Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for March 8, 2013

Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for March 8, 2013

Robert A. Hall

Your one-stop-shop for political news and opinion. Please forward to friends who need to be informed. This SitRep (Military for “Situation Report”) is created by many readers who send me items for inclusion, which I would have likely missed or skipped. And I can only spend at most three hours a night pulling stuff, plus the healthcare or economic stuff that crosses my desk at work. As always, I—and you—owe them thanks and appreciation. I post articles because I think they are of interest and will stimulate thought and discussion. Doing so doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree (or disagree) with every—or any—opinion in the posted article, or that I was able to verify the information presented, which is the responsibility of the author. I try not to post things that are false, or too far a stretch, regardless of the view point, but I don’t always succeed. As always on the Net, or in the legacy media, you must read critically and with skepticism.

Information on my books

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

Worth Reading: We Owe Illegals An Apology? Exclusive: John Rocker hits amnesty Republicans for 'surrendering to colonization'

http://www.wnd.com/2013/03/we-owe-illegals-an-apology/

Excerpt: Illegal aliens don’t value America – they value the type of conditions Americans have created in America, which, absent of actual Americans, don’t exist. As was the case with California, those conditions “illegals value” began to crumble when the actual American people were replaced with a population of illegal aliens dependent on the state for their very existence.

Worth Reading: Government Analysis—the Causes of Murder
http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/specialty-forums/survival-emergency-preparedness/current-events/477473-govt-analysis-causes-murder.html

Compares Chicago, IL with Houston, TX

Paul's filibuster over drone strikes ends at 13-hour mark

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/rand-paul-conducts-filibuster-in-opposition-to-john-brennan-obamas-drone-policy/2013/03/06/1367b1b4-868c-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394_story.html

Excerpt: Led by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the filibuster stretched nearly 13 hours, — with the Senate adjourning shortly before 12:45 a.m. Thursday. It was aimed at drawing attention to concerns about the administration’s use of unmanned aerial drones in its fight against terrorists and whether the government would ever use them in the United States.

Rand Paul filibuster against CIA nominee gains strength in Senate
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/286533-paul-launches-talking-filibuster-against-brennans-nomination#ixzz2MnVj1VNR
Excerpt: Sen. Rand Paul's old-fashioned filibuster Wednesday against CIA nominee John Brennan has gained strength, with several Republicans and one Democrat joining him on the floor. Paul began the filibuster at 11:45 a.m. to prevent Senate Democrats from ending debate on Brennan and moving to a final vote. ….Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) also spoke about the need for more oversight of the administration’s drone program, as did Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.), the only Democrat to join the effort so far. (Add Rubio and per article, Mike Lee. And there was the reading of Travis’ last letter from the Alamo on its anniversary….Barb.)

VIDEOS: AP Edited Out Standing Ovation at End of Rand Paul's Filibuster. The Right Pundit

http://www.hapblog.com/2013/03/ap-posts-video-of-rand-paul-ending.html

Excerpt: After 12 hours and 52 minutes Rand Paul yielded the floor at 12:40 a.m., One hour later the AP posted video and for anybody watching only this one, they'd never know that Paul got a standing ovation and long round of applause and it continued even at the sound of the gavel being slammed. Here's 2 videos with the exact same starting point. 

It Shows What One Man Can Do: Three Takeaways from Rand Paul's #StandwithRand #Filibuster about Drone Strikes. By Nick Gillespie

http://reason.com/blog/2013/03/07/3-takeaways-from-rand-pauls-standwithran

Excerpt: Here are three takeaways from yesterday's epic event: 1. It shows what one man can do to call attention to a hugely important issue that nonetheless is largely ignored by the mainstream media and the political establishment. Elected in 2010, Rand Paul has rarely been the Republican - or the Democrat's - media favorite.

The political genius of Rand Paul's drone filibuster. By Peter Weber 

http://theweek.com/article/index/241043/the-political-genius-of-rand-pauls-drone-filibuster

Excerpt: The groups of people cheering him on outside the Senate defied the idea of an America polarized along strict partisan lines

Holder: US has no authority to kill Americans with drones on US soil
http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/policy-and-strategy/286841-holder-to-paul-no-drone-strikes-against-americans-on-american-soil

Excerpt: The U.S. does not have the authority to use a drone attack against a U.S. citizen not engaged in combat on U.S. soil, Attorney General Eric Holder told Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in a Thursday letter. (Now they’ll pretend this was their position all along, instead of being drug out of them but rand Paul and Ted Cruz. ~Bob.)

Drones are coming home to skies near you: feel safer?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/05/drones-coming-home-skies-near-you-safer

Excerpt: But while drones are not the only weapon used to execute the Kill List/Disposition Matrix, they are a different kind of weapon. And those differences are substantial not only to the people at the other end of the bombs and missiles, who live in terror in part because of the incessant buzzing in the skies above them, but also to those of us in the United States – and not just because drone strikes hurt our national security or moral standing. The US government's infatuation with drones is quite literally coming home to roost.

Barack Obama 'has authority to use drone strikes to kill Americans on US soil. John Swaine

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/9913615/Barack-Obama-has-authority-to-use-drone-strikes-to-kill-Americans-on-US-soil.html

Excerpt: Daphne Eviatar, a senior counsel at Human Rights First, said: “It’s hard to see how authorities could not be in a position to arrest someone yet be able to kill them.

Tweet from RB ‏@RBPundit

Change it around. Instead of a drone strike, it's a US agent popping some dude at a cafe. Inside the US. I want to know the rules for that.

Tweet from Frank J. Fleming ‏@IMAO_

I'm sure Obama will be as responsible with his drones as he is with our nation's finances.

New clothing line will make you invisible to drones: New threads called Stealth Wear

http://www.krmg.com/news/news/local/new-clothing-line-will-make-you-invisible-drones/nWh3Z/

Excerpt: New York artist and designer named Adam Harvey came up with the new gear.

The Items are made from special metal fibers that reflect heat. That makes it harder for drones to spot anyone through thermal surveillance. (You can accessorize with a tin foil hat. ~Bob.)

The California 'Mordida.' By Victor Davis Hanson 

http://townhall.com/columnists/victordavishanson/2013/03/07/the-california-mordida-n1527107?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl

Excerpt: California now works on the principle of the mordida, or "bite." Its government assumes that it can take something extra from residents for the privilege of living in their special state.

Republicans emerge from Obama dinner optimistic about deficit deal

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/286699-senate-republicans-more-optimistic-about-the-prospect-of-a-grand-bargain-on-the-deficit-

Excerpt: Senate Republicans are more optimistic about the prospect of a grand bargain on the deficit after an intimate dinner with President Obama Wednesday evening in downtown Washington. (I assume the menu was warmed-over mush washed down with Cool-Aid. ~Bob.)

DC snowstorm buries climate change hearing

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/286493-house-committee-cancels-climate-science-hearing-citing-weather#ixzz2MnWeXxfw 

Excerpt: The House Science, Space and Technology subcommittee on Environment was scheduled to hear from a panel that included a pair of witnesses more skeptical of some of the scientific consensus regarding climate change. The snowstorm that struck Washington early Wednesday put those plans on hold. The Washington area is under a winter storm warning until 3 a.m. Thursday. The National Weather Service forecast a potential 6 to 12 inches of snowfall inside the Beltway.

Congressman: Hospitalized Survivors Using Aliases

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2013/03/06/Congressman-Benghazi-Survivors-Using-Aliases

Excerpt: It appears Benghazi survivors who are still recovering at medical facilities may be listed under different aliases.

Guardian open journalism: Three Little Pigs advert - video

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/video/2012/feb/29/open-journalism-three-little-pigs-advert

This advert for the Guardian's open journalism, screened for the first time on 29 February 2012, imagines how we might cover the story of the Three Little Pigs in print and online. Follow the story from the paper's front page headline, through a social media discussion and finally to an unexpected conclusion.

Pesach Jews Vs. Purim Jews: The Agony of our Dilemma. By Yossi Klein Halevi

http://www.hartman.org.il/Blogs_View.asp?Article_Id=1103&Cat_Id=275&Cat_Type=Blogs

As I travel through North American Jewish communities, on a lecture tour about Israeli society in the aftermath of the elections, I sometimes feel as though I am in a time warp. Visiting an Orthodox community, I may find myself back in the 1970s and 1980s, before the first Intifada convinced a majority of Israelis that the occupation is a mortal threat to the Jewish state; instead, right-wing American Jews will insist, Israel must continue building settlements and creating facts on the ground. And when I visit a liberal community, I may find myself back in the 1990s, before the second Intifada convinced that same majority of Israelis that a one-way peace process is likewise a mortal threat to the Jewish state; instead, left-wing American Jews will insist, a peace agreement is always within reach and just a matter of Israeli will. (This is a thoughtful analysis of the wide gap in viewpoints among American Jews about peace prospects and consequences for Israel. Cordially, Larry Greenberg)

Chart Of The Day: The Minimum-Wage (Non) Recovery

http://www.fedupusa.org/2013/03/chart-of-the-day-the-minimum-wage-non-recovery/

Excerpt: Yesterday we showed all those key economic criteria (that get so little airtime for obvious reasons), which were prevalent the last time the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit an all time high, back in 2007, all of which reflected a far more vibrant economy, and more importantly, an economy, and market, not propped up by a $14 trillion global central bank liquidity tsunami. Today, our chart of the day comes from BloombergBrief, which shows yet another aspect of the “low wage” recovery, namely that while the bulk of the jobs lost heading into the “recovery” were of middle and higher paying jobs, the offset have been part-time and other low-paying jobs, which explains also why the purchasing power of the average American, in real terms, declines with every passing day. (How long can the present regime keep hiding things like this in the open? On the other hand, they sent a patently phony BC out to the whole country and there have been no political repercussions. Guess the Wizard of Oz has some powerful magic behind that curtain. It's called a brain dead public. --Don Hank)

Don’t Cry for Hugo. By John Fund

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/342290/dont-cry-hugo-john-fund

Excerpt: The Left has already started the whitewashing of Hugo Chávez’s record, and I have no doubt that within days his image will adorn T-shirts the way the thuggish Che Guevara does. Within minutes of the announcement of the strongman’s death, Ken Livingstone, London’s former mayor, tweeted the following:

House bill would require police to obtain search warrant to access emails
http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/286599-house-bill-would-require-police-to-obtain-a-warrant-to-search-emails#ixzz2MnUIsq1e

Excerpt: Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) introduced legislation on Wednesday that would require police to obtain a warrant before accessing private online communications or mobile location data. Reps. Ted Poe (R-Texas) and Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) have signed on as cosponsors of the legislation, the Online Communications and Geolocation Protection Act. "Fourth Amendment protections don’t stop at the Internet," Lofgren said in a statement. (Too little, too late for this regime. ~Bob)

Glenn Beck: 'I've lost faith,' time to 'surrender'

http://www.wnd.com/2013/03/glenn-beck-ive-lost-faith-time-to-surrender/#WhpVkJlhcie2sDTj.99

Excerpt: As part of his clarion call, Beck urged parents to remove their children from government-run schools.…They’re indoctrination camps. …. They’re turning our kids against all of the values that we ever held, they’re wounding them even further. (Beck is pretty far out there, but so was Churchill in the 1930s. Doesn’t mean he’s wrong…~Bob.)

5 Busybodies Who Want to Parent Your Kids: And why you don't have to listen to them.

http://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2013/02/25/5-busybodies-who-want-to-parent-your-kids/

Excerpt: Parenting isn’t easy under any circumstances, and parents seem to be under excessive pressure today to do everything “right.” Books, classes, and websites abound to teach parents how to do what used to be a rather simple proposition. Experts are everywhere; unfortunately, some will undermine your confidence in your ability to parent your own children.

Op-Ed: Obama's Timetable

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/12977#.UTf8Z9Y3v0c

Excerpt: Just before his visit to Israel, apparently the Obama administration has leaked that Obama is coming here not for a photo opportunity, but to seriously move the defunct peace talks forward. He wants, among other things, a timetable of when Israel plans to withdraw from Yehuda and Shomron, Judea and Samaria...the "West Bank"…. We'll be here, Mr. Obama, until the end of time. 

Expert: U.S. Doing No Favors in Giving Israel Special Ally Status

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/165956#.UTf9U9Y3v0c

Excerpt: "Without Israel, Cyprus and Saudi Arabia are toast," Langfan told Arutz Sheva, "and they know it." "Without Israel, oil would be $1,000 a barrel. Without Israel, the US would have to fund an extra $200 billion yearly defense budget to defend southern NATO countries from a Muslim caliphate's northward tsunami." 

The New Holocaust Discoveries: With more than 42,000 ghettos and concentration camps scattered throughout Europe, almost everyone had to know what was happening. By Rabbi Benjamin Blech

http://www.aish.com/ci/s/The-New-Holocaust-Discoveries.html

Excerpt: The latest revelation about the Holocaust stuns even the scholars who thought they already knew everything about the horrific details of Germany’s program of genocide against the Jewish people. It’s taken more than 70 years to finally know the full facts. And what is almost beyond belief is that what really happened goes far beyond what anyone could ever have imagined. (The parallels of two men who wanted to fundamentally change a nation to ensure that all receive equal justice, wealth is redistributed, and the perpetrators of injustice be punished led to the greatest mass murder in the history of mankind. Are we again heading in that direction---possibly---unless the next madman is stopped? –TC)

Air Force scraps massive ERP project after racking up $1 billion in costs. By Chris Kanaracus
http://www.cio.com/article/721628/Air_Force_scraps_massive_ERP_project_after_racking_up_1_billion_in_costs?source=rss_applications&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+cio%2Ffeed%2Fdrilldowntopic%2F3000+%28CIO.com+-+Applications%29

Excerpt: The U.S. Air Force has decided to scrap a major ERP (enterprise resource planning) software project after spending US$1 billion, concluding that finishing it would cost far too much more money for too little gain. Dubbed the Expeditionary Combat Support System (ECSS), the project has racked up $1.03 billion in costs since 2005, "and has not yielded any significant military capability," an Air Force spokesman said in an emailed statement Wednesday.

Obama administration hit for giving Egypt $250M as domestic spending cuts take hold
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/05/obama-hit-for-giving-egypt-250m-as-domestic-spending-cuts-hit-home/#ixzz2Mp4zNo1S

Excerpt: The Obama administration is facing criticism for giving $250 million in aid to Egypt while saying the recent sequester has forced drastic cutbacks elsewhere in the budget -- including forcing the release of "low-priority" illegal immigrants from jail.

TSA signs $50 million uniform deal, as billions in federal cuts ripple across America
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/06/tsa-signs-50-million-uniform-deal-as-billions-in-federal-cuts-ripple-across/?intcmp=trending#ixzz2Mp82odH7

Excerpt: The Transportation Security Administration agreed on a deal last month worth as much as $50 million to buy new uniforms for rank-and-file agents, despite concerns that imminent budget cuts would result in furloughs and 90-minute flight delays.

First Daughter’s Spring Break Cost Taxpayers Big Bucks
http://MinuteMenNews.com/2012/12/first-daughters-spring-break-cost-taxpayers-big-bucks/#ixzz2MpAFDvMn

Excerpt: Judicial Watch today released records detailing the government funds expended on First Daughter Malia Obama’s March 2012 Spring Break vacation to Mexico. According to the records, obtained from the U.S. Secret Service as a result of a Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed on September 20, 2012, the total cost of the trip amounted to $115,500.87. (Come on. Don’t you send your 12-year-old and ten friends to Mexico on Spring Break? What are you, some low-class chumbolone? ~Bob.)

Bill Cosby Suggests GOP Wants To Bring Back Slavery

HTTP://WWW.BREITBART.COM/BIG-HOLLYWOOD/2013/03/06/BILL-COSBY-GOP-SLAVERY

Excerpt: Bill Cosby joined a growing chorus of President Obama defenders this week who can only see any and all GOP opposition to the Commander in Chief in terms of race.

Colorado Anti-Second Amendment Legislator’s Criminal Record Exposed. By Kyle Forti 

http://www.redstate.com/kforti/2013/03/06/breaking-colorado-anti-second-amendment-legislators-criminal-record-exposed/

Excerpt: According to a Colorado Bureau of Investigations report obtained by Media Trackers, State Representative Rhonda Fields (D-Aurora) was arrested in 1976 on a charge of larceny and again in 1991 on a charge of shoplifting. Despite her own criminal record, Rep. Fields has sought to limit the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. (Would be a big deal if she was a pro-gun white Republican. But now, not so much. ~Bob.)

Police on Home Invasion: “You’re on Your Own”
http://cowboybyte.com/19664/police-on-home-invasion-youre-on-your-own/#ixzz2Mrkf5oHj

Excerpt: Project Veritas is out with a damning video showing police officers from multiple departments saying “you’re on your own” when it comes to home invasions. The video focuses on New Jersey and New York, where it is nearly impossible to obtain a firearm. In New Jersey you must obtain a permit to purchase a Biden approved shotgun.

Muslim anger explodes against Bangladesh's Hindu community. By Sumon Francis Gomes
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Muslim-anger-explodes-against-Bangladesh%27s-Hindu-community-27316.html

Didn’t get the memo. ~Bob. Excerpt: Scores of homes have been set on fire, women and girls have been assaulted, temples have been desecrated and statues of the goddess Kali have been destroyed. For days, Hindu communities in some areas of Bangladesh have been targeted by supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami, an Islamic party, after its leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee was sentenced to death for war crimes.

Muslim Turkish teens on Jews: ‘Hitler should have killed all.’ By Cheryl K. Chumley

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/6/muslim-turkish-teens-jews-hitler-should-have-kille/#ixzz2MrlVYT3n
Excerpt: A Dutch researcher who interviewed a group of Muslim immigrant teenage boys from Turkey was shocked at their repeated response to questions about the Holocaust: Hitler should have finished the job, they suggested. “As far as I’m concerned, Hitler should have killed all Jews,” one said on the video, which aired on Nederland 2 TV last month and is now available with English subtitles, The Blaze reported.

Smith & Wesson Earnings More Than Tripled In Last Quarter

http://reason.com/24-7/2013/03/05/smith-wesson-earnings-more-than-tripled

Excerpt: The nation's second biggest publicly traded gun company said it earned $17.5 million, or 26 cents per share, from continuing operations in the quarter that ended in January. That's up from $5.4 million, or 8 cents per share, in the same period last year.

French mother Bouchra Bagour on trial for 9/11 T-shirt

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21697037

Excerpt: A mother has gone on trial in southern France for sending her son to nursery school wearing a T-shirt reading "I am a bomb" and "Born on 11 September".

Florida Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Anti-Sharia Bill. By Pamela Geller

http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2013/03/florida-senate-judiciary-committee-approves-anti-sharia-bill.html

Excerpt: The legislation prohibits the violation of an individual's right under the Constitution of the State of Florida or the United States Constitution. This very simple and clear cut legislation should be the proverbial no brainer. And yet the fact that it being met by so much resistance, both overt and covert, indicates how very needed it is.

Mark Steyn on Pamela Geller's Exclusion from CPAC

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/342143/cpac-tentwatch-mark-steyn

Excerpt: For the last four years, Pamela Geller of AtlasShrugs.com and the American Freedom Defense Initiative have held events at CPAC featuring guests she invites to discuss the influence of Islamism on America. But this year, the American Conservative Union (ACU) has no room for Geller or her message…In years past, the events were standing room only thanks to their popularity, but that apparently was not enough to counter pressure brought to bear from somewhere to exclude Geller’s message.

Caroline Glick: Ladies and Gentlemen, Presenting the next Director of the CIA! 

http://www.carolineglick.com/e/2013/02/ladies-and-gentlemen-presentin.php

Excerpt: And since it is [Brennan's and Obama's] policies, not their beliefs that matter to the world, they should be judged for that. Aside from his hippy past, and his horrible, obsequious Arabic, the thing that made me most uncomfortable about Brennan's whole paean to Islam is the fact that he said "Palestine" twice and never said Israel, and when he finally felt compelled to say Jerusalem, after saying "Al Quds" twice he sounded like he was either going to spit or apologize for mentioning the word Jerusalem in the presence of his audience. So does it matter if this man is a Muslim or not? 

Swarms of Locusts Cross into Israel. By Isabel Kershner

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/world/middleeast/swarms-of-locusts-cross-into-israel-from-egypt.html?ref=world&_r=0

Excerpt: On the up side, some considered the curse almost a blessing. The popular Channel 2 television news showed delighted Thai agricultural workers frying up locusts for a crunchy snack. The Israeli television crew munched on a few too, noting that locusts are considered kosher.

The Robber Barons: Neither robbers nor barons. By David R. Henderson

http://www.econlib.org/library/Columns/y2013/Hendersonbarons.html

Excerpt: But Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, and many of the others referred to as robber barons started their businesses from scratch and were granted no special privileges. Moreover, not only did they earn their money and not only were they not granted privileges, but they also helped consumers and, in one famous case, destroyed a monopoly. Consider the case of Cornelius ("Commodore") Vanderbilt.

Question from a blog reader

"N. Korea vows nuclear strike on US.” When did that cease to be an act of war? –TH

Hugo Chavez: Latin America has chosen rage over progress. By Daniel Hannan

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danielhannan/100205760/hugo-chavez-latin-america-has-chosen-rage-over-progress/

Excerpt: It would be going too far to call these leaders dictators: they are anti-parliamentary rather than anti-democratic. Having got themselves more or less legitimately elected, they dismantle the checks on their power: the judiciary, opposition parties, electoral commissions, private television stations. In order to remain popular, they have to keep picking fights: with Washington, with the IMF, with “the rich” and, when all else fails, with each other.

Silvio Berlusconi sentenced to year in prison over publication of leaked police wiretap transcripts in his newspaper Il Giornale.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/silvio-berlusconi/9914962/Silvio-Berlusconi-sentenced-to-year-in-prison.html

Excerpt: Mr Berlusconi's brother Paolo, editor of Il Giornale, was sentenced to two years and three months. The verdict carries no impact on Mr Berlusconi's eligibility to participate in a new government. Italian sentencing guidelines indicate that people aged over 75 and with sentences of less than two years do not have to actually go to prison. Mr Berlusconi is 76.

Syrian rebels seize U.N. peacekeepers near Golan Heights

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/06/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE92516Q20130306

Obama’s allies. ~Bob. Excerpt: Syrian rebels have seized a convoy of U.N. peacekeepers near the Golan Heights and say they will hold them captive until President Bashar al-Assad's forces pull back from a rebel-held village which has seen heavy recent fighting.

Malaysians Kill 13 Filipino Fighters Amid Fears of Wider Conflict

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/world/asia/malaysians-kill-filipino-fighters-amid-fears-of-wider-conflict.html?ref=world&_r=0

Excerpt: An air and ground assault by Malaysian forces killed at least 13 of the nearly 200 militants seeking to reclaim part of Borneo Island for a Filipino sultan, Malaysian police officials said Wednesday.

Taliban Kill 17 Afghan Soldiers in Once-Quiet Area

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/world/asia/taliban-kill-17-afghan-soldiers.html?ref=world

Excerpt: Taliban insurgents killed as many as 17 Afghan National Army soldiers in a single episode in northern Badakhshan Province, an area that has been generally quiet and far from insurgent strongholds until recent months, according to accounts from Afghan officials on Wednesday.

Moderate Muslim: Not an Oxymoron. By Steve Chapman 

http://townhall.com/columnists/stevechapman/2013/03/07/moderate-muslim-not-an-oxymoron-n1527319?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl

Excerpt: It's just what you would expect of those crazy Muslims, isn't it? Except that in the aftermath, Hedegaard found Muslims across Denmark were conspicuously un-crazy. They did not applaud the assailant or excuse his motives. Instead, they condemned the attack and upheld Hedegaard's freedom to preach unhinged bigotry. (Of course there are millions of moderate Muslims, who want only to live their lives, do well for their families and let us do the same. Just as there were millions of moderate Germans and Japanese in 1939. And they are just as irrelevant, because the ruthless fanatics have the guns and will use them on the moderates as well as us. Hans and Sophie Scholl in their early 20s were moderate German college students who spoke out against Hitler. They we caught, tried, convicted and immediately guillotined. So much for moderates. ~Bob.)

Worth Reading: Michelle Obama and John Kerry to Honor Anti-Semite and 9/11 Fan. By Samuel Tadros 

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/michelle-obama-and-john-kerry-honor-anti-semite-and-911-fan_706547.html

Excerpt: The only problem is that one of the women to be recognized is an anti-Semite and supports the 9/11 attacks on the United States. … On Twitter, Ibrahim is quite blunt regarding her views. On July 18 of last year, after five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian bus driver were killed a suicide bombing attack, Ibrahim jubilantly tweeted: “An explosion on a bus carrying Israelis in Burgas airport in Bulgaria on the Black Sea. Today is a very sweet day with a lot of very sweet news.”

Tweet from Dr. Jason B. Whitman ‏@JasonBWhitman

I'm old enough to remember when the media was hysterical over the "lack of transparency" of the Bush Administration.

Tweet from Dr. Ben Carson ‏@RealBenCarson

I do not have to depend on what someone else did or what someone else gave me in order to be successful.

Washington Post quietly makes major change to Menendez story
http://dailycaller.com/2013/03/05/washington-post-quietly-edits-menendez-story-to-remove-attack-on-thedcs-reporting/#ixzz2MsNvlQ2B

Excerpt: Without informing readers in the story or elsewhere, on Monday night The Washington Post deleted its explicit claim that the Dominican prostitute who recanted her allegation against Sen. Robert Menendez had appeared in a video posted to The Daily Caller.

ABC News CEO: We've Presented The News 'In A Slightly Inaccurate Way'

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-ceo-bob-iger-stock-426328

Excerpt: Iger acknowledged mistakes but was not specific. "We have, at times, either presented the news in a slightly inaccurate way or in ways we weren't necessarily proud of," he said, "but I firmly stand behind our news organizations because I believe that overall the job that they do is one that is worthy of respect."

Bad News for Wind Energy!

http://epaabuse.com/11430/editorials/bad-news-for-wind-energy/

Excerpt: It’s generally been recognized that using wind to generate electricity is inefficient, costly, and unreliable. Now the news is getting out that it’s even worse than previously thought.

I love a happy ending: Violent Armed Robber Shoots Would-Be ‘Victim’ During Hold Up — But It Was The Criminal Who Left In A Body Bag

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/03/06/violent-armed-robber-shoots-would-be-victim-during-hold-up-but-it-was-the-criminal-who-left-in-a-body-bag/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=story&utm_campaign=Share%20Buttons

Excerpt: The victim, whose injury was said to be non-life threatening, then pulled out his own handgun in self-defense and shot his attacker several times.

6 Obama administration sequester claims shot down by fact checkers

http://www.politico.com/politico44/2013/03/obama-administration-sequester-claims-shot-down-by-158626.html#.UTh71jL1en8.twitter

 Excerpt: Fact-checkers have had their hands full in recent weeks as the Obama administration has tried to detail the expected impacts of automatic sequester cuts.

CDC confirms White House caught in sequester lie on child vaccinations

http://www.bizpacreview.com/2013/03/07/cdc-confirms-white-house-caught-in-sequester-lie-on-child-vaccinations-54054

Excerpt: After a lot of back-and-forth, the CDC director admitted that even with the sequester cuts, he believed that “we could have maintained the present level of vaccinations.”

On this day in 1965, Democrats attacked the Selma civil rights marchers

http://grandoldpartisan.typepad.com/blog/2013/03/democrats-selma.html

Excerpt: On this day in 1965, state police under the command of the Democrat Governor, George Wallace, attacked African-Americans who were demonstrating for voting rights in Selma, Alabama. The assailants used billy clubs and tear gas in their "Bloody Sunday" assault. A Republican-appointed federal judge, Frank Johnson, soon ruled in favor of the demonstrators, enabling them to complete their march two weeks later.

Did Black People Own Slaves?

http://www.theroot.com/views/did-black-people-own-slaves?tid=sm_tw_button_toolbar

Excerpt: One of the most vexing questions in African-American history is whether free African Americans themselves owned slaves. The short answer to this question, as you might suspect, is yes, of course; some free black people in this country bought and sold other black people, and did so at least since 1654, continuing to do so right through the Civil War. (Slavery was in all cultures. All people enslaved, all people were enslaved. Only western civilization turned against slavery. Still exists in many places. Sometimes even in America, in prostitute sex slaves or in slaves brought in by Muslims, since the Qur’an endorses it. ~Bob.)

Voter Fraud Case Awaits Decision by John Chisholm's Office

http://www.rightwisconsin.com/dailytakes/195892291.html

Excerpt: According to Milwaukee Police Department records obtained by RightWisconsin, a Milwaukee resident was arrested on February 14, 2013 on suspicion of voting more than once in the November 2012 election and for giving false statements to election officials.

Prius charging station may have started Corte Madera fire

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Prius-charging-station-may-have-started-Corte-4334221.php?cmpid=twitter

Excerpt: An explosion and fire, which may have been sparked by a Toyota Prius charging in a garage, damaged a two-story condominium in Corte Madera and killed a cat Tuesday evening, a fire official and a resident said.

Cermak's death offers lesson in Chicago Way. By John Kass

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-met-kass-0307-20130307,0,5135868.column

Excerpt: The assassinated Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak, who died 80 years ago this week, is often portrayed by official histories as just an innocent victim of bad luck and bad aim. But Chicagoans don't believe in coincidences, not even us chumbolones, especially when coincidences involve Chicago politics and the Chicago Outfit.

Tweet from Janie Johnson ‏@jjauthor

Obama's approval ratings are so low - the Kenyans are accusing him of being born in the United States!

Guerilla knitting in Leicester 'to reduce crime fear'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-21659158

Excerpt: Hundreds of pom-poms and knitted items have been strung from trees and lampposts to help reduce the fear of crime in an area of Leicester. (Brits bitterly clinging to their knitting needles to fight crime. ~Bob.)

In Which We Travel from North Korea to Iran to the Senate Floor

http://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2013/03/07/north-korea-to-iran-to-the-senate/

Excerpt: The thought does occur that Kim is acting as a stalking horse for Iran. He waves around his sort-of-real nuclear arsenal while Iran watches for the American response — and revs up a few more cyclotrons. ….Besides, it’s pretty clear that we won’t be going to war against Iran no matter what.

Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for March 7, 2013

Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for March 7, 2013

Robert A. Hall

Long today, but again, a lot of not-to-be-missed links. ~Bob

Must Read: Journalists as Ring Wraiths: When you’ve got a country to transform, any caviling is disloyalty. By Victor Davis Hanson

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/342144/journalists-ring-wraiths-victor-davis-hanson

Excerpt: Today’s Washington journalists are like J. R. R. Tolkien’s ring wraiths, petty lords who wanted a few shiny golden Obama rings — only to end up as shrunken slaves to the One. The Bob Woodward/Ron Fournier/Lanny Davis psychodrama is another small reminder that the Obama administration continues to assume that the press should be little more than a veritable Ministry of Truth.

Comment on the above from JRapp 

Three Rings for the Environmentalists under the sky,
Seven for the Unions in their Union Halls,
Nine for the Feminists and the babies doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord Obama on his dark throne
In the Land of Washington where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring all the Democrats and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Washington where the Shadows lie.

Worth Reading: Economic Mobility. By Thomas Sowell 

http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2013/03/06/economic-mobility-n1525556?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl

Excerpt: Most people are not even surprised any more when they hear about someone who came here from Korea or Vietnam with very little money, and very little knowledge of English, who nevertheless persevered and rose in American society. Nor are we surprised when their children excel in school and go on to professional careers. Yet, in utter disregard of such plain facts, so-called "social scientists" do studies which conclude that America is no longer a land of opportunity, and that upward mobility is a "myth." 

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez dead after battle with cancer
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/03/05/venezuelan-president-hugo-chavez-dead-vp-says/

Excerpt: Some in anguish, some in fear, Venezuelans raced for home on Tuesday after the government announced the death of President Hugo Chavez, the firebrand socialist who led the nation for 14 years. (Well, at least in Cuba he had the best treatment available in the world. Or so Michael Moore says. ~Bob.)

Tweet from Eli Lake:

Yes he mismanaged the country, consolidated power, intimidated his opposition, aligned with Iran. On the other hand, heating oil. #chavez

Tweet from Rep. Jose E. SerranoVerified account‏@RepJoseSerrano

Hugo Chavez was a leader that understood the needs of the poor. He was committed to empowering the powerless. R.I.P. Mr. President.

Venezuela: Chávez’s Authoritarian Legacy, from Human Rights Watch

http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/03/05/venezuela-chavez-s-authoritarian-legacy

Excerpt: Hugo Chávez’s presidency (1999-2013) was characterized by a dramatic concentration of power and open disregard for basic human rights guarantees.

Hollywood bids a fond farewell to Hugo Chavez
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/03/hollywood-bids-hugo-chavez-farewell-88489.html#ixzz2Mm27HmO4

Excerpt: As the legacy of Hugo Chavez gets debated in the wake of his passing, filmmakers Michael Moore and Oliver Stone took to Twitter to praise the late Venezuelan president. (has Hollywood ever met a left-wing dictator it didn’t swoon over? ~Bob.)

A Prayer for the Living.

http://www.redstate.com/billy29485/2013/03/05/a-prayer-for-the-living/

Excerpt: It is somehow fitting that Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez left the realm of the living on this day, the 60th anniversary of the death of one of the world’s most murderous dictators, Josef Stalin. While the crimes of Chavez fail to compete with the atrocities inflicted by Stalin, he was guilty of the same crimes of enslaving millions through a failed ideology. Under the guise of helping the poor, Chavez sought to enrich himself and his cronies by seizing property, destroying civil society, destroying a free press, eliminating the independence of the judiciary, and countless other crimes against humanity.

Hugo Chavez was 'infected with cancer by imperialist enemies': Hugo Chavez is Dead; Update: Democrat Rep Mourns; Update: So does Jimmy Carter. By Erika Johnsen

http://hotair.com/archives/2013/03/05/breaking-hugo-chavez-is-dead/

Excerpt: If you thought that Chavez shoving off might make way for detente between the U.S. and Venezuela, think again: "Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was infected with cancer by “imperialist” enemies, his No. 2 alleged on Tuesday, adding that the socialist leader was suffering his hardest moments since an operation three months ago…'We have no doubt that commander Chavez was attacked with this illness,' Maduro said, repeating a charge first made by Chavez himself that the cancer was an attack by “imperialist” foes in the United States in league with domestic enemies." (If we could really do that, the cancer rate would go up in the Third World. Starting with this idiot Maduro. ~Bob.)

Fossil-Fuel Divestment — Part 2: The target is fossil fuels, but the goal is an end to economic growth. By Stanley Kurtz

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/341994/fossil-fuel-divestment-part-2-stanley-kurtz

Excerpt: You may not have heard of the fossil-fuel divestment movement yet, but you will soon. While the campaign to have universities sell off any stock they may hold in large fossil-fuel companies is still in its infancy, the effort has spread to hundreds of campuses in just the past few months. This ambitious crusade to save the planet from global warming by crushing the world’s fossil-fuel producers is the brainchild of Bill McKibben, arguably America’s foremost environmentalist, and leader of the campaign to block construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. 

My Otherkin Headmate is a Two-Spirited Starseed. By Kathy Shaidle

http://takimag.com/article/my_otherkin_headmate_is_a_two_spirited_starseed_kathy_shaidle/print#ixzz2Mhf1Z3uz

Excerpt: Aware of my impatience for the ever-metastazing and increasingly belligerent LGBTTIQQ2SA “community” and other victim-loonies, a friend directed me to a Reddit thread titled “what does all this bullshit mean anyway?” about some self-described “social justice activists.” Now that sounds like some folks who, while misguided and none too bright, want to feed the poor and stuff. Yeah, no. (Weird but entertaining, sent to me by a good blog feeder and old school friend. ~Bob.)

Pakistani Taliban execute, behead soldiers in South Waziristan

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/03/pakistani_taliban_ex_1.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LongWarJournalSiteWide+%28The+Long+War+Journal+%28Site-Wide%29%29

Excerpt: Warning: the video below contains graphic footage of the aftermath of the Taliban killing several Pakistani soldiers. The Taliban remove the heads of the Pakistani soldiers. The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan released a videotape on the fighting in the Mehsud areas of South Waziristan which includes graphic footage of the mutilation of several Pakistani soldiers who appear to have been killed in a firefight last summer.

$36 Billion of Military Hardware Could Be Destroyed in Afghan Pullout
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Afghanistan-withdrawal-billions-hardware/2013/03/05/id/493173?s=al&promo_code=12ABD-1

Excerpt: The Obama White House is cutting $65 billion in the sequester, but it could easily leave or torch 750,000 pieces of major military hardware — worth $36 billion — in Afghanistan after U.S. troops pull out by the end of next year. Here are the options, according to Face the Facts USA of the George Washington University: Leave the equipment — or destroy it — in Afghanistan; move it to other U.S. military outposts; or transfer it to another U.S. agency or to another country. The estimated cost for the latter two options: $5.7 billion.

T-shirt business ruined after offensive rape slogan generated by computer: An online shirt shop kicked off Amazon for trying to boost its numbers with randomized apparel phrases runs out of cash. By Jason Nottehttp://money.msn.com/now/post.aspx?post=d4ae9708-0e1c-4d73-8563-d446f8e8f481

Excerpt: Fowler started producing the “Keep Calm” T-shirts as a parody of the British "Keep Calm and Carry On" propaganda posters from World War II that were embroiled in a copyright dispute both here and in Europe. He decided to “create a large-scale release of parodies (something T-shirt companies often do) and relied on both computer based dictionaries and online educational resources.” The one hitch in his plan to hit the button and watch the money roll in was that “parody” and the definition thereof never found its way into the company's 700-word database. (Hard to feel bad. Hoist by his own petard. ~Bob.)

Kerry Praises Egypt's 'Democracy' As Obama Slips Muslim Brotherhood Another $250 Million

http://web.mail.comcast.net/zimbra/mail?app=mail#10

Excerpt: The utter foolishness of the current administration continues to be seen as Secretary of State John “Swiftboat” Kerry gave praise to Muslim Brotherhood led Egypt for “their version of democracy” and released $250 million of American tax payer money into the Islamic regime’s hands.

Report: Relative of top Bob Menendez donor pushed apparent retraction of prostitution claim
http://dailycaller.com/2013/03/06/report-relative-of-top-bob-menendez-donor-pushed-apparent-retraction-of-prostitution-claim/#ixzz2MlfiDCJc

Excerpt: A Dominican politician related to a top political donor to Sen. Bob Menendez was the driving force promoting new claims from a woman who now says she concocted an allegation that the senator paid her for sex in 2012.

Mexico's much-needed education reform faces hurdles

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/26/us-mexico-education-idUSBRE91P0WU20130226

Excerpt: The overhaul, if successful, will wrest oversight of teacher hiring and competency exams away from a powerful union, and make all promotions based on merit. It would also help address some of the scams that are rife in Mexico's public education system. Some teachers often skip class themselves, while final year students doing social service are sent in as substitutes for teachers who take jobs within the union and continue to receive their wages. (So, teachers’ unions there much like here. See next piece. ~Bob.)

No Substitute for a Teacher: Adults’ absences shortchange students. By June Kronholz

http://educationnext.org/no-substitute-for-a-teacher/

Excerpt: In the college town where he was living, an astonishing 47 percent of the school district’s 721 teachers were absent more than 10 days during the school year, according to data the district reported to the U.S. Department of Education for a 2009–10 study. That number rose to 61 percent in an elementary school with one of the district’s highest percentages of black, Hispanic, and low-income children. Even at that, the district’s absences don’t appear to be record setting. U.S. teachers take off an average of 9.4 days (roughly 1 day per month) each during a typical 180-day school year. (I usually average 2-4 sick days a year, all for doctor’s visits. Last year I had 10, because of a four day lung transplant evaluation and follow up visits. I can’t recall ever using more than ten. And I don’t get the down time a teacher does. ~Bob.)

Store owners say plastic bag ban causes more shoplifting
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Store-owners-say-plastic-bag-ban-causes-more-4314744.php#ixzz2MlieZlx7

Excerpt: But the bag ban is contributing to thousands of dollars in losses for at least one Seattle grocery store, and questions have been raised about the risk of food-borne illness from reusable bags that shoppers don't often wash. (Increased costs and increased illness—another way you have to pay so the Greenies get to feel good about being for the environment. ~Bob.)

The Complexities of Providing Health Insurance. By Edmund F. Haislmaier

http://www.heritage.org/research/lecture/2013/02/the-complexities-of-providing-health-insurance

Excerpt: Private health insurance increasingly entails moral and ethical issues of consequence to both employers and workers. Recent federal health care legislation has exacerbated the situation by implicitly asserting the supremacy of government’s moral judgments over those of employers and workers who finance private health plans.

Dunkin’ Donuts employee fights off crook with hot coffee, catchphrase

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/dunkin-donuts-employee-fights-off-crook-hot-coffee-191739484.html

Excerpt: A West Haven, Conn., Dunkin' Donuts employee didn't take too kindly to an attempted robbery on Saturday evening. Rather than fork over the contents of her register, the young woman struck back, throwing hot coffee in the would-be crook's face and forcing him to bid a hasty retreat. (Poor guy. We must ban Assault Coffee! ~Bob.)

Senate Republicans to host Obama at policy lunch next week
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/286441--obama-to-court-gop-senators-at-dinner-visit-capitol-hill

Excerpt: Senate Republicans will host President Obama at their weekly conference lunch next week amid an intensifying effort by the White House to reach out to rank-and-file Republicans on a possible budget deal.

Paul Krugman: Stop Being an Embarrassment to the Profession. By John Goodman

http://healthblog.ncpa.org/paul-krugman-stop-being-an-embarrassment-to-the-profession/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=HA#more-29290

Excerpt: About two-thirds of all the Medicaid enrollees in the country are enrolled in private, managed care plans. Even those who remain in traditional Medicaid are likely participating in a plan that is administered by a private company ― much as Medicare is administered almost everywhere by such entities as BlueCross, Cigna and other insurers. … When he writes about health care, Krugman is almost always wrong. (See here, here and here.) The problem is that lay readers are inclined to think this is “economics,” rather than the uninformed diatribe that it actually is.

Report Details Mistakes Made by U.S. in Improvement Projects for Iraq

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/06/world/middleeast/report-details-mistakes-made-by-us-in-improvement-projects-for-iraq.html?ref=world&_r=0

Excerpt: The United States, officials from both countries say, took on too many large projects and often did not consult sufficiently with the Iraqis about which projects were needed and how best to go about them. As a result, the Iraqis were not always able to continue the projects as the American presence began to shrink, and the United States did not secure the good will it had hoped for.

Seoul Warns That North Korea’s Leadership Could Be Target

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/world/asia/seoul-says-north-korea-leadership-could-be-target.html?ref=world

Excerpt: The South Korean military warned on Wednesday that if provoked by North Korea, it would strike the North’s "command leadership," in a sharp escalation of a war of words that hinted at an attack on a North Korean headquarters. (Looking at you, Young Un. ~Bob.)

The Little President Who Cried “Wolf!” By Burt Prelutsky

http://www.burtprelutsky.com/2013/03/the-little-president-who-cried-wolf.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+burtprelutsky%2FSQlQ+%28BurtPrelutsky.com%29

Excerpt: You have to wonder just how many times Obama is going to announce that, thanks entirely to Republicans in Congress, this nation is on the verge of going over the cliff or ending up in a ditch. I also wonder how many people still give a darn if Operation Head Start simply disappears or how it is that cops and firefighters, who all collect a city or county paycheck, will suddenly be unemployed if the federal government has to cut two cents from every dollar it currently squanders.

Please, help me. I don't want to be cut like my sister. By Sara Malm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2288530/FGM-Heartbreaking-letter-desperate-11-year-old-girl-learns-sisters-genitals-mutilated-aunt.html

Excerpt: A heart-breaking letter from an 11-year-old girl begging for a charity for help to avoid female genital mutilation reveals the very real threat for many girls in the UK. The girl’s cry for help was prompted by her discovery that her 12-year-old sister had been taken to her grandmother’s home in Gambia, west Africa for the procedure. 'I really hope you can help me, not to have my private cut,' she writes after discovering her sister's horrific fate.

It's 'I Told You So' on Obamacare. By Jonah Goldberg 

http://townhall.com/columnists/jonahgoldberg/2013/03/06/its-i-told-you-so-on-obamacare-n1526402?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl

Excerpt: He was talking about the apparently surprising need to halt enrollments in a program designed as a temporary bridge for people with pre-existing conditions who couldn't wait to be covered by the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare) when it fully kicks in next year. The program was allocated $5 billion, but some estimate it would take $40 billion to fund the effort. Such surprises are becoming routine.

African Americans against gun control release powerful ad against Democratic Jim Crow Laws

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/03/must-see-video-african-americans-against-gun-control-release-powerful-ad-against-democratic-jim-crow-laws/

Excerpt: On September 28, 1868, a mob of Democrats massacred nearly 300 African-American Republicans in Opelousas, Louisiana. The savagery began when racist Democrats attacked a newspaper editor, a white Republican and schoolteacher for ex-slaves. Several African-Americans rushed to the assistance of their friend, and in response, Democrats went on a “Negro hunt,” killing every African-American (all of whom were Republicans) in the area they could find. 

Klansman sighting that shut down Oberlin campus was student wrapped in blanket. By Mary Katharine Ham

http://hotair.com/archives/2013/03/05/klansman-sighting-that-shut-down-oberlin-campus-was-student-wrapped-in-a-blanket/

Excerpt: When I saw this story Monday, I wondered when we might find out that something much less sinister was afoot: ''Early this morning, there was a report of a person wearing a hood and robe resembling a KKK outfit between South and the Edmonia Lewis Center and in the vicinity of Afrikan Heritage House. This report is being investigated by both Safety and Security and the Oberlin Police Department. '

Brace Yourselves: D.C. Set to Torture Rest of Country by Whining Over Clumsily-named Snowstorm. By Mary Katharine Ham

http://hotair.com/archives/2013/03/05/brace-yourselves-d-c-poised-to-torture-rest-of-country-whining-over-a-clumsily-named-snowstorm/

Excerpt: Are you ready for this one? It’s predicted to snow maybe 5-8 inches in the capital tonight and tomorrow morning, and there’s a movement afoot to call it Snowquester. God, this place is the worst.

“When You Get This Kind Of Rigging, It Will End Badly”

http://www.fedupusa.org/2013/03/when-you-get-this-kind-of-rigging-it-will-end-badly/

Excerpt: When even Home Depot’s Ken Langone is questioning the reality of this rally (CEO of one of the best performing stocks since the Dow last traded here), you have to be a little concerned. However, it is Duquesne’s Stanley Druckenmiller’s point that with QE4EVA it is impossible to know when this will end but warns that “all the lobsters are in the pot” now as he notes that “if you print enough money, everything is subsidized – bonds, stocks, real estate.” He dismisses the notion of any sell-off in bonds for the same reason as the Fed is buying $85 bn per month (75-80% all off Treasury issuance). 

Comment on the above from a banking auditor

To clarify, the FRB is purchasing $45B in US treasuries (SOMA program) and $40B in agency MBS each month, or $85B in total. On the Agency MBS purchases, the FRB has been buying about 1/3rd of all mortgages in 2012, which is expected to increase in 2013 to 50%:

http://nationalmortgageprofessional.com/news32039/mba-residential-originations-2013-break-13-trillion-mark

On the US Treasury purchases by the FRB under SOMA, the levels have fluctuated since the commencement of the Great Stagcession from 80% in 2009 to 61% in 2011 back up to around 75% in 2012, and are projected to be no less than 64% in 2013 (assuming a budget defecate of $845B vs. “projected” FRB purchases of $540B at a rate of $45B per month). Some are predicting higher levels at 75%, which appear more likely given the Sequester squeeze and games being played right now in Washington. Case in point, so far the FRB has purchased 100% of the net Treasuries issued during this calendar year, plus another $3.9B, per the attached article. FRB’s SOMA portfolio increased by $51.1B while total federal debt increased by ONLY $47.2B. Looks like the FRB got it’s hand caught in the proverbial cookie jar: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/fed-has-bought-more-us-gov-t-debt-year-treasury-has-issued

Thus, we can now see why the FRB is being called the Lender of Last Resort and One-Stop-Shopping Center, for not only the mortgage/housing/banking industry but also on a rather incestuous basis for the Federal Government. Along with the very LIBOR-bid-rigging-like activities going on with below- market interest rates driving investors and savers into the stock market and/or other risky-business ventures and investments, the future implications of Godzilla-like inflation (that for all intensive purposes is already here in the food, energy, housing, and health care sectors) that will only get worse once the FRB starts selling one single US treasury or agency MBS on the open market is becoming widely apparent. Personal financial advisors are even making recommendations on how individual investors can protect themselves from the QE Monster that has been unleashed by the FRB and US Government against its own people. Where’s Mothra when you need her?

58% Worry That Government Spending Won’t Be Cut Enough

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/business/taxes/march_2013/58_worry_that_government_spending_won_t_be_cut_enough

Excerpt: The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 62% of Likely U.S. Voters are worried most that Congress and the president will raise taxes too much rather than that they won’t raise taxes enough. Twenty-nine percent (29%) are most worried that Congress and the president won’t raise taxes enough. (I’m not worried. I’m SURE they won’t cut spending enough to avert fiscal collapse, that they will eventually damage the economy by raising taxes, and that in the final extremity, the will print massive amounts of fiat money to pay the debt, causing hyper-inflation. Buy ammo and canned goods. ~Bob.)

Congressman: No golf trips for Obama until White House tours resume

http://conservativebyte.com/2013/03/congressman-no-golf-trips-for-obama-until-white-house-tours-resume/#ixzz2MmNQujri

Excerpt: Republican Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert introduced an amendment to the Continuing Resolution that would not provide the White House with any taxpayer funds to transport President Barack Obama to and from any golf course until they resume White House public tours. (Oh, the horror. This is inhumane. How will he hobnob with the One Percent? ~Bob.)

A President We Can’t Be Proud Of. By Bernard Goldberg

http://www.bernardgoldberg.com/a-president-we-cant-be-proud-of/?utm_source=BernardGoldberg.com+Newsletter&utm_campaign=4bf48b97a3-NEWSLETTER&utm_medium=email

Excerpt: By now, you’ve probably heard all those allegations about how President Obama would intentionally try to make sequester as painful as possible to as many Americans as possible just so he could blame it all on those nasty Republicans and then sit back and watch while the Democrats take over the House and expand their...

Quotes from The Patriot Post

www.patriotpost.us/subscribe/ 

"Say what you like about those Mayan guys, but they only schedule an apocalypse once every 5,126 years. Only Washington would try to pull it off every six weeks." --columnist Mark Steyn

"Congress did not reach an agreement and Congresswoman Maxine Waters said 170 million jobs could be lost. There are only 155 million workers in America. Are you beginning to understand why we're in this situation in the first place?" --comedian Jay Leno

"The White House said that President Obama's salary would not be affected by the looming sequestration cuts. Congress quickly added that their pay is also unaffected. Their salaries are all protected under the Americans with No Abilities Act." --comedian Argus Hamilton

"Secretary of State John Kerry hasn't said anything on Hugo Chavez's death, but he has a long face." --humorist Frank J. Fleming

Stalin’s Dead Hand. By Daniel Greenfield

http://frontpagemag.com/2013/dgreenfield/stalins-dead-hand/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=c3b283898a-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag

Excerpt: Imagine if Hitler had ranked first in a current German survey of the greatest figures of history. While that did not happen, last year Stalin finished first among Russians in a Carnegie survey of the most influential figures of history, proving that people do not learn from history, they learn from the victors of history. Stalin died in March 1953. Sixty years have passed since then, but the old tyrant remains a shadowy presence over Russia offering the simple solution of the bullet and the gulag. (Well, to be fair, Stalin was a far more successful mass murderer than Hitler, though still second to Mao. Rachel Carson is still gaining on Hitler, in dead Third World kids due to Malaria from her book’s getting DDT banned. ~Bob.)

Europe’s Muslim Hiterlites

http://frontpagemag.com/2013/frontpagemag-com/europes-muslim-hiterlites/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=c3b283898a-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag

Excerpt: Dutch TV shows Muslim kids praising Hitler and hoping for a new Holocaust:

Worth Reading: Minimum Wage Mandates: The Tools of Racists Everywhere. By Walter Williams 

http://frontpagemag.com/2013/walter-williams/minimum-wage-mandates-the-tools-of-racists-everywhere/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=c3b283898a-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag

Excerpt: The minimum wage not only discriminates against low-skilled workers but also is one of the most effective tools of racists everywhere. Our nation’s first minimum wage came in the form of the Davis-Bacon Act of 1931. During the legislative debate over the Davis-Bacon Act, which sets minimum wages on federally financed or assisted construction projects, racist intents were obvious. Rep. John Cochran, D-Mo., supported the bill, saying he had “received numerous complaints in recent months about Southern contractors employing low-paid colored mechanics getting work and bringing the employees from the South.” (Dr. Williams, it should be noted, is a black economist with excellent academic credentials. ~Bob.)

Planned Parenthood Clinic Faces Lawsuit Claiming Negligence, Battery

http://www.redstate.com/pwatson/2013/03/05/planned-parenthood-clinic-faces-lawsuit-claiming-negligence-battery/

Excerpt: A doctor at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains allegedly performed an abortion with no anesthesia against the will of Colorado Springs resident Ayanna Byer, according to charges in a lawsuit Byer filed on February 6. (Just trying to carry out their mission to prevent the “unfit” from being born. ~Bob.)

TSA allows knives on planes, flight attendants union calls decision 'dangerous'
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/05/tsa-allows-knives-on-board/?test=latestnews#ixzz2Mk30Ok3t

The Transportation Security Administration announced Tuesday that U.S. airline passengers will soon be allowed to carry small knives in their carry-on bags, a move that prompted swift condemnation from a flight attendants union. The union for Southwest Airlines flight attendants called the decision "dangerous" and "designed to make the lives of TSA staff easier, but not make flights safer." …Starting April 25, passengers going through U.S. airports can bring on board Swiss Army-type knives -- specifically, ones with blades no longer than 2.36 inches. (The folder I care has a 3.5 inch blade, and I worry it will be too small. Probably no worries. This being Chicago, everyone else will have a gun. ~Bob.)

Video: Are You Ready For The Taser Sword?

http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2013/03/06/video-are-you-ready-for-the-taser-sword/

I’d get one, but they probably wouldn’t let me take it on the airplane either. ~Bob.

Eric Holder: Drone strikes against Americans on U.S. soil are legal

http://floppingaces.net/most_wanted/eric-holder-drone-strikes-against-americans-on-u-s-soil-are-legal/

Excerpt: Attorney General Eric Holder can imagine a scenario in which it would be constitutional to carry out a drone strike against an American on American soil, he wrote in a letter to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. “It is possible, I suppose, to imagine an extraordinary circumstance in which it would be necessary and appropriate under the Constitution and applicable laws of the United States for the President to authorize the military to use lethal force within the territory of the United States,” (I bet Bob Woodward is reading Al Qaeda’s tips on avoiding drone strikes. ~Bob.)

Putting politics over public safety: Brennan's backing of Shariah could cost American lives. By Frank J. Gaffney Jr.

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/gaffney030613.php3#.UTd_B9a-o0E

Excerpt: An ominous pattern has been developing, particularly of late: The Obama administration seems determined to subordinate public safety to political expediency. If a course-correction is not effected promptly, the result is predictable. Americans will be needlessly harmed and, perhaps, killed.

Study uncovers health benefits of pessimism

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0313/pessimism_good.php3#.UTeBEta-o0E

Excerpt: A German study suggests that people who are overly optimistic about their future actually faced greater risk of disability or death within 10 years than did those pessimists who expected their future to be worse. (Given my views of where the Republic is headed, this means I’ll likely live another 20 years. So I’ll be here for the disaster. Thus making me more pessimistic. ~Bob)

The Grover's Choice Award: Jihad Watch wins CPAC award, barred from receiving it

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/03/the-grovers-choice-award-jihad-watch-wins-cpac-award-barred-from-receiving-it.html

Excerpt: I was surprised and honored that Jihad Watch was among the nominees for the People's Choice Blog Award, sponsored by Right Wing News and TheTeaParty.net, to be awarded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2013. … He told me that there was a slight problem: the Tea Party group, which co-sponsored this People's Choice Blog Award, didn't want to allow me to receive it at CPAC next week unless I promised not to criticize Grover Norquist and Suhail Khan as I accepted the award. I told the organizer that I couldn't agree to that. He asked me if I had planned to talk about Grover and Suhail. I said no, I hadn't, but I had to now.

German troops sent to Turkey as part of NATO mission stunned to find the Turks aren't happy to have them there

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/03/german-troops-sent-to-turkey-as-part-of-nato-mission-stunned-to-find-the-turks-arent-happy-to-have-t.html

Excerpt: The Turks are irked by the infidel Germans who have come to their aid. Clearly the rapidly re-Islamizing Turks desire no help from the dirty kuffar.

Marines halt new enrollments in tuition assistance programs; other services could follow

http://www.stripes.com/marines-halt-new-enrollments-in-tuition-assistance-programs-other-services-could-follow-1.210592

Excerpt: Some Marines are scrambling to find ways to pay for classes after a surprise announcement that the Marine Corps has stopped new enrollments in its tuition assistance program. The program was available for active-duty Marines attending high school completion courses, vocational courses or classes toward an associate, bachelor, master or doctorate degree after hours. It provided up to $4,500 per fiscal year, or $250 per semester hour or credit hour, according to a Marine Corps website. (Yet our government can write a $250 million check to the Muslim Brotherhood and another $60 to terrorists in Syria. Unless my math is 'fuzzy', $310 million would fund 68,888 Marines at $4,500 per fiscal year. Wonder if HQMC is going to continue to encourage Marines to further their education? --MasterGuns)

Democratic Strategist’s Shocking Claim: Women Don’t Need Guns For Self-Defense, Just Tell Men ‘Not To Rape Women’

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/03/05/democratic-strategists-shocking-claim-women-dont-need-guns-for-self-defense-just-tell-men-not-to-rape-women/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=story&utm_campaign=Share%20Buttons

Excerpt: Appearing on Fox News Tuesday night, Democratic Strategist Zerlina Maxwell argued that preventing rape should start by simply “telling men not to rape women.” She was arguing against women using guns as a means of self-defense when she made the questionable remarks. (This will work as well as gun-free zones, I suppose. ~Bob.)

Lawyer: State's main witness in George Zimmerman murder case lied

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-zimmerman-witness-8-medical-records-20130305,0,129597.story

Excerpt: Trayvon Martin's girlfriend, the state's most important witness in the George Zimmerman murder case, was caught in a lie, it was revealed Tuesday. It was not the first piece of misinformation tied to her, but it was the most damaging to date and left prosecutors in a very awkward position. They had to publicly acknowledge that their star witness had lied under oath and had to answer questions about what they intend to do about it.

Study Shows More Americans Are Raiding 401(k) Accounts To Pay Bills

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/03/06/study-shows-more-americans-are-raiding-401k-accounts-to-pay-bills/

Excerpt: A new national study shows that too many of us are cashing out 401(k) accounts to pay bills. If that retirement account is calling your name, a financial expert advises you to stop listening. (Tweet from Jonathan Schanzer ‏@JSchanzer

But, hey, the Dow is up.)

Governor Perry blasts the 'federally-sponsored jailbreak'

http://www.rickperry.org/blog/governor-perry-blasts-federally-sponsored-jailbreak

Excerpt: In case you missed it, on Fox News last night Governor Perry talks with Greta Van Susteren to express how angry he and Texans are angry why the Obama administration turned loose thousands of illegal immigrants with a 'get out jail for free card' from the federal immigration detention centers in Texas.

Author Quotes Then-Professor Obama Saying, 'I Don't Believe People Should Be Able To Own Guns.' By Gregory Gwyn-Williams, Jr.

http://cnsnews.com/blog/gregory-gwyn-williams-jr/author-quotes-then-professor-obama-saying-i-dont-believe-people-should

Excerpt: In his new book, At the Brink, economist and author John Lott Jr., assesses the presidency of Barack Obama and recalls conversations regarding gun laws they had while working at the University of Chicago.

The presidency is not powerless: And The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza is wrong to claim it is. By Matt K. Lewis 

http://theweek.com/bullpen/column/240903/the-presidency-is-not-powerless

Excerpt: The latest defense of President Obama's impotent leadership: Presidents don't really have much power, after all. At least, that's my reading of Ryan Lizza's new article in The New Yorker, titled "The Powerless Presidency."

Rand Paul Is Doing A Real, Old-Fashioned Filibuster On Civil Liberties And Obama's CIA Nominee
http://www.businessinsider.com/rand-paul-filibusters-john-brennan-2013-3#ixzz2MmtTbHXQ

Excerpt: Warning about the ambiguity over who could be targeted by drones, Paul suggested that they could have been used during 1960s campus protests. "Are you going to just drop a hellfire missile on Jane Fonda?" Paul asked. "Are you going to drop a missile on Kent State?" (I dunno. You could get a lot of Vietnam vets voting for one on Hanoi Jane. ~Bob.)

Rand Paul filibusters CIA nominee Brennan on drones
http://dailycaller.com/2013/03/06/rand-paul-filibusters-cia-nominee-brennan-on-drones/#ixzz2Mn3WyVzB

Excerpt: Paul has been pressing the Obama administration on whether the president has the power to order the execution or assassination of Americans without due process, particularly using drones. Attorney General Eric Holder replied Tuesday that only an “extraordinary circumstance” like Pearl Harbor or Sept. 11 could conceivably justify such moves. While Holder said the Obama administration had no intention of launching drone strikes in the United States, Paul was dismayed the attorney general did not swear them off as illegal and unconstitutional.

Ted Cruz Goads Eric Holder Into Admitting That Killing Americans With Drones On U.S. Soil Is Unconstitutional

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/ted-cruz-goads-eric-holder-into-admitting-that-killing-americans-with-drones-on-u-s-soil-is-unconstitutional/

Excerpt: On Tuesday, the Department of Justice sent shockwaves through the nation when Attorney General Eric Holder informed Sen. Rand Paul(R-KY) in writing that the White House would be within its legal authority to execute an American citizen via drone on U.S. soil if that person was determined to pose a threat to national security. On Wednesday, testifying before a Senate panel, Holder was prodded repeatedly about this assertion by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). Holder eventually admitted that it would not be constitutional to execute an American citizen without due process. 

House approves bill to avoid government shutdown

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/house-takes-first-step-to-avoid-government-shutdown/2013/03/06/f50c79da-8671-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394_story.html

Excerpt: The House on Wednesday House took the first step to avoid a government shutdown, approving a Republican bill to provide $982 billion in funding for the second half of the fiscal year, keeping agencies humming when the mechanism currently funding government expires March 27. The measure would provide new flexibility to the Pentagon to manage the so-called sequester’s deep, automatic spending cuts, but would otherwise leave those reductions in place for the year.

Obama and One-Party Rule

http://pjmedia.com/rogerlsimon/2013/03/06/obama-and-one-party-rule/

Excerpt: And ever since his reelection, he’s devoted almost all his time to one-party efforts, doing his best to excoriate the other side. …And he does it with an animus I have not experienced in my lifetime, as if he wanted to exterminate the opposition and stomp it into oblivion. When he saw fit to reassure us he was not a dictator, many of us thought he really wanted to be. 

Chief White House Calligrapher Gets Paid $96,725 Per Year

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/chief-white-house-calligrapher-gets-paid-96725-year_706521.html

Excerpt: With the White House closing its doors to public tour groups in order to save money for the sequester, it's worth remembering some of the other costs the White House incurs annually. Like the "Chief Calligrapher," Patricia A. Blair, who has an annual salary of $96,725, and her two deputies, Debra S. Brown, who gets paid $85,953 per year, and Richard T. Muffler, who gets paid $94,372 every year.

GGW Video: “Land of the Freebies, Home of the Enslaved”

http://governmentgonewild.org/freebies

Excerpt: Recently, we have all heard on the news that 47% of all Americans do not pay federal income taxes. But as a nation do we really understand what that is doing to current and future generations? More and more people are becoming dependent on government and the shocking part is our very own Congress may be doing it…by design! (Democrats, the party to put you in chains, enslave you. Oops. –Barb.) Watch out for drones, Barb. ~Bob.)

Saudi Princess- REEM ALWALEED BIN TALAL Here's Princess Alwaleed in her full glory Photos of Princess Reem Alwaleed bin Talal shaking Arabia

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/81466824?tag=Saudi%20Princess-%20REEM%20ALWALEED%20BIN%20TALAL%20Here's%20Princess%20Alwaleed%20in%20her%20full%20glory%20Photos%20of%20Princess%20Reem%20Alwaleed%20bin%20Talal

Will they now whip her for provoking me? Not sure this is legit. ~Bob.

Video: Welcome To The United “Waste” of America

http://governmentgonewild.org/unitedwasteofamerica

Excerpt: This is a satirical look at the waste, fraud and abuse within our Federal government. Although we are making fun of the subject this is a serious matter. (Sandy victims are freezing their tushes off, but we are paying tax $$ to air condition dead people and homes of convicts who are in jail? –Barb)

VOTER FRAUD (Virtual State of the Union 2013)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BOYJJSQQO4&feature=youtu.be

From Stalin to Sequestration

http://pjmedia.com/mihaipacepa/2013/03/06/from-stalin-to-sequestration/

Excerpt: …In theory, socialism is an idyllic dream. In reality, it is a phony nightmare, modeled after Karl Marx’s infamous dictum “Jeder nach seinen Fähigkeiten, jedem nach seinen Bedürfnissen” (from each according to his ability, to each according to his need), a social theory that has destroyed the economy of every country where it has been applied. To put it into plain English, the socialist redistribution of wealth is theft, and stealing became a national policy on the day the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was born. 

Obama and the Media: Old Policy Resurfacing: The Woodward imbroglio isn't the only incident of bullying the press by this White House.

http://pjmedia.com/blog/obama-and-the-media/

Excerpt: When Amory Gutierrez from the Pleasanton Weekly wanted to do a puff piece on the Obamas’ helicopter, “Marine One,” the White House put out the welcome mat. … Her piece gushed over the helicopter flown by a Marine crew, but then went on to repeat what the Marines had told her. In nearly four years of flying the Obamas, Michelle Obama had never so much as verbally acknowledged the crew’s existence.

Internal doc reveals ICE plan to release thousands of illegal immigrants
http://dailycaller.com/2013/03/06/internal-doc-reveals-ice-plan-to-release-thousands-of-illegal-immigrants/#ixzz2Mn4ApopC

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte on Tuesday released an internal U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) document showing that the agency planned to release thousands of illegal aliens from detention centers in response to cuts resulting from sequestration. The document revealed that from Feb. 15 to March 31, 2013, ICE planned to release 1,000 detainees a week, reducing their detainee numbers from 30,748 to 26,748 — well below the 34,000 mandated by Congress, Goodlatte noted. (“Cry ‘Havoc’ and loose the hounds of Hell”-- Per the Phrase Finder, a UK website, “The military order Havoc! was a signal given to the English military forces in the Middle Ages to direct the soldiery (in Shakespeare's parlance 'the dogs of war') to pillage and chaos.” Maybe the oath to serve and protect the Constitution does not apply to those really born in the US; we’ve been naïve enough to think they cared all these years. –Barb.)

Obama doesn’t have a mandate

http://dailycaller.com/2013/03/06/obama-doesnt-have-a-mandate/#ixzz2Mn7bbLpT

Excerpt: When Senator Harry Reid speaks, if you listen very carefully and sit very still, you can usually hear a faint whisper in the wind, echoing “Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit!” It’s not a human cry. It’s elemental. (I disagree. It’s not faint at all for me. ~Bob.)