Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for May 14, 2013

Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for May 14, 2013

Robert A. Hall

Your one-stop-shop for political news and opinion--who needs newspapers or TV? 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.

C.Y.A. Protecting Yourself in the Modern Jungle

If you order directly from CreateSpace, the PFF receives a larger royalty:

https://www.createspace.com/4133396http://www.amazon.com/C-Y-Protecting-Yourself-Modern-Jungle/dp/1481989103/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358787454&sr=1-8&keywords=C.Y.A+.+Robert+A+Hall

First published in 2010, this book has been reissued through CreateSpace/Amazon at a lower price, with all royalties going to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. A humor/self-help book, this is advice with an attitude.

Worth Reading: Get Uncle Sam out of the green startup loan business. By Veronique de Rugy

http://washingtonexaminer.com/op-ed-get-uncle-sam-out-of-the-green-startup-loan-business/article/2528701

Excerpt: Meet the Solyndra of the electric car industry: Fisker Automotive. In 2009, the company was awarded a $529 million loan through the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program. It is in bankruptcy, and has now fired 75 percent of its workforce. The reality, however failed to meet this goal. It did produce -- at least until last year -- the Karma sedan, a $104,000 plug-in electric hybrid car. But the car wasn't just exclusive and expensive, it didn't even work. (“Green Investments” by the Obama administration are not investments in jobs or in the environment. They are investments of your tax dollars in buying votes from environmental groups and political contributions from green cronies. They are very effective at that. ~Bob.)

Important: Doctor Kermit Gosnell found guilty of murdering infants in late-term abortions
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/13/jury-split-on-2-counts-in-trial-abortion-doctor-kermit-gosnell/#ixzz2TCfWacTf

Excerpt: Philadelphia doctor was found guilty Monday of murdering three babies born alive in an abortion clinic, Fox News confirms. He was acquitted in the fourth baby's death, and found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the overdose death of an adult patient. Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, was convicted of first-degree murder and could face execution in the deaths of three babies who authorities say were delivered alive and then killed with scissors at his grimy clinic, in a case that became a flashpoint in the nation's debate over abortion. 9I’d be okay with them getting huge metal sheers and snipping his spine, but there is zero chance he will get death. Too many folks vested in the abortion industry. ~Bob.)

Guest post: How a soldier sees the flag

http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2013/05/guest-post-how-soldier-sees-american.html

The Sequester Failed

http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-sequester-failed.html

Hell Freezes Over - MSNBC Says Benghazi Cover Up Looks 'Clintonian' - Risk of 'Impeachment' (VIDEO)

http://www.isthatbaloney.com/hell-freezes-over-msnbc-says-benghazi-cover-up-looks-clintonian-risk-of-impeachment-video/

Excerpt: As you will see in the video below the discussion goes into one member of the group saying, "Politically, this is not good for the White House" and then it just deteriorates for the Obama administration from there. The next member of the panel says, "Sure, they look terrible." Next up, another panel member when asked if this becomes an election issue says, "Sure it becomes an election issue, It becomes a 2014 issue, it becomes a 2016 issue, it becomes a, should I even say the word..." this is where hell freezes over, "that word that starts with I and has 3 syllables, that I think we all know, it becomes, you know, you know the word I mean, it becomes a potential IMPEACHMENT ISSUE as long as the Republicans are in control of the House."

Zoning Kills Affordable Housing: How established homeowners use regulations to stop new low-cost homes. By John K. Ross

http://reason.com/archives/2013/05/07/zoning-kills-affordable-housing

Excerpt: When a news crew showed up to film a public meeting in tony Darien, Connecticut, in 2005, some of the residents were less than thrilled. "Why don't you fucking shoot something else?" one demanded. Hundreds crammed into the hearing, sneering and jeering during the presentation. The fresh hell residents showed up to protest? A proposal to replace a nondescript single-family home on a one-acre lot with 20 condos for senior citizens. (Dr. Thomas Sowell has been pointing out for years that the rich elites use tax dollars to buy green space and parks, enhancing the value of their upper class homes while making land in the cities less affordable for low income housing. Another liberal screwing of the poor. ~Bob.)

Lions and tigers or bears? Oh my! Restaurant under fire for offering lion meat in tacos but bear is still ON the menu

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2323346/Taco-Fusion-Tampa-What-like-taco--chicken-beef--lion-Restaurant-offering-lion-meat-tacos.html#ixzz2T9rtmUj5 

Excerpt: With chefs all over the country pushing the limits, sore and more restaurants across the country are adding exotic dishes to their menus. But one place in Florida is pushing things to a whole new level with their wild tacos. Taco Fusion began offering 'safari' tacos filled with fresh lion meat.

ObamaCare’s Unfair Treatment of Middle Class Families. By Linda Gorman

http://healthblog.ncpa.org/obamacares-unfair-treatment-of-middle-class-families/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=HA#more-30264

Excerpt: Middle income families are about to encounter some real surprises as a result of the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare). For example, many workers will soon discover that when they earn more money, they end up with less take-home pay. Others will discover that they are worse off if their employer offers them “affordable coverage” than if there is no health insurance offer. What causes these bizarre outcomes? Read on.

Newseum to honor 2 terrorists among journalists killed in 2012
http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/10/newseum-to-honor-2-terrorists-among-journalists-killed-in-2012/#ixzz2TBQlGR63

Excerpt: Two people who worked for the Palestinian terror group Hamas will be honored in Washington Monday as “journalists” after they were killed in Gaza last year. (Probably going to give them the Leni Riefenstahl award. ~Bob.)

Obama's Enemies List—Part II. First an Obama campaign website called out Romney donor Frank Vandersloot. Next the IRS moved to audit him—and so did the Labor Department. By John Strassel

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444464304577537233908744496.html

Excerpt: Mr. VanderSloot has since been learning what it means to be on a presidential enemies list. Just 12 days after the attack, the Idahoan found an investigator digging to unearth his divorce records. This bloodhound—a recent employee of Senate Democrats—worked for a for-hire opposition research firm. Now Mr. VanderSloot has been targeted by the federal government. In a letter dated June 21, he was informed that his tax records had been "selected for examination" by the Internal Revenue Service. 

Tweet from David Burge @Iowaharkblog

"Unnamed low level employee, in the regional office, by mistake." - always the winning answer in the government version of "Clue"

The Bloody Hands of Barack Obama. By Stella Paul
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/../2013/05/the_bloody_hands_of_barack_obama.html

Excerpt: The Three Whistleblowers at the Benghazi hearing spoke softly, but with the emotional wallop of The Three Tenors. They told the truth, and it blasted like thunder through Obama's tissue palace of lies. Listening to these strong, solemn men, I heard the sound of old America: a place of hardworking people who love their country and believe in something bigger than their own power.

Boston bombers’ mosque recommended men beat their wives
http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/12/boston-bombers-mosque-recommended-men-beat-their-wives/#ixzz2TBVT21T4

Well, it’s their culture and in the Holy Qur’an, so who are we to judge? ~Bob

George Will: Jay Carney’s ‘usefulness to this administration is diminishing rapidly.’
http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/13/george-will-jay-carneys-usefulness-to-this-administration-is-diminishing-rapidly/#ixzz2TBVl7akA

Under the bus with him! ~Bob

Worth Reading: Will the 'collegiality effect' bring down Obama? By Donald Hank

http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/hank/130513

Excerpt: Recently, CBS executive Jonathan Karl went on the Bill O'Reilly show and did something unprecedented. He sided with the conservative viewpoint that there was indeed lying and obfuscation in the highest echelons of the Obama administration in the Benghazi aftermath. He discussed frankly how the State Department talking points had been revised beyond recognition, from the initial admission (by the CIA) that the Benghazi attack was a well planned terror attack to a fictitious narrative of a spontaneous demonstration over an anti-Muslim video. For years the public has watched Obama lie and cheat and get a pass from the press corps. So there is skepticism about the extent to which leftwing media criticism of the White House will effect a substantive change.

No Kidding: The IRS Has Had a Vendetta against Conservatives Since 2011. By Jim Geraghty, Morning Jolt

http://www.nationalreview.com/newsletters

Excerpt: Let's see here . . . the Benghazi hearings and reporting about the "editing" of the talking points indicate that the Obama administration covered up the truth about what happened. Then we learned one of the Boston bombers sought out jihadists while in Russia in 2011 and listened to Internet sermons of al-Qaeda fan/cleric Anwar Awlaki, while collecting public assistance. Then we learned disclosures from the IRS prove that the federal government targeted groups based upon their political views. Hell of a week for the fears we once dismissed as paranoia, huh? This afternoon we get Elvis's reappearance and Thursday is scheduled to feature the truth about the aliens at Roswell. Naturally, today Obama will deal with these shocking headlines in his traditional manner: going to a bunch of Democratic fundraisers in New York City. And yes, the IRS story is basically as bad as the most paranoid would have you believe: Sometimes they really are out to get you. … One point to keep in mind: Sometimes no organizational boss has to explicitly say that there's a great incentive to target a particular political foe. Sometimes these sorts of illegal and unjust incentives simply resonate throughout the culture of an organization. If everyone within a particular office culture (i.e., Internal Revenue Service employees) believes that a particular group is particularly bad (conservatives) and another group is good (liberals), there will be enormous psychological incentives to pursue the "bad" groups, both out of personal beliefs and out of reinforcing groupthink. There's a simple, direct method for changing the culture, of course: Fire anybody involved.

Worth Reading: Children and Guns: The Fear and the Reality. Kids are much likelier to die in swimming-pool accidents. By John Lott

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/348095/children-and-guns-fear-and-reality

Excerpt: For all children younger than 10, there were 36 accidental gun deaths, and that is out of 41 million children. Perhaps most important, about two-thirds of these accidental gun deaths involving young children are not shots fired by other little kids but rather by adult males with criminal backgrounds. In other words, unless you send your child to play at a criminal’s home, she is exceedingly unlikely to get shot. Indeed, if you are going to worry about your child’s safety you should check into other, perhaps less obvious dangers lurking in the playmate’s house: swimming pools, bathtubs, water buckets, bicycles, and chemicals and medications that can cause fatal poisoning. Drownings alone claimed 609 deaths; fires, 262 lives; poisonings, 54 lives. And don’t forget to ask about the playmate’s parents’ car and their driving records if your child will ride with them: After all, motor-vehicle accidents killed 923 children younger than 10. (If we can save just one child, we must ban assault swimming pools. ~Bob.)

Will Britain Leave the EU? The status quo always looks impregnable until it looks doomed. By John O’Sullivan

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/348047/will-britain-leave-eu

Excerpt: I suppose I must long ago have come across Ernest Hemingway’s line about the two ways of going bankrupt — “gradually, then suddenly” — because I read The Sun Also Rises about 40 years ago. But it didn’t stick with me until I read it again, quoted in a column by Mark Steyn in March of last year, in reference to the impending bankruptcy of the good old U.S.A. Others must also have been reading Hemingway or Steyn in the intervening year because I come across this quotation about every other day.

The Benghazi Lie: A failure of character of this magnitude corrodes the integrity of the state. By Mark Steyn

http://www.nationalreview.com/node/347980/print

Excerpt: It was 9 p.m. Eastern time, or 3 a.m. in Libya. Remember the Clinton presidential team’s most famous campaign ad? About how Hillary would be ready to take that 3 a.m. call? Four years later, the phone rings, and Secretary Clinton’s not there. She doesn’t call Hicks back that evening. Or the following day. Are murdered ambassadors like those 1.43 million cables she doesn’t read? Just too many of them to keep track of? No. Only six had been killed in the history of the republic?” seven, if you include Arnold Raphel, who perished in General Zia’s somewhat mysterious plane crash in Pakistan in 1988. (This Republic sold its integrity for Obama Phones on November 6, 2012. ~Bob.)

Bad Faith and Benghazi, By Jonah Goldberg 

http://patriotpost.us/opinion/18103

Excerpt: In the wake of Benghazi, the country endured an intense debate over how much free speech we could afford because of the savage intolerance of rioters half a world away. Obama and Clinton fueled this debate by incessantly blaming the video -- as if the First Amendment was the problem. Clinton and Obama both swore oaths to support and defend the Constitution. But after failing to support and defend Americans left to die, they blamed the Constitution for their failure. That's what difference it makes.

Just another Day on the Job. By Larry Benson

http://www.fraudoftheday.com/2013/05/13/just-another-day-on-the-job/

Excerpt: While our economy is nowhere near a great depression, it has impacted people differently. For example, some retirees find that their pension benefits are not sufficient to meet their needs and are forced to return to searching for a job. (They better bring a good resume, a clean suit and every other unthinkable skill with them – it’s a tough market for job hunting.) For one Maine resident, this led to his decision to steal more than $83,000 in federal pension funds by continuing to receive retirement payments after he had returned to work.

A Democrat, a union and myriad businesses see chaos in Obamacare. By Dustin Hurst 

http://watchdog.org/83344/a-democrat-a-union-and-myriad-businesses-see-chaos-in-obamacare/

Excerpt: Perhaps the question is no longer if Obamacare will wreak havoc on the American economy. Instead, the query seems to have morphed into something far more dire and prophetic: Just how much chaos will the law inflict upon the American people, businesses and the economy?

Georgia Rep. Price: Obama Oversight Is ‘Laborious, Time-Consuming’ for Congress

http://pjmedia.com/blog/georgia-rep-price-obama-oversight-is-laborious-time-consuming-for-congress/

Excerpt: Addressing the House hearing on Benghazi with three “whistleblowers,” Georgia Republican Rep. Tom Price told PJ Media that exercising oversight of the Obama administration has been “incredible, laborious, time-consuming work” for Congress.

Pakistan's Sharif gets resounding election victory

http://news.yahoo.com/pakistans-sharif-gets-resounding-election-victory-035224173.html

Excerpt: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif looked poised to return to office with a resounding election victory — a mandate that could make it easier to tackle the country's daunting problems, including growing power outages, weak economic growth and shaky government finances. Questions remain, however, about Sharif's stance on another key issue: violent Islamic extremism.

After bombings, Turkey says world must act against Syria

http://news.yahoo.com/bombings-turkey-says-world-must-act-against-syria-034700805.html

Didn’t get the memo. ~Bob. Excerpt: Turkey accused a group with links to Syrian intelligence of carrying out car bombings that killed 46 people in a Turkish border town, and said on Sunday it was time for the world to act against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Kenyan patients escape from Nairobi's Mathari hospital

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-22509446

Excerpt: Forty mentally ill patients have escaped from the Mathari Mental Hospital in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, after overpowering guards, police say. A search has been launched for the patients, some of whom are known to be violent, police told the BBC. (If they could get to Washington, they could hide out in Congress. ~Bob.)

If You Trust The American Press, Here's A Thought Experiment

http://www.forbes.com/sites/eamonnfingleton/2013/05/12/if-you-trust-murdochs-fox-news-or-wsj-heres-a-thought-experiment/

Excerpt: The U.S. Defense Science Board’s report High Performance Microchip Supply ranks as probably the most devastating ever account of the speed and extent of American decline. Why therefore has it been completely overlooked, or should I say suppressed, by America’s mainstream media? As I pointed out last week, the report, issued as far back as 2005, documented the transfer abroad — mainly to East Asia – of most of the U.S. semiconductor industry’s key capabilities and technologies. (The people who “trust the press” mainly read the sports and gossip pages anyway. ~Bob.)

Why China Lets North Korea Run Wild. By Peter Huessy

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/world-report/2013/05/07/chinas-oil-ambitions-mean-no-reining-in-north-korea

Excerpt: Although most observers tend to treat them as separate phenomena, there is an intimate connection between North Korea's recent nuclear and long-range missile tests and China's growing push to control the vast oil and gas resources in the South China Sea and the associated sea lanes through which trillions of dollars in commerce travel. 

Why Afghanistan Might Be the Marines’ Last Fight. By David Francis

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2013/05/06/Why-Afghanistan-Might-Be-the-Marines-Last-Fight.aspx#page1

Excerpt: The review, which was completed in 2011, recommended the Marines shrink the size of their force dramatically and make other cuts that would lessen their strength. But the review did little to quiet speculation among the defense and policy community in Washington. There are lingering questions about the future of the Marines, with some suggesting that their missions are better conducted by the Army, Navy and Special Forces. (Every few years, the knives come out from left wing politicians and the other services. You cannot destroy the Republic while we have a Marine Corps. So I think the elimination of the Marines is inevitable. Predicted in this novel. ~Bob

The Hand of the Prophet: A Novel of Islamic America, 2053 by R.A.H.

http://www.amazon.com/Hand-Prophet-Novel-Islamic-America/dp/1478160535/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341609341&sr=1-1&keywords=Hand+of+the+prophet+R.A.H.)

This is a Scandal We Must Not Let Slide. By Daniel Horowitz 

http://www.redstate.com/2013/05/12/this-is-a-scandal-we-must-not-let-slide/

Excerpt: Welcome to 1984. The government that is supposed to govern by the consent of the people is now attacking those who seek to preserve the Constitution. Even as a number of non-profit organizations that aid and abet illegal aliens or Islamic terrorists are able to operate without any fear of investigation, we now know that tea party patriot organizations have been singled out for audits by high level officials at the IRS.

The Broken President’s Broken Politics. By John Ransom 

 http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/johnransom/2013/05/13/the-broken-presidents-broken-politics-n1593494?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl

Excerpt: Being president was always easy for Barack Obama. That is, it was easy up until the time he actually was elected president. Then things got a little tougher. In part, Obama’s troubles stem from the rigidity of his broken ideas. 

Dems Shoot Themselves in the Foot Again On Guns. By Kurt Schlichter 

http://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2013/05/13/dems-shoot-themselves-in-the-foot-again-on-guns-n1592547?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl

Excerpt: Despite suffering the most humiliating rejection of his presidency, President Obama and the liberal establishment are determined to revive their failed gun control scheme. That’s a good thing. The Republicans should remember Napoleon’s warning that you should never interrupt an enemy when he is making a mistake. This mistake will cost the Democrats dearly in 2014.

Court slashes sentence in 'honour killing' case

http://m.thelocal.se/47758/20130507/

Didn’t get the memo. ~Bob. Excerpt: A Swedish appeals court has reduced a lower court's eight-year prison sentence for a 17-year-old boy found of guilty fatally stabbing his sister more than 100 times after she fled a forced marriage in Iraq, in what the court referred to as an "honour killing". (I volunteer for the firing squad. As usual, I will bring my own rifle and ammo to keep costs down. Sigh. ~Bob.)

Abandoned

http://au.news.yahoo.com/sunday-night/features/article/-/17094076/abandoned/

Excerpt: Gali was using her laptop in the hotel’s staff bar when her drink was spiked. She awoke to a nightmare beyond belief: she had been savagely raped by three of her colleagues. Alone and frightened, she took herself to hospital. What Alicia didn’t know is that under the UAE’s strict sharia laws, if the perpetrator does not confess, a rape cannot be convicted without four adult Muslim male witnesses. She was charged with having illicit sex outside marriage, and thrown in a filthy jail cell for eight months. (It’s their culture. Who are we to judge? Besides, the New York Times and several federal courts say using Shari’a Law here is fine. ~Bob.)

Saudi jails Lebanese who helped woman convert to Christianity

http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/saudi-jails-lebanese-who-helped-woman-convert-christianity

Excerpt: A Saudi court jailed a Lebanese man for six years and sentenced him to 300 lashes after convicting him of encouraging a Saudi woman to convert to Christianity, Saudi dailies reported Sunday.

Pope canonizes 800 Christians murdered for refusing to convert to Islam

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/05/pope-canonizes-800-christians-murdered-for-refusing-to-convert-to-islam.html

Excerpt: The `'Martyrs of Otranto" were 813 Italians beheaded for defying demands by Turkish invaders to renounce Christianity.

Education department eliminates the terms 'mother' and 'father' in favor of less gender-specific 'parent 1' and 'parent 2'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2323196/Education-department-eliminates-terms-mother-father-favor-gender-specific-parent-1-parent-2.html

The U.S. Department of Education is replacing the terms ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’ on student loan forms with the less gender-specific ‘Parent 1’ and ‘Parent 2.’ The changes will be introduced on the 2014-2015 federal student aid form (FAFSA) and the move is designed to better accommodate students who are brought up in gay homes where there are two mother or two fathers. ‘All students should be able to apply for federal student aid within a system that incorporates their unique family dynamics,’ Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a statement. (Guess that’s why WH tweeting about Planned Parenthood and abortions on Mother’s Day. Soon to be a thing of the past, like the Easter Egg Roll (Christian related). –Barb. We know three lesbian couples with kids. All three are better parents than a great many straight people, especially single welfare moms producing babies for cash, who are abandoned by the fathers. They call both parents “mommy.” ~Bob.)

UK denies Pentagon claim Britain in 'no rush' to free Guantánamo inmate

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/12/guantanamo-bay-shaker-aamer-hammond?guni=Network%20front:network-front%20main-3%20Main%20trailblock:Network%20front%20-%20main%20trailblock:Position5

Excerpt: Aamer, a British resident, has been held at the controversial detention camp for 11 years, despite never having been tried or charged with any crime….According to leaked files, the US believes the British resident met Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and led a unit of fighters against Nato troops. They also allege an association with the shoe bomber Richard Reid and the convicted 9/11 plotter Zacarias Moussaoui. Aamer's supporters claim he suffered terrible abuse at Bagram air base and that an alleged confession he made to captors was obtained under the pain of torture. (Personally, I’d release all the Gitmo detainees. From about 50 feet up, fifty miles at sea. Shark feeding grounds would be optimal. ~Bob.)

El Salvador Establishes Ties with the Palestinian Authority

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/167918#.UZCZ0qI3v0c

Good. Let them give them foreign aid. ~Bob. Excerpt: El Salvador established diplomatic relations with the Palestinian Authority on Friday, the Global Post reports. The move comes a week after Denmark and Finland became the latest European countries to upgrade the status of the Palestinian Authority’s diplomatic missions in their countries. Garnering official recognition as a state from as many countries as possible has been a goal of the Palestinian Authority’s government for several years now, particularly after the UN General Assembly upgraded the PA to the status of non-member observer state last November.

IRS political scandal a new political nightmare for Obama administration
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2013/05/irs_political_scandal_a_new_political_nightmare_for_obama_administration.html#ixzz2T9iDHjKX
Excerpt: "Using the IRS to target political opponents is banana-republic stuff, a clear and intolerable violation of the public trust, not to mention relevant criminal statutes. This is not the sort of offense that should get these IRS workers fired from their jobs - it is the sort of offense that should get them five years in prison." Also: Do you think ObamaCare will be administered with any more fairness?

The Enemy from Within and the Enemy from Without
http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/05/the_enemy_from_within_and_the_enemy_from_without.html#ixzz2T9gdIlMo
Excerpt: The dynamic of the whole process of such internal disintegration resulting from intense domestic political rivalry can be said to revolve around a fatal combination of the principles of "divide and conquer" from without and "a house divided against itself cannot stand" from within, with that inevitably present taskmaster the ego blinding the judgment and driving the actions of the ill-fated players involved. Human nature being as consistent as it is, it should come as no surprise that factions have arisen in our country that are so obsessed with triumphing over their internal rivals that they not only choose to ignore the dangers arising from external enemies, but are more than happy to ally themselves with those very external enemies in order to insure victory over their domestic foes.

The Future of Private Property

http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/05/the_future_of_private_property.html#ixzz2T9fpWuqF

Excerpt: It seems to just bug the dickens out of progressives, but we still have "private property" in these here United States. The question is, for how much longer? Private property has come under assault in America, and these assaults are coming mainly from government. 

Was SEAL Team Six sent on a Uriah Mission?
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2013/05/was_seal_team_six_sent_on_a_uriah_mission.html#ixzz2T9dJTJSm

Excerpt: As King David sent Uriah the Hittite out to his death to silence him about his wife, Bathsheba, who was pregnant with David's child, so the Obama regime may have sent Seal Team Six into the jaws of death to prevent their damning testimony about the ersatz Bin Laden raid. On 6 August, 2011, seventeen Navy SEALs perished when their 1960s vintage CH47-D Chinook helicopter was blasted from the hostile skies over enemy territory by Taliban forces. Among those who died that day were members of SEAL Team 6, the unit responsible for the alleged assignation of bin Laden, whom some believe died years earlier of kidney disease. (I wondered about this when I heard the news report; was told “it happens in combat.” Read the details of the equipment, the set up…. wonder why so many generals forced into retirement….Mother states “sympathizing with the enemy,” “Biden revealed top secret information as a ‘gaffe’” and chart showing increased deaths of troops under Obama versus Bush—no wonder suicides and stressors up. –Barb. That they didn’t kill bin Laden is, in my mind, a pretty far fetched conspiracy theory, like that the US was behind 9/11 or that Newtown was faked. Absent solid proof, such speculation hurts us with the people in the center we need to win elections. ~Bob.)

The twelve minute video that could make Jay Carney curl up in the fetal position
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2013/05/the_twelve_minute_that_would_make_jay_carney_curl_up_in_the_fetal_position.html#ixzz2T9ZJq2Rs
Excerpt: Saturday night on her Fox News show, Judge Jeanine Piro spoke out with eloquence and righteous indignation over the Benghazi affair. …. I have always enjoyed Judge Piro's work, but in the past few weeks, she has come into her own. Perhaps it is her years as a judge that enables her to speak with such moral clarity about the fundamental issues.

White House Celebrates Mother’s Day Promoting HHS Abortion Mandate

http://www.lifenews.com/2013/05/10/white-house-celebrates-mothers-day-promoting-hhs-abortion-mandate/

The White House found a way to celebrate Mother’s Day early, by sending out a series of tweets today promoting Obamacare. The official White House Twitter account specifically touting the HHS abortion mandate that compels religious groups to pay for birth control and drugs that may cause abortions under their employee health care plans. The mandate is so egregious it has drawn more than 100 lawsuits from religious groups, business, school and others who are not allowed to opt out under the narrow provisions. (Sample tweet on site. Guess POTUS and FLOTUS are “sticking it to the folks” with their “mandate.” –Barb. They are thinking of charging that nut job in Cleveland with murder for killing fetuses. How is he different from Planned Parenthood? ~Bob.)

5 grocery staples that are getting more expensive: Natural disasters, fuel prices are inflating prices around the globe

http://www.today.com/id/42598484/ns/today-money/t/grocery-staples-are-getting-more-expensive/#.UZCLu6I3v0c

Excerpt: Consumers saw groceries price increase by 2.8 percent during the last yearly period, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistic's most recent Consumer Price Index report…. World economic growth, rising crude oil prices, shrinking stockpiles, strong commodity demand and severe crop-destroying weather have created a perfect storm of sorts, resulting in rising food costs worldwide. In fact, the global food price index, compiled from price data for sugar, cereals, oils, meat and dairy products, recently reached an all-time high. (Sequester has not affected the covert chem spraying program, continuing day and night, to “cool” the atmosphere and manipulate weather patterns; yes, creating crop-destroying weather, while dictating that corn be used to ethanol and animals slaughtered since feed reduced…Barb)

U.S. Gas Prices Expected To Remain Low For Summer

http://m.npr.org/news/front/183346907

Excerpt: Drivers will find this summer's gas prices are lower than last year's, the result of a spike in crude oil production. Government forecasters say a gallon of regular gasoline will cost about $3.50 this summer — a slide of more than 10 cents from last year. Energy Department analysts say "the regular gasoline price will average $3.53 per gallon over the summer," citing lower crude oil prices. (More disinformation from MSM, regime feed. These folks obviously haven’t filled up a car lately. Maybe they walk, bike or take trains. Regular is at least .30 higher than these prices in May. Prices going up, along with grocery staples. –Barb. Obama eviscerated Bush when gas went to $1.84 a gallon. Can we get Bush back to do this again? Now about $4.30 in Chicago. ~Bob.)

2013 Gas Price Forecast: Around $4 Per Gallon by Spring
http://business.time.com/2013/01/09/2013-gas-price-forecast-around-4-per-gallon-by-spring/#ixzz2T9TqpVOb

Excerpt: Drivers shouldn’t expect prices to get cheaper at any point in 2013......For the most part, however, GasBuddy’s forecast calls for a repeat of trends seen in 2012, which was the most expensive year ever for gas, and which in turn was a followup to the record-setting gas prices of 2011. Gas prices around the country reached the high point for 2012 in the springtime, when the average gallon sold for nearly $4. (Article from Jan 2013; guess what? Almost $4 gal for premium, if not higher….Used to be there would be cries of gouging if gas prices allowed to climb….Barb.)

Oil industry, lawmakers say EPA fuel rule would hike prices at the pump
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/29/epa-to-unveil-proposal-to-clean-up-tailpipe-pollution-that-critics-say-would/#ixzz2T9TENIEn

Excerpt: Oil industry representatives and congressional Republicans accused the Obama administration Friday of effectively jacking up gas prices across the country after the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled a plan to clean up gasoline and automobile emissions. Increases in gas prices disproportionately hurt the nation's most vulnerable individuals and families -- with $4 dollar a gallon gas the norm in many parts of the country, we cannot afford policies that knowingly raises gas prices," Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., said in a statement. "

Strong earthquakes hit Iran, Oman

http://www.timesofisrael.com/another-strong-earthquake-hits-iran/

Excerpt: An earthquake of 6.2 magnitude hit southern Iran early Saturday, the US Geological Survey said, following a quake in the Gulf nation of Oman near the northern city of Al Khasab with a 6.3 magnitude. The epicenter of the Iran quake was measured at 85 kilometers southeast of the southern town of Minab at 0208 GMT, with a depth of 36.44 km, according to the USGS….This is the fifth earthquake to hit Iran in the past month.

Demand Hagel Explain Meeting with Anti-Christian Extremist

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/13/56-Congressmen-Demand-Hagel-Explain-Meeting-with-Anti-Christian-Extremist?utm_source=e_breitbart_com&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Breitbart+News+Roundup%2C+May+13%2C+2013&utm_campaign=20130513_m116037239_Breitbart+News+Roundup%2C+May+13%2C+2013&utm_term=More

Excerpt: Monday morning, Congressmen Steve Scalise and John Fleming—both Republicans representing districts in Louisiana—sent a letter signed by 59 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel at the Pentagon, demanding answers regarding Pentagon officials meeting with an anti-Christian extremist.

Worth Reading: IRS wrongdoing threatens to become a major issue for Democrats. By Chris Cillizza and Sean Sullivan

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/05/13/irs-wrongdoing-threatens-to-become-a-major-issue-for-democrats/

Excerpt: Here’s a quick summary of what we learned this weekend: It wasn’t just groups with the words “tea party” or “patriot” that were flagged for extra scrutiny, but also groups that criticized the government or sought to educate people about the Constitution, according to an audit requested by the inspector general for the IRS.

Kucinich: Obama's Libya Policy to Blame for Death of Four Americans in
Benghazi
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/kucinich-obamas-libya-policy-blame-death-four-americans-benghazi_722414.html>
Excerpt: Liberal former congressman Dennis Kucinich blamed President Obama's Libya policy for the death of four Americans in Benghazi. Kucinich also said the Obama administration politicized the response to Benghazi because they "were in the circumference of an election, and when you get on the eve of an election, everything becomes political." (We now have a Perfect Storm: Benghazigate + IRSgate. One National Security Scandal + One Domestic Scandal. The Timing on the IRS Scandal is particularly unfortunate for the Administration, as it has come so soon after people have just paid their taxes by April 15th -- and some folks are being audited right now. –Spence)

'There Is No There There': Obama complains about GOP investigation into Benghazi cover-up

http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/13/obama-complains-about-gop-investigation-into-benghazi-cover-up/#ixzz2TCgaGN5U

Excerpt: “The whole issue of talking points, frankly throughout this process, has been a sideshow,” Obama complained during a joint press conference with U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron. “This gets spun up as if there is something new to the story. There is no there there,” he claimed. Obama also accepted some blame for the defeat that killed four Americans.

Political Digest for March 14, 2012

The Old Jarhead Blog: Bringing you news and information the MSM is too busy covering American Idol, celebrity affairs and sensational missing person cases to cover. Please forward to friends who need to be informed.

Advice for my Granddaughter: For When I'm Gone

http://www.amazon.com/Advice-Granddaughter-When-Im-Gone/dp/147004238X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1329662198&sr=8-2

All royalties go to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.

Scary: This Is The Fed's Worst-Case Doom Scenario For The US Economy

http://www.businessinsider.com/fed-stress-tests-worst-case-assumption-2012-3#ixzz1owRwFzvX

Excerpt: The supervisory stress scenario for CCAR 2012, which was designed in November 2011, depicts a severe recession in the United States, including a peak unemployment rate of 13 percent, a 50 percent drop in equity prices, and a 21 percent decline in housing prices. (Preparing for Obama’s second term. Unfortunately, I think worse case is a federal default or hyper-inflation as they print money to stave it off, similar to Argentina in 1989 or Weimar in the 1930s. Perhaps with an Islamic A-bomb in New York to help the collapse along. ~Bob.)

Must Read: The Big Hoax By Thomas Sowell

http://patriotpost.us/opinion/thomas-sowell/2012/03/13/the-big-hoax/

Excerpt: What is the purpose or effect of this whole exercise by the Department of Education and the Department of Justice? To help black students or to secure the black vote in an election year by seeming to be coming to the rescue of blacks from white oppression? Among the many serious problems of ghetto schools is the legal difficulty of getting rid of disruptive hoodlums, a mere handful of whom can be enough to destroy the education of a far larger number of other black students -- and with it destroy their chances for a better life.

San Francisco drug users form union

http://times247.com/articles/san-francisco-drug-addicts-unionize

The only good thing about the coming collapse is that there will be a huge die-off of the unproductive parasites. ~Bob. Excerpt: Heroin shooters, speed users, pot smokers and even some men and women who now are drug-free convene regularly in this city's gritty Tenderloin district — not for treatment, but to discuss public health policy and share their experiences free from shame or blame. ... This is the San Francisco Drug Users Union, one of a few such groups in the U.S. and part of a growing worldwide movement of thousands who, according to the International Network of People Who Use Drugs, are demanding a voice "in decision-making processes that affect our lives."

Teen Set on Fire in Racial Attack; Media Silent

http://www.thenewamerican.com/opinion/selwyn-duke/11046-teen-set-on-fire-in-racial-attack-media-silent

Excerpt: “This is what you deserve. You get what you deserve, white boy.” So spewed the attackers of Melissa Coon’s 13-year-old son, as they doused him with gasoline and set him alight. Police, they say, are “investigating” whether this is a hate crime. Is it a hate crime for a black teacher to tell a white kid he knows nothing about black history in class (“disrespecting” him in front of the entire class) and then have two older blacks follow him as he walked home and set him on fire? Apparently not in Obama’s world.

How to Stop Putting Gas in the Islamist Tank. Because enriching your enemy may not be a brilliant strategy. By Clifford D. May
http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/how-to-stop-putting-gas-in-the-islamist-tank/

Excerpt: Islamists are a diverse lot. Some are what diplomats like to call “violent extremists.” They want to kill you. Others are less eager to shed blood, more confident that by mastering electoral politics, manipulating international organizations and designing effective public relations campaigns they can achieve their objectives. What are those objectives? Islamism implies a commitment to the imperative of Islamic power. Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood articulated the basic idea succinctly:

How to Kill an Economy Egypt sours on its (lucrative) gas deal with Israel. By Lee Smith
http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/how-to-kill-an-economy/

Excerpt: Late last week Spanish authorities announced that they’re extraditing Egyptian businessman Hussein Salem, a close associate of former president Hosni Mubarak. Salem is a central figure in the post-Mubarak narrative of the regime’s rampant corruption. He has already been sentenced in absentia to seven years in prison by an Egyptian court for his alleged role in selling natural gas to Israel at below market rates. The problem with that narrative is that Israel pays top dollar for Egyptian gas. How that cash was distributed within Egypt is an entirely separate matter.

Gas prices trigger Obama scramble

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/215625-gas-prices-trigger-obama-scramble-

Excerpt: The White House scrambled Monday to contain the political damage from rising gas prices, which have emerged as a primary threat to President Obama’s reelection. (In 2008, Barack Obama said, “you’re paying nearly $3.70 a gallon for gas — 2 1/ 2 times what it cost when President Bush took office.” Having convinced the public that the President was responsible for high gas prices, Democrats can hardly blame the public for thinking the President is responsible for high gas prices. What goes around… ~Bob.)

Obama: I’d like higher gas prices, just not so quickly

Posted at 3:20 pm on June 11, 2008 by Ed Morrissey (w/video)

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/06/11/obama-id-like-higher-gas-prices-just-not-so-quickly/

Excerpt: According to Barack Obama, high gas prices don’t really constitute a problem for Americans. He stated yesterday that the reason for our anger is the rapid increase in prices, not the prices themselves. Obama claimed that Americans would have accepted a “gradual adjustment” to the current cost:

Chu renounces his desire for higher gas prices

http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/chu-renounces-his-desire-higher-gas-prices/425221

A pre-election epiphany. He’ll be back in form by November 10th. ~Bob. President Obama's Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, renounced his previously-stated desire to see gas prices rise to match European levels in order to motivate alternative energy research, telling the Senate today that he wants gas prices to fall for the sake of the economy. "We have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe," Chu said in 2008. When reminded of that comment today during his congressional testimony, Chu backed away from that position.

The Shocking Photo the Obama Administration Doesn't Want You to See!

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/shocking-photo-obama-administration-doesnt-want-you-see_633841.html

Excerpt: Taken at a gas station within walking distance of the White House:

Obama in Your Tank

http://www.nysun.com/editorials/obama-in-your-tank/87740/

Excerpt: In other words, it’s not the gasoline that’s been going up. It’s the dollar that’s been going down. Americans, however, don’t hold their money in gold or silver. They generally hold their money in accounts denominated in dollars, and the dollar has been getting weaker. It is the view of the Sun that this fact lies at the bottom of the grim feeling that has swept the country under President Obama, the lingering sense that we are falling behind.

Stephen Henderson: A dark reality for Detroit

http://www.freep.com/article/20120311/COL33/203110442/Stephen-Henderson-A-da

Excerpt: A series of gunshots woke me at about 2 a.m., maybe a few blocks away. When I got up to see that everything was OK, I heard three more shots. Then two more that sounded like they were from a different gun. Then four more from the first weapon. This obvious gunfight occurred in the same neighborhood as the Rattlesnake Club and the University Prep Science and Math High School. (The future of progressive-run, union-controlled American cities, bled out. ~Bob.)

Justice blocks Texas voter ID law

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/215617-justice-blocks-texas-voter-id-law

Excerpt: The Justice Department on Monday blocked a new Texas law that requires government-issued photo identification at the polls, further inflaming an intense and racially charged election-year debate over voting requirements. Republicans blasted the Obama administration’s move as purely political and said the ID requirement is necessary to prevent fraud and election tampering. (Discrimination on the basis of race is wrong, wherever it occurs. So if this was about discrimination, the DOJ would be going after laws requiring people to show IDs to buy tobacco, alcohol, guns, get into R movies, rent cars, cash checks or fly, where discrimination is equally wrong.. It’s about protecting voter fraud to elect Democrats. Period. ~Bob.)

President Recapturing Groups Won by G.O.P. in 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/us/politics/president-recapturing-groups-won-by-gop-in-2010.html?_r=1&ref=politics

Excerpt: While President Obama is locked in a tight race for re-election, the latest New York Times/CBS News poll found him faring well against the top Republican candidates among some important groups that abandoned Congressional Democrats in 2010. Among all registered voters, Mr. Obama had a three-point edge over Mitt Romney and a four-point advantage over Rick Santorum, differences that are within the poll’s margin of sampling error. (I tend to distrust polls by agenda-driving groups, left or right. This is a left-media poll. ~Bob.)

The Dangers of Raising Taxes on Investment Income by Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute

http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ir_5.htm

Excerpt: There is good reason to believe that higher rates on capital gains and dividend income would have negative effects on the U.S. economy by reducing the overall level of U.S. investment and by driving such investment to overseas markets. Higher tax rates would reduce economic activity and, thus, economic growth, by reducing available financing for private companies, innovators, and small firms just getting started. (Obama doesn’t want higher taxes on investments, as he knows that would hurt the economy and his re-election. He wants the republicans to be responsible and defeat the proposals, so he can campaign against “the rich” with economically-ignorant voters. ~Bob.)

Why Obamacare's Medicaid Expansion Will Reduce Health Care Access By Megan McArdle

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/03/why-obamacares-medicaid-expansion-will-reduce-health-care-access/254275/

Excerpt: Chapin White of the Center for Studying Health System Change has published an important new paper in Health Services Research, a journal of health economics, which suggests that a critical part of the Affordable Care Act--its expansion of Medicaid coverage to 16 million more Americans--may actually reduce those individuals' access to health care. White's report comes on the heels of numerous studies that show that patients on Medicaid, our national government-run health-care program for the poor, do far worse on health outcomes than do those on private insurance, and in some cases, worse than those with no insurance at all.

Obama's New Regulations Cost Billions

http://blog.heritage.org/2012/03/13/morning-bell-obamas-new-regulations-cost-billions/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell

Excerpt: If you fly across the country, it's easy to see signs of America's ingenuity and productivity -- skyscrapers in New York City, steel mills in Pennsylvania, factories in Chicago, farmland in the Great Plains, and the glittering technology of Silicon Valley. But what you can't see, though it's very real, is the invisible web of red tape crawling forth from Washington, crisscrossing the landscape, strangling job creators, tying down entrepreneurs, and tangling America's engine of innovation in a mess of regulations. Under the Obama Administration, those endless miles of government-imposed directives has kept getting longer, as The Heritage Foundation reveals in a new study released today.

California​'s Greek Tragedy: No one should write off the Golden State. But it will take massive reforms to reverse its economic decline. By Michael J. Boskin And John F. Cogan

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304537904577277242682364690.html?mod=opinion_newsreel

Excerpt: Long a harbinger of national trends and an incubator of innovation, cash-strapped California eagerly awaits a temporary revenue surge from Facebook IPO stock options and capital gains. Meanwhile, Stockton may soon become the state's largest city to go bust. Call it the agony and ecstasy of contemporary California.

U.S. Border Patrol To Adopt The ICE Amnesty

http://www.vdare.com/posts/us-border-patrol-to-adopt-the-ice-amnesty

Excerpt: In a sad and disquieting note, the new head of the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) has announced an upcoming new enforcement strategy, a risk based strategy rather than a resource based strategy. For the uninitiated that means that the once formidable USBP, one with decades of its own enforcement culture, will be adopting the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) non-enforcement policy.

U.S. Officials Debate Speeding Afghan Pullout

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/world/asia/us-officials-debate-speeding-up-afghan-pullout.html

Excerpt: The Obama administration is discussing whether to reduce American forces in Afghanistan by at least an additional 20,000 troops by 2013, reflecting a growing belief within the White House that the mission there has now reached the point of diminishing returns.

Guatemala Dos Erres massacre soldier given 6,060 years

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17349774

Damn liberal judges. He’ll be out in 3,000. ~Bob. Excerpt: A court in Guatemala has sentenced a former soldier to 6,060 years in prison for his role in the massacre of 201 people during the civil war. Pedro Pimentel Rios, 55, was extradited from the US last year.

Suspected US drone strike kills 6 in NW Pakistan

http://news.yahoo.com/suspected-us-drone-strike-kills-6-nw-pakistan-100804136.html;_ylt=Al1CBSthnVi1WkSdF7f2zJoBxg8F;_ylu=X3oDMTQyamswdmR2BG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBXb3JsZFNGIEFzaWFTU0YEcGtnAzhiZWQ5NmJjLWQ3ZGItM2Q2Ni04OWMxLWIzYjdmN2RjMmMzMgRwb3MDNARzZWMDdG9wX3N0b3J5BHZlcgMzNGZlODAyYy02Y2ZmLTExZTEtOWZlZi04M2IyNjY3ZGFkMTg-;_ylg=X3oDMTFrM25vcXFyBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnMEdGVzdAM-;_ylv=3

Excerpt: American drone-fired missiles hit a vehicle traveling on the Pakistan side of the Afghan border on Tuesday, killing six militants from a group known to have signed a nonaggression pact with the Pakistani army, intelligence officials and a local tribesman said. Two commanders from the network led by Maulvi Nazir were among the dead in the attack in the Birmal district of South Waziristan, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. (It must be interesting flying drones from a base in the US. You go home for dinner. “Hi, Honey, how was your days? “Greased six of the bastards!” “That’s great—did you pick up the pizza? “ ~Bob.)

Worth Reading: The entire Obama presidency, in one anecdote. By James Pethokoukis

http://blog.american.com/2012/03/the-entire-obama-presidency-in-one-anecdote/

Excerpt: Week after week, [White House economic adviser Christina] Romer would march in with an estimate of the jobs all the investments in clean energy would produce; week after week, Obama would send her back to check the numbers. “I don’t get it,” he’d say. “We make these large-scale investments in infrastructure. What do you mean, there are no jobs?” … So nearly 20% of new “good jobs” are in oil and gas. (Yes, he doesn’t get it. ~Bob.)

Treasury reports $232B deficit in February

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/215497-treasury-reports-232-billion-deficit-in-february

Excerpt: The monthly U.S. budget deficit grew to $232 billion in February, the Treasury Department reported Monday. The February figure brings the total budget deficit for the first five months of fiscal 2012 to $581 billion.

The Amazing Spinning Democrats: Dems who attacked Bush economy in 2004 defend Obama’s worse record today

http://freebeacon.com/the-amazing-spinning-democrats/

Excerpt: When President George W. Bush ran for reelection in 2004, Democrats hammered him for presiding over the “worst job recovery since the Great Depression.”

Now that a Democratic president holds that distinction, and is facing reelection, they have changed their tune.

The make-believe​ tyranny of photo ID

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/the_make_believe_tyranny_of_photo_3L12BQMaZ6Bi0oBHTyvbvI#ixzz1ozzWAahY

Excerpt: For Attorney General Eric Holder, life must present a hellish vista of pervasive racist practices. Wherever he goes, people are required to show identification. When cashing a check. When signing up for a library card. When boarding a plane. When entering certain office buildings. When checking into hotels. When (in the case of the youthful-looking) buying a beer or cigarettes, or entering a bar. The tyranny of the photo ID is so all-encompassing that people can’t enter Holder’s own Justice Department without showing one.

What if George W. Bush had done that?

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/73909.html#ixzz1p0qTPkY3

Excerpt: President Barack Obama has forged a surprising consensus on opposite ends of the political spectrum: They wonder how on earth he gets away with it. A series of recent moves — from aggressively filling his reelection war chest to green-lighting shoot-to-kill orders against an American terror suspect overseas — would have triggered a massive backlash if George W. Bush had tried them, say former Bush administration officials and a few on the political left. Even Obama’s love for the links draws only gentle ribbing rather than the denunciations that helped drive Bush to give up the game for the balance of his presidency. (No mystery here. The media has an ideological agenda, was out to destroy Bush, but to protect Obama. If Obama raped a girl scout in the Rose Garden, the media would say she led him on. This is the same reason Rush gets slammed for calling a woman a slut, while leftists get a pass for that and worse. ~Bob.)

Voters Watch Jobless Number

http://www.nationaljournal.com/columns/off-to-the-races/voters-watch-jobless-number-20120312

Excerpt: When Mark Twain popularized the famous line attributed to British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli about lies coming in three varieties, “lies, damned lies, and statistics,” a lot of people probably assumed that they were both thinking about politics and/or economics. But even people trying their best to examine an issue or situation objectively can interpret the same numbers differently, putting differing weights on differing factors. Recent economic data are open to substantial interpretation—the upwardly revised 3 percent increase in gross domestic product, for example, and the unemployment rate, dropping in five of the last six months and remaining steady at 8.3 percent in February. (This column is a perfect example of why I think Cook is a fair political analyst. He has, however, not mentioned the easiest way for the administration to get the unemployment numbers down: change how the unemployed are counted again. Depending on your point of view, this is either “good issue management” or “cheating.” Ron P. If they could convince everyone to stop looking for work, the “unemployment rate” would drop to zero. The key number is “Workforce Participation,” down two full percentage points {65.7% to 63.7%} since Obama took office. How do we get people to pay attention to that number if the media covers for him? ~Bob.

Syria laying landmines along border: Human Rights Watch

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17349593?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=cheatsheet_morning&cid=newsletter%3Bemail%3Bcheatsheet_morning&utm_term=Cheat%20Sheet

Excerpt: The size and origin of Syria's stockpile of landmines is not clear, HRW said, but is thought to consist mostly of Russian-made weapons - some Soviet-era - such as PMN-2 anti-personnel mines and TMN-46 anti-vehicle mines. Reports that Syrian troops were laying landmines first emerged last November, when a government official told the Associated Press news agency: "Syria has undertaken many measures to control the borders, including planting mines." The BBC's Jonathan Head, reporting from Hatay on the Turkish side of the border with Syria, says he has seen refugees arrive who have lost limbs because of the mines. (Has anyone else noticed that free countries are generally worried about people sneaking IN, while slave countries worry about people sneaking OUT. Ron P.)

Three Ways To Cope with the Coming Plague of Obama Bumper Stickers: Fight back with your own message under the windshield wiper. By Belladonna Rogers

http://pjmedia.com/blog/three-ways-to-cope-with-the-plague-of-obama-bumper-stickers/

Excerpt: You type two sentences and print out as many as you like. Keep them in your car at all times. Here’s a little inspiration: Dear Friend: Some unknown socialist put an Obama bumper sticker on your car. I’m letting you know so that you can remove it before it causes you any further embarrassment. (Funny. But as a wise old Republican Selectman in Lunenburg, MA, Norm Thompson, advised me early in my political career, “If a man can’t be for me, I don’t want him mad, as he’ll work twice as hard against me.” You won’t change their minds, but might spur them to greater efforts to grow government and the deficit. I’d be tempted to put this instead, “I see you are interested in politics, and recommend a great book, ‘Applied Economics,’ by the brilliant economist, Dr. Thomas Sowell. He’s black, but I hope that won’t bias you against reading him.” ~Bob.)

10 Ways Obama Has Made War More Likely by Daniel Greenfield

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/03/13/10-ways-obama-has-made-war-more-likely/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=98928b68e0-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag

Excerpt: Wars begin in a thousand ways. Some begin with lies, others with truth. Some with aggression and others with appeasement. But behind those many beginnings are some familiar qualities. Arrogance, incompetence, ignorance and cowardice.

The Real War on Women: Baby Girls in Peril by Joseph Klein

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/03/13/the-real-war-on-women-baby-girls-in-peril/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=98928b68e0-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag

Excerpt: Never mind the phony “war on women” contraception controversy concocted by the Left to help get President Obama re-elected. There is a real gender war being launched against females around the world, as documented in a provocative article titled “The Global War Against Baby Girls” by Nicholas Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute. Specifically, Mr. Eberstadt, a political economist and a demographer, is referring to the practice of “sex-selective feticide, implemented through the practice of surgical abortion with the assistance of information gained through prenatal gender determination technology.” (Outrageous. He’s worried about a few million baby girls being aborted because they are the wrong gender, while Sandra Fluke might have to forgo having sex this weekend because she can’t get someone to pay for her condoms! ~Bob.)

Christianity to Islam, and back: 60-year-old woman disgraced for reconversion

http://tribune.com.pk/story/348036/christianity-to-islam-and-back-60-year-old-woman-disgraced-for-reconversion/

A demonstration of Islamic tolerance, as they didn’t murder her per usual practice. ~Bob. Excerpt: Sixty-year-old Seema Bibi went from being a Christian to a Muslim, and back, in six months – but fellow villagers did not take kindly to this change of heart, and religion. Seema was tortured – her head shaved – and paraded through the streets of village Kot Marth, garlanded with shoes, police officials and residents said.

Gingrich: "Anti-Christian bigotry is just fine in the entertainment industry but they have to be very protective of Islam"

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/03/gingrich-anti-christian-bigotry-is-just-fine-in-the-entertainment-industry-but-they-have-to-be-very.html

Excerpt: Gingrich is absolutely right. A show called "Good Muslim Bitches" simply can't be imagined: ABC would have been inundated with death threats, as well as charges of "racism," "bigotry," and "Islamophobia." But "Good Christian Bitches"? Why, opposing a show with that title makes you a bigot!

The High Cost of Dumbing Us Down

http://patriotupdate.com/19727/the-high-cost-of-dumbing-us-down

Excerpt: And the reason why it now costs so much to educate a child in the public schools is that the dumbing-down process is not cheap. It requires costly programs that need frequent upgrading and revision, and it also requires specially trained teachers who are constantly attending expensive conferences and seminars in order to learn how better to dumb down the children.

GOP sheriffs blast Elizabeth Warren’s stance on illegal aliens

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1061116843

Excerpt: Republican Bay State sheriffs blasted Democratic senatorial hopeful Elizabeth Warren this afternoon, calling her “out of step with the people of Massachusetts” for opposing a controversial measure that would allow law enforcement to track illegal aliens.

Study: Liberals More Likely To Block Online Friends Over Political Disagreements

http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2012/03/study-liberals-more-likely-to.php

Excerpt: People with liberal views are almost twice as likely as conservatives to unfriend someone on social media over political disagreements, according to a new Pew Research survey. In every category, people who identified as liberal were more likely to shun their connections over political disagreements. Twenty-eight percent of liberal users have unfriended or blocked someone, while 16 percent of conservatives and 14 percent of moderates admitted to doing the same. (Who could possibly have guessed that liberals are less tolerant than conservatives? Pew must have accidentally hired a conservative survey taker. Find that liar and lynch him! Ron P. No surprise. Religious fundamentalist would block anyone questioning their religion, and statist dogma has taken the place of religious dogma in liberals’ minds and hearts. ~Bob.)

Utility Eyes Security Exemption for EPA Rule

http://www.nationaljournal.com/energy/energy-week-2012/utility-eyes-security-exemption-for-epa-rule-20120312

Excerpt: A major utility is considering asking the Obama administration to invoke a rarely used statutory tool that grants companies more time to comply with clean-air rules if the country’s national security is at risk. (…) A rarely — if ever — used provision in the Clean Air Act would allow President Obama to issue an executive order that exempts a company from any EPA rule for at least two years “if the President determines that the technology to implement such standard is not available and that it is in the national security interests of the United States to do so,” as the law states. This provision also states that the exemption “may be extended for 1 or more additional periods.” (If I were to guess on how likely this is to be approved, I’d guess that it will depend on whether or not Obama thinks he can win reelection only with votes from Virginia AND he judges that this might swing enough votes to make that happen. To ensure reelection, his base will forgive him. Ron P. If Obama has to make a choice between what’s political and saving your job, update your resume. ~Bob.)

Eric Holder Supports the Al-Qaeda Vote

http://pjmedia.com/rogerlsimon/2012/03/12/eric-holder-supports-the-al-qaeda-vote/

Excerpt: “Should al-Qaeda be allowed to vote? And what about Hezbollah, not to mention operatives of Iranian intelligence? Shouldn’t these often violent individuals be encouraged to work within the system and act democratically by exercising their legal right to vote? (And, yes, I’m talking about U.S. elections!)That would appear to be the thinking of our Attorney General Eric Holder, who hopes to strike down Texas voter ID legislation.

Greece Has Defaulted – Which Country In Europe Is Next?

Despite the spin doctors of the EU, Greek has now entered into a partial default. A 50% "haircut" on Greek debt means that only the most reckless investors in the world will want any more Greek debt. And this comes at a time when Greece is living on borrowed money. So where will it turn to keep its government going? Think about it. Would YOU be willing to buy Greek bonds knowing that at any time, the European Union could (and probably will!) turn around and change the terms of the bond contract, telling you you do NOT have the right to demand the full amount of payment--that you will be lucky to get just half of your money back instead of being paid the full amount with interest, as YOU would have to do if you took out a bank loan. Imagine a bank being forced to give you half of your loan as a gift and not being allowed to demand the full amount! Well, the "bank" in this case includes a lot of private investors who did NOT agree to take this loss. Now, just for laughs, read what EU president Herman Rompuy says about the Greek crisis. He thinks the latest bailout is a "turning point." Oh, it is. But not the kind he had in mind when he gave utterance to his fantasy: -- Don Hank

http://www.greekcrisis.net/2012/02/eus-van-rompuy-cites-turning-point-in.html

Tide Detergent Being Stolen From Stores Across the Country

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/tide-detergent-being-stolen-stores-across-country-162253268.html

Excerpt: Tide laundry detergent is meant to be used for household cleaning purposes, but thieves are turning it into something dirty. Authorities are reporting a spike in thefts of Tide, and in some cities they are setting up task forces where the detergent is sold to track the number of bottles in stores. Police believe thieves are using the soap on the black market, which retails for $10-$20, to buy drugs. On the black market, Tide is often referred to as "liquid gold" and can go for $5-$10 per bottle. (If this happened in 2006, Democrats would have blamed Bush. ~Bob.)

What Public Employee Unions Are Doing to Our Country

http://www.hillsdale.edu/images/userImages/mvanderwei/Page_6907/Imprimis_March12.pdf

Excerpt: Many scholars are better versed on the history of public employee unions than I am, but there is one credential I can claim that they cannot: I am a taxpayer in the People’s Republic of New Jerseystan. That makes me an authority on how public sector unions—especially at the state and local level—are thwarting economic growth, strangling the middle class, and generally hijacking the democratic process to serve their own ends rather than the public. Now in my experience, when one says the words “New Jersey,” people for some reason think it is a laugh line. (This is something very rare: a very serious subject treated seriously, but with the perfect amount of humor. It also makes a great case for reelecting Gov. Christie. Ron P.)

Lebanese men beating an Ethiopian maid in broad daylight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtOyiQpRJ5I

The Islamic real “War on Women” that feminists ignore. ~Bob.

Bad or Worse in Afghanistan? By Victor Davis Hanson

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/293217/bad-or-worse-afghanistan-victor-davis-hanson

Excerpt: The latest mass killing by an American soldier follows a three-year downward spiral: the burned desecrated Korans, the murdering of Americans by Afghan “allies,” the surge followed immediately by loudly announced withdrawal dates, four different senior commanders in three years, a musical-chairs rotation likewise on the diplomatic side, and a president clearly uncomfortable that his prior promises as a candidate to fight unflinchingly in Afghanistan were strait-jacketing his presidential impatience at leaving.

Highway bill is worth billions to companies owned by Soros, Pickens, Douglas by S. E. Robinson

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=50163

Excerpt: George Soros, T. Boone Pickens, Kevin G. Douglas and companies under their control stand to reap the rewards of billions of taxpayer dollars in subsidies contained in a Democratic-sponsored measure set for a vote this week. The legislation, authored by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), would amend the much-ballyhooed highway bill to include the New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions act, or NATGAS act. (The looting is so frequent and so thorough, we can’t keep track. ~Bob.)

Activist Communique: Quebec activist loses eye after clash with police

http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/krystalline-kraus/2012/03/activist-communiqu%C3%A9-quebec-activist-loses-eye-after-clash-p

Another entitlement-riot martyr. ~Bob. Excerpt: At the attempted occupation, students clashed with Montreal police's riot squad and tear gas and flash grenades were used to disperse the crowd. The use of both crowd-control weapons was confirmed later in the day by Sgt. Ian Lafrenière. … Among those injured was Francis Grenier (20) following the explosion of a police stun grenade to the face -- specifically to the right eye. Grenier is a student at Cégep de Saint-Jérôme and was attending the peaceful demonstration when he was wounded by police.

Gallup state numbers predict huge Obama loss

http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/gallup-state-numbers-predict-huge-obama-loss/352881

Excerpt: Gallup released their annual state-by-state presidential approval numbers yesterday, and the results should have 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue very worried. If President Obama carries only those states where he had a net positive approval rating in 2011 (e.g. Michigan where he is up 48 percent to 44 percent), Obama would lose the 2012 election to the Republican nominee 323 electoral votes to 215. (I think the election will turn on events yet to happen, so all polls taken now worthless. ~Bob.)

H.R. 347: Another Step in the Elimination of the First Amendment

http://www.infowars.com/h-r-347-another-step-in-the-elimination-of-the-first-amendment/

Excerpt: It is fairly obvious Obama and Congress rushed through H.R. 347 in order to curtail demonstrations that will undoubtedly occur during both Democrat and Republican conventions this summer. Also known as the “Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011,” the bill makes it a felony to disrupt or protest at any place or event attended by any person with secret service protection.

IPAB repeal attached to House tort-reform bill

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20120313/NEWS/303139971?AllowView=VW8xUmo5Q21TcWJOb1gzb0tNN3RLZ0h0MWg5SVgra3NZRzROR3l0WWRMVGJWL3dDRWxiNUtpQzMyWmVvNW44WUpidWc=&utm_source=link-20120313-NEWS-303139971&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mpdaily

Excerpt: House members are expected to vote next week on a medical liability reform bill that includes language to repeal the health reform law's Independent Payment Advisory Board, House Republican aides say.

Back to the Byzantine Blues and Greens? By Victor Davis Hanson

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/293336/back-byzantine-blues-and-greens-victor-davis-hanson

Excerpt: Ethnic politics have always been a facet of American politics. But recently the frightened Obama reelection campaign seems to be going to unusual lengths to appeal overtly to voters by virtue of Obama’s race — a sort of retrograde tribalism that Obama in 2004 promised that we would transcend. What are we to make of the coach of the Chicago Bears, Lovie Smith, announcing on a campaign video, “I have the president’s back and it’s left up to us, as African Americans, to show that we have his back.” (I guess Packers’, Vikings’ and Lions’ fans should now vote against Obama. ~Bob.)