Old Jarhead’s
Political SitRep for March 22, 2013
Robert A. Hall
I got the evening off, so you get a SitRep. ~Bob
Worth Reading : Who Will Bell America? Obama, like Carter,
may provoke one of our enemies to test our teeth and claws. By Victor
Davis Hanson
Excerpt: Remember the medieval fable about the mice that
wanted their dangerous enemy, the cat, belled, but each preferred not to be the
one to attempt the dangerous deed? Likewise, the world’s bad actors have long
wanted America belled, but, like the mice, so far they have not been stupid or
daring enough to test America’s teeth and claws — that is, until now. In 2008
Barack Obama campaigned on the general principle that the entire Bush-Cheney
anti-terrorism protocols were either superfluous or illegal. That opportunistic
posturing resonated with a world audience eager for confessions of American
wrongdoing. It probably helped to undermine U.S. influence abroad.
Worth Reading
Excerpt: Financial Analyst Gregory Mannarino says the
banking crisis in Cyprus
is a signal of what is coming to the rest of the world. Mannarino
says, “People are now going to start losing faith in these institutions. This
cannot stand, and we may be very, very close to the pan-global financial
collapse that I believe is coming.” Mannarino contends, “People do not
understand that the debt owed by their nation is their debt. They own it. They
are going to force people to pay one way or another. Haircuts are coming for
everyone.” (I just heard Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles chairs of the
commission on the debt that Obama appointed, then ignored, speak. Very
frightening. To fix this everyone—EVERYONE—has to get hurt. Taxes alone won’t
do it. Spending cuts alone won’t do it. They have a website: http://www.fixthedebt.org/ and ask you to
sign their petition on the debt. Or a letter to Washington : http://act.fixthedebt.org/page/s/urge-washington
~Bob.)
The Never Again Campaign
Great anti-gun control ad.
Economists from
Across the Spectrum Support A Comprehensive Debt Approach
Excerpt: Today over 160 economists and thought leaders
signed a letter coordinated by Fix the Debt to President Obama and
congressional leaders calling on them to agree on a comprehensive approach that
addresses the needs of the economy while also tackling the long-term debt.
On sequester, liberals face a dilemma. By Greg Sargent
Liberal writer. ~Bob. Excerpt: Maybe I’m wrong about this.
But it’s looking more and more like progressives and liberals are going to be
facing a tough question: Which is worse, indefinite sequestration or a grand
bargain that includes serious entitlement cuts? Seems to me that sooner or
later, major players on the left are going to have to stake out a position on
this question.
Excerpt: The Air Force Personal [sic] Center Services
Directorate (AFPC/SV) is seeking sources for providing the Air Force
installations a Fantasy Football Program. The AFPC/SV is comprised of over 100
installations worldwide. The Fantasy Football Program will be accessed by all
Air Force Airman [sic], Civilians and Family Members.
A Better Way To Approach Medicare’s Impossible Task.
By Thomas Saving and John Goodman
Excerpt: As Congress faces mounting pressure to rein in
Medicare spending, two sides seem to be squaring off. The
don’t-touch-a-thing-other-than-squeezing-provider-fees position seems to appeal
to mainly Democrats, while eat-your-spinach reforms, including more cost
sharing and higher premiums, seem to appeal mainly to Republicans. Neither
position is very appealing to voters, however, nor should they be. Is there a
third way? Is there a way to get the job done and appeal to voters – young and
old – at the same time? We think there is.
Vulnerable senators
face lose-lose scenario on assault weapon vote
Excerpt: The Senate’s upcoming vote on the assault weapons
ban is going to put vulnerable Democrats in a difficult spot. Democrats facing
tough reelection races will either attract the ire of the National Rifle
Association or prominent gun control activists such as New York City Mayor
Michael Bloomberg (I). A vote against the ban could spark primary challenges
that could weaken Democrats in the general election. (Gee, I feel so bad for
them. When I was in the state senate, guys used to joke that it would be a
great job if you didn’t have to vote. ~Bob.)
Pelosi backing
Democratic leader embroiled in ethics scandal
Excerpt: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is
standing behind Rep. Robert Andrews (D-N.J.) despite calls for the veteran
lawmaker to relinquish his leadership post while he is investigated on ethics
charges.
Neurosurgeon’s
Speeches Have Conservatives Dreaming of 2016
Excerpt: Dr. Benjamin Carson was a political unknown just
weeks ago. Then with a single speech delivered as President
Obama looked stonily on, he was lofted into the conservative
firmament as its newest star: a renowned neurosurgeon who is black and has the
credibility to attack the president on health care.
Quote
Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I
would still plant my apple tree. –Martin Luther
Excerpt: Caroline Glick, Senior Contributing Editor of the
Jerusalem Post said the Israeli people consider President
Obama "a hostile president overall," on "Mornings on the Mall"
on WMAL-FM in Washington DC Jerusalem as the President's plane
touched down for the first time in his presidency.
The Uninvited—Global
Persecution of Christians Ignored by Obama.
Excerpt: Nina Shea, Director of the Center for Religious
Freedom and a Hudson Institute Fellow, told Breitbart's "Uninvited"
panel at CPAC on Saturday that "religious persecution is the gravest human
rights crisis of our day." She added that "Christians are as a group
the most persecuted, out of sheer numbers, across the world. This means they
are being killed, tortured, imprisoned and eradicated ...sent into exile
for their beliefs."
America’s Big Fat Advantage: Our
exceptionalism will last as long as we judge people according to their
achievements. By Victor Davis Hanson
Excerpt: For all the Obama-era talk of decline, there is at
least one reason why America
probably won’t, at least not quite yet. “Peak oil” and our “oil addiction” were
supposed to have ensured that we ran out of either gas or the money to buy it.
Now, suddenly, we have more gas and oil than ever before. But the key question
is: Why do we? (Sometimes we need
reminding why we Americans are on top of the heap. At his best (and briefest),
Hanson does so in this column. --Ron
P.)
Excerpt: NY State has established a toll-free tip line
– 1-855-GUNSNYS (1-855- 486-7697) to encourage residents to report
illegal firearm possession. (It is your duty to denounce your neighbors or
parents if they are enemies of the state. Or Jews. ~Bob.)
TSA agents
'humiliated' wounded Marine with aggressive inspection: report
Excerpt: Security Administration inspectors forced a wounded
Marine who lost both of his legs in an IED blast and who was in a wheelchair to
remove his prosthetic legs at one point, and at another point to stand
painfully on his legs while his wheelchair was examined, according to a
complaint a congressman has registered with the TSA. (No, I don’t think they
should be fired, just transferred. To Kabul International
Airport
Excerpt:
Unconfirmed reports state China
has sent aircraft and ground forces to reinforce its border with North Korea China
White House In Bull's-Eye In North Korean Video
Excerpt: North Korea has
released another video showing a nuclear weapons attack, this time on Washington , D.C. ,
raising once again the specter that the Hermit State is planning to launch a pre-emptive
nuclear attack on the United
States .
Ted Turner’s Son:
Liberal CNN Is Hard to Watch
Sort of like the son of an alcoholic who would never touch
the stuff. --Don Hank
Federal employees who
don’t pay taxes would be fired under bill that passed committee
http://dailycaller.com/2013/03/20/federal-employees-who-dont-pay-taxes-would-be-fired-under-bill-that-passed-committee/#ixzz2OCzdwDKO
http://dailycaller.com/2013/03/20/federal-employees-who-dont-pay-taxes-would-be-fired-under-bill-that-passed-committee/#ixzz2OCzdwDKO
Excerpt: “Most taxpayers file accurate tax returns and pay
the taxes they owe on time, regardless of their income,” Chaffetz, a
Republican, said during the hearing Wednesday. “Federal employees and
individuals applying for federal employment should do the same.”
Am I the only one that thinks the world would be better off
if those crazy bastards were vaporized? – LLW
Excerpt: Not long ago I was reading an article from the New
York Times. They were reporting on the percentage of doctors who still accept
Medicaid patients. According to the Times, in 2008 73 percent of doctors
accepted Medicaid. In 2012 the number of doctors treating Medicaid patients had
shrunk to 63 percent and the rate is still declining.
How Many Israelis Must Die for Peace? By Daniel Greenfield
Excerpt: War has an endpoint. Peace does not. A peace in
which you are constantly at war can go on forever because while the enthusiasts
of war eventually exhaust their patriotism, the enthusiasts of peace never give
up on their peacemaking. Warmongers may stop after a few thousand dead, but
Peacemongers will pirouette over a million corpses.
Excerpt: A new party led by economists, jurists, and Christian
Democrat rebels will kick off this week, calling for the break-up of monetary
union before it can do any more damage. "An end to this euro," is the
first line on the webpage of Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).
Excerpt: According to Somali Gay Community, the young
man, Mohamed Ali Baashi ,18, was buried in a hole up to his chest and then
pelted with rocks by members of the Al Qaeda link group Al Shabaab on
Friday, March 15, in Barawe, about 50 miles from the capital, Mogadishu.
Excerpt: Al Qaeda says it has beheaded a French hostage in
reprisal for France 's
military intervention in Mali ,
according to reports.
Congressmen Demand
DHS Explain 1.6 Billion Bullets Purchase
http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/03/congressmen-demand-dhs-explain-1-6-billion-bullets-purchase/
Excerpt: Congressman Leonard Lance (R-NJ) has come out and demanded that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano explain why the Department of Homeland Security has been engaging in huge amounts of purchases of ammunition over the past year.
http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/03/congressmen-demand-dhs-explain-1-6-billion-bullets-purchase/
Excerpt: Congressman Leonard Lance (R-NJ) has come out and demanded that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano explain why the Department of Homeland Security has been engaging in huge amounts of purchases of ammunition over the past year.
Dr. Kermit Gosnell
trial: Abortion clinic worker describes cutting babies
Excerpt: Medical assistant Adrienne Moton admitted Tuesday
that she had cut the necks of at least 10 babies after they were delivered, as
Gosnell had instructed her. Gosnell and another employee regularly
"snipped" the spines "to ensure fetal demise," she said…
Gosnell later joked that the baby was so big he could have walked to the bus
stop, she said.
Excerpt: Notwithstanding Dr. Gosnell’s jest, and the fact
that newborns delivered alive are generally regarded as “babies,” the New
York Times’ only story on the case is punctilious enough to refer to Gosnell’s
victims as “viable fetuses,” and its early paragraphs
emphasize the defense’s wearily predictable line that this is a “racist
prosecution.”
Too Hot for American
TV
Excerpt: American television networks,
Fox News Channel among them, have decided that the attempted assassination
of a leading critic of Islam in an American ally is unworthy of attention, so
we must look northward for our information. Danish historian and
journalist Lars Hedegaard was interviewed by
Canadian Sun TV's Michael Coren for the third time since Hedegaard survived
an assassination attempt in
early February, ostensibly for his criticism of Islamic supremacism, and
was forced into protective seclusion.
Mexican, U.S.
Excerpt: Judicial Watch has for years reported on the
discrepancy between reality and the administration’s line that the Mexican
border is secure. The truth is that overwhelmed federal
agents are increasingly attacked by heavily armed drug smugglers and the U.S.
Border Patrol has ordered officers to avoid the most crime-infested stretches
because they’re “too dangerous” and
patrolling them could result in an “international incident” of cross border
shooting. The violence has inevitably spilled into U.S.
communities near the southern border, forcing local law enforcement agencies to
create special units dedicated to combating criminal activity related to
illegal immigration and Mexican drug cartels.
Deceiver in Chief: If he
loved his country he wouldn’t be wanting to “fundamentally transform” it.
By Ron Ross
Barack Obama’s most dangerous talent is his ability to make
people believe he’s something he’s not. He is not recognized for whom and what
he is, especially the fact that he does not like the country he’s governing. He
is effective because he has successfully hidden his true objectives.
The Budget Battle Favors the GOP: Voters
strongly favor the GOP’s approach, as long as it’s not labeled “Republican.”
Excerpt: For a Republican party still reeling from
November’s defeat and hoping to regain some confidence, the upcoming midterm
cycle looks especially promising, and many are optimistic that the ongoing
budget debate has the potential to drive electoral gains in 2014. This week,
the Republican House and Democratic Senate are expected to pass competing
budget proposals. Both sides will claim to have endorsed “balanced” plans —
Republicans because their budget reaches balance in ten years, Democrats
because theirs raises taxes by $1 trillion.
Obama’s Rules for
“Nonviolently” Stopping Rape and Murder
http://conservativevideos.com/2013/03/obamas-rules-to-nonviolently-stop-rape-and-murder/
Excerpt: The Obama administration has provided you with 9 steps for what to do if you’re a bystander confronted by a violent act in progress. (Void where prohibited by the moral code of Marines or other veterans. ~Bob.)
http://conservativevideos.com/2013/03/obamas-rules-to-nonviolently-stop-rape-and-murder/
Excerpt: The Obama administration has provided you with 9 steps for what to do if you’re a bystander confronted by a violent act in progress. (Void where prohibited by the moral code of Marines or other veterans. ~Bob.)
Bowl bought at yard
sale sells for $2.2M
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2013/03/20/Bowl-bought-at-yard-sale-sells-for-22M/UPI-33351363807882/#ixzz2O95Dy5TJ
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2013/03/20/Bowl-bought-at-yard-sale-sells-for-22M/UPI-33351363807882/#ixzz2O95Dy5TJ
Excerpt: A New
York auctioneer said a 1,000-year-old bowl auctioned
for $2.2 million had been purchased at a yard sale for about $3. Cecilia Leung
of Sotheby's said the bowl, which measures about 5 inches in diameter, had been
purchased by the seller, whose name was not released, at a yard sale in 2007
and displayed in their living room for several years before the owner decided
to have it appraised, CNN reported Wednesday. The bowl was found to be a
1,000-year old example of Northern Song Dynasty pottery. (We’d have fed the cat
from it, most likely. ~Bob.)
Colonel Gave Nuke Secrets to Chinese Girlfriend: Feds.
By Rob Quinn
Excerpt: A 59-year-old defense contractor's 27-year-old
girlfriend from China
may have had some ulterior motives, federal authorities say. Benjamin Bishop, a
lieutenant colonel in the US Army Reserve who works in intelligence at Pacific
Command, has been charged with passing "national defense information regarding
existing war plans, information regarding nuclear
weapons, and relations with international partners" to the Chinese
citizen, ABC reports.
(Alternate Headline: Idiot Army officer succumbs to oldest spy trick known.
Which is.... sex with a young girl, who just happens to ask occasional
questions about national secrets! This jerk was 57 when a 25 yr old Chinese
student here seduced him and later on he gave her access to assorted kinds of
confidential information. Apparently all his thinking was being done below his
belt buckle instead of above his neck. I hope he goes to jail for a long time,
and the young woman too, but somewhere else. And people don't think that China is still
playing various games to get advantages over us. They are the world most
organized hackers, they deliberately keep the yuan at low value so we stupidly
keep sliding into their debt, and they still have spies trying to get access to
military secrets. Why do we trust them about anything? –Del. We are pledged to defend Taiwan if China invades. Of course, to do so,
we’ll have to borrow the money. From China . ~Bob.)
Americans will Curse Obama for Obamacare. By Alan Caruba
Excerpt: Following the sequester debacle in which Obama and
his cohorts were swiftly found to be lying through their teeth, his polling
numbers have begun to fall and, folks you ain't seen nothing yet. As the realities and costs of
the Affordable Healthcare Act-Obamacare-kick in, when he leaves office, he will
be remembered for inflicting pain and suffering on Americans. (It's just
getting better and better with every passing week. The full impact of
all the costs will affect people from the rich to most of the middle class. Maybe
even some of the 47%. I keep thinking by June 2014 there will be one hell of a
lot of disillusioned people out there.... with a mid term election coming right
up. --Del )
Lessons From Cyprus
Excerpt: If American banks were in trouble, could they
impose a tax on depositors? More importantly, if everyone rushed to take their
money out of the bank in order to avoid the tax, would banks and ATMs shut
down, as many have in Cyprus ?
According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, your money is safe and
you shouldn’t worry. (And what would they say if your money wasn’t safe? ~Bob.)
Government (Cyprus
Think about what will happen when officials of the Obama
Administration come to work this morning and read that the EU could force Cyprus to
confiscate legally deposited funds. According to the Federal Reserve Bank
of St. Louis , as of last Monday there was $6.8
trillion on deposit in U.S.
banks. Surprised that the officials in the Obama administration can read? Or
that they are unaware of their power? Or worse, they are unaware of what other
countries are doing or proposing in financial matters? There is the example of Argentina in
2008 nationalizing about $25 billion in private pension funds. That
is chump change next to the really big money target of U.S. private
pension accounts. An Investment
Company Institute study published in November 2012 found that U.S. retirement
assets totaled $18.5 trillion at the end of the second quarter 2012, of which
3.5 trillion was in IRAs and $5.1 trillion was in 401(k) plans. Read more
at http://www.wnd.com/2012/11/now-obama-wants-your-401k/#xGH3ZYdqzRWrShsy.99
The Fed policy of near zero interest rates have destroyed CD and bank savings
account investments (with the only advantage of having such being FDIC insured
up to $250,000 per account) along with seniors no longer being able to obtain
long term health care with Prudential, Met Life and John Hancock stating that
it is this Fed near zero interest that has forced them to stop offering any new
policies. After all, under the Obama America .... ‘government will take care of
all of [us] proportionally,’ why would anyone need private health, savings or
retirement accounts? ‘From each according to his means to each according to his
needs.’ That is easy to rewrite by saying, ‘everyone paying their fair
share....distribution of wealth....millionaires and billionaires paying a bit
more.....everyone having a fair share of the pie regardless of ability...’ –
J.P. Tristani
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/20/us-horse-farms-almost-ready-to-start-slaughtering/#ixzz2O7vSIMRn
Excerpt: About eight miles outside of Roswell , N.M. U.S. farm
to start slaughtering horses for human consumption.
Not far behind could be plants in Missouri , Iowa and Oklahoma .
(Further decline of fabric of our society. They’ve been making money off these
helpless animals, selling them to Mexico and
onto Europe to mix with hamburger
illegally. Now want to get the racket labeled legal for further profits. No
spirit will run free and untainted on our soil. Nothing will be noble. Another
example of God’s wonder of creation will be stricken down, humiliated, and
murdered. Welcome to the Regime. Like the buffalo and the Native Americans, the
horse who has given its love and commitment to aid man for centuries, carrying
his burdens, his family, safeguarding him in battle, taking the spear thrusts
and bullets…This is the thanks to the four-legged souls. I hope those who
consume choke. –Barb.)
Excerpt: Spring is about to begin and my book, Spring Fever: The Illusion of Islamic Democracy, has just
been published in paperback — originally, it was available only as an eBook. To
mark these occasions, and more importantly, to elaborate on why the “Arab
Spring” is really the ascendancy of Islamic supremacism (as Spring
Fever foretold and as each day’s news confirms),
Ordered Liberty will be running some excerpts in the coming days.
Here is the first: “Thank God almighty, I am a servant of sharia.”
Congressional Report:
Obamacare Leads to Skyrocketing Premiums, 200 Percent Possible
http://www.newsmax.com/newswidget/obamacare-healthcare-reform-costs/2013/03/20/id/495564?promo_code=12390-1&utm_source=12390PJ_Media&utm_medium=nmwidget&utm_campaign=widgetphase1#ixzz2O7fjh18XExcerpt: "Studies and analyses from the Congressional Budget Office, independent actuaries, state insurance commissioners, health plans, benefit consultants, and others have reached the same conclusion: Obamacare will significantly increase premiums,” the congressional report states. “Some estimates show some Americans facing startling premium increases of 203 percent because of the law.
http://www.newsmax.com/newswidget/obamacare-healthcare-reform-costs/2013/03/20/id/495564?promo_code=12390-1&utm_source=12390PJ_Media&utm_medium=nmwidget&utm_campaign=widgetphase1#ixzz2O7fjh18XExcerpt: "Studies and analyses from the Congressional Budget Office, independent actuaries, state insurance commissioners, health plans, benefit consultants, and others have reached the same conclusion: Obamacare will significantly increase premiums,” the congressional report states. “Some estimates show some Americans facing startling premium increases of 203 percent because of the law.
Excerpt: Lawmakers have been on edge about America ’s ability to react to or even notice in
time space rocks coming through the atmosphere since the Feb. 15 flyby of
asteroid 2012DA14 coupled with the explosion of a meteor above Chelyabinsk , Siberia .
As scientists predicted, 2012DA14 was harmless but the shock wave from the
Russian meteor blew out windows and injured 1,200 people. That rock caught NASA
as off-guard as the Siberian residents. (This is interesting. “City Killers,” eh? Is someone trying to
personalize this threat? We used to call them "medium-sized
asteroids." The facts seem correct, but they are spun in such a political
way, it would make a casual reader think those callous, cheap Republicans in
Congress are willing to gamble with the lives of city-dwellers (all of them
poor, innocent, unsuspecting Democrats, of course). The reality is that while
neither party has made any real commitment to space exploration for decades,
the evil W did suggest a manned mission to Mars and Democrats have opposed most
NASA spending since the Kennedy era. The other unspoken but true point is that
“undetected” means undetected; nobody knows how many are out there. But, if
they turn up at such long and irregular intervals, the threat—though real—has to
be minimal (that doesn’t mean we can’t be surprised tomorrow afternoon, just
that it isn’t likely). As any poker player who has ever lost with four of
a kind can tell you, unlikely things do occasionally happen. --Ron P.)
Are you old enough to
remember using this?
(This came with a picture of a Big Chief Writing Tablet. LLW
is a Marine buddy from Vietnam ,
good contributor and, despite his denials, a fine writer. ~Bob.) Or even
recognize what it is? Schools were pretty low tech in the dim past when I went
through, but when we graduated high school we could read the name on our
diploma, understood the history of our country, and could find the United States
on a world map. We knew at least enough math to be able to make change and
balance a checkbook. We respected our teachers and were taught right from
wrong. We pledged allegiance to our flag and observed a moment of silence
before classes began. During that moment, we could pray to whatever god
we worshiped, or, if we were atheists, contemplate our navels. As far
as I knew, no one was "offended," or thought we were trying to
establish a religion. If we were given an award, or a trophy, it wasn't
for just showing up, it was because we had done something to earn it. Our
little psyches survived it all unscathed. I think nearly every family had
a gun of some kind in their house, and I don't remember anyone ever shooting up
a school or theater, or even think about doing something like that. Things went
haywire, somewhere along the way, though. Almost everything has changed, and we
are poorer for the change. I wish I could find Mister Peabody's Way Back
Machine. I would love to go back to that America . - LLW
Aurora CO shooter converts to Islam, not a single MSM source
reports it. Had he converted to Christianity, it'd be a huge primetime story.
Enslave the liberty of but one human being and the liberties
of the world are put in peril. - William Lloyd Garrison
Excerpt: Republican amendments to the Senate’s budget
proposal would require President Obama and Vice President Biden to get their
medical care through the new exchanges created by Obama’s signature healthcare
law.
Colt the next gun
company to leave a state over anti-gun witch hunt hysteria?
Excerpt: Colt’s Manufacturing, the company that has made the
iconic gun dubbed “The Peacemaker” for more than a century, could pull up its Connecticut stakes after
coming under fire in the national debate over the Second Amendment. President
and CEO Dennis Veilleux said the pro-gun control climate that has taken hold in
the wake of the Sandy Hook school massacre and
other firearm attacks has left him feeling unwelcome in the state his company
has called home for 175 years.
Excerpt: A few years ago I wrote a piece for Bloomberg about the
fight between the monks of St. Joseph Abbey in Covington , La.
Dark Knight killer
James Holmes 'is now a Muslim who prays five times a day'
Excerpt: James Holmes, the gunman behind the Dark Knight
massacre in Colorado last July, has reportedly turned Muslim and prays five
times a day. The killer showed off a lengthy, thick beard during a court
appearance earlier this month, and a prison source has claimed it is a symbol
of his new-found faith.
#ImSoTiredOfHearing that if you're black you
should B a #democrat, & if you're white, you're
obviously lucky & must feel white guilt for it.
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