Never Let A Crisis Go To Waste

SEARCH BLOG: EGYPT.

It seems that Egypt's President Morsi has taken some advice from President Obama's former Chief of Staff and now mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel.

Egypt's armed forces chief has warned the current political crisis "could lead to a collapse of the state".

General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, in comments posted on the military's Facebook page, said such a collapse could "threaten future generations".

He made his statement following a large military deployment in three cities along the Suez Canal where a state of emergency has been declared.

More than 50 people have died in days of protests and violence. 

Overnight, thousands of people in Port Said, Ismailia and Suez - where some of the worst unrest has been - ignored a night-time curfew to take to the streets. [source]

This crisis has allowed President Morsi to use the army to quell opposition to his Islamist constitution and imposition of Sharia law.

There seems to be something about people that resents elected officials who use their positions to try to fundamentally change their societies and trample the rights and freedoms that have been a tradition for centuries.  Fortunately, here in the United States, we don't have politicians like that, do we?

Hmmm.  We have fundamentally changed our debt.

• GO TO TOP OF BLOG.
• GO TO BLOG'S COMPLETE ARCHIVE.
• GO TO BLOG LABELS.
• GO TO LIST OF OTHER BLOGGERS.

..

If Women Combat Soldiers, Then Children Combat Soldiers?

SEARCH BLOG: MILITARY.

I've written my position about women in combat:

Women Okayed For Combat Duty... But Is That Okay?

Others are not quite so equivocal:

On the Idea of Women in Combat.

Still others may not think that is "inclusive" enough:

Obama admin says the use of Child Soldiers in conflict is in the ‘national interest of the United States’.

 

More here:

The U.S. Can Do More to Keep Children off the Battlefield.

Not opposing "Child Soldiers" in other countries is not the same as advocating it for the U.S. ... yet.  But, hey, it might keep them out of street gangs.  That probably would be in the "national interest of the United States."

But for now, the president will start with community organizing various youth corps.

They'll set a goal that all middle school and high school students engage in 50 hours of community service a year, and develop a plan for all college students who engage in 100 hours of community service to receive a fully-refundable tax credit of $4,000 for their education. [source]

That could be expanded into areas more in line with the "national interest of the United States."  Protecting the Vaterland, so to speak.  Frogs in pots of water being heated.

• GO TO TOP OF BLOG.
• GO TO BLOG'S COMPLETE ARCHIVE.
• GO TO BLOG LABELS.
• GO TO LIST OF OTHER BLOGGERS.

..

Obama Explains The REAL Reason Assault-Style Rifles Are So Dangerous

SEARCH BLOG: OBAMA and GUNS.

A lot has been said about the fact that assault-style rifles are exceptionally dangerous despite the fact that many of them are virtually identical, mechanically, to non-assault-style rifles.  But the mechanical aspects are not important.  Neither are the pistol-style grips.  Neither are the shoulder straps or the carry handles.  Neither are the magazines.

No, President Obama has divined the real reason why assault-style rifles are so dangerous.  Read about it here.

• GO TO TOP OF BLOG.
• GO TO BLOG'S COMPLETE ARCHIVE.
• GO TO BLOG LABELS.
• GO TO LIST OF OTHER BLOGGERS.

..

FBI Director Not Sure If President Can Order Americans To Be Killed

SEARCH BLOG: CRIME and LAW.

From Fox News via Flopping Aces:

Meanwhile ...

[image]

go ahead, make my day.

• GO TO TOP OF BLOG.
• GO TO BLOG'S COMPLETE ARCHIVE.
• GO TO BLOG LABELS.
• GO TO LIST OF OTHER BLOGGERS.

..

Obama Says "Shall Not Infringe" Is An Outdated Concept

SEARCH BLOG: OBAMA and RIGHTS.

President Obama is all about gun control now that he has solved the U.S. economic problems and gained peace in the Middle East and Africa.  Although there are federal, state, and local laws/regulations/ordinances regarding guns and gun ownership, President Obama felt compelled to issue "executive orders," which supposedly have the weight of Constitutional law in his mind, to further constrain We The People from exercising our basic rights.

Gun Violence Reduction Executive Actions [source]

Today, the President is announcing that he and the Administration will:

1. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system.  [PRIVACY?]

2. Address unnecessary legal barriers, particularly relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that may prevent states from making information available to the background check system.  [PRIVACY?]

3. Improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system.  [PRIVACY?]

4. Direct the Attorney General to review categories of individuals prohibited from having a gun to make sure dangerous people are not slipping through the cracks.  [CRIMINALS OR JUST PEOPLE WHO OWN GUNS?]

5. Propose rulemaking to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun.  [PRIVACY?]

6. Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers.  [PRIVACY?]

7. Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign.  [ANTI-GUN PROPAGANDA?]

8. Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission).   [PRIVACY?] 

9. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations. [DOES THIS INCLUDE STATE AND LOCAL INVESTIGATIONS?]

10. Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement.   [DOES HE MEAN CREATE A NEW FEDERAL SYSTEM?  AGENCY?]

11. Nominate an ATF director.  [TO INVESTIGATE "FAST AND FURIOUS?"]

12. Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations.  [WILL "FIRST RESPONDERS" INCLUDE HOMEOWNERS WITH GUNS?  HOMEOWNERS WITH GUNS MADE ILLEGAL BY NEW YORK?]

13. Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime.  [CONFISCATION?]

14. Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence.  [OR KNIFE VIOLENCE OR BLUNT INSTRUMENT VIOLENCE OR EXPLOSIVES VIOLENCE OR FIST VIOLENCE OR HUMAN ANGER OR CRAZINESS?]

15. Direct the Attorney General to issue a report on the availability and most effective use of new gun safety technologies and challenge the private sector to develop innovative technologies. [DISABLE OR CRIPPLE PRIVATELY OWNED FIREARMS?]

16. Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes. [REQUIRE DOCTORS TO ASK ABOUT GUNS?]

17. Release a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities.  [REQUIRES THEM TO DO SO?]

18. Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers.  [WHO WILL DO WHAT?]

19. Develop model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education.  [PUT YOUR HEAD BETWEEN YOUR KNEES AND KISS YOUR ASS GOODBYE?  WHAT ABOUT ARMED SECURITY GUARDS?]

20. Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover.  [THOSE SERVICES THAT HAVE BEEN CUT BACK?]

21. Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA exchanges.  [MEANING?]

22. Commit to finalizing mental health parity regulations.  [MORE REGULATIONS THAT DO WHAT?]

23. Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health.  [HAS THERE ACTUALLY BEEN ANY "DIALOGUE" WITH ANYONE BY THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION?]

Many people will say that all of those sound just fine... common sense, if you will.  An innocuous question here, a regulatory roadblock there, minor restrictions here, tying gun control to health care there.  Nothing to take away the 2nd Amendment, just chip away at it some more.

Here is what a senator from Oklahoma has to say:

[h/t Noisy Room]

Lets face it.

SHALL BE INFRINGED

• GO TO TOP OF BLOG.
• GO TO BLOG'S COMPLETE ARCHIVE.
• GO TO BLOG LABELS.
• GO TO LIST OF OTHER BLOGGERS.

..

Good Thing Dick Wagner Of Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, And Kiss Got His Surgery Before 2013

SEARCH BLOG: HEALTH CARE.

The U.S. health care system is about to change under the Affordable Care Act... aka Obamacare.  Some think for the better.  That may be true... for some.  This is a story about Dick Wagner, lead guitar player for bands such as Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, and Kiss.  His story could well have turned out differently from this year forward.  This was written less than a week ago.

[read more]

Now listen to this and learn why his story and yours could be far different under President Obama's version of "health care."

[source]

Well, Dick Wagner's outcome might not have changed.  He could afford to go outside of the U.S. for health care, if needed.  Can you?  Can your parents or grandparents?

Welcome to the world of the 51%-ers.

[source]

RELATED:

House to Block IPAB Fast Track Authoritarianism

• GO TO TOP OF BLOG.
• GO TO BLOG'S COMPLETE ARCHIVE.
• GO TO BLOG LABELS.
• GO TO LIST OF OTHER BLOGGERS.

..

Obama: If We Can Just Raise The Tax Rates On the Wealthy, Everything Will Work Out

SEARCH BLOG: OBAMA and TAXES.

Barack wants to be just like François.  And just like France, the U.S. may see these results.

Golfer Phil Mickelson May Call It Quits Due To Climbing Tax Rates

Obama-tide... lowering the level of all ships.

Comment from the article:

Phil is hardly suffering, but that doesn’t necessarily justify derision for his anger about more of his income being confiscated in the name of “fairness.” There are a lot of “fairness” seekers who would never consider putting in the hours necessary to hone a talent that could earn the wealth that comes with being the best. There are a lot of “fairness” seekers who would never consider working in lieu of government largesse. There are a lot of “fairness” seekers who see the success of others as the basis of their own failures.

Perhaps there should be a special tax on those who chronically siphon off the rewards of hard work from others.

• GO TO TOP OF BLOG.
• GO TO BLOG'S COMPLETE ARCHIVE.
• GO TO BLOG LABELS.
• GO TO LIST OF OTHER BLOGGERS.

..

Sarah Palin Predicted This Three Years Ago... And She Was Correct

SEARCH BLOG: PALIN and OBAMA.

You remember that Alaskan nut, Sarah Palin.  She said all sorts of ridiculous things about President Obama.  Scott Starnes points out that maybe, just maybe, she was not the nut we should have rebuked.

Read more here.

• GO TO TOP OF BLOG.
• GO TO BLOG'S COMPLETE ARCHIVE.
• GO TO BLOG LABELS.
• GO TO LIST OF OTHER BLOGGERS.

..

They're Rioting In Africa And President Obama Is Sending Arms

SEARCH BLOG: OBAMA.

Ah, for the good old days of President Jimmy Carter.  A few riots in Africa; a little strife in Iran.  But President Barack Obama has taken foreign-to-him policy to a new level. As stated in the Boston Herald:

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) said: “If we don’t deal with these militant groups and terrorists swiftly and effectively, they will only pose an increasing threat in the future as they already have in Benghazi and now Algeria and Mali.”

American and European officials have reportedly said these terror groups could use Mali as a platform for attacks not only in Africa, but beyond — which likely means at least the United States and Europe.

Even though the al-Qaeda threat in northern and western Africa has been growing for some time now, the Obama administration has been pretty hands-off, perhaps hoping the problem would go away.

While the foreign policy blunders have to fall squarely on the shoulders of President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Republican party is not totally without blame here.

MONDAY, JANUARY 07, 2013

Letter To U.S. Congressman: U.S. Arming The Middle East Insane Asylum 

"The Obama administration is doing a pretty good job of undermining any stability in the Middle East. 

• Forced out an ally in Egypt and helped install the radical Muslim Brotherhood into power.

• Bombed an old, impotent Qaddafi in Libya and allowed his armaments to fall into radical hands which were later used against our own Ambassador.

• Is sending four naval frigates to Turkey which has threatened Israel and aided Hamas.

• Sent billions of dollars in aid and equipment to Egypt now under the control of the Muslim Brotherhood.

• Sending arms to the Syrian "rebels"; aka, al Qaeda.

• Sending equipment to Lebanon which will fall into the hands of Hezbollah. 

I sent the following to my U.S. representative, Mike Rogers, who is Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee: 

"We've sent arms to unstable and potentially hostile forces and regimes in Turkey [yes, I know they are SUPPOSED to be an ally] Libya, Egypt, Syria, and now Lebanon. 

http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=298702&R=R101 

Is there ANYONE in Washington with an ounce of sanity? 

For God's sake, man, stand up and say something against this nonsense." 

My guess is there is no one in Washington with either the sanity or the balls to stand up to this nonsense."

It's one thing for Congressman Rogers to speak up to the media; it's another for Congressman Rogers to act in his official capacity as a congressman and halt the funding for such foreign misadventures. 

• GO TO TOP OF BLOG.
• GO TO BLOG'S COMPLETE ARCHIVE.
• GO TO BLOG LABELS.
• GO TO LIST OF OTHER BLOGGERS.

..

White House Fails To Communicate With The White House

SEARCH BLOG: OBAMA and EGYPT.

Obfuscation is a key strategy of the Obama administration.  A prime example is the public posturing of the Obama administration regarding Egypt's leader, Mohammed Morsi, and remarks he made about Jews, and the no-so-public maneuvering to send F-16 fighter jets to Morsi's government.

US condemns Mohammed Morsi anti-Semitic remarks 

The White House has condemned anti-Semitic remarks by Mohammed Morsi, the Egyptian president, who once described Israelis as the “descendants of apes and pigs”. [read more]

US sending 20 more F-16s to Egypt, despite turmoil in Cairo

Instability in Egypt, where a newly-elected Islamic government teeters over an angry population, isn't enough to stop the U.S. from sending more than 20 F-16 fighter jets, as part of a $1 billion foreign aid package.

The first four jets are to be delivered to Egypt beginning Jan. 22, a source at the naval air base in Fort Worth, where the planes have been undergoing testing, told FoxNews.com. The North African nation already has a fleet of more than 200 of the planes and the latest shipment merely fulfills an order placed two years ago. But given the uncertainty in Cairo, some critics wonder if it is wise to be sending more top gun planes. [read more]

I wrote the following on the White House website:

I find it pathetically amusing that Jay Carney would make a great show of concern about remarks that Mohammed Morsi made about Jews in 2010 while the Obama administration pursues granting military aid in the form of F-16 fighters to Mr. Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood government... F-16s that could well be used against the Jews he reviles. 

Left hand; right hand.  No communication?

I'm certain no one at the White House will be able to understand the irony or concern.  Being two-faced is not accidental in the Obama administration.  In this case, you obfuscate your real intention ... strengthening radical Arab regimes ... by making a public spectacle of saying how concerned you are about nasty words.  Sure.

• GO TO TOP OF BLOG.
• GO TO BLOG'S COMPLETE ARCHIVE.
• GO TO BLOG LABELS.
• GO TO LIST OF OTHER BLOGGERS.

..

Obama And Biden: Don't Watch This Because You Might Want To Keep Your Guns

SEARCH BLOG: OBAMA and GUNS.

This warning has been around for a year, but largely ignored.  It doesn't fit the "logic" of liberals and progressives.

Yes, but England is so much safer with it's strict gun controls.

 

The U.S. has a violence rate of 466 crimes per 100,000 residents [LESS THAN 1/4 THAT OF THE U.K.], Canada 935, Australia 92 and South Africa 1,609. [source]

RELATED:

Joyce Lee Malcolm: Two Cautionary Tales of Gun Control

What to conclude? Strict gun laws in Great Britain and Australia haven't made their people noticeably safer, nor have they prevented massacres. The two major countries held up as models for the U.S. don't provide much evidence that strict gun laws will solve our problems. 

Ms. Malcolm, a professor of law at George Mason University Law School, is the author of several books including "Guns and Violence: The English Experience," (Harvard, 2002). 

• GO TO TOP OF BLOG.
• GO TO BLOG'S COMPLETE ARCHIVE.
• GO TO BLOG LABELS.
• GO TO LIST OF OTHER BLOGGERS.

..

Chuck Hagel: Secretary Of Prevent Defense?

SEARCH BLOG: OBAMA.

President Obama's selection for Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, has certainly received wide-ranging endorsements.

Colin Powell - "To show you the kinda courage this guy has, he quit after one year because he felt the Veterans Administration was not doing a good job for veterans. He knows what war is, and he will fight a war if it's necessary. But he's a guy who will do it with great deliberation and care. He is a fellow who speaks his mind. He sometimes gets in trouble with those who thinks he should not speak his mind, but he says what he believes and he sticks with it."

Declaring Hagel to "superbly qualified" as the next secretary of defense, a staunch advocate for those in uniform, Powell implicitly contrasted Hagel with neoconservatives as he pointedly declared: "This is a guy who would be very careful about putting their lives at risk because he put his life at risk."

On Hagel and Israel: Powell called Hagel a "very, very strong supporter of Israel. But that doesn't mean you have to agree with every single position that the Israeli government takes."

That sounds pretty good.

Chuck Schumer - "When Sen. Hagel’s name first surfaced as a potential nominee for Secretary of Defense, I had genuine concerns over certain aspects of his record on Israel and Iran," Schumer said in a statement Tuesday, a day after meeting with Hagel for an hour and a half at the White House in a private session to hash out Schumer's concerns.

"Sen. Hagel could not have been more forthcoming and sincere," Schumer said.

"On Iran, Sen. Hagel rejected a strategy of containment and expressed the need to keep all options on the table in confronting that country," Schumer said, referring to comments that Hagel's opponents pointed to as evidence he could be soft on Israel's arch enemy. "But he didn’t stop there. In our conversation, Sen. Hagel made a crystal-clear promise that he would do 'whatever it takes' to stop Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, including the use of military force. He said his 'top priority' as Secretary of Defense would be the planning of military contingencies related to Iran."

That sounds pretty good.

Sayyid Ruhollah Mostafavi Musavi Khomeini - Iran's Foreign Ministry says it is hopeful the appointment of former Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel to lead the Pentagon would improve relations between Tehran and the U.S.

Asked about Hagel's nomination, ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Tuesday thatTehran was hopeful that there would be "practical changes" to U.S. foreign policy, and that nations would change their attitude towards the U.S. if it respected their rights.

Well, how much better could that be?

Chuck Hagel is evidently a man who is reluctant to use military power, will prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and is preferred by Iran because they definitely do not want to obtain nuclear weapons and want to improve relations with the U.S.

Iran says a religious decree issued by the country's supreme leader banning nuclear weapons is binding for the Iranian government. 

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast says the West must understand the significance of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's fatwa for the Islamic Republic, and that the edict should end the debate over whether Tehran is pursuing nuclear weapons. 

Khamenei said last year that Iran is not seeking atomic arms. He called possessing such weapons a "sin" as well as "useless, harmful and dangerous." [source]

Well, that seals the deal.  We can have a Secretary of Defense who will use a "prevent" defense strategy of soft containment or anything else, but not unwisely and after a lot of negotiations, to ensure that Iran will not obtain nuclear weapons ... which they promise [cross their hearts and hope to die] they will not pursue ... while President Obama pursues a nuclear disarmament effort.

There are no enemies in this world... only friends we haven't made -- anonymous, dead optimist.

• GO TO TOP OF BLOG.
• GO TO BLOG'S COMPLETE ARCHIVE.
• GO TO BLOG LABELS.
• GO TO LIST OF OTHER BLOGGERS.

..

Obama And Afghanistan

SEARCH BLOG: OBAMA and AFGHANISTAN.

Points on which I generally agree with President Obama are few.  The one point I strongly agree on is that the U.S. should be out of Afghanistan.  It is a war that should not have been fought because it is a war that never had an overriding reason to be fought... and it has become a money-pit and a cultural cul-de-sac for Islam meets and rejects West.

Has there been some good achieved?  No doubt.  There are individuals... mainly women... who have benefited from the U.S. presence.  But it is a tenuous benefit hardly supported by the many of the population who would happily revert to 7th century misogynistic Islamic customs of southwest Asia.

Yet, the reasons for the U.S. presence in Afghanistan have expanded well beyond reasonableness.  Nation-building has become its own reason with flimsy arguments that it is needed to fight the illiterate, but fierce, Taliban.  The reality is that the Taliban held sway in a largely tribal area simply because it reflected the values of that area.  In its place, the U.S. has installed a largely corrupt and devious Karzi government that tries to play all sides against themselves for the sake of power, not progress as defined in Western terms.

The only way I differ from President Obama's perspective about Afghanistan is that I would have ceased sending new troops to Afghanistan long ago and told Karzi to figure it out for himself how to deal with the Taliban or leave.  The U.S. has no overriding interests... strategic or humanitarian... to send its young men and women into harms way in Afghanistan.  That is even more true given the politically correct approach to fighting opposing forces which has done little more than make targets out of our troops.

Better to have let things stay as they were in Afghanistan.  At least everyone knew where the military targets were.  It would have made great target practice for drones.

• GO TO TOP OF BLOG.
• GO TO BLOG'S COMPLETE ARCHIVE.
• GO TO BLOG LABELS.
• GO TO LIST OF OTHER BLOGGERS.

..

Why Is U.S. Employment So Anemic?

SEARCH BLOG: ECONOMY.

This winter, colds and the flu have been hanging on an on.  It seems as if the recovery from these afflictions happens at the pace of a glacier melting.  Coincidentally, that seems to be the pace of employment recovery in the U.S.

From the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Drs. Russ Roberts and John Taylor of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University put this together.

At Econbrowser, there is a post... The Myth of 'Jobless Recoveries... that disputes the idea that the recovery has been jobless.

Why have the last three recoveries been viewed as jobless, while previous recoveries were not? This is because the speed of recoveries has been slower than before. In the early 1990s and early 2000s, as well as after the Great Recession, slow growth meant that sizable output gaps persisted well into the recovery. In contrast, in most earlier recessions, the output trough was followed by a period of above-normal growth that pulled output back to its previous trend.

In other words, unemployment has stayed high because GDP [output] has not recovered to the pre-recession trend... in other other words, we are having a recovery-less recovery.  Of course, they wouldn't put it in those terms.  What terms would you use?

Let's hope we don't have four more years.

• GO TO TOP OF BLOG.
• GO TO BLOG'S COMPLETE ARCHIVE.
• GO TO BLOG LABELS.
• GO TO LIST OF OTHER BLOGGERS.

..

Obama's Executive Order Regarding Firearms

SEARCH BLOG: GUNS.

There is more than ample conjecture that President Obama will attempt to sidestep Congress [again] and the Supreme Court [again] and the Constitution [well, that's just expected] to issue an executive order banning semi-automatic personal protection rifles.

The so-called assault rifle most discussed is the typical AR-15 model which looks very ominous.  I found this article from 2009 that explains the difference between a deadly, scary assault rifle and a sporting rifle.

The first thing to understand is the term “assault weapon” or “assault rifle” is an invention of those that do not understand and wish to invoke scary images in the minds of the unaware. If we look at the term “assault weapon” in the context of the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons ban, this rifle is an assault weapon:

It’s a semi-automatic rifle, it accepts a detachable magazine, it has a folding stock, a pistol grip. That’s sufficient under the terms of the legislation to say this is an assault rifle. Besides, it’s black, has plastic parts, and looks scary and military, right? especially those “banana clips”.

Now look at this rifle:

Nice rifle, eh? Wood stock. Nice smooth lines. Looks like something you’d take hunting. It is a semi-automatic and actually does have a detachable magazine, but for some reason this rifle is considered socially acceptable whereas the previous one is not. What’s interesting about these two rifles?

Those are both the exact same rifle.

Except for looks, of course.  The top two are scary.

Style over substance... another Washington axiom.

By the way, this is an equivalent weapon.

[read more]

• GO TO TOP OF BLOG.
• GO TO BLOG'S COMPLETE ARCHIVE.
• GO TO BLOG LABELS.
• GO TO LIST OF OTHER BLOGGERS.

..

Obama's Main Man Endorsed By Iran

SEARCH BLOG: OBAMA and IRAN.

You know the U.S. is headed for trouble when Iran endorses President Obama's selection for Secretary of Defense.  Imagine how an endorsement by the old Soviet Union would have played out.

But this is Obamaworld and, by God, if the Obamameister wants something, there is no bad press bad enough to stop him... from his goal of ???

[read more]

• GO TO TOP OF BLOG.
• GO TO BLOG'S COMPLETE ARCHIVE.
• GO TO BLOG LABELS.
• GO TO LIST OF OTHER BLOGGERS.

..

Obama To Fight Climate Change

SEARCH BLOG: OBAMA and CLIMATE CHANGE.

Despite growing evidence that the climate changes regardless of mankind's influence, President Obama may embark on a bold new effort to control the climate through taxes.  The first step will be to gather enough politicians in one place that reasoned thought is impossible.  This may happen soon.

From the Guardian:

Barack Obama may intervene directly on climate change by hosting a summit at the White House early in his second term, environmental groups say.

They say the White House has given encouraging signals to a proposal for Obama to use the broad-based and bipartisan summit to launch a national climate action strategy.

"What we talked about with the White House is using it as catalyst not just for the development of a national strategy but for mobilising people all over the country at every level," said Bob Doppelt, executive director of the Resource Innovation Group, the Oregon-based thinktank that has been pushing for the high-level meeting. He said it would not be a one-off event.

After all, 2012 was the hottest year ever.  Well, maybe not.

2012 Didn't Crack The Top Ten For Record Maximums: 'NOAA has inflated 2012 record maximum number by adding new stations which didn't exist during the hot years of 1930s'' -- 'That is a completely illegitimate approach. An apples to apples comparison uses only the same stations. When that is done, 2012 doesn't even crack the ten hottest years'

Feds caught altering past temperature data: NOAA claims 1998 was previous 'hottest on record' on record -- But in 1999, the same year was only the 5th warmest before 'adjustments' -- 'In an article which NASA published in 1999, Hansen showed that 1998 was only the fifth warmest year, after 1934, 1921, 1931 and 1953. In fact, 1998 was 0.6C cooler than 1934' -- 'Over the past decade, NASA and NOAA have continuously altered the temperature record to cool the past and warm the present. Their claims are straight out Orwell's 1984, and have nothing to do with science' 

[source] 

• GO TO TOP OF BLOG.
• GO TO BLOG'S COMPLETE ARCHIVE.
• GO TO BLOG LABELS.
• GO TO LIST OF OTHER BLOGGERS.

..

Nobel Peace President Presides Over Expanding Global Conflicts

SEARCH BLOG: OBAMA and WAR.

When President Obama was first elected and awarded the Nobel Peace prize for the hope he brought the world, who would have thought that the "sit down and have a beer" leader would fail abysmally in his efforts to drink the nations of the world into a peaceful stupor? [image]

After all, how can you have conflict when you are hunched over 32 oz. of Summer Shandy?   Throw in a few veal bratwurst and some potato salad and here comes another Nobel Peace prize.

Somewhere along the way, things haven't worked out so well for the diplomatic wunderkind.  They're still rioting in Africa and there's still strife in Iran.  What nature hasn't done to us... obviously through climate change... has been done by our fellow man [sorry KT].

In 2012, President Obama got on the Arab-Spring-Muslim-Brotherhood-democracy-bandwagon and helped throw northern Africa and southwest Asia into a peace-free zone through the timely application of military and diplomatic pressure.  In order to ensure the process continues, the peace-president extraordinaire continues to ship arms to those peace-free zones... even to the extent of giving away missiles and large naval ships.  But to be fair, he is working diligently to reduce the strategic capabilities of the U.S.

Meanwhile, equatorial Africa continues to be a cauldron of conflict so it seems that the peace-free president will start pushing for more Africom engagement.  Now that the President's work is nearly completed in northern Africa and southwest Asia, he can more fully attend to matters in such strategic areas as the Central African Republic or some such place of which most Americans have never been aware.  That's certain to raise consideration for another Nobel prize.

The President can afford to focus with more laser-like precision on the diplomatic aspects of his presidency now that he has brought the nation back to the economic prosperity of 7.8% unemployment... which is exactly where his first term started.  As he said to the Russian prime minister: “After my election, I have more flexibility.”

Yes, we can hardly wait to see where that flexibility takes us next.

• GO TO TOP OF BLOG.
• GO TO BLOG'S COMPLETE ARCHIVE.
• GO TO BLOG LABELS.
• GO TO LIST OF OTHER BLOGGERS.

..

Letter To U.S. Congressman: U.S. Arming The Middle East Insane Asylum

SEARCH BLOG: MIDDLE EAST.

The Obama administration is doing a pretty good job of undermining any stability in the Middle East.

• Forced out an ally in Egypt and helped install the radical Muslim Brotherhood into power.
• Bombed an old, impotent Qaddafi in Libya and allowed his armaments to fall into radical hands which were later used against our own Ambassador.
• Is sending four naval frigates to Turkey which has threatened Israel and aided Hamas.
• Sent billions of dollars in aid and equipment to Egypt now under the control of the Muslim Brotherhood.
• Sending arms to the Syrian "rebels"; aka, al Qaeda.
• Sending equipment to Lebanon which will fall into the hands of Hezbollah.

I sent the following to my U.S. representative, Mike Rogers, who is Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee:

We've sent arms to unstable and potentially hostile forces and regimes in Turkey [yes, I know they are SUPPOSED to be an ally] Libya, Egypt, Syria, and now Lebanon. 

http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=298702&R=R101 

Is there ANYONE in Washington with an ounce of sanity? 

For God's sake, man, stand up and say something against this nonsense. 

My guess is there is no one in Washington with either the sanity or the balls to stand up to this nonsense.

• GO TO TOP OF BLOG.
• GO TO BLOG'S COMPLETE ARCHIVE.
• GO TO BLOG LABELS.
• GO TO LIST OF OTHER BLOGGERS.

..

HR 6649 - Reward Turkish Government For Threatening Israel

SEARCH BLOG: TURKEY.

On the last day of the year, there has been an attempt to allow President Obama to send, for free, two U.S. frigates to Turkey.  This has been receiving bi-partisan opposition in the House of Representatives because Turkey, over the past year, has used their navy to threaten Israel and Cyprus and to forcefully aid Hamas.

Other frigates were being offered up to Mexico and Thailand for no cost.  In addition, Taiwan would be allowed to purchase four frigates.

The DOD has offered up these transfers as a matter of "national security interests."  The argument is that the bill has been available for examination for two weeks [during the time the Congress has been away or working on the fiscal cliff issues].

After debate, the Chairman called for a voice vote to suspend normal rules so that this bill could be passed.  The vote passed with at least a dozen aye votes and a couple of nay votes.

In another voice vote, the House passed H.R. 6649, a bill authorizing the transfer of 10 frigates to U.S. allies Mexico, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey. There was some debate over whether two of these frigates should be given to Turkey given that country's recent posture toward Europe, but despite this opposition, no one asked for a recorded vote on the bill. [source]

That's how things get done in Obama's world.  Full debate and mark-up through committee for renaming post offices; abbreviated debate with no committee mark-up and most members absent for important foreign affairs votes.  And Turkey gets to expand its navy to further threaten Israel and aid terrorists.

US TO DONATE TWO FRIGATES TO TURKEY

• GO TO TOP OF BLOG.
• GO TO BLOG'S COMPLETE ARCHIVE.
• GO TO BLOG LABELS.
• GO TO LIST OF OTHER BLOGGERS.

..