Shame is an alien concept to our exceedingly progressive media. For example, the same media that refused to vet Obama during his 2008 campaign by ignoring his troubling background and associations, as well as the undisclosed mysteries of...........
1. Occidental College records and transcripts — Not released and not sought after by the media
2. Columbia University records and transcripts — Not released and not sought after by the media
3. Columbia Thesis paper — ‘not available’ and not questioned by the media
4. Harvard University records and transcripts — Not released and not sought after by the media
5. Medical records — Not released and not sought after by the media
6. Illinois State Senate schedule — ‘not available’ and not questioned by the media
7. Illinois State Senate records — ‘not available’ and noy questioned by the media
8. Law practice client list — Not released and not sought after by the media
9. Certified Copy of Original Birth certificate — Not released and not sought after by the media
10. Harvard Law Review articles published — None and ignored as an issue by the media
11. University of Chicago scholarly articles — None and ignored as an issue by the media
12. Record of Baptism — Not released or ‘not available’
13. Multiple other issues surrounding him (such as his real estate dealings with Tony Rezko) and his wife (such as the covering up of the patient dumping scandal she was involved with in Chicago)
...rediscovered its investigative capabilities last month. Yes, the same media that sent a small army to Alaska during the 2008 campaign as well as when former governor Palin's e mails were released while not bothering to question any one of the many irregularities with Obama, scored another coup in August by unearthing Governor Perry's college transcripts.
This may not be a fresh news item, but it makes the point. Just don't ask them to investigate Obama and his minions' scandalous involvements in:
1. Solargate (Solyndra, Evergreen, and other cronies who took billions and then closed shop or are about to
- to be fair, this is the only scandal that has garnered some attention by ABC News)
2. Pigford, which has cost the tax payers over $2 billion in what amounts to be reparations
3. Operation Fast and Furious that cost two U.S. government agents their lives
4. Carbongate where EPA supressed climate study and internal critique to further the green agenda
5. Racial quota scandal at the DOJ forcing Dayton to lower standards for hiring fire fighters
6. Illegal job offer scandal where Rep. Sestak was offered a job to get out of the primary race
7. DOJ harassment of non-union workplaces like Gibson Guitar, Boeing, etc. and refusal to investigate
union violence in dozens of cases
8. Overseas donors to Obama campaign
9. Walpingate (or IG Walpin firing) scandal to protect cronies
10. BP oil spill memo scandal to justify the drilling moratorium in the Gulf
11. Acorn funding by the DOJ after the congress voted to cut of funding for wide spread election fraud
12. Black Panther prosecution scandal
13. Radical czars and other non Senate confirmed appointees who are avowed Marxists
14. Any one of several occasions when the Administration disregarded the Constitution by ignoring the
Separation of Powers Act (DISCLOSE Act, net neutrality, stealth amnesty, etc.)
15. Or any other of over 270 scandals of varying importance many of which would have caused a
Republican to either resign or be impeached.
They'll become deaf, dumb, and blind again in a New York minute!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Turkey: Influence of Media, Intellectuals, and Religion on Public Opinion in a Quasi Modern Republic
On this tenth anniversary of the unspeakably evil and tragic event that we ought never forget, a facebook posting regarding 9/11 commemorations in the U.S. by my nephew in Turkey grabbed my attention. Loosely translated, it alluded to the 'murderers crying over their own act not fooling anyone else, not even little children' - an obvious give away of a 9/11 truther. He happens to be a well educated, professional, non-religious, modern thirty some year old - and he is not alone in his convictions!
This same sentiment is one that is scarily prevalent among most Turks - educated and ignorant alike as reflected by results of a poll conducted by Pew Research:
The most puzzling observation is how Turks view other religions and the culprits for 9/11 attacks compared to other Muslims. By the results of this poll, they appear to be more radicalized than Arabs themselves; at least on the surface. Immediately, several questions come to mind: What are the reasons for their propensity to believe in 9/11 conspiracy theories? Furthermore, despite being relatively more secularized than Muslims in other countries polled, why do they hold significantly more unfavorable opinion of Christianity than even Arabs? Finally, can the U.S.A. count on Turkey as an ally any longer?
First, we must undertake a quick overview of who the Turks are if we are to understand the impetus behind the answers to the questions I posed above.
Turks are a highly mixed race of people whose ancestors were essentially nomadic warriors from the steppes of Central Asia. After migrating to Asia Minor in a rather disorderly fashion just over a millenia ago - between 6th and 11th centuries -, they established the Seljuk Dynasty, followed by the House of Osman (the Ottoman Empire) about two centuries later. During the long and glorious reign of the Ottomans that featured conquests of eastern Europe, southern Caucasus, the Middle East, and north Africa, Turks gradually mixed with local populations. The pragmatic side of Ottoman sultans also furthered the process of integration as many minority groups within the empire were favorably treated and given prominent positions in the government. After dissolution of the empire, the Republic of Turkey was founded in 1922 by Ataturk on principles of western secularist democracies. This was the decisive process that eliminated many of the cultural traces of Islam (which the Turks had converted to by the end of 7th century) by forcing western alphabet and attire on the Turkish people (among other reforms). It is also critical to note that Turks have never been, nor presently are, fundamentalist/radical Muslims though Islam plays an important role in the lives of many.
So, if historic tolerance of Turks is legendary and they have gone through a westernization process that other Muslims including the Arabs have not, why does religious intolerance exceedingly exist as indicated by the Pew poll? My answer to that question is ignorance.
Although Turkey today is a contrast between a modern western style society and a typical Middle Eastern society, and the Turkish economy being the 17th largest economy in the world, Turks remain on the whole rather ignorant. For example, the average Turk does not read despite a high literacy rate (as in book sales are dismal in Turkey among a large segment of the society). Logic as well as empirical evidence shows that people who are ignorant and relatively poor are more easily manipulated by outside sources. This can be exploitation by religious or ideological forces, both of which are prevalent in Turkey.
The less educated segment of the society in Turkey is currently largely influenced by the Islamists who are in power. Erdogan and his AKP party have been steadily transforming Turkey back to its old days before Ataturk. Today, there are far more mosques and religious schools in Turkey than there are libraries and secular schools. With the impetus provided by the U.S. involvement in Iraq, Turks have decidedly become more sympathetic to the Islamic cause. For example, the recent rumblings by the Erdogan government, outright threatening Israel, is atypical for Turkish-Israeli relations. Turkey was the first predominantly Muslim country that recognized the Jewish state and until recently, maintained close diplomatic and military ties with Israel. This is the segment of the society that would also reject leftist ideology as much as they reject Christianity as a symbol of western culture.
Many Turks who are highly educated and cultured also prescribe to such nonsense as 9/11 truthism because they are predisposed to believing such conspiracy theories as a result of years of brainwashing by the media as well as the intellectual class. Many of the so-called intellectuals are hard line Marxist-Leninists who are still fighting the cold war as far as they are concerned. As with ideological blindness of progressives in the U.S., this segment of the society stubbornly remains close minded about 9/11 despite volumes of technical reports, facts on the ground, and common sense that thoroughly dismisses conspiracy theories. This should be expected since many belonging to this group are also progressives who feel at home with the collectivist ideology and dismiss the U.S. as representation of free market capitalism. As much as we may be convinced logic and evidence based classical approach to the argument would carry the day, I have found that there is little, if any, hope of breaking through to these otherwise well meaning people. It is my opinion, as also backed by a recent University of California research finding, that there are genetic differences between those with progressive and classical leanings; but I digress.
While one might find such rampant anti-Americanism ironic in a country that has been a steadfast ally of the United States, that is also exactly the reason why such reactionaries exist in Turkey. These intellectual reactionaries' influence is quite apparent in most news papers as well as literature. Over time, lacking strong philosophical immunity, many educated Turks who read their work fall under their influence.
Ever since the 1960s, at the height of the cold war, Turkey's alliance with the west has galvanized its Marxist communist movement, which on the most part was suppressed by the military. I still remember the "Yankee go home" signs from my youth in the 1960s. This movement was periodically suppressed by the Turkish military, which is the guarantor of the secular republic. In those years, religious extremism did not exist in Turkey. Back then, Turkey was an up and coming country with wide spread relative poverty. Far left ideology incubates best under such conditions. The scapegoat is there - the U.S. - to blame the shortcomings regardless of fundamental reasons for the real problems. The same movement has also been active in Greece - a neighbor with somewhat similar economic and societal conditions.
In conclusion, Turkey is a study in societal contrasts in a quasi modern society. The ultra modern and the devout Islamists coexist uneasily side by side, united in their distrust - and at times distaste - for the West, especially the United States. These Islamists and progressive leftists have formed an unholy alliance to undermine the free society that Ataturk envisioned eight decades ago. As such, Turkey is travelling on the same road that countries experiencing Arab Spring like Egypt and Libya are: a road that leads to disaster and terrible consequences that may well reach well beyond Turkey's borders.
The question whether Turkey can be relied upon by the U.S. will only be answered affirmatively if the next U.S. Administration can exert smart leadership that treats Turkey as more than the model of moderate Islam as the Bush Administration did, or foolishly as an intermediary of sorts to gain favor among the Muslim world as the current Administration is doing. Along with honest and co equal treatment, this smart leadership must also invariably restore the confidence of the Turkish military as the guarantor of the secular republic by clearly signalling our willingness to diplomatically stand behind them should periodic interventions be required as most socially unstable societies require. It is not a pretty picture but it may be the only way to avert the coming disaster rest of the world may be drawn in to.
This same sentiment is one that is scarily prevalent among most Turks - educated and ignorant alike as reflected by results of a poll conducted by Pew Research:
The most puzzling observation is how Turks view other religions and the culprits for 9/11 attacks compared to other Muslims. By the results of this poll, they appear to be more radicalized than Arabs themselves; at least on the surface. Immediately, several questions come to mind: What are the reasons for their propensity to believe in 9/11 conspiracy theories? Furthermore, despite being relatively more secularized than Muslims in other countries polled, why do they hold significantly more unfavorable opinion of Christianity than even Arabs? Finally, can the U.S.A. count on Turkey as an ally any longer?
First, we must undertake a quick overview of who the Turks are if we are to understand the impetus behind the answers to the questions I posed above.
Turks are a highly mixed race of people whose ancestors were essentially nomadic warriors from the steppes of Central Asia. After migrating to Asia Minor in a rather disorderly fashion just over a millenia ago - between 6th and 11th centuries -, they established the Seljuk Dynasty, followed by the House of Osman (the Ottoman Empire) about two centuries later. During the long and glorious reign of the Ottomans that featured conquests of eastern Europe, southern Caucasus, the Middle East, and north Africa, Turks gradually mixed with local populations. The pragmatic side of Ottoman sultans also furthered the process of integration as many minority groups within the empire were favorably treated and given prominent positions in the government. After dissolution of the empire, the Republic of Turkey was founded in 1922 by Ataturk on principles of western secularist democracies. This was the decisive process that eliminated many of the cultural traces of Islam (which the Turks had converted to by the end of 7th century) by forcing western alphabet and attire on the Turkish people (among other reforms). It is also critical to note that Turks have never been, nor presently are, fundamentalist/radical Muslims though Islam plays an important role in the lives of many.
So, if historic tolerance of Turks is legendary and they have gone through a westernization process that other Muslims including the Arabs have not, why does religious intolerance exceedingly exist as indicated by the Pew poll? My answer to that question is ignorance.
Although Turkey today is a contrast between a modern western style society and a typical Middle Eastern society, and the Turkish economy being the 17th largest economy in the world, Turks remain on the whole rather ignorant. For example, the average Turk does not read despite a high literacy rate (as in book sales are dismal in Turkey among a large segment of the society). Logic as well as empirical evidence shows that people who are ignorant and relatively poor are more easily manipulated by outside sources. This can be exploitation by religious or ideological forces, both of which are prevalent in Turkey.
The less educated segment of the society in Turkey is currently largely influenced by the Islamists who are in power. Erdogan and his AKP party have been steadily transforming Turkey back to its old days before Ataturk. Today, there are far more mosques and religious schools in Turkey than there are libraries and secular schools. With the impetus provided by the U.S. involvement in Iraq, Turks have decidedly become more sympathetic to the Islamic cause. For example, the recent rumblings by the Erdogan government, outright threatening Israel, is atypical for Turkish-Israeli relations. Turkey was the first predominantly Muslim country that recognized the Jewish state and until recently, maintained close diplomatic and military ties with Israel. This is the segment of the society that would also reject leftist ideology as much as they reject Christianity as a symbol of western culture.
Many Turks who are highly educated and cultured also prescribe to such nonsense as 9/11 truthism because they are predisposed to believing such conspiracy theories as a result of years of brainwashing by the media as well as the intellectual class. Many of the so-called intellectuals are hard line Marxist-Leninists who are still fighting the cold war as far as they are concerned. As with ideological blindness of progressives in the U.S., this segment of the society stubbornly remains close minded about 9/11 despite volumes of technical reports, facts on the ground, and common sense that thoroughly dismisses conspiracy theories. This should be expected since many belonging to this group are also progressives who feel at home with the collectivist ideology and dismiss the U.S. as representation of free market capitalism. As much as we may be convinced logic and evidence based classical approach to the argument would carry the day, I have found that there is little, if any, hope of breaking through to these otherwise well meaning people. It is my opinion, as also backed by a recent University of California research finding, that there are genetic differences between those with progressive and classical leanings; but I digress.
While one might find such rampant anti-Americanism ironic in a country that has been a steadfast ally of the United States, that is also exactly the reason why such reactionaries exist in Turkey. These intellectual reactionaries' influence is quite apparent in most news papers as well as literature. Over time, lacking strong philosophical immunity, many educated Turks who read their work fall under their influence.
Ever since the 1960s, at the height of the cold war, Turkey's alliance with the west has galvanized its Marxist communist movement, which on the most part was suppressed by the military. I still remember the "Yankee go home" signs from my youth in the 1960s. This movement was periodically suppressed by the Turkish military, which is the guarantor of the secular republic. In those years, religious extremism did not exist in Turkey. Back then, Turkey was an up and coming country with wide spread relative poverty. Far left ideology incubates best under such conditions. The scapegoat is there - the U.S. - to blame the shortcomings regardless of fundamental reasons for the real problems. The same movement has also been active in Greece - a neighbor with somewhat similar economic and societal conditions.
In conclusion, Turkey is a study in societal contrasts in a quasi modern society. The ultra modern and the devout Islamists coexist uneasily side by side, united in their distrust - and at times distaste - for the West, especially the United States. These Islamists and progressive leftists have formed an unholy alliance to undermine the free society that Ataturk envisioned eight decades ago. As such, Turkey is travelling on the same road that countries experiencing Arab Spring like Egypt and Libya are: a road that leads to disaster and terrible consequences that may well reach well beyond Turkey's borders.
The question whether Turkey can be relied upon by the U.S. will only be answered affirmatively if the next U.S. Administration can exert smart leadership that treats Turkey as more than the model of moderate Islam as the Bush Administration did, or foolishly as an intermediary of sorts to gain favor among the Muslim world as the current Administration is doing. Along with honest and co equal treatment, this smart leadership must also invariably restore the confidence of the Turkish military as the guarantor of the secular republic by clearly signalling our willingness to diplomatically stand behind them should periodic interventions be required as most socially unstable societies require. It is not a pretty picture but it may be the only way to avert the coming disaster rest of the world may be drawn in to.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Beyond Being Out of Touch
The big political news of Tuesday was the major Republican upset for the seat of scandal ridden former Congressman Anthony Weiner in the heavily Democrat NYC district that has never sent a Republican to the Congress in its nearly 100 year history.
What makes this story even more significant is that Bob Turner, the novice Republican, was opposed by a career politician who was backed by heavy duty financial support by the DNC. Despite the odds presented by a congressional district where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 3:1 margin, this stunning defeat for the Democrat party is a clear rebuke of Obama policies.
So, how do you save face when confronted by such a rebuke? If you are the Obama White House, you claim that your candidate lost the election because he ran away from Obama policies. And then, you have the president say "Americans reject Tea Party ideals".
The spin is so hard that I am getting dizzy. I am glad that the President and his party think that way. In less than 14 months, the electorate will be running away from the progressive bunch whose elitist delusions are blinding them to reality of their policies. This is not the 1930s anymore. Americans will not re-elect those responsible for creating unparalleled poverty and misery since the Great Depression.
What makes this story even more significant is that Bob Turner, the novice Republican, was opposed by a career politician who was backed by heavy duty financial support by the DNC. Despite the odds presented by a congressional district where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 3:1 margin, this stunning defeat for the Democrat party is a clear rebuke of Obama policies.
So, how do you save face when confronted by such a rebuke? If you are the Obama White House, you claim that your candidate lost the election because he ran away from Obama policies. And then, you have the president say "Americans reject Tea Party ideals".
The spin is so hard that I am getting dizzy. I am glad that the President and his party think that way. In less than 14 months, the electorate will be running away from the progressive bunch whose elitist delusions are blinding them to reality of their policies. This is not the 1930s anymore. Americans will not re-elect those responsible for creating unparalleled poverty and misery since the Great Depression.
Solargate: The Albatross Around Obama's Neck
Among the many media squashed scandals surrounding this Administration, Solyndra is proving to be quite stubborn. Even the MSM - well at least ABC News - is finally getting in on the action.
Unlike Pigford, multiple DOJ scandals (including Operation Fast and Furious, the racial quota scandal, and the infamous voter intimidation case), ACORN funding scandal, a laundry list of improprieties surrounding the passage of Obamacare, or any one of numerous constitutional scandals where the Administration has ignored the Separation of Powers Act (such as the ones involving net neutrality, amnesty, and card check legislation) all of which have been successfully supressed, Solyndra is the symbol of corrupt green energy cronyism that just won't die. Had the company name been Haliburton or Exxon Mobil, and the party in the White House Republican, impeachment hearings would have been long started and the media skewering relentless. But alas, it is the Democrats and their money bundlers, therefore move on, there is nothing to see here.
Now, I would not deny the fact that any past administration has knowingly or unknowingly endorsed crony capitalism in its day. Usually, however, the relationship between the government and the corporate giants have been at an arms length and never to benefit the President or his party financially. That is until now.
Solyndra recently joined the long and sordid list of green energy companies that recieved billions of tax payer dollars from the Obama Administration and have already either declared bankruptcy or moved their operations to China. The FBI has been on the case since pretty much the beginning.
Here are the troubling details concerning Solyndra in summary format:
On September 7, the DOE announced its plan to guarantee 80 percent — or $275 million — of a $344 million private loan taken out by the firm SolarCity. The company installs rooftop solar systems that harvests electricity SolarCity then sells. The Chairman of SolarCity, Elon Musk, is a major financial supporter of the president. On April 15 of this year, Musk donated $35,800 to the Obama Victory Fund. He also gave an additional $5,000 to the Obama campaign. Like Solyndra officials White House visitor logs show Musk has visited the Administration at least four times since 2009.
The second company is Solexel. On September 2, the solar energy company announced a $13 million award from the DOE as part of a program to make solar energy systems more affordable for homeowners. Solexel is financially backed by venture capitalist Steve Westly - the same guy who was instrumental in financing the operations of Solyndra.
Aside from the above three cases, other Obama backed solar companies have been failures including Evergreen among others. Is the madness over? No, not when an ideologically driven, corrupt Administration is in power. The evidence of that allegation can be found in the news that the Obama Administration is now backing another solar company, Mojave Solar, to the tune of $1.2 billion. As the LA Times puts it: "Not all of those investments pan out". The problem is when the investor is financially tied to the President of the country - an ocurrance that usually occurs in banana republics only - we hopefully still call it corruption.
On a related note, General Electric just announced that they are scaling back their wind turbine operations globally citing profitability reasons. Solar and wind energy are nothing but pipe dreams with current technologies as the Europeans have been finding out the hard way. The energy that they provide is unreliable, insufficient, and extremely costly. Despite their unfeasibility, this Administration keeps on pouring money in to front companies that have been failing at an alarming rate.
The common thread among many of these green energy companies being their troubling financial connections to this administration, this is nothing short of a money laundering scheme just like much of the stimulus money that found its way back to the Democrat party via the unions. In my opinion, impeachment would be too good for this bunch - a nice prison cell is far more appropriate!
Unlike Pigford, multiple DOJ scandals (including Operation Fast and Furious, the racial quota scandal, and the infamous voter intimidation case), ACORN funding scandal, a laundry list of improprieties surrounding the passage of Obamacare, or any one of numerous constitutional scandals where the Administration has ignored the Separation of Powers Act (such as the ones involving net neutrality, amnesty, and card check legislation) all of which have been successfully supressed, Solyndra is the symbol of corrupt green energy cronyism that just won't die. Had the company name been Haliburton or Exxon Mobil, and the party in the White House Republican, impeachment hearings would have been long started and the media skewering relentless. But alas, it is the Democrats and their money bundlers, therefore move on, there is nothing to see here.
Now, I would not deny the fact that any past administration has knowingly or unknowingly endorsed crony capitalism in its day. Usually, however, the relationship between the government and the corporate giants have been at an arms length and never to benefit the President or his party financially. That is until now.
Solyndra recently joined the long and sordid list of green energy companies that recieved billions of tax payer dollars from the Obama Administration and have already either declared bankruptcy or moved their operations to China. The FBI has been on the case since pretty much the beginning.
Here are the troubling details concerning Solyndra in summary format:
- Founder George Kaiser and green bundler and financier Steve Westley are big money bundlers (fund raisers) for Obama.
- Solyndra officials visited the White House (not the DOE) over 5 times in 2009.
- White House closely monitored the loan to Solyndra as internal e-mails show.
- The OMB auditors expressed serious concerns about backing Solyndra's faulty business model.
- Obama officials sat at Solyndra Board of Directors meetings for months
- Despite internal objections, Solyndra recieved $535 million in loan guarantees from the DOE
- About a year later, the company laid off its workers and declared bankruptcy, costing the tax payers over half a billion dollars.
- Congressman Cliff Stearns, who is investigating the scandal in the House of Representatives, has been stonewalled continuously by the Administration since the beginning of his investigation.
On September 7, the DOE announced its plan to guarantee 80 percent — or $275 million — of a $344 million private loan taken out by the firm SolarCity. The company installs rooftop solar systems that harvests electricity SolarCity then sells. The Chairman of SolarCity, Elon Musk, is a major financial supporter of the president. On April 15 of this year, Musk donated $35,800 to the Obama Victory Fund. He also gave an additional $5,000 to the Obama campaign. Like Solyndra officials White House visitor logs show Musk has visited the Administration at least four times since 2009.
The second company is Solexel. On September 2, the solar energy company announced a $13 million award from the DOE as part of a program to make solar energy systems more affordable for homeowners. Solexel is financially backed by venture capitalist Steve Westly - the same guy who was instrumental in financing the operations of Solyndra.
Aside from the above three cases, other Obama backed solar companies have been failures including Evergreen among others. Is the madness over? No, not when an ideologically driven, corrupt Administration is in power. The evidence of that allegation can be found in the news that the Obama Administration is now backing another solar company, Mojave Solar, to the tune of $1.2 billion. As the LA Times puts it: "Not all of those investments pan out". The problem is when the investor is financially tied to the President of the country - an ocurrance that usually occurs in banana republics only - we hopefully still call it corruption.
On a related note, General Electric just announced that they are scaling back their wind turbine operations globally citing profitability reasons. Solar and wind energy are nothing but pipe dreams with current technologies as the Europeans have been finding out the hard way. The energy that they provide is unreliable, insufficient, and extremely costly. Despite their unfeasibility, this Administration keeps on pouring money in to front companies that have been failing at an alarming rate.
The common thread among many of these green energy companies being their troubling financial connections to this administration, this is nothing short of a money laundering scheme just like much of the stimulus money that found its way back to the Democrat party via the unions. In my opinion, impeachment would be too good for this bunch - a nice prison cell is far more appropriate!
Friday, September 9, 2011
Why the President Is Not "Just One Man"
I am writing this post in response to what a well meaning, socially conservative friend of mine has now repeated several times. Although he is not a Obama fan by any means, he has said several times that he doesn't see why Obama (or any other president for that matter) should be held responsible for policy failures. After all, he is just one man, representing one of the three branches of the government, right?
The answer is obviously not. Although it is true that a president cannot pass legislation on his own, and is at the mercy of the Congress for laws that he chooses to sign, he can (and often does) affect the nation greatly. It is called an imperial presidency - one in which the executive branch usurps Congress’ role, which is the only branch with authority to make laws, and asserts power not granted to it by the Constitution.
The key here is constitutional fidelity. As it should be, a president who strictly adheres to the U.S. Constitution would be limited in his impact on society in general. One who treats his office as the means to subvert the constitution and achieve his own ends, not so much!
The dirty secret to those who do not follow politics closely is that most policy implementations do not come about as a result of legislation. They come as a result of regulations and presidential executive orders. Yes, regulations carry the weight of laws and by most estimates, cost several trillions of dollars each year to our economy, not to mention social costs. Some of these regulations are essential but most are mere reflections of the political ideology occupying the White House - usually progressive since the collectivist ideology clashes with laissez faire. That is a whole different subject I will write about in a dedicated article later.
Within this framework, there are several ways that a president who just might be intent on "fundamentally transforming" (sarc.) America affects change.
The most obvious is his appointments to high offices within the Executive branch including cabinet secretaries (15); heads of powerful independent agencies (70) such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB); boards, commissions, and committees (over 70 at last count); quasi-official agencies (4); and the unaccountable czars (41) that even the old Russian Empire would envy (for their sheer numbers).
Now, consider if the heads of key cabinets and so-called independent agencies are committed ideologues, for example.....oh, say Lisa Jackson, the incompetent, enviro-Marxist head of EPA; Manufacturing czar Ron Bloom - a former DSA member; Carol Browner, until recently the former White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy czar who just happens to be a former a member of the Commission for a Sustainable World Society (CSWS), which is a formal organ of the Socialist International; or any one of other radicals (upwards of two dozen) that adorn this Administration....... (A Marxist convention never had it this good!)
Well, you get the point. Appointing ideologues that agree with your radical ideology to posts where they can subvert the constitution by imposing regulation after regulation to achieve ends like driving the cost of energy to unsustainable levels kills jobs in cases of Secretary Chu and Lisa Jackson. Appointees like Craig Becker circumvent the constitution and tilt the scale towards the unions at a great cost to the rest of the society (see Boeing case and the new unionization rules that are de facto passage of the Card Check Act that the congress voted down as the prime examples). Examples are too numerous to list under this regime. The game plan is predictably collectivist and Alinskyite.
Then, there is the judiciary. President gets to appoint federal judges and SCOTUS justices to the judicial branch. Although the adversarial relationship between the branches is supposed to assure that these appointees are all acceptable to congress, that happens rarely because of either one party control of the Senate Judiciary Committee or simple lack of time to scrutinize each appointment before confirming them. This is not only how social change is affected by judges deciding on everything from school curricula that includes LGBT history appreciation to tax payer funding of abortion mills run by Planned Parenthood, but how America is put on a trajectory towards socialism as FDR accomplished in 1933-4 (and Obama may have with his two appointments if Obamacare is not eventually found to be unconstitutional).
Finally, you have the ever-so-popular presidential executive orders. Like regulations, these EOs carry major policy implications. Instead of coming from an agency head, it is essentially presidential regulations that can only be undone by a future president. Again, like with regulations, their constitutionality has been questioned but since they serve presidents well, nothing has changed.
In their great wisdom, the framers of the constitution saw fit to establish the separation of powers doctrine just to avoid the possibility of future imperial presidencies. The checks and balances system is no longer a working one as the past century has witnessed repeated assaults on what sets America apart: our Constitution.
That, in a nut shell, is the power of an imperial presidency in the hands of a president whose ideology tramples the spirit of our founding principles as well as the substance of the U.S. Constitution.
And this concludes this civics refresher we all need from time to time.
The answer is obviously not. Although it is true that a president cannot pass legislation on his own, and is at the mercy of the Congress for laws that he chooses to sign, he can (and often does) affect the nation greatly. It is called an imperial presidency - one in which the executive branch usurps Congress’ role, which is the only branch with authority to make laws, and asserts power not granted to it by the Constitution.
The key here is constitutional fidelity. As it should be, a president who strictly adheres to the U.S. Constitution would be limited in his impact on society in general. One who treats his office as the means to subvert the constitution and achieve his own ends, not so much!
The dirty secret to those who do not follow politics closely is that most policy implementations do not come about as a result of legislation. They come as a result of regulations and presidential executive orders. Yes, regulations carry the weight of laws and by most estimates, cost several trillions of dollars each year to our economy, not to mention social costs. Some of these regulations are essential but most are mere reflections of the political ideology occupying the White House - usually progressive since the collectivist ideology clashes with laissez faire. That is a whole different subject I will write about in a dedicated article later.
Within this framework, there are several ways that a president who just might be intent on "fundamentally transforming" (sarc.) America affects change.
The most obvious is his appointments to high offices within the Executive branch including cabinet secretaries (15); heads of powerful independent agencies (70) such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB); boards, commissions, and committees (over 70 at last count); quasi-official agencies (4); and the unaccountable czars (41) that even the old Russian Empire would envy (for their sheer numbers).
Now, consider if the heads of key cabinets and so-called independent agencies are committed ideologues, for example.....oh, say Lisa Jackson, the incompetent, enviro-Marxist head of EPA; Manufacturing czar Ron Bloom - a former DSA member; Carol Browner, until recently the former White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy czar who just happens to be a former a member of the Commission for a Sustainable World Society (CSWS), which is a formal organ of the Socialist International; or any one of other radicals (upwards of two dozen) that adorn this Administration....... (A Marxist convention never had it this good!)
Well, you get the point. Appointing ideologues that agree with your radical ideology to posts where they can subvert the constitution by imposing regulation after regulation to achieve ends like driving the cost of energy to unsustainable levels kills jobs in cases of Secretary Chu and Lisa Jackson. Appointees like Craig Becker circumvent the constitution and tilt the scale towards the unions at a great cost to the rest of the society (see Boeing case and the new unionization rules that are de facto passage of the Card Check Act that the congress voted down as the prime examples). Examples are too numerous to list under this regime. The game plan is predictably collectivist and Alinskyite.
Then, there is the judiciary. President gets to appoint federal judges and SCOTUS justices to the judicial branch. Although the adversarial relationship between the branches is supposed to assure that these appointees are all acceptable to congress, that happens rarely because of either one party control of the Senate Judiciary Committee or simple lack of time to scrutinize each appointment before confirming them. This is not only how social change is affected by judges deciding on everything from school curricula that includes LGBT history appreciation to tax payer funding of abortion mills run by Planned Parenthood, but how America is put on a trajectory towards socialism as FDR accomplished in 1933-4 (and Obama may have with his two appointments if Obamacare is not eventually found to be unconstitutional).
Finally, you have the ever-so-popular presidential executive orders. Like regulations, these EOs carry major policy implications. Instead of coming from an agency head, it is essentially presidential regulations that can only be undone by a future president. Again, like with regulations, their constitutionality has been questioned but since they serve presidents well, nothing has changed.
In their great wisdom, the framers of the constitution saw fit to establish the separation of powers doctrine just to avoid the possibility of future imperial presidencies. The checks and balances system is no longer a working one as the past century has witnessed repeated assaults on what sets America apart: our Constitution.
That, in a nut shell, is the power of an imperial presidency in the hands of a president whose ideology tramples the spirit of our founding principles as well as the substance of the U.S. Constitution.
And this concludes this civics refresher we all need from time to time.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Misdiagnosis
First, I must regretfully admit that my diagnosis yesterday of Obama and his entourage as being:
1. Dumb (somewhat)
2. Delusional (more so), and...
3. Radical (mostly)
was not complete. I must add a fourth:
4. Hysterically hypocritical.
Although this newly added diagnosis can sometimes be mistaken as a regular symptom of number 3, this Administration has continually taken it to new heights, and must therefore be added as a seperate diagnosis.
I was listening to the White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer on the radio earlier and he succeeded in amusing me greatly. Mr. Pfeiffer, in his usual delusional state, said that it is not the President's obligation to distance himself from Mr. Hoffa's statements on Monday. Uncivility is a purely personal issue and others cannot be held accountable for not speaking up against it. It simply is not the President's responsibility to denounce such language.
But, but, but...... wasn't Mr. Hoffa introducing the President? And, isn't he the President of the U.S. (rather than the labor unions)? And how about the President's lectures to Americans on civility and acting like the grown up in the room, blah, blah, blah....
My, my, have we come a long way since 2002 when incidents like a benign, back handed compliment to Senator Thurmond by Trent Lott caused such an uproar. But, oh wait, that was a Republican, therefore the standards by which the incident was judged had to be different.
Surely not comparable to the shooting of Gabriel Giffords by a right wing lunatic that triggered months of lecturing by the president, right? Or the crazed Holocoust museum or Ft. Hood shooters!
What? They were all crazed left wing lunatics? Why wasn't I informed about this the way Democrats and the media jumped on the conclusion that it had to be right wing lunatics (and even carried the charade on once the true persona behind the shooters were revealed - which got almost no press coverage)?
The same thugs who have used their dispicable Alinskyite techniques against bankers, health insurance companies, oil executives, and Tea Party supporters among others, have also been the biggest whiners about civility in public discourse. Yet, not a day goes by that these slimy progressives do not verbally assault those who oppose their collectivist vision of America.
The people who shamefully used the incidents I described earlier to portray the peaceful Tea Party protests made up of millions of seniors, families, and hard working Americans as being racists and radicals (what mind-numbing hypocrisy since it is only, and just about every, left wing protest - from IMF to anti-war to you name the protest - that ends up in violence and property destruction) suffer from hysterical hypocrisy - another malady that ravages progressives.
1. Dumb (somewhat)
2. Delusional (more so), and...
3. Radical (mostly)
was not complete. I must add a fourth:
4. Hysterically hypocritical.
Although this newly added diagnosis can sometimes be mistaken as a regular symptom of number 3, this Administration has continually taken it to new heights, and must therefore be added as a seperate diagnosis.
I was listening to the White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer on the radio earlier and he succeeded in amusing me greatly. Mr. Pfeiffer, in his usual delusional state, said that it is not the President's obligation to distance himself from Mr. Hoffa's statements on Monday. Uncivility is a purely personal issue and others cannot be held accountable for not speaking up against it. It simply is not the President's responsibility to denounce such language.
But, but, but...... wasn't Mr. Hoffa introducing the President? And, isn't he the President of the U.S. (rather than the labor unions)? And how about the President's lectures to Americans on civility and acting like the grown up in the room, blah, blah, blah....
My, my, have we come a long way since 2002 when incidents like a benign, back handed compliment to Senator Thurmond by Trent Lott caused such an uproar. But, oh wait, that was a Republican, therefore the standards by which the incident was judged had to be different.
Surely not comparable to the shooting of Gabriel Giffords by a right wing lunatic that triggered months of lecturing by the president, right? Or the crazed Holocoust museum or Ft. Hood shooters!
What? They were all crazed left wing lunatics? Why wasn't I informed about this the way Democrats and the media jumped on the conclusion that it had to be right wing lunatics (and even carried the charade on once the true persona behind the shooters were revealed - which got almost no press coverage)?
The same thugs who have used their dispicable Alinskyite techniques against bankers, health insurance companies, oil executives, and Tea Party supporters among others, have also been the biggest whiners about civility in public discourse. Yet, not a day goes by that these slimy progressives do not verbally assault those who oppose their collectivist vision of America.
The people who shamefully used the incidents I described earlier to portray the peaceful Tea Party protests made up of millions of seniors, families, and hard working Americans as being racists and radicals (what mind-numbing hypocrisy since it is only, and just about every, left wing protest - from IMF to anti-war to you name the protest - that ends up in violence and property destruction) suffer from hysterical hypocrisy - another malady that ravages progressives.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
The Dumbest, The Most Delusional, Or The Most Radical President In U.S. History?
You would think that a President whose approval rate is in the gutter, whose policies have accomplished nothing but almost 32 months of misery, and is currently losing to the generic Republican candidate by almost double digits would be playing it smart. After all, being the pragmatist that he was, that is what Bill Clinton did under much more favorable circumstances. After trying to ram through a left wing agenda during his first two years that the voters rebelled against at the polls in 1994, Clinton moderated his stance and joined hands with the congressional Republicans in 1995, and was duly re-elected the following year. Despite his ideological convictions, he declared that the "era of big government" was over. He went on to back the Republican tax cut plan the following year and, at least economically, left a legacy that will treat him much kinder than what he really deserves.
Obama, on the other hand, is an anomaly for a typical politician (who would arguably sell his soul to the devil just to get re-elected). For the past two and a half years, we have been treated to a steady stream of head-scratching moves that only ideologically blinded political consultants would advise the President to make. After all, it does not take great foresight to know the disastrous impending political outcomes when poll after poll (as well as electoral history) shows Americans to be self-identifying conservatives by a healthy 2:1 margin.
Obama's appearance at the AFL/CIO sponsored labor day rally in Detroit over the week-end cemented his disregard for political outcomes once again. Just in case you were incommunicado over the past two days, Obama gave a speech to a gathering of labor unions in Detroit, MI. He was introduced by none other than Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa - the son of the famed gangster union boss who was dispatched most likely by the syndicate. As would be expected, Jimmy did not hold back:
"We got to keep an eye on the battle that we face: The war on workers. And you see it everywhere, it is the Tea Party. And you know, there is only one way to beat and win that war. The one thing about working people is we like a good fight. And you know what? They've got a war, they got a war with us and there's only going to be one winner. It's going to be the workers of Michigan, and America. We're going to win that war," Jimmy Hoffa said to a heavily union crowd.
"President Obama, this is your army. We are ready to march. Let's take these son of bitches out and give America back to an America where we belong," Hoffa added.
As outrageous as Hoffa's remarks were to the crowd, he could be excused as a Marxist labor leader. But what about the President's response? Obama followed Hoffa's incendiary speech by saying how proud he was of the labor union movement. The same Marxist goon friendly sentiment was later repeated by Vice President Biden,the DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Administration officials.
This latest episode was really nothing more than the continuation of a non-stop three year long assault on the Tea Party by enemies of a constitutional government.
There are really only three possible explanations for the president's (and his party's) behavior in the face of pending political annihilation for himself and his party.
1) The President is dumb. He thinks that appealing to a very narrow base consisting of progressives (20% of the population), the LGBT crowd, avowed feminists, certain minority groups who historically are politically unmotivated, and various other fringe groups will net him and his party a victory come November 2012. The math absolutely does not work when one considers that 42% of the electorate are self-identified conservatives and the rest moderate independents. Therefore, we can rule out the possibility of the President and rest of the Democrats being dumb. No one is that dumb! Not even Democrats.
2) The President is delusional. This explanation is closer to the truth. Any casual observer of the President over the past 31+ months (and earlier) with a cursory knowledge of psychology should be able to see the ego driven personality that seems completely divorced from reality. I call it the Caligula complex minus the sexual aspect. Just like the infamous emperor of Rome, watching and listening to the President makes it quite apparent that there is an unmistakable God complex. Egged on by his media sycophants, he is full of himself, arrogant beyond reason, and with Mussolini like (chin up with a smirk on his face) mannerism, he continuously absolves himself of all blame while conveying images of the miracles he will bring about such as stopping the rise of sea levels and other nonsense. It is the dictionary definition of a megalomaniac.
Although there is a good case to be made for the President's tenuous mental health, the Democrat party as a whole could not all be suffering from mental disease despite many of our convictions. So, that brings us to....
3) This is the most radical president we have had the misfortune of electing. The same goes for many of the Democrats who have taken over their party over the past couple of decades. Obama does not care about whether he is re-elected or not. His mission, as he himself said, is the fundamental transformation of our society. Amazingly enough, not one reporter has ever asked the President what he meant by that infamous statement back in October of 2008. To the rest of us who are familiar with the president's background and ideology, there is absolutely no mystery. I had documented Obama's Marxist tendencies here and elsewhere in my blog.
The same Marxist tendencies have been building up in the ranks of the Democrat party for decades now. The party has been admittedly and demonstrably taken over by communists of all types. Complimenting the socialist trajectory that we have been on for almost a century, today's Democrat party and Obama are natural extensions of reasonable expectations considering the cultural Marxist assault on (and taking over of) the educational system, media, and entertainment. There is a lot of work to be done if we hope to pull America back from the brink of disaster.
Obama, on the other hand, is an anomaly for a typical politician (who would arguably sell his soul to the devil just to get re-elected). For the past two and a half years, we have been treated to a steady stream of head-scratching moves that only ideologically blinded political consultants would advise the President to make. After all, it does not take great foresight to know the disastrous impending political outcomes when poll after poll (as well as electoral history) shows Americans to be self-identifying conservatives by a healthy 2:1 margin.
Obama's appearance at the AFL/CIO sponsored labor day rally in Detroit over the week-end cemented his disregard for political outcomes once again. Just in case you were incommunicado over the past two days, Obama gave a speech to a gathering of labor unions in Detroit, MI. He was introduced by none other than Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa - the son of the famed gangster union boss who was dispatched most likely by the syndicate. As would be expected, Jimmy did not hold back:
"We got to keep an eye on the battle that we face: The war on workers. And you see it everywhere, it is the Tea Party. And you know, there is only one way to beat and win that war. The one thing about working people is we like a good fight. And you know what? They've got a war, they got a war with us and there's only going to be one winner. It's going to be the workers of Michigan, and America. We're going to win that war," Jimmy Hoffa said to a heavily union crowd.
"President Obama, this is your army. We are ready to march. Let's take these son of bitches out and give America back to an America where we belong," Hoffa added.
As outrageous as Hoffa's remarks were to the crowd, he could be excused as a Marxist labor leader. But what about the President's response? Obama followed Hoffa's incendiary speech by saying how proud he was of the labor union movement. The same Marxist goon friendly sentiment was later repeated by Vice President Biden,the DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Administration officials.
This latest episode was really nothing more than the continuation of a non-stop three year long assault on the Tea Party by enemies of a constitutional government.
There are really only three possible explanations for the president's (and his party's) behavior in the face of pending political annihilation for himself and his party.
1) The President is dumb. He thinks that appealing to a very narrow base consisting of progressives (20% of the population), the LGBT crowd, avowed feminists, certain minority groups who historically are politically unmotivated, and various other fringe groups will net him and his party a victory come November 2012. The math absolutely does not work when one considers that 42% of the electorate are self-identified conservatives and the rest moderate independents. Therefore, we can rule out the possibility of the President and rest of the Democrats being dumb. No one is that dumb! Not even Democrats.
2) The President is delusional. This explanation is closer to the truth. Any casual observer of the President over the past 31+ months (and earlier) with a cursory knowledge of psychology should be able to see the ego driven personality that seems completely divorced from reality. I call it the Caligula complex minus the sexual aspect. Just like the infamous emperor of Rome, watching and listening to the President makes it quite apparent that there is an unmistakable God complex. Egged on by his media sycophants, he is full of himself, arrogant beyond reason, and with Mussolini like (chin up with a smirk on his face) mannerism, he continuously absolves himself of all blame while conveying images of the miracles he will bring about such as stopping the rise of sea levels and other nonsense. It is the dictionary definition of a megalomaniac.
Although there is a good case to be made for the President's tenuous mental health, the Democrat party as a whole could not all be suffering from mental disease despite many of our convictions. So, that brings us to....
3) This is the most radical president we have had the misfortune of electing. The same goes for many of the Democrats who have taken over their party over the past couple of decades. Obama does not care about whether he is re-elected or not. His mission, as he himself said, is the fundamental transformation of our society. Amazingly enough, not one reporter has ever asked the President what he meant by that infamous statement back in October of 2008. To the rest of us who are familiar with the president's background and ideology, there is absolutely no mystery. I had documented Obama's Marxist tendencies here and elsewhere in my blog.
The same Marxist tendencies have been building up in the ranks of the Democrat party for decades now. The party has been admittedly and demonstrably taken over by communists of all types. Complimenting the socialist trajectory that we have been on for almost a century, today's Democrat party and Obama are natural extensions of reasonable expectations considering the cultural Marxist assault on (and taking over of) the educational system, media, and entertainment. There is a lot of work to be done if we hope to pull America back from the brink of disaster.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Solyndra: Symbol of Failed Green Cronyism
Founder of Solyndra announced last week that he is calling it a day. This comes at he heel of the news that Seattle, which got $20 million from the government for green (weatherization) jobs created only 14 jobs (and temporary ones at that) and upgraded - are you ready for this? - all of 3 homes despite promises of many more. The same program, nationwide, has spent over $500 million, creating or retaining only 600 jobs!
About a month ago, Evergreen Solar Inc. - another one of Obama's green darlings propelled by taxpayer money, filed for bankruptcy and shipped about 2,000 U.S. tax payer funded jobs to China.
All told, there have been at least half a dozen green investment company failures over the past year; not counting green program failures by states and municipalities.
In sum, green energy is a pie-in-the-sky as Europeans as well as Canadians have been painfully learning.
None of the previous failures, however, were as high profile as Solyndra which recieved over half a billion ($535 million) in federal loans and guarantees. What makes the Solyndra saga, which is thankfully currently being investigated by the congress despite roadblocks by Democrats and the Administration, more outrageous than any other is the circumstances surrounding some of its founders. If you guessed that at least one backer of this project was an Obama fund raiser, go to the head of the class! You are right on.
Suffice it to say that it stinks to high heaven when the president's big money bundlers end up with billions of taxpayer dollars and bankrupt or otherwise barely surviving companies.
A scandal? Not if the media can help it (like they did in the case of Pigford, and several other cases over the past two years).
Obama keeps on touting green jobs (all-the-while killing conventional energy, as well as other, jobs through run away regulations/interventions issued by the EPA and other agencies like the NLRB). Has anyone in the media wondered what the connection is between the man made climate change hysteria, examples of cronyism (as with Solyndra), and progressive policies in general? A blind man could connect the dots - but not our whorish lap dog media!
Green energy - whether solar, on-shore wind, or whatever - will not work for simple reasons. There exists no feasibility for such projects. They are extremely expensive and technologies required are simply non existent to render them profitable at this point in time.
As such, they must be heavily subsidized (approximately 4.5 times more subsidies per KWh produced than fossil fuels) by the government, which the high profile failures show to be insufficient by itself. The solar sector, especially, is in trouble worldwide.
In fact, for those who may not be aware of this outrageousness, current federal mandates for power companies to buy 10-15% of their energy from alternative sources like wind and solar is the only reason why any such companies exist at all. So, next time you take a look at your electric bill, you can thank uncle Sam for doing its share to drive your costs up.
About a month ago, Evergreen Solar Inc. - another one of Obama's green darlings propelled by taxpayer money, filed for bankruptcy and shipped about 2,000 U.S. tax payer funded jobs to China.
All told, there have been at least half a dozen green investment company failures over the past year; not counting green program failures by states and municipalities.
In sum, green energy is a pie-in-the-sky as Europeans as well as Canadians have been painfully learning.
None of the previous failures, however, were as high profile as Solyndra which recieved over half a billion ($535 million) in federal loans and guarantees. What makes the Solyndra saga, which is thankfully currently being investigated by the congress despite roadblocks by Democrats and the Administration, more outrageous than any other is the circumstances surrounding some of its founders. If you guessed that at least one backer of this project was an Obama fund raiser, go to the head of the class! You are right on.
Suffice it to say that it stinks to high heaven when the president's big money bundlers end up with billions of taxpayer dollars and bankrupt or otherwise barely surviving companies.
A scandal? Not if the media can help it (like they did in the case of Pigford, and several other cases over the past two years).
Obama keeps on touting green jobs (all-the-while killing conventional energy, as well as other, jobs through run away regulations/interventions issued by the EPA and other agencies like the NLRB). Has anyone in the media wondered what the connection is between the man made climate change hysteria, examples of cronyism (as with Solyndra), and progressive policies in general? A blind man could connect the dots - but not our whorish lap dog media!
Green energy - whether solar, on-shore wind, or whatever - will not work for simple reasons. There exists no feasibility for such projects. They are extremely expensive and technologies required are simply non existent to render them profitable at this point in time.
As such, they must be heavily subsidized (approximately 4.5 times more subsidies per KWh produced than fossil fuels) by the government, which the high profile failures show to be insufficient by itself. The solar sector, especially, is in trouble worldwide.
In fact, for those who may not be aware of this outrageousness, current federal mandates for power companies to buy 10-15% of their energy from alternative sources like wind and solar is the only reason why any such companies exist at all. So, next time you take a look at your electric bill, you can thank uncle Sam for doing its share to drive your costs up.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Outrageous News of the Week
Here are the latest news capsules from these past few days. Laugh, cry, whatever...but it is what it is! Sometimes I feel like I am living in an alternate reality; but no one is waking me up! Did any of this crap happen during other recent presidencies and I was asleep all the time, or am I right that all the nuttiness started in earnest with Obama?
Just on the labor front, we had:
- A bill in the California legislature would force parents to pay state-level minimum wage to babysitters, as well as provide a substitute caregiver every two hours to cover rest and meal breaks, in addition to workers’ compensation coverage, overtime pay, and a meticulously calculated time card/paycheck
- State of Illinois started to pay violent offenders and sex criminals to baby sit children. (and no, I am not making any of this up - I wish I were!)
- President Obama’s National Labor Relations Board has issued two more rulings that will carpet-bomb employers with “micro-union” organizing drives and repeal one of the last protections employees had if they wanted to choose a union by secret ballot election
- Just days before, the NLRB issued a rule that will force millions of employers to post advertisements for employees to join a union shuttered the comment period for a rule that will ensure employees only hear the union side of a sales pitch
- Union bosses told a businessman that, because he had the audacity to appear in a video discussing the impact Big Labor has on business and the economy, “there’s going to be a price to pay for that”
- The EPA has a handful of new regulations that will cost $125 billion — per year — as “factories, hospitals, universities, power plants and even churches are in the cross hairs of hyper aggressive regulators” (ex: a dry cleaner in Pennsylvania says the regulations will cost him $50,000 for new equipment)
- And, of course, all these new regulations disproportionately harm small businesses who are forced to “spend 36% more per employee than large Corps complying with new federal rules” Hmm...I wonder why no jobs are being created?
- Affirmative action is back as the Administration declared that the federal workforce will be "diversified". What else would you expect from this gang that has introduced LGBT sensitivity training in to the CIA and the military!!
- And, of course, don’t forget the owner of the non-union electrical contracting co. who got shot last week while a perpetrator was looking to slash his tires, having already completed the word “scab” into the vehicle
- Solyndra, one of Obama's green technology cronies which secured over half a billion dollars in subsidies from the government (by the way, one of the founder was a big Obama fund raiser as reported by ABC News) filed for bankruptcy. This was not the first, nor will it be the last green energy company to go belly up in a matter of 2 years or less. This shovel ready project was obviously so....ready for the shovel of the grave digger!
- Of course, those Keynesians who think that governments can create markets for unwanted, financially unfeasible services/goods, or productive jobs are nowhere to be seen as the house of cards start coming down.
- Again from the land of fruits and nuts (California), a bill has been sponsored to fund college for illegal immigrants. I would suggest all who live near CA to move away. The vortex might just pull you under when the state inevitably goes down.
- On the education front, a secret NEA document unearthed recently shows that only 4% of the union dues goes to improving teaching despite the organization's mission statement that says: “we will focus the energy and resources of our 3.2 million members on improving the quality of teaching, increasing student achievement and making schools safer, better places to learn.”
- The other 96% goes to.....you guessed it, supporting Democrat party candidates.
- In the foreign policy arena, we've been discovering the money pipeline U.S. has to the Taliban as well as Marxist and Islamist rebels in the mid-east and Afghanistan.
- The new Chair of the WH Council of Economic Advisors is an avowed progressive who has defended preferential treatment of minorities. Another Princeton pin head. Geesh.. It cements it in my mind that we are going nowhere economically until all these people are thrown out of the government!
- This week we found out another one of Obama's classy tribal family, uncle Onyango, was arrested in Massachusetts. Like aunt Zeituni, he is also illegal and on welfare. He also owes back taxes to the IRS (surprised he hasn't been offered a position in the Administration - he has the perfect qualifications) Care to bet that he will not be deported? I didn't think so. Hey, I've got an idea. Lets give Onyango citizenship and deport Barack instead.
- It is baaack...the Administration is pushing for preferential lending once again. I'll have a post on this soon.
- Dream Act is being unconstitutionally implemented as we speak. Obama last week signed an executive order effectively stopping all deportations. The next day, Hilda Solis said that e must assure illegal workers get paid a living wage. Congressional refusal to pass this legislation should have killed this measure, but like with several other defeated legislation, the Administration is forging ahead in violation of separation of powers act. Will no Republican have the balls to start the impeachment ball rolling?!
- ACLU is outraged that students cannot access gay web sites. No more needs to be said about this.
- The NLRB orders unionization elections at a catholic school in Illinois this week for not being religious enough.
- Federal Judge in Texas struck down the provision of the law that requires sonograms before an abortion. God forbid that we may convince a mother to be to save the life of their unborn child. Ahhh, the compassion of progressives knows no bounds.
- And finally, as you are probably aware, the race war is on. Democrats are primed and ready. First targets are Tea Party members like Congressman Alan West, but it is likely to spread to anyone who is not a Democrat.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Uncanny Parallels Between Two Eras and Four Failed Presidencies
Quick..... what comes to your mind when you hear the names Hoover, FDR, G.W. Bush, and Obama?
Let me help...failed Republican presidencies followed by truly disastrous Democrat presidencies.
So, here is my quick take on the parallels between the Hoover - FDR era and the Bush - Obama era in a nut shell.
Hoover believed in the Efficiency Movement, which held that government and the economy were riddled with inefficiency and waste, and could be improved by experts who could identify the problems and solve them (being an engineer by training - and not much of a political philosopher, I guess you couldn't have faulted him much for that). When the Wall Street crash of 1929 struck less than eight months after he took office, Hoover tried to combat the ensuing Great Depression with volunteer efforts, public works projects such as the Hoover Dam, tariffs such as the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, and raising the top tax bracket from 25% to 63%, none of which unsurprisingly produced economic recovery during his term. In sum, he was a protectionist and a proponent of government intervention unlike some of his predecessors (Coolidge and Harding) or what I would call an establishment Republican these days.
Hoover's failure to spur the economy on, especially coming at the tail end of the roaring 20's, paved the way for FDR and a long reign of Democrat congressional control. Republicans were trounced in congressional races as well as the presidential election.
FDR, an avowed Socialist, made the most of the crisis he inherited. He doubled down on Hoover's misguided policies while instituting the New Deal. It was during this period that America started its journey towards collectivism in earnest. Along with Social Security, the single worst damage inflicted by FDR was his stacking of the SCOTUS by progressive justices. By 1935, he was a true dictator, one might say. I documented some of his more outrageous actions here. In my estimation, he was the single worst president America had - that is until now.
G.W. Bush took over an economy that was weakening, but neverthless fundamentally sound in relative terms. The Gingrich congress had Bill Clinton curb his earlier progressive instincts and the era of small government was on. Then came the dot com bubble caused mild recession of early 2001 and the eventual 9/11 attacks. I believe that is when any remote adherence G.W.B. had to free markets flew out the window. To begin with, the Bush family was never known to be truly conservative devotees of free markets going all the way back to G. H. Bush's frictions with Reagan in 1980 and earlier. Bushes were, and still are, establishment Republicans who believe in big, compassionate government. As such, when things looked bleak in the early days of post 9/11 era, G.W.B. sacrificed everything that Clinton/Gingrich had accomplished as far as containing the federal leviathan. Combined with the cost of war on two fronts, federal government once again became its pre-1996 monstrosity. Over the next six years, we witnessed new entitlements like Medicare Part-D and the expanded SCHIP program - all as part of so-called compassionate conservatism. Finally in 2007, when the great recession started, G.W.B. showed his real face to the world when he declared "I had to sacrifice free market principles to save the free market system". If that statement alone didn't prove that he was never a constitutional, small government, free market adherent type of president, I do not know what would. Can you say Hoover light?
President Obama easily enough won the 2008 election because his opponent was nothing but a war decorated version of G.W.B. He, like FDR did, doubled down - make that quadrupled down - on G.W.B. policies of spending on entitlements. This is not meant to criticize him for all his actions (because that would take a few volumes of a book) but, in a nut shell, Obama through his radical cabinet and other appointments who would make FDR appointments blush, proved that we succeeded in electing our first Marxist (though a closet one) president. Ever since his election, rogue government agencies have been regulating and otherwise poisoning the business environment. This blog has catalogued many of his outrageous action. Consequently, as with FDR who couldn't pull the country out of the Depression until WWII did it for him 12 years after the start of the Great Depression, under Obama we have yet to see things improve in any meaningful way. The worst part of the story, however, will be the lasting effects of his legacy. As with Social Security under FDR, Medicare under LBJ, Medicare Part-D under Bush, among other entitlements, Obamacare and many of his Administration's damaging regulations will probably never be undone.
Thus is the scary and uncanny parallels between two critical eras in our history, with two sets of presidents where the Republican predecessor's lack of classically conservative conviction and vision led to two hard line progressive who exploited the opportunity to fundamentally alter our nation.
----
Of course, this is not to say that these four are the only failed presidencies in the modern era - which I describe as beginning of 20th century on. One must not forget an array of Republican (T. Roosevelt, Taft, Hoover, Nixon, Ford, and G. H. Bush (Sr.)) and Democrat (Wilson, FDR, LBJ, and Carter) presidents who left their damaging marks on this country of ours. However, this group did not amplify their predecessor's damaging policies by disastrous ones of their own. They mostly were instrumental in further expanding the government's reach in to our daily lives - bad but not disastrous as I said. All that being said, I am not minimizing the critical roles of two early presidents - Wilson and T. Roosevelt to a lesser degree - in fundamentally changing the course of this nation with their policies from one of a Jeffersonian vision to one that would eventually resemble 19th century Fabian Socialism of Europe.
My favorites since 1900? If I had to list them in order of preference:
1. Coolidge
2. Reagan
3. Harding
All for their dedication to free market principles and constitutional government as our founders intended.
Let me help...failed Republican presidencies followed by truly disastrous Democrat presidencies.
So, here is my quick take on the parallels between the Hoover - FDR era and the Bush - Obama era in a nut shell.
Hoover believed in the Efficiency Movement, which held that government and the economy were riddled with inefficiency and waste, and could be improved by experts who could identify the problems and solve them (being an engineer by training - and not much of a political philosopher, I guess you couldn't have faulted him much for that). When the Wall Street crash of 1929 struck less than eight months after he took office, Hoover tried to combat the ensuing Great Depression with volunteer efforts, public works projects such as the Hoover Dam, tariffs such as the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, and raising the top tax bracket from 25% to 63%, none of which unsurprisingly produced economic recovery during his term. In sum, he was a protectionist and a proponent of government intervention unlike some of his predecessors (Coolidge and Harding) or what I would call an establishment Republican these days.
Hoover's failure to spur the economy on, especially coming at the tail end of the roaring 20's, paved the way for FDR and a long reign of Democrat congressional control. Republicans were trounced in congressional races as well as the presidential election.
FDR, an avowed Socialist, made the most of the crisis he inherited. He doubled down on Hoover's misguided policies while instituting the New Deal. It was during this period that America started its journey towards collectivism in earnest. Along with Social Security, the single worst damage inflicted by FDR was his stacking of the SCOTUS by progressive justices. By 1935, he was a true dictator, one might say. I documented some of his more outrageous actions here. In my estimation, he was the single worst president America had - that is until now.
G.W. Bush took over an economy that was weakening, but neverthless fundamentally sound in relative terms. The Gingrich congress had Bill Clinton curb his earlier progressive instincts and the era of small government was on. Then came the dot com bubble caused mild recession of early 2001 and the eventual 9/11 attacks. I believe that is when any remote adherence G.W.B. had to free markets flew out the window. To begin with, the Bush family was never known to be truly conservative devotees of free markets going all the way back to G. H. Bush's frictions with Reagan in 1980 and earlier. Bushes were, and still are, establishment Republicans who believe in big, compassionate government. As such, when things looked bleak in the early days of post 9/11 era, G.W.B. sacrificed everything that Clinton/Gingrich had accomplished as far as containing the federal leviathan. Combined with the cost of war on two fronts, federal government once again became its pre-1996 monstrosity. Over the next six years, we witnessed new entitlements like Medicare Part-D and the expanded SCHIP program - all as part of so-called compassionate conservatism. Finally in 2007, when the great recession started, G.W.B. showed his real face to the world when he declared "I had to sacrifice free market principles to save the free market system". If that statement alone didn't prove that he was never a constitutional, small government, free market adherent type of president, I do not know what would. Can you say Hoover light?
President Obama easily enough won the 2008 election because his opponent was nothing but a war decorated version of G.W.B. He, like FDR did, doubled down - make that quadrupled down - on G.W.B. policies of spending on entitlements. This is not meant to criticize him for all his actions (because that would take a few volumes of a book) but, in a nut shell, Obama through his radical cabinet and other appointments who would make FDR appointments blush, proved that we succeeded in electing our first Marxist (though a closet one) president. Ever since his election, rogue government agencies have been regulating and otherwise poisoning the business environment. This blog has catalogued many of his outrageous action. Consequently, as with FDR who couldn't pull the country out of the Depression until WWII did it for him 12 years after the start of the Great Depression, under Obama we have yet to see things improve in any meaningful way. The worst part of the story, however, will be the lasting effects of his legacy. As with Social Security under FDR, Medicare under LBJ, Medicare Part-D under Bush, among other entitlements, Obamacare and many of his Administration's damaging regulations will probably never be undone.
Thus is the scary and uncanny parallels between two critical eras in our history, with two sets of presidents where the Republican predecessor's lack of classically conservative conviction and vision led to two hard line progressive who exploited the opportunity to fundamentally alter our nation.
----
Of course, this is not to say that these four are the only failed presidencies in the modern era - which I describe as beginning of 20th century on. One must not forget an array of Republican (T. Roosevelt, Taft, Hoover, Nixon, Ford, and G. H. Bush (Sr.)) and Democrat (Wilson, FDR, LBJ, and Carter) presidents who left their damaging marks on this country of ours. However, this group did not amplify their predecessor's damaging policies by disastrous ones of their own. They mostly were instrumental in further expanding the government's reach in to our daily lives - bad but not disastrous as I said. All that being said, I am not minimizing the critical roles of two early presidents - Wilson and T. Roosevelt to a lesser degree - in fundamentally changing the course of this nation with their policies from one of a Jeffersonian vision to one that would eventually resemble 19th century Fabian Socialism of Europe.
My favorites since 1900? If I had to list them in order of preference:
1. Coolidge
2. Reagan
3. Harding
All for their dedication to free market principles and constitutional government as our founders intended.
Friday, August 26, 2011
U.K.: The Manifestation of Progressive Policies
Two weeks ago, crowds of mostly youthful offenders looted and burned private property all around the U.K. Listening to their words was enough to make their mindset crystal clear to outside observers. One such sentiment uttered by a looter was: "Nobody is doing nothing for us — not the politicians, not the cops, no one."
What is behind such disenfranchisement by minorities and whites alike? The U.K. as a western European democracy provides the tools and the opportunity necessary for these protesters to lead fruitful lives, one might think. But is that enough? Apparently not.
No. What we have been witnessing in the U.K., Greece, France, and elsewhere in the European social democracies is the failure of a social experiment gone awfully wrong. It is the failure of the welfare state which slowly but surely kills the human spirit. It is the expected manifestation of progressive policies that gradually replaces productive members of the society with leaches who are encouraged by the state to live off the backs of those who have not yet lost their humanity. It is the fruition of irresponsible immigration policies that let anyone in but do not require them to assimilate in to their host culture.
The shameful tragedy that was recently played out in the U.K. and elsewhere in Europe should be a warning to the U.S. The entitlement societies of Europe, created by the extensive welfare states built on foundations of Marxism, are not that far off from where we stand here in America.
What is behind such disenfranchisement by minorities and whites alike? The U.K. as a western European democracy provides the tools and the opportunity necessary for these protesters to lead fruitful lives, one might think. But is that enough? Apparently not.
No. What we have been witnessing in the U.K., Greece, France, and elsewhere in the European social democracies is the failure of a social experiment gone awfully wrong. It is the failure of the welfare state which slowly but surely kills the human spirit. It is the expected manifestation of progressive policies that gradually replaces productive members of the society with leaches who are encouraged by the state to live off the backs of those who have not yet lost their humanity. It is the fruition of irresponsible immigration policies that let anyone in but do not require them to assimilate in to their host culture.
The shameful tragedy that was recently played out in the U.K. and elsewhere in Europe should be a warning to the U.S. The entitlement societies of Europe, created by the extensive welfare states built on foundations of Marxism, are not that far off from where we stand here in America.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Along With Perry, Here Comes the Race Card
Team Obama is leaving nothing to chance. When a politician has virtually no success to point to, he can do one of two things: take the honorable route and not run for office again, or attack his opposition in the most vile ways imaginable. Since Obama and his minions practically wrote the book on putting Alinskyite techniques to practice, the choice for the President is crystal clear.
The on-and-off race card has been revived ever since Rick Perry entered the race. What better opportunity than when your potential opponent is southern, white, Christian, and a conservative? It is a marriage made in heaven if you are an Alinsky loving progressive; and this bunch most certainly is!
The stooges of the Administration in media like Ed Schultz and Chris Matthews, who are like cheap booty calls waiting by their phones to please their sugar daddies, would normally be the smart choice for leading the attack but this bunch is not even that smart. Although we have already heard baseless charges from liberal punditry (see Schultz' selective editing of Perry's "black cloud" remarks, and Matthews' disparaging portrayal of Perry's defense of Federalism), quite a few Democrat politicians like Maxine Waters and Charlie Rangel have not been able to resist the urge to paint likes of Rick Perry and the Tea Party with the broad brush of racism themselves.
It is all part and parcel of being a progressive. When your intellectual capabilities cannot rise above that of a ten-year old, you must adhere to Alinskyite tactics to win over sheeple with the attention span of five year olds. And it is a little ironic coming from the side of the ideology (and political party) that practically invented and advanced slavery and racism throughout their existence.
It was not the Republican party (or is not the conservative ideology) that fought for slavery tooth and nail. It was not the Republicans who started the KKK and every other racist organization. It was not the conservatives who protested and resisted civil rights for minorities. It was not the Republicans who voted against civil rights legislation in droves, which had to pass with their votes. And more importantly, it is not the conservative ideology that keeps slavery of human soul alive today, as I cannot describe followers of an ideology that robs individuals of their initiative and individualism as being anything other than modern day slave masters.
Democrats and self described progressives... take a good look at your selves in the mirror! The image that you see is what an intellectually dishonest racist looks like.
The on-and-off race card has been revived ever since Rick Perry entered the race. What better opportunity than when your potential opponent is southern, white, Christian, and a conservative? It is a marriage made in heaven if you are an Alinsky loving progressive; and this bunch most certainly is!
The stooges of the Administration in media like Ed Schultz and Chris Matthews, who are like cheap booty calls waiting by their phones to please their sugar daddies, would normally be the smart choice for leading the attack but this bunch is not even that smart. Although we have already heard baseless charges from liberal punditry (see Schultz' selective editing of Perry's "black cloud" remarks, and Matthews' disparaging portrayal of Perry's defense of Federalism), quite a few Democrat politicians like Maxine Waters and Charlie Rangel have not been able to resist the urge to paint likes of Rick Perry and the Tea Party with the broad brush of racism themselves.
It is all part and parcel of being a progressive. When your intellectual capabilities cannot rise above that of a ten-year old, you must adhere to Alinskyite tactics to win over sheeple with the attention span of five year olds. And it is a little ironic coming from the side of the ideology (and political party) that practically invented and advanced slavery and racism throughout their existence.
It was not the Republican party (or is not the conservative ideology) that fought for slavery tooth and nail. It was not the Republicans who started the KKK and every other racist organization. It was not the conservatives who protested and resisted civil rights for minorities. It was not the Republicans who voted against civil rights legislation in droves, which had to pass with their votes. And more importantly, it is not the conservative ideology that keeps slavery of human soul alive today, as I cannot describe followers of an ideology that robs individuals of their initiative and individualism as being anything other than modern day slave masters.
Democrats and self described progressives... take a good look at your selves in the mirror! The image that you see is what an intellectually dishonest racist looks like.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Just Another Typical Week in Obama's Amerika
What makes conservative bloggers' job difficult in Obama's America is the sheer volume of newsworthy (though mostly unreported by the whorish media) events. This past week was no different, so here we go.
The highlight (or lowlight if you prefer) of the week was the announcement on Thursday by the White House that backdoor amnesty we have been speculating about is officially here. After the Obama administration was informed on Tuesday that major latino groups were unhappy with his inaction and further learned that the president has bled nearly 40% of his Hispanic support (coupled with his new low approval of 39% according to Gallup), Homeland Security (Secretary Janet Napolitano) announced unless you are a criminal, you have not only nothing to fear and the Administration will even go out of its way to secure work visas for you. Of course, not that entering the country illegally is a crime or anything like that!
What makes this action doubly outrageous is that U.S. Congress voted down the Dream Act that would have provided just such amnesty. In other words, to heck with the Constitution, we have ourselves a third world dictator in the White House.
A close second in the outrageous news department was another executive order signed on Thursday. With the stroke of a pen, our benevolent dictator ordered 'diversification' of the federal workforce - you know, the one of which 34% is comprised of minorities and 44% women! Welcome back affirmative action! I guess in these days of LGBT sensitivity training in the military and the CIA, nothing should surprise us!
Again on Thursday, we found out that the first family arrived at their $40,000 a week vacation rental at ultra liberal Matha's Vineyard on two separate planes within three hours of each other. No surprise here: shared sacrifice during this time of high unemployment, rising inflation, dropping stock market, trillion dollar deficits, etc... is for common folks only. The king must do as he wishes.
Just as you thought nothing else could have happened on Thursday, voila - a new not-so-shocking revelation! Judicial Watch released their findings from their FOIA request of HHS documents that Secretary Sebelius' gang was instrumental in violating the Hatch Act last November when the department spent over one million taxpayer dollars promoting Obamacare in coordination with the 2010 mid-term elections. Surely a would be scandal for anyone else other than this bunch of gangsters in D.C.! It is amazing what you can get away with when the media whores are propping you up.
Then, we had our esteemed Secretary of Agriculture come out and declare that 44 million Americans on food stamps is really a good thing because - get this - it creates jobs. The progressive mindset is an amazingly confounding thing to watch! He is just the latest progressive whiz kid to spew this kind of nonsense, following in the footsteps of Mrs. Pelosi, Mr. Reed, and of course, the President himself.
As Jeannie DeAngelis puts it succinctly: Barack Obama’s detractors are wrong about him being clueless on the issue of jobs and the economy. The President does have a plan. The Obama administration is doing all they can to get as many people as possible on economy-stimulating government-funded entitlement programs like AFDC, housing assistance, school lunch programs, low-income energy aid, and of course unemployment insurance and food stamps, all of which promise to have the US economy and job market booming in no time.
Talking about progressive policies creating jobs, we cannot forget that fountain of scientific knowledge (sarcastically speaking of course) Rep. Ed Markey (Jackass - Mass) who took the opportunity to criticize Governor Rick Perry for saying that EPA regulations are job killers. Esteemed jackass congressman from Massachusetts claims that independent (ehem...) studies clearly show environmental regulations create new jobs. Yeah Ed, go tell that to the coal miners and oil rig workers being put out of work as we speak. The so-called green jobs bonanza is a pie-in-the-sky as well as a scheme to enrich green crony capitalist allies of the Democrat party.
On the crazed Marxist front, we must not forget esteemed jackass, Congressman Frank Lautenberg of N.J. who was heard saying that "we've got to eliminate the rich.." If I had a dollar for every such rhetoric I've heard from Democrats, I'd be retired by now. Maybe one day soon I'll make a montage of their sound bites from my video vault.
For those of you who missed it, Homeland Security also put out their new video for purposes of encouraging people to report suspicious activity. Who portrayed the terrorists in this PSA? You guessed it: well dressed white people. Political correctness gone awry or something else? You decide (just remember that two years ago, it was the same outfit that put out the warning that soldiers coming back from Iraq could pose danger to the U.S.)
On the international front, this week we threw two old and valuable allies under the Obama bus: Israel and Taiwan.
First, the U.S. threatened that unless Israel apologizes to Turkey (I guess for defending themselves during the boarding of Mavi Marmara) for loss of life, Israel would find herself isolated at the U.N.
Second, and even more outrageously, V.P. Biden told the Chinese the United States fully recognizes that issues related to Taiwan and Tibet are part of China’s core interests. He said the U.S. will firmly adhere to the one-China policy and will not support “Taiwan independence.” He added the U.S. fully acknowledges that Tibet is an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China.
With a friend like this, who needs enemies?
This was just scratching the surface as far as outrageous news goes but I needed to point out at least the most egregious ones.
So, the tyranny continues...
P.S. I am still awaiting Obama and his Democrat clan's apology to Rep. Joe Wilson. He and many of us knew all too well that Obamacare would cover illegal aliens, as we were proven right just over a week ago. Yes Mr. President, YOU LIE!
The highlight (or lowlight if you prefer) of the week was the announcement on Thursday by the White House that backdoor amnesty we have been speculating about is officially here. After the Obama administration was informed on Tuesday that major latino groups were unhappy with his inaction and further learned that the president has bled nearly 40% of his Hispanic support (coupled with his new low approval of 39% according to Gallup), Homeland Security (Secretary Janet Napolitano) announced unless you are a criminal, you have not only nothing to fear and the Administration will even go out of its way to secure work visas for you. Of course, not that entering the country illegally is a crime or anything like that!
What makes this action doubly outrageous is that U.S. Congress voted down the Dream Act that would have provided just such amnesty. In other words, to heck with the Constitution, we have ourselves a third world dictator in the White House.
A close second in the outrageous news department was another executive order signed on Thursday. With the stroke of a pen, our benevolent dictator ordered 'diversification' of the federal workforce - you know, the one of which 34% is comprised of minorities and 44% women! Welcome back affirmative action! I guess in these days of LGBT sensitivity training in the military and the CIA, nothing should surprise us!
Again on Thursday, we found out that the first family arrived at their $40,000 a week vacation rental at ultra liberal Matha's Vineyard on two separate planes within three hours of each other. No surprise here: shared sacrifice during this time of high unemployment, rising inflation, dropping stock market, trillion dollar deficits, etc... is for common folks only. The king must do as he wishes.
Just as you thought nothing else could have happened on Thursday, voila - a new not-so-shocking revelation! Judicial Watch released their findings from their FOIA request of HHS documents that Secretary Sebelius' gang was instrumental in violating the Hatch Act last November when the department spent over one million taxpayer dollars promoting Obamacare in coordination with the 2010 mid-term elections. Surely a would be scandal for anyone else other than this bunch of gangsters in D.C.! It is amazing what you can get away with when the media whores are propping you up.
Then, we had our esteemed Secretary of Agriculture come out and declare that 44 million Americans on food stamps is really a good thing because - get this - it creates jobs. The progressive mindset is an amazingly confounding thing to watch! He is just the latest progressive whiz kid to spew this kind of nonsense, following in the footsteps of Mrs. Pelosi, Mr. Reed, and of course, the President himself.
As Jeannie DeAngelis puts it succinctly: Barack Obama’s detractors are wrong about him being clueless on the issue of jobs and the economy. The President does have a plan. The Obama administration is doing all they can to get as many people as possible on economy-stimulating government-funded entitlement programs like AFDC, housing assistance, school lunch programs, low-income energy aid, and of course unemployment insurance and food stamps, all of which promise to have the US economy and job market booming in no time.
Talking about progressive policies creating jobs, we cannot forget that fountain of scientific knowledge (sarcastically speaking of course) Rep. Ed Markey (Jackass - Mass) who took the opportunity to criticize Governor Rick Perry for saying that EPA regulations are job killers. Esteemed jackass congressman from Massachusetts claims that independent (ehem...) studies clearly show environmental regulations create new jobs. Yeah Ed, go tell that to the coal miners and oil rig workers being put out of work as we speak. The so-called green jobs bonanza is a pie-in-the-sky as well as a scheme to enrich green crony capitalist allies of the Democrat party.
On the crazed Marxist front, we must not forget esteemed jackass, Congressman Frank Lautenberg of N.J. who was heard saying that "we've got to eliminate the rich.." If I had a dollar for every such rhetoric I've heard from Democrats, I'd be retired by now. Maybe one day soon I'll make a montage of their sound bites from my video vault.
For those of you who missed it, Homeland Security also put out their new video for purposes of encouraging people to report suspicious activity. Who portrayed the terrorists in this PSA? You guessed it: well dressed white people. Political correctness gone awry or something else? You decide (just remember that two years ago, it was the same outfit that put out the warning that soldiers coming back from Iraq could pose danger to the U.S.)
On the international front, this week we threw two old and valuable allies under the Obama bus: Israel and Taiwan.
First, the U.S. threatened that unless Israel apologizes to Turkey (I guess for defending themselves during the boarding of Mavi Marmara) for loss of life, Israel would find herself isolated at the U.N.
Second, and even more outrageously, V.P. Biden told the Chinese the United States fully recognizes that issues related to Taiwan and Tibet are part of China’s core interests. He said the U.S. will firmly adhere to the one-China policy and will not support “Taiwan independence.” He added the U.S. fully acknowledges that Tibet is an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China.
With a friend like this, who needs enemies?
This was just scratching the surface as far as outrageous news goes but I needed to point out at least the most egregious ones.
So, the tyranny continues...
P.S. I am still awaiting Obama and his Democrat clan's apology to Rep. Joe Wilson. He and many of us knew all too well that Obamacare would cover illegal aliens, as we were proven right just over a week ago. Yes Mr. President, YOU LIE!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Obama on Individual Mandate: Then and Now
Then:
“Both of us want to provide health care to all Americans. There’s a slight difference, and her [Hillary Clinton]plan is a good one. But, she mandates that everybody buy health care. She’d have the government force every individual to buy insurance and I don’t have such a mandate because I don’t think the problem is that people don’t want health insurance, it’s that they can’t afford it. So, I focus more on lowering costs. This is a modest difference. But, it’s one that she’s tried to elevate, arguing that because I don’t force people to buy health care that I’m not insuring everybody. Well, if things were that easy, I could mandate everybody to buy a house, and that would solve the problem of homelessness. It doesn’t."
February 28, 2008
Now:
"...you should get health insurance just like you get car insurance. This should not be controversial but it has become controversial partly because of people’s view..."
August 14, 2011
Never mind the fact that comparing auto insurance mandate to health insurance mandate is like comparing apples to oranges!
This wolf does not even pretend to be in sheep's clothing anymore ...Just because the "fundamental transformation" of America must go on...
“Both of us want to provide health care to all Americans. There’s a slight difference, and her [Hillary Clinton]plan is a good one. But, she mandates that everybody buy health care. She’d have the government force every individual to buy insurance and I don’t have such a mandate because I don’t think the problem is that people don’t want health insurance, it’s that they can’t afford it. So, I focus more on lowering costs. This is a modest difference. But, it’s one that she’s tried to elevate, arguing that because I don’t force people to buy health care that I’m not insuring everybody. Well, if things were that easy, I could mandate everybody to buy a house, and that would solve the problem of homelessness. It doesn’t."
February 28, 2008
Now:
"...you should get health insurance just like you get car insurance. This should not be controversial but it has become controversial partly because of people’s view..."
August 14, 2011
Never mind the fact that comparing auto insurance mandate to health insurance mandate is like comparing apples to oranges!
This wolf does not even pretend to be in sheep's clothing anymore ...Just because the "fundamental transformation" of America must go on...
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Back From Vacation...
...And a refreshing one it was! My (and my family) three day cruise to the Bahamas made me feel like I was back in the 1980s (and earlier) when you could smoke in bars, casinos, and many other areas where you normally cannot anymore. The staff on Majesty of the Seas were very friendly, food and entertainment great, and weather couldn't have been much better. To top it all off, won some decent money in Bingo as well as the poker table - enough to put a big smile on my face! I am also glad that Rick finally decided to join the race during my absence from the country. But all good things must come to an end; so time to pile on the progressive traitors.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
The Hypocrisy of Blaming the Downgrade on a $2 Trillion Mistake
Following on the footsteps of his boss Obama and the rest of the progressive cabal, Tim Geithner told NBC News of S&P’s “stunning lack of knowledge about basic U.S. fiscal budget math.” Now, this wouldn't be funny if it came from anyone other than the incompetent fools of this administration, but considering the source (someone who has obvious difficulty using Turbo Tax if one accepts the premise that he is not a tax cheat), one cannot help but have a good belly laughter.
What is outrageously hypocritical about the whole affair, however, is that this same Administration admitted to a similar $2 trillion mistake in their ten year deficit projections back in August of 2009 after ripping the CBO for miscalculating (what you and I know to be mythical) savings.
And how good is CBO's track record, you might ask? We all know the myriad of under estimations from cost of entitlements like Medicare and Medicaid to other government programs. More recently, in 2001, CBO estimated that by 2011, U.S. indebtedness would be negative by nearly $2.5 trillion. Go figure.
As Zero Hedge put it:
The U.S. is in deep trouble with its current $14.5 trillion federal debt and well over $100 trillion in unfunded social security and Medicare liabilities (which does not take in to account of the burden to be imposed by Medicare Part D and Obamacare!). Whether one looks at the total indebtedness of the U.S. government in 2021 as $24 trillion or $22 trillion, the picture does not change appreciably. If the U.S. was a household, you could not find a single financial institution that would be willing to lend it money - not with a current income of $2.2 trillion against expenditures of $3.7 trillion that are projected to increase several fold over the coming years. Default or chaos is imminent. Despite former Fed Chairman Greenspan's claims that we can always print money, the end game is disastrous to the citizens of this country. Here are some basic facts:
Real leadership would entail the President and the Congress making the tough decisions that are inescapable: reforming the entitlements. Until that happens, the U.S. can look forward to more downgrades and progressively increasing pain that is associated with fiscal irresponsibility.
What is outrageously hypocritical about the whole affair, however, is that this same Administration admitted to a similar $2 trillion mistake in their ten year deficit projections back in August of 2009 after ripping the CBO for miscalculating (what you and I know to be mythical) savings.
And how good is CBO's track record, you might ask? We all know the myriad of under estimations from cost of entitlements like Medicare and Medicaid to other government programs. More recently, in 2001, CBO estimated that by 2011, U.S. indebtedness would be negative by nearly $2.5 trillion. Go figure.
As Zero Hedge put it:
While we reserve judgment for S&P's effectiveness at being accurate in anything they do (they are, after all a rating agency and as such they goal seek results to comply with what their paying group think seeking customers demand), we would like to redirect to the modest topic of CBO predictive efficiency (the organization that is at the basis of the current credibility spat between Treasury and S&P, and which, incidentally has created the baseline forecast against which the debt ceiling compromise plan is supposed to cut $2.1 trillion over the next decade), by pointing out according to the same CBO back in 2001, net US indebtedness in 2011 would be negative $2.436 trillion, the ratio of debt held by the public to GDP would be 4.8%, total budget surplus would be $889 billion, and GDP would be $16.9 trillion. We won't comment on the error interval in CBO forecasts when compared to actual 2011 results, and we most certainly won't comment on the idiocy of the Treasury chastising someone, anyone, for erring, or disputing, forecasts.The $2 trillion math error that S&P supposedly made is a mere technicality. With or without that error, it was a matter of months before S&P reached the same conclusion. As vindication, Moody's and Fitch had also cautioned the government that its rating is in danger of being downgraded sometime next year.
The U.S. is in deep trouble with its current $14.5 trillion federal debt and well over $100 trillion in unfunded social security and Medicare liabilities (which does not take in to account of the burden to be imposed by Medicare Part D and Obamacare!). Whether one looks at the total indebtedness of the U.S. government in 2021 as $24 trillion or $22 trillion, the picture does not change appreciably. If the U.S. was a household, you could not find a single financial institution that would be willing to lend it money - not with a current income of $2.2 trillion against expenditures of $3.7 trillion that are projected to increase several fold over the coming years. Default or chaos is imminent. Despite former Fed Chairman Greenspan's claims that we can always print money, the end game is disastrous to the citizens of this country. Here are some basic facts:
- Entitlements are on auto pilot. They cannot be touched short of major entitlement reforms which have been demagogued every time someone suggested reforming them a la Bush when he floated the idea of privatizing a small portion of social security, and Congressman Ryan who recently outlined his plan reforming Medicare (meaning effectively privatizing it) for those under the age of 55. In both cases, the left went on full attack mode, shamefully and falsely accusing their opponents of kicking grandma out in the street.
- Entitlements currently make up nearly 2/3 of entire federal spending. That means what can be cut totals approximately $1.3 trillion (less than the current deficit, therefore you can literally shut down government and you still couldn't close the budget gap). Of that, defense spending constitutes little over half.
- The future projection of entitlement growth as well as debt service is what drives the entirety of our projected future indebtedness. The inescapable conclusion, therefore, is that nothing short of abandoning entitlements as they exist now will save us from impending doom. Sounds harsh? It is the reality politicians must face.
Real leadership would entail the President and the Congress making the tough decisions that are inescapable: reforming the entitlements. Until that happens, the U.S. can look forward to more downgrades and progressively increasing pain that is associated with fiscal irresponsibility.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Where Is The MSM On Flash Mobs?
If you did not read blogs or watch local news where the events are taking place, you would not know that there is a troubling trend growing in our country: flash mobs that rampage through city streets, fairs, beaches, and public events, beating and robbing people who are unfortunate enough to find themselves in the vicinity.
The events have ocurred in Florida, Illinois, New York, D.C., Wisconsin, and elsewhere. The latest from Wisconsin is especially disturbing.
As Potter Williams Report blogs, this happens to coincide with OFA's (Organizing for America) call earlier this year for "boots on the ground". "The 2011 Organizing for America campaign entitled “Summer Organizing Fellowship” “appealed for workers of all ages to volunteer to undergo professional organizational training this summer for stationing in communities all over the nation to drive President Obama's social and political agenda… In the end…their work will take our grassroots power to an impressive new level.”
Whether there is a connection there or not, this is a new phenomena and I find it disturbing that the MSM is keeping the lid on this story. Is Glen Beck's prediction about violence on the street's as part of the radical left's game plan coming true?
The events have ocurred in Florida, Illinois, New York, D.C., Wisconsin, and elsewhere. The latest from Wisconsin is especially disturbing.
As Potter Williams Report blogs, this happens to coincide with OFA's (Organizing for America) call earlier this year for "boots on the ground". "The 2011 Organizing for America campaign entitled “Summer Organizing Fellowship” “appealed for workers of all ages to volunteer to undergo professional organizational training this summer for stationing in communities all over the nation to drive President Obama's social and political agenda… In the end…their work will take our grassroots power to an impressive new level.”
Whether there is a connection there or not, this is a new phenomena and I find it disturbing that the MSM is keeping the lid on this story. Is Glen Beck's prediction about violence on the street's as part of the radical left's game plan coming true?
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Amilya Antonetti Rips Obama to Shreds (Video)
Amilya Antonetti is the CEO of AMA Productions, a NYC based firm that that discovers, develops, and delivers consumer brands and products that provide better choices for today's consumer. She was also the only female expert on CNBC’s “The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch” for a couple of years.
As an entrepreneur, she obviously detests Obama Administration's, and Democrats', anti-free market assault on America. Enjoy the video:
As an entrepreneur, she obviously detests Obama Administration's, and Democrats', anti-free market assault on America. Enjoy the video:
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Timmy: "No Risk"
Less than four short months ago, Timmy, the wonder boy, was asked if there was any chance the U.S. could lose its AAA sovereign bond rating. His unequivocal answer was, 'no risk'. Just the latest proof that no one in this Administration knows anything about their supposed area of expertise. Just a cursory knowledge of solvency related ratios such as debt to GDP as well as projected growth of Medicare and Social Security should have prompted him to answer yes instead. This guy is a complete moron as his infamous tax troubles exposed, like it or not.
Makes you feel kind of warm and fuzzy all over, doesn't it? At this point, I trust my cocker spaniel more than anyone in this group of incompetent boobs.
Makes you feel kind of warm and fuzzy all over, doesn't it? At this point, I trust my cocker spaniel more than anyone in this group of incompetent boobs.
Gotta Love Allen West
Here is Allen's birthday wish for the President, as it appears on his House site. Too bad he released this before the downgrade to AA+. It would have made a nice addition to Barack's resume:
| Happy Birthday Mr. President! | | |
| (WASHINGTON)--- Congressman Allen West (Fl-22) released this statement today: "Happy 50th Birthday Mr. President! While surprises are for birthdays, it is no surprise to the American people that your failed economic policies –- from TARP to your health care bill–- have resulted in disaster for our economy. Since taking office, unemployment has remained at or near 9 percent for 28 months, America has added $3.4 trillion in debt in 29 months -- the equivalent of about $4 billion per day -- we have an anemic housing market with record foreclosures, and an average price of nearly $4 for a gallon of gas. Even your budget did not receive one single vote in the United States Senate -- and the icing on the cake –- a stock market slide of nearly 800 points in the last 5 days. While it may be hard to hear the American people's frustration over the pop of the champagne corks and R&B bands at your $30,000/person birthday party, the citizens of this nation are suffering under your failed leadership. The best present you can give the American people will be for you and your failed economic policies to be defeated in November of 2012." |
Friday, August 5, 2011
Do They Really Think They Can Intimidate Us?
Obama Administration's newly rolled out anti-terrorist strategy is as purposefully vague as it is downright moronic.
Obamacare Realities Continue to Sink In
The travesty that is Obamacare continues to bear its ugly fruit. Aside from its most grave and immediate consequence - small to mid size businesses not expanding due to its higher labor costs imposed, other immediately less noticeable but nevertheless significant consequences like private doctor owned hospitals being scrapped, catholic hospitals closing down, medicine as a profession becoming far less attractive, and health insurance premiums skyrocketing are all taking their toll on the U.S. economy.
Now comes two new (and outrageous) developments that will surely pile on the future increases of medical insurance premiums.
First, as you may have already heard, Secretary Sebelius announced that, starting in 2013, birth control (as well as breast feeding) will be covered at no cost under insurance. Not only will the birth control pills (or other methods like IUDs) be covered 100% but also the rather expensive morning after pill. That means no deductibles, nothing. Welcome to the age of pregnancy being considered a treatable disease.
I leave it up to my readers' common sense to figure out what that alone will do to cost of insurance, not to mention promiscuity among teenagers.
Second, a provision of Obamacare in the form of a Medicare windfall is about to benefit Massachusetts hospitals to the tune of $275 million a year at the cost of hospitals in other states.
There it is...Obamacare in all its socialistic glory - benefiting the leaches of the society at the cost of the productive half.
Now comes two new (and outrageous) developments that will surely pile on the future increases of medical insurance premiums.
First, as you may have already heard, Secretary Sebelius announced that, starting in 2013, birth control (as well as breast feeding) will be covered at no cost under insurance. Not only will the birth control pills (or other methods like IUDs) be covered 100% but also the rather expensive morning after pill. That means no deductibles, nothing. Welcome to the age of pregnancy being considered a treatable disease.
I leave it up to my readers' common sense to figure out what that alone will do to cost of insurance, not to mention promiscuity among teenagers.
Second, a provision of Obamacare in the form of a Medicare windfall is about to benefit Massachusetts hospitals to the tune of $275 million a year at the cost of hospitals in other states.
There it is...Obamacare in all its socialistic glory - benefiting the leaches of the society at the cost of the productive half.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Russians Busy Inciting Marxist Revolution in the U.S.A. (Video)
The fifth column in this country is clearly being egged on by those holding the Trade Mark for Marxist revolution. Watch the exchange between the good looking RT personality and one of our own home grown Marxist. Coupled with Gore's call for an American Spring and all the Tea Partiers are terrorists talk from all the progressive quarters, the intent is clear: It is time for civil unrest on the streets, which would hopefully culminate in Marxism triumphing over evil capitalism. It is both amusing and disconcerting at the same time.
H/T TrevorLoudon
H/T TrevorLoudon
Happy Anniversary, Timmy
No, it is not Tim Geithner's wedding anniversary, nor is it his birthday or anything like that. August 2nd was the one year anniversary of the smartest man in America - as the progressives would have you believe - claiming victory over the recession.
Back on August 2, 2010, Geithner wrote an Op-Ed piece titled "Welcome to the Recovery" in the New York Times. In the piece, Timmy the wonder boy reassured the unwashed masses that the devastation wrought by the great recession was now a memory. Lets see what has happened in the ensuing 12 months:
Sorry Timmy, it appears that the GDP growth during the first 12 months of the so-called recovery was twice as high as the recent 12 month's average of well below 2%.
No luck here either, Timmy. Although the unemployment rate has come down from 9.4% to 9.2%, the recent trend does not bode well for your delusions of recovery anytime soon.
What is it with this administration? It is as if everyone who works for it is required to get a frontal lobotomy before taking office. From the EPA Administrator who does not know how much CO2 there is in the atmosphere to the Treasury Secretary who is utterly clueless as to why despite record spending there is no recovery to speak of, almost every cabinet level appointee of the Obama Administration is clearly unprepared for their offices. I might even be willing to put up with all the scandals of this administration but having to put up with downright stupidity on top of it all is asking too much!
Come to think of it, going by the ineptness he so generously displays at every opportunity handed to him (who can forget the lame excuse for the IRS troubles that he had, which should have been a signal of things to come), we have the wrong Timmy in Office. We need one with fairy god parents.
Back on August 2, 2010, Geithner wrote an Op-Ed piece titled "Welcome to the Recovery" in the New York Times. In the piece, Timmy the wonder boy reassured the unwashed masses that the devastation wrought by the great recession was now a memory. Lets see what has happened in the ensuing 12 months:
Sorry Timmy, it appears that the GDP growth during the first 12 months of the so-called recovery was twice as high as the recent 12 month's average of well below 2%.
No luck here either, Timmy. Although the unemployment rate has come down from 9.4% to 9.2%, the recent trend does not bode well for your delusions of recovery anytime soon.
What is it with this administration? It is as if everyone who works for it is required to get a frontal lobotomy before taking office. From the EPA Administrator who does not know how much CO2 there is in the atmosphere to the Treasury Secretary who is utterly clueless as to why despite record spending there is no recovery to speak of, almost every cabinet level appointee of the Obama Administration is clearly unprepared for their offices. I might even be willing to put up with all the scandals of this administration but having to put up with downright stupidity on top of it all is asking too much!
Come to think of it, going by the ineptness he so generously displays at every opportunity handed to him (who can forget the lame excuse for the IRS troubles that he had, which should have been a signal of things to come), we have the wrong Timmy in Office. We need one with fairy god parents.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
The Obama Downgrade, Alphabetically
From time to time, I reprint articles that are too good to pass up. Here is part of one (click on the link at the end to read the rest). It is a sad statement that reciting the 26 letters of the alphabet is nowhere near enough to mention all the failures of this disgraceful impostor in D.C.
---
By: Bret Stephens
@ The Wall Street Journal
Snapshots from President Obama's efforts to improve America's standing in the world, 923 days into his administration:
A is for the Arab world, and our standing in it: This year, Zogby International found that 5% of Egyptians had a favorable view of the U.S. In 2008, when George W. Bush was president, it was 9%.
B is for the federal budget deficit, which is estimated to come in at around 11% of GDP in 2011, up from about 3% in 2008.
C is for China's military budget. For 2012, Beijing plans to increase spending on defense by 12.7%. The Obama administration, by contrast, proposed Pentagon cuts in April averaging out to $40 billion per year over the next decade, and Congress may soon cut a lot more.
D is for—what else—the federal debt, which grew to $14.3 trillion this month from $10.7 trillion at the end of 2008. D is also for the dollar, which has lost almost half its value against gold since Aug. 2008.
E is for energy. The average retail price of a gallon of gas hovered near the $1.80 mark when Mr. Obama was inaugurated. It has since more than doubled. E is also for ethanol, the non-wonder fuel the U.S. continues to subsidize to the tune of $5 billion a year.
F is for free trade. Bill Clinton signed Nafta in 1994, which facilitates $1.6 trillion in the trade of goods and services between the U.S., Mexico and Canada. George W. Bush midwifed more than a dozen FTAs, from Australia to Singapore to Morocco to Bahrain. Number of FTA's signed by the current president: zero.
Read on...
---
By: Bret Stephens
@ The Wall Street Journal
Snapshots from President Obama's efforts to improve America's standing in the world, 923 days into his administration:
A is for the Arab world, and our standing in it: This year, Zogby International found that 5% of Egyptians had a favorable view of the U.S. In 2008, when George W. Bush was president, it was 9%.
B is for the federal budget deficit, which is estimated to come in at around 11% of GDP in 2011, up from about 3% in 2008.
C is for China's military budget. For 2012, Beijing plans to increase spending on defense by 12.7%. The Obama administration, by contrast, proposed Pentagon cuts in April averaging out to $40 billion per year over the next decade, and Congress may soon cut a lot more.
D is for—what else—the federal debt, which grew to $14.3 trillion this month from $10.7 trillion at the end of 2008. D is also for the dollar, which has lost almost half its value against gold since Aug. 2008.
E is for energy. The average retail price of a gallon of gas hovered near the $1.80 mark when Mr. Obama was inaugurated. It has since more than doubled. E is also for ethanol, the non-wonder fuel the U.S. continues to subsidize to the tune of $5 billion a year.
F is for free trade. Bill Clinton signed Nafta in 1994, which facilitates $1.6 trillion in the trade of goods and services between the U.S., Mexico and Canada. George W. Bush midwifed more than a dozen FTAs, from Australia to Singapore to Morocco to Bahrain. Number of FTA's signed by the current president: zero.
Read on...
Monday, August 1, 2011
Getting Bin Laden (and Lying About the Details)
If you are interested in reading about the operation to capture (hah!) or kill Bin Laden, I strongly suggest you read the New Yorker article by Nicholas Schmidle. It not only sheds light on the details of the operation, but also reaffirms what we already know: this is an Administration of liars (and bad ones at that).
Any thinking person would have known and jumped on the conclusion that, from the very beginning, it was decided not to take Bin Laden alive if and when he was found. Just think about it: capturing the symbolic head of anti-west terrorism and the can of worms that would open for any country holding him (not to mention trying and executing him). That would have been akin to watching a car crash in extreme slow motion - agonizing and a foreign relations disaster for an administration which has gone out of its way to try to dismiss military tribunals for captured terrorists.
The bulk of the evidence can be found in the following passages from the article:
Undoubtedly a pathetic little attempt to leave the door ajar for Obama etal. to claim they were telling the truth when they claimed capturing Bin Laden was an option.
Capturing Bin Laden would have nothing but downsides for the Administration as their faulty vision is one of establishing harmony with the Muslim world - not creating more tensions. Secondly, believing that SEALs memory of this operation would be cloudy is downright preposterous. This would require complete suspension of intellect as anyone who knows anything about SEALs knows that these are highly trained, highly intelligent special ops personnel who do not crack under pressure - let alone forget the details of such a memorable operation.
Once again, this is another indication of the shameless lies that this group will spread for perceived political benefit.
Any thinking person would have known and jumped on the conclusion that, from the very beginning, it was decided not to take Bin Laden alive if and when he was found. Just think about it: capturing the symbolic head of anti-west terrorism and the can of worms that would open for any country holding him (not to mention trying and executing him). That would have been akin to watching a car crash in extreme slow motion - agonizing and a foreign relations disaster for an administration which has gone out of its way to try to dismiss military tribunals for captured terrorists.
The bulk of the evidence can be found in the following passages from the article:
If all went according to plan, the SEALs would drop from the helicopters into the compound, overpower bin Laden’s guards, shoot and kill him at close range, and then take the corpse back to Afghanistan.and,
A second SEAL stepped into the room and trained the infrared laser of his M4 on bin Laden’s chest. The Al Qaeda chief, who was wearing a tan shalwar kameez and a prayer cap on his head, froze; he was unarmed. “There was never any question of detaining or capturing him—it wasn’t a split-second decision. No one wanted detainees,” the special-operations officer told me. (The Administration maintains that had bin Laden immediately surrendered he could have been taken alive.) Nine years, seven months, and twenty days after September 11th, an American was a trigger pull from ending bin Laden’s life. The first round, a 5.56-mm. bullet, struck bin Laden in the chest. As he fell backward, the SEAL fired a second round into his head, just above his left eye.As an expected side note, the New Yorker being a progressive publication, the author also adds:
None of them had any previous knowledge of the house’s floor plan, and they were further jostled by the awareness that they were possibly minutes away from ending the costliest manhunt in American history; as a result, some of their recollections—on which this account is based—may be imprecise and, thus, subject to dispute.
Undoubtedly a pathetic little attempt to leave the door ajar for Obama etal. to claim they were telling the truth when they claimed capturing Bin Laden was an option.
Capturing Bin Laden would have nothing but downsides for the Administration as their faulty vision is one of establishing harmony with the Muslim world - not creating more tensions. Secondly, believing that SEALs memory of this operation would be cloudy is downright preposterous. This would require complete suspension of intellect as anyone who knows anything about SEALs knows that these are highly trained, highly intelligent special ops personnel who do not crack under pressure - let alone forget the details of such a memorable operation.
Once again, this is another indication of the shameless lies that this group will spread for perceived political benefit.
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