Today's offering: Robust enough not to be mocked

Big offering today. I’ll start with the non-Syrian items. ~Bob

Book Recommendation: The Amazon Legion. By Tom Kratman 

http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Legion-Tom-Kratman/dp/1451638132/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378306317&sr=1-1&keywords=amazon+Legion

Kratman’s major flaw as a writer of military science fiction is that, prolific and hard-working as he is, he cannot seem to write novels as fast as I can read them. I cope with that by saving them until I need a break from my usual fare of history, politics and economics. Feeling drained after finishing the recent excellent but bitter history of Dien Bien Phu, “Valley of Death,” I pulled The “Amazon Legion” off the shelf where it had been waiting for a year or two.

“The Amazon Legion” is the fifth in the Patrick Carrera series, and while it can stand alone, like any good novel, you’ll do yourself a favor if you start at the beginning with “A Desert called Peace.” In this offering, Carrera, faced with a shortage of trigger pullers, raises an infantry regiment of women. (Also one of gays, though they are tangential to the story.) Kratman’s writings are not mindless escapism—he always makes you think about the philosophy of war and the horrors of close combat. He has obviously thought long and hard about this subject, and both military leaders and progressive politicians supporting women in combat units would do well to read this book. I suspect folks like Nancy Pelosi think that it will all be sanitized, either the woman soldier dead quickly and cleanly or returning home to honors with a flesh wound. The reality is more likely to be her crawling around the field, begging for water, dragging her entrails behind her after being disemboweled by a shell. Kratman’s solution to the gender differences and the challenge of inter-unit romantic relationships is to segregate the women in their own unit, and to prepare them for combat through the kind of rigorous, brutal training that has not been politically possible in our country even for men since WWI—if it ever was. As always, Kratman has an excellent ability to bring alive to readers the terror of battle. And he can make you hate or care about his characters—I’m still grieving two good guys he killed off in another series. If you like adventure, military science fiction or want to know what it will be like for women in combat, read this book.

The Lost Freedom of Association. By Walter Williams 

http://frontpagemag.com/2013/walter-williams/the-lost-freedom-of-association/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2ee4938cff-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag&utm_term=0_57e32c1dad-2ee4938cff-156414477

Excerpt: I’m sure that might be a considerable dispute about freedom of association compared with the one over freedom of expression. To be for freedom in either case requires that one be brave enough to accept the fact that some people will make offensive expressions and associate in offensive ways. Let’s explore this with an example from the past.

Book: Clinton's State told Benghazi was a 'terrorist attack' minutes after it began. By Paul Bedard 

http://washingtonexaminer.com/clintons-state-told-benghazi-was-a-terrorist-attack-minutes-after-it-began/article/2535081

What difference does it make? ~Bob

How to Not Outlive Your Money

http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=23561&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DPD

Excerpt: Without a plan for retirement, many people say they just plan to "wing it." Surveys show many workers feel overwhelmed by day-to-day financial pressures, worried about paying monthly expenses and job security. … A new analysis released by Fidelity found the average 401(k) balance was $80,600 at the end of June, up nearly 11 percent from the same quarter a year ago. For steady savers who were continuously employed in a workplace plan for the past decade, the average balance rose to $211,800, nearly 19 percent higher than a year ago.

Using Dynamic Analysis Makes Tax Reform 30 Percent Less Challenging

http://taxfoundation.org/article/using-dynamic-analysis-makes-tax-reform-30-percent-less-challenging

Excerpt: Cutting individual and corporate tax rates together would boost GDP by 4.74 percent, increase the capital stock by 11.5 percent, and could increase the number of full-time equivalent jobs by 5.2 million. The average increase in aftertax income across all AGI ranges is 7.57 percent.

Gun company aiming for relocation to Pennsylvania after NY restricts sales
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/09/03/gun-company-aiming-for-relocation-to-pennsylvania-after-ny-restricts-sales/

Excerpt: Kahr Firearms Group, a gun manufacturer, is moving its corporate headquarters from downstate New York to a 620-acre plot in Pike County, in the northeast corner of Pennsylvania. The move comes after New York earlier this year passed the SAFE Act, banning sales of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

OH OH! Watch Out Illinois Liberals, New State Rep is Black Constitutional Republican Who Cares About Teens

http://godfatherpolitics.com/12394/oh-oh-watch-illinois-liberals-new-state-rep-black-constitutional-republican-cares-teens/

Excerpt: Anthony, 37, grew up in a Chicago housing project and unlike many others from that background, he grew up to be a conservative and a Republican. He went on to serve as a police officer and a Kendall County sheriff’s deputy since 2008. He is known as a constitutional conservative which is the last thing Illinois Democrats want to see. (Writer doesn’t know the difference between congressional and state rep districts. ~Bob)

Ohio kidnapper Ariel Castro found dead in prison cell

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/corrections-official-ohio-man-who-held-3-women-captive-for-nearly-a-decade-has-hanged-himself/2013/09/04/fc3437e2-151a-11e3-b220-2c950c7f3263_story.html

Excerpt: Ariel Castro, the Cleveland man who held three women captive in his home for nearly a decade, was found hanging in his prison cell, officials say. (I’m Bob, and I approve of this message. ~Bob.)

Vietnam vets shut down Fonda movie showing in Wellsville

http://www.wellsvilledaily.com/news/x511619524/Vietnam-vets-shut-down-Fonda-movie-showing-in-Wellsville

Excerpt: Moviegoers in Wellsville had a choice of two movies on Friday night, once they walked past a group of Vietnam veterans 20 strong.
 The veterans, who were right around the corner from their American Legion post at the Grand Theater on North Main Street, were upset Jane Fonda was portraying former First Lady Nancy Reagan in the movie, "The Butler." (Fonda said vets protesting her should “get a life.” I have a life—her Communist friends missed. ~Bob.)

Saudi Arabia donating $200 million for Palestinian cities to prevent Judaization

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Saudi-Arabia-donating-200-million-for-Palestinian-cities-prevent-Judaization-325203

Excerpt: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has decided to grant $200 million for the development of Palestinian cities, and for protecting their Arab and Islamic character against “Judaization.” (Your gas money at work. Support energy independence—drill in ANWR, off the coasts and on federal lands, build the Keystone pipeline, support fracking. ~Bob.)

South Africa BDS leader defends call to 'kill the Jew'

http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-Features/South-Africa-BDS-leaders-defends-call-to-kill-the-Jew-325075

Excerpt: A leader of the South African Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel justified calls to "shoot the Jew" during a protest last Wednesday against a concert by an Israeli musician. (Meanwhile, the hunt for the mythical Islamophobia and backlash against Muslims goes on. ~Bob.)

Measure Would Declare Hasan a 'Terrorist'

http://www.woai.com/articles/woai-local-news-119078/measure-would-declare-hasan-a-terrorist-11619389/

Excerpt: Victims of Nidal Hasan's rampage at Ft. Hood are praising Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) and two central Texas Republican Congressmen, John Carter and Roger Williams, for introducing the 'Honoring the Ft. Hood Heroes Act' which would declare that those who were shot in November of 2009 were 'casualties of war in the face of an armed enemy,' and were not victims of 'workplace violence' as the Pentagon has claimed, 1200 WOAI news reports.

The Death Of Freddie and Fannie

http://justcommonsense-lostinamerica.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-death-of-freddie-and-fannie.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FMoXTa+%28Lost+in+America%29

Excerpt: Well, we're learning this week that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be breathing their last in the next year or so. Debt ridden, dazed, and without direction, Fannie and Freddie shows what can happen when big government is allowed to step in and corrupt something.

Lessons From the Anti-Petraeus. By Kelley Vlahos

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/lessons-from-the-anti-petraeus/

Excerpt: Gentile was a scrappy contrarian presence on the then-sizzling military blogosphere and a bugle of reason in a virtual hothouse of sycophancy. He risked daily rebuke from a phalanx of military academics and pundits who cast objectivity aside to support Petraeus’s narrative of success: that local populations could be protected and “won over” in support of the Iraqi government to win the war.

IRS No. 2 Set to Retire. By Eliana Johnson

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/357456/irs-no-2-set-retire-eliana-johnson

Excerpt: Tucker, the Deputy Commissioner of Operations Support, is a 29-year IRS veteran and in her current position reports directly to the agency’s commissioner. She came under fire for her failure to act when she learned that the IRS had awarded hundreds of millions or dollars in contracts, fraudulently, to the information technology provider Strong Castle, Inc.

Gunmen kill 16 members of Shi'ite family in Iraq

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/04/us-iraq-violence-idUSBRE9820SB20130904

Hope the neighbors don’t become Islamophobia—that would be a tragedy. ~Bob

Tamarod Targets Hamas Rule in Gaza. By Paul Alster

http://www.investigativeproject.org/4149/tamarod-targets-hamas-rule-in-gaza

Excerpt: While the world's media rightly focuses on high-profile crises in Syria and Egypt, another potential hotspot is bubbling up somewhat under the radar: the rising opposition to the Hamas regime in Gaza.

Where’s The Climate Warming? Nowhere To Be Found In Germany. By Josef Kowatsch

http://notrickszone.com/2013/09/04/nowhere-do-data-from-germanys-weather-service-show-warming-taking-place-over-last-20-years/

Excerpt: The following chart shows Germany’s August temperatures for the last 20 years using the data from Germany’s Deutsche Wetterdienst (DWD) in Offenbach. Nowhere is a steady warming trend to be found.

Obama's Affordable Care Act Looking a Bit Unaffordable: Independent National Journal analysis finds premiums higher under Obamacare as employers weigh dropping coverage.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/domesticpolicy/obama-s-affordable-care-act-looking-a-bit-unaffordable-20130829?mrefid=mostViewed

Excerpt: Republicans have long blamed President Obama's signature health care initiative for increasing insurance costs, dubbing it the "Unaffordable Care Act." Turns out, they might be right.

Obama Says He’d be Considered ‘Maybe Center-Right’ in Parts Of Europe. By Fred Lucas

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/09/04/obama-says-hed-be-considered-maybe-center-right-in-parts-of-europe/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=story&utm_campaign=Share%20Buttons#

Excerpt: President Barack Obama said he’d be considered a moderate – possibly even center-right — in Europe, even if that’s not the case in his own country. (Which is why Europe is ahead of us swirling around the drain. ~Bob.)

Health Care Premiums to Increase Up to 125% in Wisconsin Due to Obamacare

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/report-health-care-premiums-increase-125-wisconsin-due-obamacare_752709.html

Tweet from Ken Gardner ‏@kesgardner

Wisconsin, which voted for Obama twice, will see their insurance premiums rise 125% because of Obamacare. Thanks, Wisconsin!

What Will Obamacare Cost You? A New Interactive Map. By Avik Roy

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/357570/what-will-obamacare-cost-you-new-interactive-map-avik-roy

Excerpt: Given the importance of understanding how Obamacare impacts the cost of health insurance — especially for the people who struggle to afford it today — I and two Manhattan Institute colleagues, Yevgeniy Feyman and Paul Howard, have produced an interactive map where you can look up information on Obamacare premiums and subsidies on a state-by-state basis.

Obama's Economy Hits His Voters Hardest: Young people, single women and minorities have fared the worst during the past four years. By Stephen Moore

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323324904579042830303535934.html?mod=trending_now_1

For better or worse, a truism of American politics is that voters vote their pocketbooks. Yet according to a new report on median household incomes by Sentier Research, in 2012 millions of American voters apparently cast ballots contrary to their economic self-interest. (They wer just too dumb to know. ~Bob.)

Fracking Boom Seen Raising Household Incomes by $1,200

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-09-04/fracking-boom-seen-raising-u-dot-s-dot-incomes-by-1-200-per-household

Excerpt: Surging oil and natural gas production brought on by hydraulic fracturing is lifting the U.S. economy by lowering energy costs for consumers and manufacturers, according an industry-funded report.

Tweet from Cory BookerVerified account‏@CoryBooker

Shootings in Nwk are not caused by law abiding gun owners but by criminals with illegal guns.

RNC Video: “Obamacare Costs: Colorado”

http://obamacosts.gop.com/video/rnc-video-obamacare-costs-colorado/

How climate change could prevent another Hurricane Sandy

http://theweek.com/article/index/249054/how-climate-change-could-prevent-another-hurricane-sandy

Excerpt: A new study, however, suggests that rising temperatures might shield people on the East Coastfrom another rare, west-bound superstorm like last fall's Hurricane Sandy, by causing a shift in atmospheric conditions that would push a similarly massive system out to sea.

Who Really Has the Most Fake Twitter Followers?

http://gizmodo.com/5994621/which-celebrities-have-the-most-fake-twitter-followers

I’m shocked that Obama’s only third. ~Bob

Tweet from Secular African ‏@SecularAfrican

In the entire history of mankind, when has a Muslim country ever sought to manumit abducted infidel slaves?

Valhalla for the Inarticulate. By Taki

http://takimag.com/article/valhalla_for_the_inarticulate_taki/print#ixzz2dxPJgrqO

Excerpt: The Oxford philosopher John Gray, a man I used to get drunk with until he gave up the sauce, insists that the pursuit of distraction has now been embraced as the meaning of life. Gray knows what he’s talking about. In his latest book, The Silence of Animals, he portrays man as a desperate creature who twists and turns to avoid acknowledging that he, too, is an animal. 

Black Homeownership Hits 18 Year Low

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/09/04/Black-homeownership-hits-18-year-low

Thank you Barack Obama, Fannie, Freddie and 50 years of Progressive interference in markets. ~Bob.

Chicago Police: If You Carry a Gun, We're Trained to Shoot You
http://lastresistance.com/3142/chicago-police-carry-gun-trained-shoot/#GF8WI2qRQ54ht2vL.99

Off duty & retired cops in civilian clothes carry guns. Do they shoot them?

The Blasphemy Police. By Mark Steyn

http://www.steynonline.com/5749/the-blasphemy-police

Excerpt: You can coast for a while on the accumulated inheritance of a pre-Muslim past — as, indeed, much of the Dar al-Islam did in those Middle Ages Dawkins so admires — but it's not unreasonable to posit that the more Muslim a society becomes the smaller a role Nobel prizes and translated books will play in its future. According to a new report from the Office of National Statistics, "Mohammed," in its various spellings, is now the second most popular baby boy's name in England and Wales, and Number One in the capital. It seems likely that an ever more Islamic London will, for a while, still have a West End theater scene for tourists, but it will have ever less need not just for Oscar Wilde and Noël Coward and eventually Shakespeare but for drama of any kind.

The Joy of American Unexceptionalism. By Steve Sailor
http://takimag.com/article/the_joy_of_american_unexceptionalism_steve_sailer/print#ixzz2dxRMWmnq

Excerpt: In response, Murray notes that his survey of the first century of US history demonstrates: "American exceptionalism is a concept that was shared by observers throughout the Western world, not just Americans.…[It] is a fact of America’s past, not something you can choose to “believe in” any more than you can choose to “believe in” the battle of Gettysburg."

Clearing Croatia of Commies. By Frano Budimlic

http://takimag.com/article/clearing_croatia_of_commies_frano_budimlic/print#ixzz2dxSeVh3p

Excerpt: The 1990s saw the violent dissolution of communist Yugoslavia, but they did not see the defeat of the communist ruling class that thrives in the small nation of Croatia to this day. While Syria awaits its obliteration and Miley Cyrus captivates the minds of countless Americans, the newest EU member, Croatia, finds itself in a historic struggle with Aunt Angela Merkel—now dubbed by Croatian dissidents and patriots as the heroine of our time.

Syria

Senate panel approves resolution authorizing Syria strike

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/officials-press-lawmakers-to-approve-syria-strike-obama-invokes-congresss-credibility/2013/09/04/4c93a858-155c-11e3-804b-d3a1a3a18f2c_story.html?hpid=z1

Excerpt: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a resolution authorizing U.S. military force in Syria Wednesday. The committee voted 10-7, with one senator, Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), voting present.

Tweet from Charles C. W. Cooke ‏@charlescwcooke

Ed Markey can rail for almost two decades about the federal regulation of rollercoasters, but he can't vote on a question of war.

Tweet from Guy Benson ‏@guypbenson

Markey votes "present" as homage to Obama's State Senate career & Syria policy.

Senate-crafted Syria resolution riddled with loopholes for Obama

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/4/senate-crafted-syria-resolution-riddled-loopholes-/

Excerpt: Senators on Wednesday tried to write a tight resolution authorizing President Obama to strike Syria under very specific circumstances, but analysts and lawmakers said the language still has plenty of holes the White House could use to expand military action well beyond what Congress appears to intend.

Resolution. By Rich Galen

http://townhall.com/columnists/richgalen/2013/09/04/resolution-n1691039

Excerpt: Now, the Congressional nose-counting begins: Who's for the resolution to attack Syria, who's against, who's undecided, and who is calling their chief of staff asking, "What's all this about Syria? Where the hell is Syria? Those are mostly U.S. Senators.

Serious About Syria? By Thomas Sowell 

http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2013/09/04/serious-about-syria-n1690261?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl

Excerpt: When the President of the United States issues an ultimatum to another sovereign nation, he should know in advance what he is going to do if that ultimatum is rejected.

But that is not the way Barack Obama operates. Like so many people who are masters of lofty words, he does not pay nearly as much attention to mundane realities. (The attack will be “just robust enough not to be mocked” as one Obot said. ~Bob)

The Road to Damascus. By Daniel Greenfield

http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-road-to-damascus.html

Excerpt: Imagine the Crips and the Bloods, armed to the teeth by every country from Mexico to China, fighting over the ruins of California cities, and you get some idea of the glorious Syrian civil war being fought by the Brave Syrian People, most of whom at this point are about as Syrian as the Palestinians are from Palestine, in a conflict that will determine once and for all who will be ethnically cleansing whom next year. The Syrian rebels are Sunni. The Syrian regime is Alawite, which is close enough to Shiite for government work. This isn't some heroic battle between the people and the dictator; it's a religious war. 

Flashback: It's Time to Talk to Syria. By John Kerry and Chuck Hagel

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121262346490946859.html

If you hit a paywall, Goofgle the title. ~Bob. Excerpt: The recent announcement of peace negotiations between Israel and Syria through Turkey, and the agreement between the Lebanese factions in Qatar – both apparently without meaningful U.S. involvement – should serve as a wake-up call that our policy of nonengagement has isolated us more than the Syrians. These developments also help create new opportunities and increased leverage that we can only exploit through substantive dialogue with Syria. (Now Kerry is going to send the troops to sand like Genghis Khan. ~Bob)

Pictures emerge showing US Secretary John Kerry and President Assad dining in Syria together

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/pictures-emerge-showing-us-secretary-john-kerry-and-president-assad-dining-in-syria-together-8796846.html

Excerpt: Mr Kerry was visiting the region when he was Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He met with Mr Assad at least six times, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Pelosi, The Democrats And Assad: The Enemy Within

http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2013/09/pelosi-the-democrats-and-assad-the-enemy-within-.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Good pic of her with her pal assad. ~Bob

No One Understands Syria, But Everyone Is Choosing Sides. By Michael Moynihan

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/04/no-one-understands-syria-but-everyone-is-choosing-sides.html

Excerpt: This current conflict better resembles the Spanish Civil War: the great powers arming and manipulating a bloody internal conflict; the celebrity and pundit classes—now with the added earnestness of high school friends ruminating on social media—taking sides, regardless of how ill-equipped they are to offer informed judgment. With fresh memories of Iraq, we’re all being deeply skeptical while staking our territory, but our arguments are often as confused, naive, misinformed, and conspiratorial as they were in 2003. (Not me—a pox on both their houses. ~Bob.)

From Jim Geraghty, Morning Jolt

http://www.nationalreview.com/newsletters

Yesterday Senator Ron Johnson (R., Wis.), asked a devastating question: "You say this is the world's red line, not ours, and I agree. So how many partners will we have with us?"

Matthews: Dems Must Support War to 'Save President's Hide'

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2013/09/04/Matthews-Democrats-Must-Support-War-to-Save-Presidents-Hide

Excerpt: “I think the Democrats are going to be forced to sacrifice men and women who really, really don’t want to vote for this. They’re going to have to vote for it to save the president’s hide. That’s a bad position to put your party in.” (Good reason to bomb the snot out of people. I bet the Syrians have bodies of dead kids already stored to claim they were killed by us, which the Muslim world will believe. ~Bob.)

McCain opposes Syria strike resolution

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/09/04/mccain-opposes-syria-strike-resolution/

Excerpt: Sen. John McCain, President Obama's biggest cheerleader on Capitol Hill for a strike in Syria, said Wednesday that he would not support a Senate panel's draft resolution authorizing the use of force. (But he voted yes. ~Bob.)

On Syria, Obama faces a skeptical public

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/on-syria-obama-faces-a-skeptical-public/2013/09/03/609f874c-14b0-11e3-a100-66fa8fd9a50c_story.html?wpisrc=nl_politics

Excerpt: President Obama has turned the question of whether to strike Syria into an extraordinary national sales job — seeking to convince skeptics in Congress and among the public that military action would be worth the risk. It does not seem to be selling well. That’s the takeaway from the most recent national polling and the response from voters nationwide. (If he told them he wanted to bomb Obamacare, there would be a surge of support. ~Bob.)

Tweet from Dan McLaughlin ‏@baseballcrank  

How about we just mandate the Syrians buy health insurance?

Assessing the Facts on the Ground in Syria

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2013/09/03/assessing-the-facts-on-the-ground-in-syria/

Excerpt: I will admit it’s unclear to me–and I suspect fairly unclear to almost everyone else–what would happen if Assad left the scene. Which makes knowing what to do, and what to counsel, difficult.

Who Made the Sarin Used in Syria?

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=who-made-the-sarin&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciam%2Fchemistry+%28Topic%3A+Chemistry%29

Two articles on the use of Gas in WWI

http://www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/gas.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_weapons_in_World_War_I

Some background. ~Bob

No Syrian War to Save Obama's Face! By Patrick J. Buchanan

http://buchanan.org/blog/syrian-war-save-obamas-face-5842

Excerpt: Are we really, as a nation, required to go to war to make good the simple-minded statements of an untutored president who had no constitutional authority to issue his impulsive ultimata? Are we really required to go to war to get the egg off Obama's face? (“We regret to inform you that your daughter’s F-16 was shot down and she burned to death, but her sacrifice will not only help women’s equality, but preserve the President’s credibility. Her death was a small price to pay for that, we are sure you’ll agree.” If we are bombing Syria to save Obama’s credibility, shouldn’t we have bombed Benghazi, Mexico and the IRS as well? ~Bob)

The Syria Confidence Trick. By Daniel Greenfield 

http://frontpagemag.com/2013/dgreenfield/the-syria-confidence-trick/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2ee4938cff-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag&utm_term=0_57e32c1dad-2ee4938cff-156414477

Excerpt: There isn’t much enthusiasm for Obama’s plan for Syria and even the experts have trouble explaining why the attacks will do any good. The debate has congealed down to credibility. The only real argument in favor of hitting Syria is that Obama laid down a red line and Congress is obligated to protect his credibility when making poorly thought out threats for the sake of national security. (The United States has not had any credibility since the Democrat Congress abrogated our pledge to stand by South Vietnam, cutting off supplies that led inevitability to the reeducation camps, the Boat People and the Communist genocide in Cambodia. ~Bob.)

On Syria: Not At This Time. By Erick Erickson 

http://www.redstate.com/2013/09/03/on-syria-not-at-this-time/

Excerpt: For two years, President George W. Bush made a public case for an invasion of Iraq. He built public support, international support, and congressional support. His administration documented CIA intelligence on weapons of mass destruction, Saddam Hussein’s personal cheerleading over 9/11, the dictator attempting to assassinate President George H. W. Bush after the President had left office, Al Qaeda’s use of Iraq as a training ground for further attacks on our interests, and then he explained how this all merged into a real and tangible threat to our national security interests. … If what George W. Bush did was a rush to war with a nonexistent coalition, what the hell is this effort to bomb Syria?

CIA Analyst Michael Scheuer Exposes Syrian War Lobbyists

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzDFqVdd80c

Excerpt: American and Russian warships are both in the region. Each nation is supporting opposing sides in the conflict. Russia's last foreign military base outside the former Soviet Union is located in Syria. Hezbollah and Iran are both threatening to attack Israel if the U.S. takes military action against Assad's government in Damascus. 

Allen West to Obama, ‘Don’t Lecture Us About Obligation After Benghazi
http://clashdaily.com/2013/09/can-whoop-ass-allen-west-obama-dont-lecture-us-obligation-benghazi/

Excerpt: “He is afraid to make a decision so is now setting up Congress for the blame,” he continued. “We should not commit our Military because Obama said something stupid and especially since he does not have a strategic or operational objective.

Obama has only himself to blame for Britain’s Syria snub. By Adam Shaw
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/08/30/obama-has-only-himself-to-blame-for-britains-syria-snub/?intcmp=obnetwork

Excerpt: Obama's occasional photo ops with Cameron mask a horrifying truth underneath, that President Obama has obliterated the Anglo-American alliance since he took office, and is arguably one of the most anti-British Presidents of all time.

The fix is in. By Steve Deace

http://stevedeace.com/news/national-politics/bffs/

Excerpt: You know this is all for show, right? Let’s face it, the fix is in. This isn’t our first rodeo. We’re not falling for the banana in our tailpipe again. Oh, sure, a lot of Republicans will talk a good game about holding Obama’s feet to the fire on military intervention in Syria. They’ll pretend to listen to you, and act like they don’t trust Obama, either. 

Tweet from Infidel Justice ‏@InfidelJustice

.@JohnKerry What's the difference between 100k killed by Assad of the Millions killed by the North Vietnamese? #LiberalHypocrite

Kerry and the bloodied hands

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics-live/liveblog/the-houses-syria-hearing-live-updates/?id=845263ec-574e-4e6a-8782-19ce191f6c34

Excerpt: Code Pink, the anti-war group who interrupted Tuesday’s Senate Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, has adopted a new tactic today. (Tweet from Kathleen McKinley ‏@KatMcKinley. Dear WaPo, this is not "a new tactic." How easily you forget the attack on Condi Rice.

Tweet from Matthew Dowd ‏@matthewjdowd

If bombing targets in another country isn't a war, then explain to me what Japan did at Pearl Harbor?

Tweet from Charlene Welch @charlene_welch

Best question of the day from Rep. Salmon; who r the 34 country's supporting this? Kerry: uh, I don't have the list with me!

Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert hit Obama administration on military action in Syria

http://redalertpolitics.com/2013/09/04/jon-stewart-stephen-colbert-hit-obama-administration-on-military-action-in-syria/

Racists! ~Bob

Tweet from The Daily Caller ‏@DailyCaller

Krauthammer on Syria strike: ‘If you want to send a message, you call the Western Union.’

Al-Qaeda Linked Syrian Rebels Attack Christian Village

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/09/04/Syria-rebels-attack-regime-held-Christian-village

Tweet from Senator Rand Paul ‏@SenRandPaul: This is the side the American people are being asked to join in the Syrian civil war.

Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for September 21, 2012

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.

Americans

http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2012/09/americans.html

Great graphic. The idea came from the novel, below. ~Bob.

Book Recommendation: Countdown: H Hour By Tom Kratman

http://www.amazon.com/Countdown-H-Hour-3/dp/1451637934/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348156772&sr=1-1&keywords=kratman

Since I usually recommend non-fiction history, political and economic books, I was going to skip reviewing this novel. First, I’m a little annoyed with Kratman, in that he doesn’t seem to be able to write these things as fast as I can read them. He was an officer, after all, and I expect a little more attention to my edification. Second, I reviewed the first two books in this series, so I’m running out of superlatives. If you read both of those, chances are you will read this one without my recommendation. And while it can stand alone, I recommend you read the series in order. But Kratman does such an entertaining job of describing realistic military violence, and has such a frightening, reality-based world view of how civilization is collapsing as we watch, that I had to put in another plug. In his “Afterword” (which covers ground he talked about in his science fiction novels, but should be read by every American) he says he is asked if he expects things will really get as bad as depicted in these action novels of the near future. His response is that he expects things to get much worse—that the books only depict the early stages of what is happening to our world. I wish I didn’t think he was right. As with his other novels, there are some running gags, one-liners and historical and literary quotes that make the book an especially great value.

Tom Kratman’s Thanksgiving Prayer in 2004

http://justbarkingmad.com/?p=65

Satire. Needs updating. ~Bob.

Worth Reading: The Obama Presidency - Merit of and Case for Reelection. By Andy Weddington

http://acoloneloftruth.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-obama-presidency-merit-of-and-case.html

You can get the gist by reading the short Executive Summary. Bob

Worth Reading: The Fallacy of Redistribution. By Thomas Sowell 

http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2012/09/20/the_fallacy_of_redistribution

Excerpt: Those who talk glibly about redistribution often act as if people are just inert objects that can be placed here and there, like pieces on a chess board, to carry out some grand design. But if human beings have their own responses to government policies, then we cannot blithely assume that government policies will have the effect intended.

The history of the 20th century is full of examples of countries that set out to redistribute wealth and ended up redistributing poverty. 

Obama’s Appeasement: The White House goes wobbly on free speech, paving the way for censorship resolutions at the U.N. By Brett D. Schaefer & Steven Groves

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/327796/obama-s-appeasement-brett-d-schaefer

Excerpt: But the administration’s reaction to these events is troubling as well. Its strong condemnation of a video it claims incited the violence, its attempt to censor the video, and its weak defense of freedom of speech — all these actions damage America’s standing as a defender of free speech at home and abroad.

The Economic Situation

http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=22379&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DPD

Excerpt: The nation's economic situation continues to fail in some areas and deliver in others. Depending on the observer, the economy may be right where it needs to be or the pace of growth has been abysmal. In any case, the economy in 2012 is what can be considered a mixed-bag economy, says Bruce Yandle, a distinguished adjunct professor of economics at the Capitol Hill Campus program at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Overall, the economic outlook is bleak -- the United States and many developed nations are not at pace with where they need to be.

Majority in U.S. Still Say Government Doing Too Much: But fewer Americans now say government has too much power

http://www.gallup.com/poll/157481/majority-say-government-doing.aspx

Excerpt: A majority of Americans (54%) continue to believe the government is trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses, although that is down from the record high of 61% earlier this summer. About four in 10 Americans (39%) say the government should do more to solve the nation's problems. (So why isn’t Romney at 54%? ~Bob.)

64% Think Too Many Americans Dependent on Government Financial Aid

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/september_2012/64_think_too_many_americans_dependent_on_government_financial_aid

Excerpt: Americans strongly believe that there is too much government dependency in the country today. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 64% of Adults think there are too many Americans dependent on the government for financial aid. Just 10% think not enough Americans are dependent on the government, while 16% say the level of dependency is about right. (So why isn’t Romney at 64%? ~Bob.)

Government Employees Work Less than Private-Sector Employees

http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=22381&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DPD

Excerpt: Researchers have found using the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) that the average government employee works less than private sector employees do. The "underworked" government employee should be of concern to taxpayers who expect private-sector levels of work in the public sector in exchange for private-sector levels of compensation, says Jason Richwine, a senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation. (I’m sure you are surprised by this! ~Bob.)

Report: Jihadist Who Led Benghazi Attack Was Former Gitmo Detainee, Released by US in 2007.
http://weaselzippers.us/2012/09/19/report-jihadist-who-led-benghazi-attack-was-a-former-gitmo-detainee-released-by-u-s-in-2007/
Excerpt: According to his Gitmo files, he was also tied to 9/11 financiers, and his alias is “found on a list of probable Al Qaeda personnel receiving monthly stipends and family support.”

The Graveyard of Neo-Conservatism. By Daniel Greenfield
http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-graveyard-of-neo-conservatism.html
Excerpt: Democracy only works when the character of the people is better than the character of their government. It works very badly when the character of the people is actually worse and the existing system serves much the same purpose as bars in a tiger cage do. The neo-conservatives were unprepared to grapple with such troubling notions.

Who's Sabotaging Iran's Nuclear Program? By Eli Lake

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/09/19/who-s-sabotaging-iran-s-nuclear-program.html

Excerpt: The chief of Iran’s nuclear program says the power lines to his nuclear facilities were sabotaged. U.S. Special Forces have trained for operations inside Iran for years. Do these latest disclosures suggest they are already on the ground? (I think it was Israel, but I hope it was us. ~Bob.)

The Trouble With Printing Money – QE3 Reflects A Colossal Failure To Address Our Predicament. By Chris Martenson

http://beforeitsnews.com/economy/2012/09/the-trouble-with-printing-money-qe3-reflects-a-colossal-failure-to-address-our-predicament-2452198.html

Excerpt: It is against the larger backdrop of borrowing and spending well beyond our means that we need to interpret this most recent effort by the Fed to print our way back to prosperity. One way to look at the $40 billion per month in new printing is to compare it to individuals and households. Remember, money only comes into your life through effort, and that’s why it has value and can function as a store of value

Draghi and Bernanke’s Worst Nightmares Are About to Unfold

http://beforeitsnews.com/financial-markets/2012/09/draghi-and-bernankes-worst-nightmares-are-about-to-unfold-2455438.html

Excerpt: Ben Bernanke and Mario Draghi must be absolutely terrified. These two men, in the last two weeks, have both initiated open-ended bond buying programs. The purpose of these programs, aside from keeping insolvent banks in business, was to scare the markets into believing that no matter what happens, the Central Banks will be able to step in and support the financial system.

Obamacare Summed Up in One Sentence

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature=related&v=vdnY8r7_fLw&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DvdnY8r7_fLw%26feature%3Drelated

Worth a minute. The truth hurts us all. --Chris

Pro-choice supporters plan to re-elect Obama on abortion. Carioline May 
http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/19/pro-choice-group-unveils-detailed-plan-to-sway-obama-defectors-back-to-obama/
Excerpt: Their goal: To win over pro-choice female voters who voted for Obama in 2008 but are not planning to vote for him, do not plan to turn out, or are only weakly supporting him in 2012. “If you’ve heard me say it, you’ve heard a thousand other pundits say it over this last year that women are going to make the difference in this election and so the candidate that can persuade and turn out women voters will be the candidate we will call Mr. President,” said NARAL president Nancy Keenan, who added that given the candidates’ stances on reproductive rights, the choice for NARAL and pro-choice women is clearly Obama.

FUNNY PHOTOS: Obama Team Launches #ForAll Hashtag with Creepy Jim Messina Pic; Conservatives HIJACK it! 
http://www.soopermexican.com/2012/09/19/obama-team-launches-forall-hashtag/
Excerpt: Twitchy collected some of the hilarious reactions to this hashtag failure by the Obama team.

Look in Your Mirror. By Thomas L. Friedman

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/opinion/friedman-look-in-your-mirror.html?_r=0

Excerpt: I read several such comments from the rioters in the press last week, and I have a big problem with them. I don’t like to see anyone’s faith insulted, but we need to make two things very clear — more clear than President Obama’s team has made them. One is that an insult — even one as stupid and ugly as the anti-Islam video on YouTube that started all of this — does not entitle people to go out and attack embassies and kill innocent diplomats. (This is a bit repetitive, coming after my comments on how things are different in the Islamic world, but the NY Times columnist is pretty good at his work, and has done a nice job here. What he's pointing out is that much of Islamic society is permeated with extremely strong emotions such as the deep devotion to Mohammed but also a lot of virulent hatred against assorted "others". The hatred can be against infidel foreigners, or non-Muslim neighbors, or other Muslims who see the religion even a bit differently. The culture does not have the kind of basis that Judao-Christian cultures do, for instance business is often seen as a zero sum game, so that your ideal of a good business deal is not that you and the other guy both make money and both are happy; instead, the great business deal is where you take the other guy to the cleaners, and the worse off you leave him, the happier you are. It's one of those situations where you and the Muslim can have a conversation, and both leave thinking they understand what went on, but because the words and ideas really register differently in the minds of each, they actually misunderstand each other badly. Actually, not all the difference is just about Islam, the combination of Islam and Arab culture is a kind of major interaction that winds up with a particularly strong mindset. Non-Arabic Muslims hardly ever practice female "circumcision," nor do they have honor killings as rule. And sad to say, some Arab Christians are as good at hating others as any Arab Muslim. I am sorry to say it, but the chances of really reaching a friendly accommodation with fundamentalist Muslims are slim to none. Their world is so very, very different from a Western, Judao-Christian culture that there's just no common ground worth mentioning. Like the Jewish prisoner and the SS guard, they are too far apart for any kind of mutually satisfying relationship. That does not mean all Muslims, obviously. There is no doubt that plenty of moderate or even secular Muslims exist, who would be perfectly happy to coexist with Westerners, non-Muslims, or just about anybody else. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like many of those in power in the Islamic world belong to that group. And very sad to say, if one of those moderates says or does the wrong thing at the wrong time, they can end up in a bad situation very quickly. We can only hope to find ways to get along, and that in time Islamic societies will retreat from fundamentalism again, as they did in the early part of the 20th century. --Del)

What Romney Might Have Said

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444450004578004421263428686.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h

Excerpt: Mitt Romney has been taking a beating for his remarks, taped at a May fundraiser, that 47% of Americans would automatically vote for President Obama because they are "dependent" on government. We could pile on, but instead we can report that we've been leaked pages of draft remarks that Mr. Romney might have delivered on the same subject but curiously didn't.

Republicans, Democrats parade Jewish supporters

http://www.jpost.com/USPresidentialrace/Article.aspx?id=285603

Excerpt: The Republican Jewish Coalition took their ad about disenchanted Democratic Jews from the computer screen to the small screen Wednesday, as the spot began airing in heavily Jewish communities in key swing states. The ad buy is part of the $5 million media effort the RJC is undertaking to make inroads with Jewish voters in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada.

Obama Doesn't Just Gut Welfare Reform, He Turns It Upside Down

http://blog.heritage.org/2012/09/20/morning-bell-obama-doesnt-just-gut-welfare-reform-he-turns-it-upside-down/?roi=echo3-13174403172-9745969-4d9ea8252f06559fd96a6af3f6c2943e&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell

Excerpt: The controversy over the Obama Administration’s gutting of welfare reform continues to grow. Two new government reports show the move’s illegality and effects on taxpayers. And the House of Representatives is set to vote today to approve or disapprove Health and Human Services’ (HHS) rewriting of the 1996 law. Yesterday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a new report saying that in the years since the Clinton-era reform added work requirements to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, five states inquired about waivers of TANF requirements. The report confirms that since welfare reform was enacted, HHS has never before suggested that it had any authority to waive the work requirements. Waiver requests were turned down, in fact.

8,786,049: Yet Another Record for Americans Collecting Disability
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/8786049-yet-another-record-americans-collecting-disability

Excerpt: In August 1967, 74,767,000 Americans were working (according to the Bureau) and 1,152,861 were taking federal disability insurance (according to the Social Security Administration). That means that at that time there were about 65 Americans working for each worker collecting disability. In August 2012, 142,101,000 Americans were working and 8,767,941 were on disability--meaning there were only 16.2 people working for each person collecting disability. (Phony claims will destroy the system for those who really need it. With pulmonary fibrosis and on oxygen, I automatically qualify I’m told. But I can still work full time and am doing so. ~Bob.)

Eric Holder's exoneration by Fast and Furious report strains credibility: Can we believe that information on the disastrous gun-trafficking operation repeatedly reached the AG's office but not the AG? By Jim Geraghty

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/19/eric-holder-exoneration-fastandfurious-report

Excerpt: The initial headlines shouted that the IG report had exonerated Holder. That's one interpretation. But the portrait the report paints of Holder's management is deeply disturbing. Time and again, information and warnings about the operation's enormous risks flow from Arizona to Washington … and suddenly, mysteriously, stop just short of Holder.

Quayle on Fast and Furious report: Holder ‘lied to my face’ during House testimony. By Matthew Boyle

http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/19/quayle-on-fast-and-furious-report-holder-lied-to-my-face-during-house-testimony/#ixzz26zb3QhKR

Excerpt: Arizona Republican Rep. Ben Quayle told The Daily Caller that Attorney General Eric Holder gave him false testimony under oath about Operation Fast and Furious wiretap application documents during a June 7 House Judiciary Committee hearing. Quayle said the Department of Justice’s inspector general report proves that Holder lied to him while under oath during the hearing.

Key Holder deputy resigns as inspector general releases Fast and Furious report. By Matthew Boyle

http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/19/key-holder-deputy-resigns-as-inspector-general-releases-fast-and-furious-report/#ixzz26zhL4Drr

Excerpt: The Department of Justice’s inspector general released its internal investigation into Operation Fast and Furious on Wednesday afternoon, and senior DOJ official Jason Weinstein resigned as it was released…. “Although the report does not find that DOJ intentionally misled Congress, it does find that the Department could have done a better job responding to requests for information, particularly after determining that the weapons found at the scene at Agent Terry’s murder were linked to the operation. I hope this report provides the Terry family with much-needed answers and that Congress can now turn the page and focus on reforms to help ensure that this never happens again.” (Holder maintains his “innocence.” –Barb) 

Riots, Denials And Black Mobs In Flint: Violent Event Dubbed 'Tremendous Success.' By Colin Flaherty

http://www.wnd.com/2012/09/riots-denials-and-black-mobs-in-flint/

Excerpt: Videos show hundreds of black people fighting, destroying property, disregarding police orders and creating mayhem – one with his pants falling down as he chased another person down the street. … Colin Flaherty is an award-winning reporter and author of "White Girl Bleed a Lot: The return of racial violence to America and how the media ignore it."

‘Not Believing’ Doesn’t Make It ‘Not True.’ By Mychal Massie

http://mychal-massie.com/premium/not-believing-doesnt-make-it-not-true/

Excerpt: I know what I have to say will be difficult for Obama sycophants who are unable to sit down without hurting their necks because of where they have stored their heads. Specific to that point, the depth of their intellectual dishonesty and their willingness to dismiss fact in the face of fiction is emblematic of the dissonance that disaffects them.

Is It Time for ‘Make Your Own Mohammed Movie Month’? By Daniel Greenfield 

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/daniel-greenfield/is-it-time-for-%E2%80%98make-your-own-mohammed-movie-month/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=991c3437f0-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag

Excerpt: The man behind the Mohammed movie has been threatened with prison and has become the subject of a media witch-hunt whose sole purpose appears to be disclosing his personal information to his killers. The private and public arms of the Obama administration, its Department of Justice and its media spin corps, are acting to intimidate and punish anyone who dares offend the international Islamist theocracy. (I’m surprised some “artist” hasn’t sought funding from the NEA for “Piss Mohammad.” They funded “Piss Christ” with your tax dollars and I recall condemnation, but not violence. ~Bob.)

OPEC sued for economic terrorism. By Bob Unruh

http://www.elreporterosf.com/editions/?q=node/6629

Excerpt: Klayman alleges leaders of both major U.S. political parties “line their pockets from big oil interests and are just sitting back and not doing anything.” He also noted the federal government is not allowing the U.S. to increase its own oil production, and Barack Obama’s policies have discouraged oil discovery and drilling. “This has led to more speculation on oil prices, causing them to rise. (If Iran closes the Gulf, OPEC shuts down, what happens in the US, since the “accident” in the Gulf with BP and the dictated shut down of much of US production (in contempt of court orders) and denial of Canadian pipeline. Regulations from EPA put several more coal and gas companies out of business, more workers fired…. Anyone thinking ahead? This is leading forward to……Barb)

Obama’s Benghazi claim undermined by intel agencies. By Neil Munro

http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/19/obamas-benghazi-claim-undermined-by-intel-agencies/#ixzz26zbmXZzg

Excerpt: The administration’s response to the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi fractured on Wednesday. During a morning hearing on Capitol Hill, Matt Olsen, the director of the multi-agency National Counterterrorism Center, said the ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were killed by a jihadi group.…..“We are looking at indications that individuals involved in the attack may have had connections to al-Qaida or al-Qaida’s affiliates; in particular, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb,” said Olson, according to a report in Foreign Policy magazine.

Resignation calls fly at Justice Dept. spokeswoman over Media Matters collaboration. By Matthew Boyle

http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/20/resignation-calls-fly-at-justice-dept-spokeswoman-over-media-matters-collaboration/#ixzz26zccmzjw

Excerpt: Several targets of a collaborative relationship between Justice Department Office of Public Affairs director Tracy Schmaler and the liberal message group Media Matters for America told The Daily Caller that Schmaler’s conduct is grounds for her resignation, or for the termination of her employment. And members of Congress have told TheDC that Media Matters’ enviable tax-exempt status may be in jeopardy as a result of that collusion.

Mark Levin: Obama wins this election, it’s ‘probably’ the point of no return (Video)

http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/19/mark-levin-obama-wins-this-election-its-probably-the-point-of-no-return/#ixzz26zefhBEC

Excerpt: “But I look at it this way — if we all step back, this really isn’t an election between two men,” he said. “This is an election between two ideas. One is the American dream and one is a massive welfare stare — a welfare state that is expanding and collapsing at the same time.” Hannity asked Levin if the point of no return has come if Obama wins in November, to which Levin said it probably is since every other branch of government isn’t living up to its implied duties. (Unfortunately, I agree. Romney may only delay the collapse, but that is worth doing. ~Bob.)

GOP group dismisses study saying voter fraud cases ‘infinitesimal.’ By Zachary Snider

http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/19/gop-group-dismisses-study-saying-voter-fraud-cases-infinitesimal/#ixzz26zdZhxNP

David Norcross, chairman of the Republican National Lawyers Association, criticized the results of the study in a recent press release. The organization listed several problems with the study, including a slanted and narrow definition of voter fraud as simply “voter impersonation.”“News21′s articles are biased and error-ridden,” said Norcross. “They analyzed data they admit was incomplete in a results-driven manner borrowed from radical liberal activists who have a record of distorting statistics.”

Mich. secretary of state: 4,000 non-citizens are on public election rolls. By Jennifer White
http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/20/mich-secretary-of-state-4000-non-citizens-are-on-public-election-rolls/#ixzz26zfUP5o5

Excerpt: Michigan Republican Secretary of State Ruth Johnson said Tuesday that an estimated 4,000 non-citizens are registered to vote in her state. Her announcement came a day after voting rights advocates and labor unions sued her in federal court Monday over the question of whether she can legally require voters to affirm their U.S. citizenship at their polling places….Johnson’s revelation Tuesday, however, demonstrated that thousands have been deemed eligible to vote despite being citizens of other countries. (Gee, early voting starting already…Barb)

Joel Pollak on being targeted by DOJ, Media Matters: ‘Holder should resign over this alone.’ By Matthew Boyle

http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/19/joel-pollak-on-being-targeted-by-doj-media-matters-holder-should-resign-over-this-alone/#ixzz26zgcRKZC

Excerpt: Breitbart News editor Joel Pollak told The Daily Caller that he thinks Attorney General Eric Holder should resign over, among other things, the Department of Justice’s collusion with left-wing advocacy group Media Matters to discredit him. Emails TheDC obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request and published Tuesday show DOJ Office of Public Affairs director Tracy Schmaler, Holder’s top press defender, and Media Matters staffers working together to attack reporters covering DOJ scandals.

Today the Media Will Probably Blame Bush. By Erick Erickson 

http://www.redstate.com/2012/09/20/today-the-media-will-probably-blame-bush/

Excerpt: The United States had advance warning of the attack and only sent Marines in to secure the facility after it had been blown up and after the American Ambassador had been dragged through the street dead. Otherwise, the Consulate was guarded by locals. We also are now pretty certain there was no riot in Libya, just an attack. The Administration’s whole story around what happened and what they knew is now collapsing.

Libya Friday sermon: "Oh Allah, destroy the rancorous Christians and the corrupting Jews"

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/09/libya-friday-sermon-oh-allah-destroy-the-rancorous-christians-and-the-corrupting-jews.html

Excerpt: "Let us stab them in their economy." Watch for it. Meanwhile, note the open hatred of and incitement against Jews and Christians. But no one will take any note of this, or call for any restrictions upon the speech of hate-filled imams in mosques. No, the problem is not this imam, it is movies about Muhammad and cartoons mocking him!

Report: Terrorist Behind Ambassador Murder ‘An Ally Of Sorts’ To Obama Admin

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/09/19/Qumu-attacker-Libya-ally-of-sorts-US

Excerpt: The Obama administration promptly labeled Qumu an “ally of sorts,” according to the New York Times–that despite the fact that as of 2005, he was known as a “medium to high risk … likely to pose a threat to the US, its interests and allies.” What made him an ally? According to the Times, that status change was due to the Obama administration’s “remarkable turnabout resulting from shifting American policies rather than any obvious change in Mr. Qumu.”

Report: Murdered Ambassador Knew He Was On Al Qaeda Hit List

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/09/19/Stevens-knew-al-qaeda-hit-list-libya

Excerpt: The newest reports are even more shocking than older ones. According to Anderson Cooper 360 this evening, American ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens “said he was on #alQaeda hit list #Libya, according to source.” If that’s true, clearly the State Department had advance warning not only that the Libyan consulate was in danger, but that Stevens himself was personally targeted.

Projecting Weakness: Another U.S. Ambassador Attacked. By John Nolte

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/09/19/Another-US-Ambassador-Attacked

Excerpt: While our president parties with Jay-Z and David Letterman; while our State Department blames a movie for four murders in Libya; while our Embassy in Cairo doubles down on an apology to the terrorists who attacked it; while Obama farms out embassy security to private security firms in Britain; while we refuse to point to our enemy and call it by name; while Obama treats the atrocities in Egypt and Libya as crime scenes instead of terrorist attacks -- the message this White House is sending out to the world is that, if you target American ambassadors, the repercussions might be a strongly worded statement. How else to explain yet another brazen attack on an American ambassador:

Under Obama, Food Stamp Costs Growing Much Faster than Food Stamp Rolls: It’s not just the increase in recipients: Obama allows each recipient to receive much more. Can’t blame that on Bush. By Kim Zigfeld

http://pjmedia.com/blog/obama-food-stamp-costs/?singlepage=true

Excerpt: Under Obama, 14.7 million more Americans began using the food-stamp program than had been using it under Bush. That’s a whopping increase of 46%, from 31.9 million users in 2009 to 46.6 million today. …Under eight years of George Bush, annual spending on food stamps rose from $15 billion to $35 billion — an increase of about $2.5 billion per year. But in just the first two years of the Obama administration alone, spending rose from $35 billion to $75 billion — a staggering increase of $20 billion per year, nearly ten times the rate of increase in cost under Bush. (Per “Admit the Horse”: “Provide greater services to the poor (initially), but actual intention to dismantle those services (by overloading them) to cause revolt….(collapse) and create socialist state.” But those wearing the “Once you’ve gone black you don’t go back” buttons are not considered intelligent enough to think this far ahead…. They will follow suggestions, do as they are told for any “reward.” Oh yes, the regime’s economic plan is working. That is why there is no need to have a budget or meet with any committees about one. Keep the public mad at Congress and gridlock…easier to replace it all when more flexible. –Barb.)

Obama Campaign Replaces the Stars on the American Flag with…Obama’s Logo. By Bryan Preston

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/09/20/obama-campaign-replaces-the-stars-on-the-american-flag-with-obamas-logo/

Excerpt: Or rather, “The states, they are I” since he has replaced the stars that represent the states with his own logo. …. It places Obama the man superior to the 50 sovereign states and to the nation’s history of fighting for and winning freedom throughout the world…. Pledge fealty to a man, not the nation. This is how dictatorships start. (Just as they replaced the donkey with the “O” at the DNC convention. –Barb.)

Did Obama Violate U.S. Code Mutilating The Flag With His Own Ego? By John Nolte 

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/09/20/Did%20Obama-Violate-US-Flag-Code

Excerpt: For thirty-five dollars you can own this print. The Barack Obama Store advertises the print as "Our Stripes: Flag Print," and in place of the stars representing our fifty states we have the Obama logo -- which, I guess, is supposed to represent the United States of President Failure Teleprompter. (Disrespectful, egotistical and tasteless, at least to patriots, but a stretch to say illegal, I think. Lots of stylized versions of the flag around. ~Bob.)

Thank Obama for Russia’s Resurgence. By David P. Goldman

http://pjmedia.com/spengler/2012/09/19/thank-obama-for-russias-resurgence/

Excerpt: Among other things, Obama has turned his back on America’s longstanding commitment to energy security in the Persian Gulf. If Iran has nuclear weapons, it can close the Straits of Hormuz at will, and bring the other Gulf states to their knees (unless, of course, they get their own nuclear weapons — which is not especially comforting for energy security, either). That is why Russia, the world’s largest hydrocarbon producer, has the undivided attention of the Europeans and the Japanese: if they can’t rely on the Persian Gulf, the have no choice but to do more business with Moscow.

What Does It Take to Get Fired In the Obama Administration? By Bryan Preston

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/09/20/what-does-it-take-to-get-fired-in-the-obama-administration/?singlepage=true

Excerpt: Despite the fact that he presided over an operation that resulted in hundreds of deaths and made Mexico’s drug war even more violent, Eric Holder still has his job…. Secretary Sebelius gets to keep her job…. Rice, and Clinton, still have their jobs…. In order to find his lieutenants incompetent and worthy of firing, President Obama would first have to be competent himself. (If he fired people, it would suggest he had made a mistake hiring them, and The One cannot make a mistake. ~Bob.)

The Leftist Leviathan. David Horowitz and Jacob Laksin expose the new reality of American politics. By Janice Fiamengo

http://pjmedia.com/blog/the-leftist-leviathan/

Excerpt: The aim of this network, as the authors show with many examples, is not only to influence elections through indirect means such as Media Matters, which continuously campaigns against conservative ideas, but also to transform the fabric of American society through education initiatives, community organizing projects, lawsuits, harassment campaigns, and tireless attacks on conservative figures. Its over-riding purpose, following the Marcusean strategy of revolution by stealth, is to move radical ideas “from the political margins to the political mainstream” until they become official Democratic policy as well as an accepted part of public debate.

Will Dinesh D’Souza Save the World from Obama? By Roger L Simon

http://pjmedia.com/rogerlsimon/2012/09/19/dinesh-dsouza-obama/

Excerpt: Has the world turned into a giant promo for Dinesh D’Souza’s film 2016: Obama’s America? I would assume so since the events of the last week or so appear almost constructed to prove the key point of his movie — that Barack Obama’s foreign policy, indeed his basic value system, is motivated by a rehash of 1960s-1970s era anti-colonialism with the USA as perpetual bogeyman….In D’Souza’s conception, that’s the core of Obama’s being. And it’s beginning to look as if the author and now filmmaker is right.

State Dept Contract Hid Identity Of British Firm Providing Benghazi Security. By Michael Patrick Leahy 

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/09/19/State-Department-Contract-Hid-Identity-of-British-Firm-Providing-Benghazi-Security

Excerpt: Blue Mountain Group was not identified as the vendor in that summary of the contract. Instead, the vendor was listed under the vague term "Miscellaneous Foreign Awardee." Incredibly, the vendor contact address on the contract -- 1275 First Street, NE, Washington, D.C. is not the office of Blue Mountain Group, but is instead the office of the Regulatory Secretariat Division of the General Services Administration of the federal government.

The Fantasy of the ‘Fragile Muslim.’ Legally establishing insults to Islam as being likely to cause violence is a tactic for infiltrating the West. By Bill Siegel

http://pjmedia.com/blog/the-fantasy-of-the-fragile-muslim/?singlepage=true

Excerpt: Following the killing of Osama bin Laden, Obama sold his “gutsy warrior” image in part for re-election purposes, in part to convey the battle is over. This approach, however, allows Obama, Clinton, and their press to ignore the more potent levels of threat we face: that of the civilization jihad (led by the Muslim Brotherhood to infiltrate all levels of our government and society until enough power is obtained to transform the U.S. from the inside and establish Shariah law) and the international institutional jihad (led primarily by the largest Islamic organization, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to force similar changes from without). … Given this distinction, along with Obama’s deep saturation with Muslim Brotherhood associates and associated entities as well as Clinton’s collusive actions in furtherance of Brotherhood and OIC goals, our choice this November could not be clearer.

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"If you are unwilling to defend your right to your own lives, then you are merely like mice trying to argue with owls. You think their ways are wrong. They think you are dinner." --Terry Goodkind

Spot-on new Super PAC ad features Bibi Netanyahu: "We need American strength NOT apologies"

http://youtu.be/rJdH-PgmeK8

Obama’s End Run on Welfare Reform, Part One: Understanding Workfare. By Robert Rector 

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/09/obamas-end-run-on-welfare-reform-part-one-understanding-workfare

Excerpt: Welfare reform was very popular with the public. However, in July 2012, the Obama Administration issued a bureaucratic edict proposing to overturn the work requirements that formed the core of the 1996 law. This action by the Obama Administration clearly violated the intent and letter of the legislation…..

‘Iran Behind Int’l Terror and May Aim for US,’ Says Official. By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/160142

Excerpt: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force terrorists and their proxies are behind recent attacks on U.S. officials and may soon try to strike in the United States, counterterrorist officials in the Obama administration told a Senate committee Wednesday. Testimony at the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing so far has largely been ignored by mainstream media and was reported only by the conservative Washington Times. “We have seen an uptick in operational activity by the Quds Force over the last year or so,” National Counter-Terrorism Center Director Matthew G. Olsen said at the hearing, adding that the elite military cell, “poses a threat beyond the immediate [Middle East] region” as well as U.S. territory.

Protesters in Pakistan clash with police

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/09/20/protesters-in-pakistan-clash-with-police/#ixzz27223HgrG

Excerpt: The demonstrations are expected to grow in Pakistan on Friday, the traditional day of prayer in the Muslim world. The Pakistani government has called a national holiday for Friday so that people could come out and demonstrate peacefully against the film. That decision drew rare words of praise from the Pakistani Taliban, which is usually at war with the government.

Obama Staffers May Be Linked to Colombia Prostitution Scandal, Says Fox. By Tony Lee 

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/09/20/Foreign-Affairs-Obama-Staffers-May-Be-Linked-to-Columbia-Prostitution-Scandal

Excerpt: "Three U.S. delegation members that stayed at the Hilton brought prostitutes back as overnight guests. One of them was ours (Secret Service) and the other two were White House staffers," a high-ranking Secret Service official told FoxNews.com. "We knew very early that White House staffers were involved." The initial report is more than two months overdue, fueling speculation that it is being withheld--or possibly altered--to protect Obama administration staff.

House panel to hold public ethics hearing Friday for Rep. Waters
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/250723-ethics-to-hold-public-ethics-hearing-friday-for-rep-waters-

Excerpt: The House Ethics Committee will hold a public hearing Friday on ethics allegations against Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.). The panel has been investigating for the past three years whether Waters violated House rules by attempting to secure federal help during the financial crisis for a bank in which her husband owns stock. (Expect the race card to be played. Always is. ~Bob.)

Washington Examiner: SPECIAL REPORT: The Obama You Don’t Know

http://washingtonexaminer.com/introduction-the-obama-you-dont-know/article/2508080

 Excerpt: First lady Michelle Obama told the Democratic National Convention that "Barack and I were both raised by families who didn't have much in the way of money or material possessions." It is a claim the president has repeated in his books, on the speech-making circuit and in countless media interviews. By his account, he grew up in a broken home with a single mom, struggled for years as a child in an impoverished Third World country and then was raised by his grandparents in difficult circumstances. The facts aren't nearly so clear-cut.

The two SEALs who died in Libya trying to save the Ambassador? Wasn’t their assignment.

http://floppingaces.net/most_wanted/the-two-seals-who-died-in-libya-trying-to-save-the-ambassador-wasnt-their-assignment/

Excerpt: The two ex-Seals and others engaged in a lengthy firefight with the extremists who attacked the compound, a fight that stretched from the inner area of the consulate to an outside annex and a nearby safe house — a location that the insurgents appeared to know about, the officials said. The officials provided the information to the Washington Guardian, saying they feared the Obama administration’s scant description of the episode left a misimpression that the two ex-Navy SEALs might have been responsible for the ambassador’s personal safety or become separated from him. “Woods and Doherty weren’t part of the detail, nor were they personally responsible for the ambassador’s security, but they stepped into the breach when the attacks occurred and their actions saved others lives — and they shouldn’t be lumped in with the security detail,” one senior official said, speaking only on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about the State Department.

An Open Letter from an Egyptian Revolutionary

http://floppingaces.net/most_wanted/an-open-letter-from-an-egyptian-revolutionary/

Excerpt: As an Egyptian, the most fascinating aspect of all of this has to be our effect on the American elections, and how we suddenly became an important campaign issue in the snoozefest that is Obama vs. Romney. Isn’t it crazy that Obama — he of the message of peace and understanding with the Muslim world — must now contend with Islamist rage fueled by those whom he — and a million thinkers, analysts, and pundits – has referred to as a moderate Islamic group, the Muslim Brotherhood. That’s the same moderate Islamic group whose people met with his people more than 14 times this past year and a half, who convinced them that America should support them because Salafis and liberals are unpredictable and unreliable, and because the Brothers alone can bring peace to the region……

Romney's 'Victims' vs. Obama's 'Cash Cows.' By Edward Morrissey

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Columns/2012/09/19/Romneys-Victims-vs-Obamas-Cash-Cows.aspx#JvlHOxIKiYT61j0I.99

Excerpt: Mitt Romney may not have made an elegant argument back in May about the differences between redistributionary economic and regulatory policies and free-market approaches, and the willingness of the electorate to hear it. However, his effort to keep pressing that debate while his opponent tries to evade it shows that Romney has the better argument – and elegant or not, the outcomes make this debate absolutely critical to our nation’s future.

The 'Facebook Effect' On Organ Donation

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/09/20/161358304/the-facebook-effect-on-organ-donation?ft=1&f=1128&sc=tw

Excerpt: Facebook is taking its campaign to boost organ donations to Canada and Mexico this week, four months after its premiere. The feature allows Facebook users to tell their friends and family that they're registered organ donors. It also directs people who aren't signed up as organ donors to the official registries where they live. (Sign up—if you buy the farm, I might need your lungs! ~Bob.)

Poor Smokers in New York State Spend 25% of Income on Cigarettes, Study Finds

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/nyregion/poor-smokers-in-new-york-state-spend-25-of-income-on-cigarettes-study-says.html?smid=tw-nytimeshealth&seid=auto&moc.semityn.www

So much for BO’s pledge that no one making under $250k would pay a dime’s more in taxes on his watch. ~Bob. Excerpt: Low-income smokers in New York spend 25 percent of their income on cigarettes, according to a new study, which led advocates for smokers’ rights to say it proved high taxes were regressive and ineffective.

GOP slams $15 billion in Medicaid overpayments

http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/medicaid/250711-gop-slams-15-billion-in-medicaid-overpayments

Excerpt: Medicaid has shelled out billions in overpayments to certain healthcare facilities in New York, according to a report from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. (Spreading the wealth around. ~Bob.)

Professors stock Obama's campaign war chest. By Luke Rosiak 

http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/inside-politics/2012/sep/20/professors-stock-obamas-campaign-war-chest/

Excerpt: The elite fundraising committee through which President Obama solicits his largest campaign donations relied overwhelmingly on professors from equally-elite universities last month.

Worth Reading: A Kinder, Gentler Flat Tax. How to reform our tax system--and satisfy both the left and the right. By John C. Goodman,

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2005/1017/042.html

Excerpt: I would offer Americans an even lower flat tax rate--14% as opposed to 17%--and at the same time do more to help low-income people. Boston University economist Laurence Kotlikoff and I have put together a plan that works in the following way.

PAT CONDELL on the Islamomaniacal Muslims doing what they do best – whining, rioting, and killing!!

http://www.barenakedislam.com/2012/09/20/pat-condell-on-the-islamomaniacal-muslims-doing-what-they-do-best-whining-rioting-and-killing/

Man Opens Fire in Gun Store, Gets Gunned Down

http://www.guns.com/gun-store-shooting-10996.html

Excerpt: Well, evidently common sense isn’t quite as common as we thought. A man was shot and killed at a gun store in Indianapolis, Indiana, after he opened fire on a gun store clerk.

Oklahoma Challenges Obama’s Illegal Employer Tax

http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/oklahoma-challenges-obamas-illegal-employer-tax/#utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Excerpt: Since this IRS rule also unlawfully taxes 250,000 Oklahomans under the individual mandate — a tax that in 2016 will reach $2,085 for a family of four earning $24,000 — the attorney general has an awful lot of individual Oklahomans that he could add to its plaintiff roster. (Guess that’s their “Fair Share.” ~Bob.)

Taxpayer Alert! Dane County Resolution to extend union contracts

http://wisconsinreporter.com/taxpayer-alert-dane-county-resolution-to-extend-union-contracts

Excerpt: The Dane County Board of Supervisors votes at 7 p.m. tonight on a resolution that would extend contracts with the county’s unions, a move board member Dave Wiganowsky estimates will cost the county at least $2 million. He said he doesn’t know the total amount – there was no fiscal note attached to the resolution obtained by Wisconsin Reporter.

Tweet from Wisconsin Reporter ‏@wisconsinreport

Ruling Hits Rating: Moody’s credit rating agency says judge’s ruling striking down Act 10 is a credit negative for the state’s local govts. (Ya think? ~Bob.)

Committee Chairs Want Answers on Blind Sheikh Release

http://www.investigativeproject.org/3754/committee-chairs-want-answers-on-blind-sheikh

Excerpt: Eight House committee leaders have written to Obama administration officials asking about reports the administration is considering an Egyptian request to release blind Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman from prison. "If these reports are true, such considerations would be extremely disconcerting as release of this convicted terrorist should not happen for any reason," the letter from U.S. Reps. Lamar Smith, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., Mike Rogers, R-Mich., Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., Peter King, R-N.Y., Hal Rogers, R-Ky. , Frank Wolf, R-Va., and Kay Granger, R-Tex., said. Each chairs a significant House committee. (BO is not above denying it, then going forward after the election. ~Bob.)

Despite Being President For The Past Four Years, Obama Says You Can’t Change Washington From The Inside

http://www.gop.com/news/research/they-said-it-12/

So much for Hope, Change and “Yes, We Can.” Let’s give him the opportunity to try outside. ~Bob.