamacare website contractor CGI Federal secretly agreed that the SHOP program would have to be delayed more than a month before the administration told the American public that the program would still be ready on time.

Doctors boycotting California's Obamacare exchange
Excerpt: An estimated seven out of every 10 physicians in deep-blue California are rebelling against the state's Obamacare health insurance exchange and won't participate, the head of the state's largest medical association said. “It doesn't surprise me that there's a high rate of nonparticipation,” said Dr. Richard Thorp, president of the California Medical Association.

California Obamacare exchange giving out customer information
Excerpt: The Los Angeles Times’ Chad Terhune reports that Covered California, which Obamacare proponents have held up as a rare example of a functioning state health care exchange, provides names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of customers who did not ask to be contacted.

David Gergen: Report On Obamacare Prep Shows “No One In Charge’ Of White House
Excerpt: "I don’t think this is simply sloppiness on the part of the White House," Gergen said. "What seems to me is there’s a case of near malfeasance here." Gergen, who has served as Director of Speechwriting for the Nixon White House, Director of Communications for both Presidents Ford and Reagan, and then as a senior advisor to President Bill Clinton, is intimately familiar with how the White House operates.

*****

Interesting: Migration Hurts the Homeland. By Paul Collier
Excerpt: As self-serving as Mr. Zuckerberg’s advocacy may be — immigration reform happens to align nicely with the interests of the technology industry — his high-minded rhetoric reflects an attempt to appeal to pro-immigration liberals, who presume that opening doors wider is the humane thing to do. But humane for whom? What’s good for migrants from poor places is not always good for the countries they’re leaving behind. Migration is good for poor countries, but not in every form, and not in unlimited amounts. 

Guest Post. Economics: Not Rocket Science

Economist Williams: Obama Incompetent, 'Beyond Learning'
http://www.newsmax.com/NewsmaxTv/williams-obama-incompetent-president/2013/12/06/id/540543?ns_mail_uid=25357910&ns_mail_job=1549209_12072013&promo_code=15DCE-1
Excerpt: President Barack Obama will never able to learn from the late Nelson Mandela about how to properly govern a nation, says Walter E. Williams, a syndicated columnist and economist at George Mason University. "He's beyond learning. He has another agenda and, firstly, I don't think Obama is his own man," ... "I believe he is a puppet of George Soros." ( One thing I disagree with is William's thought that Obama is incompetent. He is competent and succeeding in his goal of destroying the Constitution and the America that the Constitution formalized and defined. --MM. Hard for them to play the race card on Williams, who is black. ~Bob))

Commander: 'Cowards' pushing women into combat: 'I'm talking about smashing heads, wrestling in a death struggle to the ground'
http://www.wnd.com/2013/12/commander-cowards-pushing-women-into-combat/#jMfAUILE0S0Z4875.99
Excerpt: “If you look at the chiefs of the services, none of them have direct ground combat, so they really don’t know what we’re talking about here. There’s a radical feminist agenda here, and they never would have been selected by the Obama administration … unless they agreed that they would move forward on these particular agendas,” retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Bob Maginnis, author of “Deadly Consequences: How Cowards Are Pushing Women Into Combat,” told WND.( The insanity goes on, despite all the evidence against it, and when irrational principles like PC start becoming compelling rules for behavior, then it's signing up for a disaster. And keep it simple, women can be slotted for ground combat as soon as the NBA and NFL have women playing alongside the men. --Del)

November 2014 shaping up as a shipwreck for Democrats. By Sherman Frederick
Excerpt: Pundits on the left and right agree: Obamacare will leave a mark on Democrats in the 2014 elections. When the most hopey-changey of journalists, Ezra Klein of The Washington Post, writes “Change hurts, particularly in health care insurance, and it may well hurt Democrats in 2014,” you know we’re headed for a stormy political year. (With Eric Holder in charge of investigating vote fraud, does anyone one think any of Barry's lackeys might lose a 2014 election? --TH)

Nelson Mandela Joins Yasser Arafat As Dead Terrorists Who Won Peace Prizes
Excerpt: Contrary to what the media is telling you, Nelson Mandela wasn’t jailed merely for opposing the apartheid government of South Africa. He was jailed to stop him from carrying out wide-scale terrorism on behalf of the global-communism-seeking Soviet Union.
As Peter Wright points out in his article, Mandela–Mass Murderer Turned Into Saint by Media,

When is inequality harmful? When it's caused by cronyism. By Timothy P. Carney
Excerpt: President Obama wants to put inequality at the center of America's political discourse. Fine. Here’s the opening question: “Does inequality matter?” The answer: “It depends.” It depends on how governments react to inequality, it depends on how developed the country is, it depends on whether it's wealth inequality or income inequality.

Obama: Hole U.S. ‘digging out of’ requires billions more in unemployment benefits
Excerpt: Although the jobless rates in November fell to its lowest level since he took office, President Obama called on Republican lawmakers Saturday to spend tens of billions on unemployment benefits that are set to expire this month.

Thousands Seek Refuge At Central African Airport
Excerpt: Thousands of Christian civilians sought refuge at an airport guarded by French soldiers Friday, fleeing from the mostly Muslim ex-rebels with machetes and guns who rule the country a day after the worst violence to hit the chaotic capital in nine months. ... "They are slaughtering us like chickens," said Appolinaire Donoboy, a Christian whose family remained in hiding.

Sharia court rules blasphemers can only be punished with death penalty. By Jibran Khan
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=29742&sendtofriend=12909
Excerpt: The Federal Sharia Court accepts lawyer's petition claiming that the death penalty, not life in prison, is the only punishment in blasphemy cases. Under Nawaz Sharif, it is "dark times" for minorities.

Obama's Illegal Aunt: "You Have The Obligation to Make Me a Citizen"

Americans ‘Dismayed’ By the Country’s Left Turn, Says AMAC
Excerpt: Two new polls show most people are unhappy with the direction of the country under current liberal leadership.

Boy Suspended for Possession of Imaginary Bow and Arrow
http://lastresistance.com/3949/boy-suspended-possession-imaginary-bow-arrow/
Excerpt: A Pennsylvania fifth grader named Johnny Jones was suspended for shooting an imaginary bow and arrow at a fellow classmate who initiated the fight by “shooting” Jones with his folder. The 5th grader had faced expulsion, but was instead given a one-day suspension. This will remain on his permanent record unless the Rutherford Institute, whom Jones’s parents retained to represent their son, can convince school officials to remove it.

Two Nelson Mandela quotes you definitely won’t see on Buzzfeed. By Raheem Kassam
Excerpt: A quote that harnesses the truth behind why Israel is so rightly nervous about its security and its neighbours. He said: I understand completely well why Israel occupies these lands. There was a war. And further to that, which will really stick in the mouths of the revisionists, Mandela said: I cannot conceive of Israel withdrawing if Arab states do not recognize Israel within secure borders.

Book Review: Thirty Years of Politics, Passion and Persuasion
Excerpt: Usually, when a journalist publishes a book containing reproductions of his past journalistic endeavors, it is little cause to open up amazon.com for a download. Way more often than not such an event is an exercise in self-indulgence, or a consequence of the journalist’s lack of anything new to say or an attempt to cash in on old news. Not so with Dr. Charles Krauthammer. His new book, Things That Matter, is a brilliant compendium of some of his most notable weekly columns and magazine pieces composed over the last thirty years. 

Do the Obamacrats Really Believe the Economic Garbage they Espouse?
Excerpt: The Obama presidency is in tatters. From Obamacare to numerous scandals (e.g., Benghazi, IRS, Fast & Furious) to economic stagnation to palpable American decline, the shards of disaster over which the big O presides – and much of which he has caused – are bleeding the Republic and torturing its people. How does Obama respond? Why of course by doubling down on the very policies that have brought the US to its current sorry place:

Progressivism in the crosshairs
Excerpt: Now that Democrats have made their peace with the one percent, in the person of Mary Burke, the party bosses’ handpicked candidate for governor, it is safe to be successful again — especially if you inherited your wealth. Having used it to defeat Mitt Romney, the class warfare meme has served its purpose. Now our progressive acquaintances are stuck with Barack Obama for another three years, after which time the (un)Affordable Health Care act website may be up and running. 

Excerpt: The Islamic Front, a recently formed Islamist alliance of several large groups that cooperate with al Qaeda in Syria, has driven Free Syrian Army forces out of bases and a warehouse at the Bab al-Hawa border crossing into Turkey. Late last month, the warehouse and its FSA commanders were taken over by the al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham.

New York City Confiscating Rifles and Shotguns. By Patrick Howley
Excerpt: The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is sending out letters telling gun owners to turn over their rifles and shotguns — or else face the consequences. New York City’s ban on rifles and shotguns that hold more than five rounds is now being enforced, according to a letter the NYPD is sending out to targeted city gun owners.

Obama Kept Family of Murdered Soldier in Dark That Muslim Murderers Were in US, Got Citizenship. By Debbie Schlussel
http://www.debbieschlussel.com/67691/exclusive-obama-kept-family-of-murdered-soldier-in-dark-that-murdererd-were-in-us-got-citizenship/
Excerpt: The family of murdered Pennsylvania National Guard officer Gennaro "Jerry" Pellegrini, Jr. is outraged that the Obama Administration and its Justice Department kept them in the dark about the fact that their son/brother's Iraqi Muslim killer was not only given U.S. citizenship but that they were not notified when the government indicted him. Dana Shearon, Army Spc. Pellegrini's sister, contacted and spoke exclusively with DebbieSchlussel.com, as Mrs. Shearon's husband is a regular reader of this site. (I keep thinking this kind of report must be wrong somehow, because we can't be that stupid. Or that inconsiderate of the family of one of our Fallen. But I guess that's the way it really is. How awful. --Del)

Excerpt: Akunis: If Kerry is Optimistic, Then We Must Be Very Worried
Likud MK Ofir Akunis warned not to be too optimistic about the Israel-Palestinian Authority peace talks Friday, stating "If Kerry is optimistic, we must be very worried." Earlier Friday, US Secretary of State John Kerry had expressed hopes about the talks, declaring that "we are closer than we have been in years to bringing about the peace and the prosperity and the security that all of the people of this region deserve." The MK was skeptical about the development. 

In reversal, Obama says he lived with uncle
Excerpt: President Obama acknowledged Thursday that he lived with his Kenyan uncle for a brief period in the 1980s while preparing to attend Harvard Law School, contradicting a statement more than two years ago that the White House had no record of the two ever meeting…. On Thursday, a White House official said the press office had not fully researched the relationship between the president and his uncle before telling the Globe in 2011 that it had no record of the two meeting. (See Hyscience link as well…. Another #Obama Lie Now Exposed: Liar-in-Chief Admits He Lived With Illegal Uncle Omar --Barb)

Excerpt: Hall and fellow researcher Robert Greene found that 41 states saw their private sectors shrink from 2007 to 2012. AlabamaArizonaFlorida, Idaho and Nevada have seen the largest contractions in their respective private sectors — in 2012, Nevada’s has shrunk 13 percent below 2007 levels. However, only three states have seen their private sectors grow more than two percent since 2007. North Dakota saw its private sector explode nearly 25 percent in five years largely due to a boom in oil production brought about by hydraulic fracturing.

Left-leaning journalist: ‘This White House seems to want only state media’
http://dailycaller.com/2013/12/05/left-leaning-journalist-this-white-house-seems-to-want-only-state-media/#ixzz2moaB7Yyu
Excerpt: Left-wing journalist Jeremy Scahill appeared on the syndicated show “Democracy Now!” this Thursday to discuss the “war on journalism,” claiming that “this White House seems to only want state media.” Scahill spoke with left-leaning hosts Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez about the global suppression of reporters in places far-flung such as Somalia and Mexico. But although he was responding to the British government's crackdown on The Guardian newspaper, Scahill reserved special ire for the Obama administration’s aggressive actions against reporters and the First Amendment. (What oath? What constitution? What laws? Who cares? Oh, gee, lefties are starting to notice wings clipped. --Barb)

Excerpt: U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has promised to improve education quality vastly by pushing for the implementation of the Common Core State Standards Initiative….Duncan doesn’t much care for the people who criticize Common Core, either. He has insisted that it’s all a bunch of “white suburban who — all of a sudden — their child isn’t as brilliant as they thought they were and their school isn’t quite as good as they thought they were, and that’s pretty scary.” (Scored a 689 out of 800 [95th percentile] on the SAT math section in 12968, four years after I got out of high school--and I have no idea how you would get the answer. ~Bob)

Excerpt: Daily Caller readers have already been introduced to this lesson on possessive nouns doubling as a authoritarian propaganda. The worksheet is intended for third graders, proving that it is never too early to learn that, “An individual’s wants are less important than the nation’s well-being.” What’s next? “Verb Tenses and Why You Love Big Brother, You Have Always Loved Big Brother,” would be a good guess. 

excerpt: Agents from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are using Google Maps as part of their tool kit to audit taxpayers and organizations, The Daily Caller has learned. A redacted IRS letter dated Sept. 8, 2011 reveals that at least in one case the IRS’s examiners used photos of a property, obtained through Google Maps, as evidence to revoke the 501(c)(4) status of a homeowner’s association. (If legit, I have no problem with catching cheaters this way. But if political...~Bob)

It’s A Free Country…Unless You’re In California
Excerpt: It’s a free country, but not so much in California, where there’s: “No fires, no parking, all animals must be on a leash, no photography, camping not permitted, no lifeguard on duty, penalties will apply, permit required. Gun free zone, noise ordinance enforced. Fly quietly, minimum altitude 1000 feet. No ATV’s, personal watercraft prohibited, wake limit strictly enforced, plastic bags no longer available, tow-away zone. Fishing permit required, environmentally sensitive area, no dogs allowed, se habla espanol.” Bill Whittle explains how places like California are ruining any sense of liberty, and are also taking away the fun of living here.

Congress Fears Out of Control Obama Could Suspend Election Laws
https://webmail.reagan.com/a/webmail.php?wsid=177dee5cf5f150ae56308c7cd2a966d1eb6ae3b3
Excerpt: Always operating with a straight face while trampling all over the Constitution, it seems Obama has no remorse when it comes to going against the people of the United States and its legal system as a whole. We all remember when Obama began issuing calls to attack Syria following a very sketchy chemical attack scenario, only to be met with fierce opposition. Ultimately, we did force Obama to back off amid complete and utter disapproval, but now even high level congressional officials are concerned as to what Obama’s next move will be.

My meeting with Nelson Mandela (2 of 2) Dr. Peter Hammond

Excerpt: While stationed at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii, I was reminded daily of the Pearl Harbor attack. I was a junior officer and worked on the third floor of the Headquarters, Pacific Air Forces building. Each day as I entered the doors of that historic building I saw the dozens of pock marks on the exterior walls, machine gun damage from Japanese Zeroes, and left there untouched to remind all of us the importance of vigilance.

Peter Costello wants cuts in services to reduce Australia's debt
Excerpt: The story said Sydney disability pensioner Hamdi Alqudsi allegedly organised for young Muslim Australians to go to Syria to fight alongside terror group Al-Qaeda and that he had planned to go there too. "If you are well enough to fight in a war I don't think you should be classified as disabled," Costello tells News Corp Australia.

Excerpt: Syrian Christians and rights activists say Islamic militants have begun deploying rockets to target Christian sites, killing at least five young children this month alone.

A US Navy With Only 8 Carriers? The Drastic Consequences of Hagel's Fleet Options.
Excerpt: At first, the statement is shocking. “Reduce the number of carrier strike groups from 11 to 8 or 9, draw down the Marine Corps from 182,000 to between 150,000 and 175,000.” But those words July 31 from US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel brought into the open some of the behind-the-scenes discussions that have been going on at the Pentagon for months. (I'm sure China would buy the old ones. ~Bob)

Iran foreign minister alludes to deceiving Obama administration during nuclear negotiations [VIDEO]
http://dailycaller.com/2013/12/08/iran-foreign-minister-alludes-to-deceiving-obama-administration-during-nuclear-negotiations-video/#ixzz2mwAX7LTI
Excerpt: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called America’s assertions about the interim nuclear agreement reached recently in Geneva“nonsense” and said the Islamic Republic’s strategy will collapse the sanctions program.U.S. officials have called the nuclear agreement a first step in rolling back the Islamic regime’s nuclear program….Zarif, reporting on the Geneva negotiations to the regime’s parliament last Wednesday, alluded to deceiving the Obama administration and the 5+1 world powers, the five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Germany.

Obama’s regulatory agenda will cost U.S. economy $143B next year: report
Excerpt: Upcoming regulations from the Obama administration in 2014 would cost the private sector $143.3 billion, according to a new report. The American Action Forum (AAF) examined the “unified agenda,” which lays out “regulatory priorities” for the next year, and was released shortly before Thanksgiving.

Angelo Codevilla: The ‘War on Terror’ has become ‘The War on Americans’ [VIDEO]
http://dailycaller.com/2013/12/08/angelo-codevilla-the-war-on-terror-has-become-the-war-on-americans-video/#ixzz2mwBQVDTl
Excerpt: The course of action the U.S. government took in the name of security after the 9/11 attacks is the “greatest mistake that could possibly have been made,” according to retired professor emeritus of Boston University Angelo Codevilla. ”The War on Terror” has increasingly become a “war on Americans.” The former U.S. Navy officer, author of “The Ruling Class: How They Corrupted America and What We Can Do About It” and staff member for the Select Committee on Intelligence of the United States Senate is highly critical of both the Bush and Obama administrations for their failure to understand their role in international relations. (9/11 was a “Pearl Harbor event” to put covert government into place. Fait accompli sheeple. --Barb)

Worth Reading: In Miami Gardens, store video catches cops in the act

Excerpt: Miami Gardens police have arrested Sampson 62 times for one offense: trespassing. Almost every citation was issued at the same place: the 207 Quickstop, a convenience store on 207th Street in Miami Gardens. But Sampson isn’t loitering. He works as a clerk at the Quickstop.

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