Half the Nations in the Arab League are Facing Their Own Protests: What Business Do They Have Requesting a No-Fly Zone Over Libya to Protect Libyan Citizens While FIRING On Their Own Citizens Back Home??!

Let’s take a look at the members of the Arab League, and what is happening in their territory, as compared to what’s going on in Libya:

Egypt—government fell to protestors. Military running the country.

Sudan—just split in two after a civil war. South Sudan set to become independent in July 2011. Genocide in Darfur. Sudanese President indicted by ICC for crimes against humanity for his actions in Darfur, and South Sudan.

Algeria—just lifted a 19 year long state of emergency following popular protests. Government killed 3, wounded 800 in the latest round of riots.

Morocco—very stable country; a U.S. ally since 1777. One of the first nations on earth to recognize the United States after the American Revolution. Opposition took office following peaceful elections in 2002; the very first change of government like this in the Arab world. Currently fighting an al-Qaeda chapter within its territory that has targeted several north African countries.

Iraq—U.S. and international troops are still there; government is still trying to get its act together.

Saudi Arabia—Saudi king is attempting to buy off protestors with cash and with shows of overwhelming force. “Day of Rage” in Saudi capital cancelled after tens of thousands of police were deployed first. Saudi King Abdullah gave asylum to exiled Tunisian President after he was thrown out of office by Tunisian protestors. Saudi “virtue police” treat citizens harshly and violently if they are perceived as doing something illegal under Sharia law, although King Abdullah has put more moderates into the religious police.

Yemen—One of the most heavily armed nations on the planet, there are three guns per every man, woman and child there. Sliding rapidly toward civil war; government is attempting to put down protests there. President is pulling a Mubarak, wanting to stay on until after elections. Protestors want him gone ASAP. Heavy al-Qaeda presence. Government is firing on protestors, who are returning fire. Recent fighting left forty dead; government officials and military leaders have begun switching sides as a result. President expected to resign.

Syria—First pro-democracy protest of some size in decades began recently; four dead, hundreds injured by some accounts. Government and Syrian intelligence service has been using violence to influence events in neighboring Lebanon, including assassination of Lebanese politicians who want Syria out of their politics. The Syrian government shows no mercy to protestors or people around them; in 1982, the Syrian government attacked a Syrian town (Hama) that rebelled with their full military might, and left no survivors. As many as 40,000 civilians perished.

Tunisia—Government fell to protestors. Dealing with refugee crisis with incoming Libyan civilians fleeing Qaddafi’s mercenaries. Protestors in other Arab nations were inspired by the Tunisian protests, which were successful in overthrowing their government.

Somalia—Ongoing civil war. No central government from 1991-2009; pirate strongholds on the coastline; several African nations have intervened militarily with no conclusive results. Charges of genocide in the civil war. New government is getting stronger, building up a Somali military and attempting to wrest the countryside from militants.

Libya—Ongoing civil war, currently has the attention of the world. Qaddafi brought in mercenaries to deal with his own people. Heavy civilian casualties.

Jordan—Stable Arab country. Leads the Arab world in political reforms, though they still have a ways to go. Practices torture of political prisoners, application of the death penalty being questioned by Amnesty International. Peace treaties with all of its neighbors, including Israel. Protests began in January 2011 over food prices and unemployment and against the Prime Minister of Jordan. King of Jordan fired the cabinet and the Prime Minister in a nod to the concerns of protestors.

United Arab Emirates—Protest leaders were arrested and deported after leading a 3,000 man work strike over wage increases, and is threatening legal action against the rest. Liberal Arab country. Protestors appeared a few days ago to protest the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.

Lebanon—Under the control of Hezbollah and Syria. People who protest against this arrangement are assassinated by bombs or bullets, or simply disappear, never to be heard from again. Got dragged into a Hezbollah-Israeli war a few years ago, and is likely to be dragged in again if the terror group decides to start bombarding northern Israeli towns again with Iranian rockets.

Kuwait—Protests have been waged by non-citizens over citizenship issues and the arrest of other non-citizens at previous protests. Protestors clashed with security forces. Thirty people have been wounded. The Emir of Kuwait is an American ally.

Mauritania—Military coup in 2008; the leader of the coup ran for President in 2009 and won the election. Protests are currently underway. They’ve been relatively peaceful protests so far, and the authorities have allowed the protests, arresting some for getting out of hand.

Oman—Protests over wages and government reform. Some protestors got violent, and other protestors wrote to the Sultan of Oman, apologizing for the violence. One person was killed, twenty were wounded. Hard to see which direction this situation might go.

Comoros—An Arab island chain in the Mediterranean, it has a small military, numbering 500 men and 500 police officers. Naval protection is provided by France; the French also have a base there. They are a multi-party “federal presidential republic” that is a working democracy, after decades of dictatorship. Power changed hands peacefully in 2006. Laws are based on a mix of Islamic law and Napoleonic codes.

Qatar—A protest scheduled on Facebook to confront the country’s problems with corruption of government officials was cancelled. Then rumors of a coup in progress started circulating around the country. A major U.S. ally in the region; American troops are stationed there. They also have some kind of a defense treaty with Iran.

Bahrain—A Sunni king rules over a Shiite majority here; there was an explosion of bloody violence between government forces and civilian protestors in the last few weeks. The Sunni king has called for foreign troops to enter his country and assist in suppressing the Shiites. Saudi troops entered the country and are currently assisting in doing so. Also a U.S. ally, and the forward operating base of the U.S. Fifth Fleet. This one’s going to bite us when we least expect it. Iran is already stirring up trouble here.

Palestine—They’ve always got protests going on, and usually it’s over what Israel’s doing to them. With Hamas in charge of Gaza, there will be no peace. And Fatah’s control of the West Bank against Hamas is tenuous at best. Violence is mostly between Fatah and Hamas, and Hamas and the Israelis. The majority of the news coverage report on the fighting between Israel and Hamas.

Djibouti—Protests are underway against their President, who won against his main rival in the last election with 100% of the votes going his way. Election was denounced by international monitors. Clashes have turned violent since February 3rd, and the opposition appears to have been knocked out by the killing of many protestors, and the arrest of their leaders.

I have a hard time swallowing the fact that we’re entertaining requests from this group of nations, in particular the ones who are violently suppressing pro-democracy movements in their own countries, to protect pro-democracy protestors in Libya.

The truth is that these nations are using Libya to throw attention onto Gaddafi and off of THEM!

And our leaders are bowing to their wishes to present the public picture of a united response involving Arab and Western nations, when the Western alliance is fragmented, and only a few of the Arab nations in the Arab league are contributing aircraft or support personnel. And Arab nations are NOTORIOUS for changing their tunes at the drop of a hat.

They suckered us in good.

Arab League Declares Libya Has “Lost Its Sovereignty” and Asks For No-Fly Zone, Then Changes Its Mind When It Happens: That’s The LAST Time We Should Listen to Those Idiots!

The Arab League has apparently gotten cold feet in regards to the suppression of Libya’s air defense system, and the defense of Libyan civilians, after begging the West to help set up a no-fly zone.

They are now talking about withdrawing their ill-considered motion, or providing aircraft with all kinds of stipulations on how they are to be used.

What did those Arab League idiots think was going to happen? As soon as the first Tomahawk was fired, and the first Western aircraft entered Libyan airspace, people were going to start dying. These are not toys that the West is dropping on Libya.

We need to hand this operation over to the Arab League ASAP, and pull NATO out of this misbegotten adventure, and tell the Arab League to go screw themselves.

The next time they want a no-fly zone, they can DO IT THEMSELVES without Western help. They’re a bunch of weak-willed hypocrites that some very smart people over here said would jump ship as soon as military action began.

They were right.

U.S. Following the Correct Course in Libya: NATO Takes the Lead in Sending Their Air Forces into Libyan Skies

Following declarations from the Arab League and the U.N. Security Council that allow for a no-fly zone to protect the Libyan people from Col. Qaddafi, the French Air Force is in action over Libya, presumably shooting down Libyan military aircraft, and bombing government and mercenary forces who have been attacking Benghazi.  The Italian Air Force is also in action.

There has been a lack of U.S. leadership on this issue, and for once, I am in agreement with it. 

The U.S. has two wars ongoing already, with a potentially explosive Korean situation waiting in the wings.   That’s enough for us to be getting on with. 

The majority of the American people are opposed to our getting involved in Libya.  Many polls of the American public have opposition to American involvement ranging from 66-75%. 

I hope this conflict doesn’t last long, and there’s no expansion of the NATO role beyond what is already stated.

People Need to Calm Down About Japanese Nuclear Problem: Even if Reactors Go into Full Meltdown, the Radiation Will Not Reach California

I think some people need a geography lesson.  Finland is not next to Japan.  Nor is the continental United States.  Yet people in both countries are rushing out to buy potassium iodine tablets, and some in their idiot governments are inciting a panic, like the Surgeon General of the United States.

A news article in California blasting the Surgeon General’s ill-conceived political statements said that if a nuclear reactor in California was to go into full meltdown, the authorities would only give out potassium iodine to people living within 10-12 miles of the reactor.  From Tokyo to Los Angeles, it is roughly 5,478 miles.  From Tokyo to Helsinki it is 4,878 miles.  

This is not like a nuclear warhead going off and throwing up billions of tons of dirt into the upper atmosphere, and radioactive dust raining down around the entire world over weeks and months.  By the time any radiation from Japan reaches Los Angeles or Helsinki, it will have mostly blended into the background.

At its worst, Chernobyl’s nuclear accident contaminated 125,000 square miles.  The airspace above the Pacific Ocean between Japan and the West Coast is in the neighborhood of 18,000,000 square miles.  Radiation from Japan won’t make it.  The other thing is that the Soviets had no containment for their reactors, other than the housing for the nuclear cores themselves.  And the graphite used in the Soviet reactors were like candy to an out of control nuclear reaction.

Settle down, people.  Just stay cool.

Three Danish Soldiers Captured By Forces Loyal to Qaddaffi, Eight British Soldiers Captured By Libyan Rebels: NATO Needs to Keep Boots Off the Ground

NATO isn’t doing so good in Libya so far.   Three Danes and eight British soldiers have been captured by both sides in the Libyan civil war.   Is NATO planning on attacking both sides now, and turning this into a three-way dance?

This is a no-win situation for the West. 

By all means, NATO aircraft should airdrop food and medicines into rebel-controlled areas, but the West should not be involved in combat operations.   And they shouldn’t be sending soldiers in…both sides are saying they don’t want a Western military presence in Libya. 

Why doesn’t NATO listen?  STAY OUT of Libya! 

NATO should be flying supplies and transports into Tunisia to relieve the humanitarian nightmare taking place there, instead of trying to push Qaddaffi out.   I think he’ll be betrayed by one of his own men in the end, and forcibly removed from the picture in a hail of gunfire.

That can’t happen soon enough.  However, this is a Libyan and an Arab problem until then, not an American or NATO one.  If they want us in there, they’ll ask for it.

But if the reception that both sides have given NATO soldiers so far is any indication, they won’t.  And now NATO has a really complicated hostage situation to deal with too.

Libya “May Be” On Verge of Civil War? Not! They ARE in a Civil War

The media is playing catch-up on the terminology that they’re using to describe the strife in Libya.

Since there are clearly defined lines of battle, and two sides are vying for control of the government, all the conditions exist for the term “civil war” to apply.  A Twitter user by the name of Iyad El-Baghdadi has put together these maps of the current military situation in Libya.

Judging from the reports coming out of Libya, Qaddafi is using mercenaries, government troops, heavy artillery and other heavy weapons to attack towns held by the National Transitional Council.   Libyan Army units have defected to the rebels and are fighting Qaddaffi’s mercenaries and troops loyal to him.

Sounds like a civil war to me.

We Need to Keep Boots Off the Ground in Libya at ALL Costs: Libyan Rebels Can Handle Things Themselves

Libya seems to be lunging toward a civil war, and the West is making noises about establishing a no-fly zone over Libya to keep Qaddafi from launching air strikes against protestors who want him GONE.

I think the U.S. needs to sit this one out. 

France and Britain and Australia are making a lot of noises; let them take the lead this time.  The best thing the U.S. can do is not get involved militarily in Libya.  We have quite enough on the plate already, with Iraq and Afghanistan, and all the saber rattling going on in Korea.

The rebels have indicated that they do not want a foreign military presence on Libyan soil; I think that’s a piece of advice that the West should heed. 

But will the rebels help downed NATO pilots?   Or will NATO also have to have search and rescue (SAR) units on standby to rescue them from Gaddafi’s supporters?  Where would the SAR birds be stationed?  No Arab nation publicly wants Western troops on their soil.

Before a no-fly zone is established, they really need to take this into account.  Libya has massive stockpiles of anti-aircraft weapons, many of which are still under Qaddafi’s control, so there may be some aircraft losses, and pilots who will need to be rescued.   He could send his Air Force after ships in the Gulf of Sidra.

This is a mess we don’t want to get entangled in.  The Libyan people need to fight for themselves, rather than having us send in the Marines.

And I’m not sure about referring to Qaddafi to the International Criminal Court (ICC) either.  Libya has never signed the ICC treaty.   If Qaddafi’s regime falls to the rebels, does anyone think he will be taken alive?  Or that his countrymen would allow him to face an international tribunal without a possibility of a death penalty, as he would face under Libyan law? 

Let the Libyans judge him themselves.  They don’t need the West sticking their noses into that too.

Canadian Case Highlights Socialized “Death Panel” Situations That Will Follow Obama’s Health Care Plan if It Isn’t Repealed

And they say that death panels couldn’t possibly happen?

Take a look at this situation in Canada, and then tell me that death panels couldn’t possibly happen here.

This is awful.

See the Democrats Scream and Run Away: Now Thirty-Seven Indiana Legislators Flee Their State Rather Than Lose a Vote, Fair and Square

Now the Democrats in Indiana are fleeing their state as well, departing Indianapolis and their state  rather than trying to persuade their Republican opponents to vote against an anti-union bill.

This is childish, and more proof that all the states need laws which clearly define dereliction of duty, and the declaration of vacancy of their seats.  Only three of forty Democratic senators showed up for work this morning.

Perhaps they’re going to Wisconsin to get doctors notes too.

All politicians who stoop to using this tactic should be locked out, and their resignations considered accepted.

It may be that anti-union measures need to be put before voters themselves as the state legislatures don’t have the brass to handle this issue.  Right to Work issues probably should go on the ballot anyways as they require amendments to state constitutions in a number of states.

How many more states will be paralyzed by shortsighted politicians who decide that they should stop all work and take a paid holiday just to stall one vote?

State Austerity Measures Are Needed Now, While There is Still a Choice

For some states, the time of austerity is here.  For many others, it’s not very far away.

Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota and a couple of others have been in the news, but the problems run much deeper than just the Upper Midwestern states.

According to the Center on Budget and Priority Policies, forty-five states and the District of Columbia will have deficits in 2012, totaling $125 billion.  This is on top of the cuts that many states have already made, between 2009 and 2011. 

All the states need to reduce their deficits to at least break-even.  And that will involve painful cuts on all levels.

I think that the Wisconsin governor asking the unions to give up their say on everything other than wages is going too far.  There is definitely room for a compromise, but both sides in Wisconsin have dug in and adopted a “my way or ELSE” attitude which is not particularly helpful to resolving the stalemate.

As for the missing Democrats in the Wisconsin state legislature, they need to get back to work and do what they were elected to do: represent the people of Wisconsin.  There is no provision in the Wisconsin constitution for the seats of shirking lawmakers to be declared vacant, and special elections called.  This is unfortunate. 

Every state should have such a provision for it in order for all representatives and senators to know what will happen if they abandon their posts.   Their pay should be forfeit, so should any benefits that follow a state legislator’s leaving office honorably.

Lots of problems ahead, for at least forty-five states.

GOP Should Quit Praising Dictator Mubarak and Obama Needs to Drop the “Passive Bystander” Role and Publicly Support the Egyptian People

Former Vice-President Cheney has come out singing the praises of Hosni Mubarak, calling him a “good friend” and a  key U.S. ally.

Israel is also worried about Egyptian/Israeli ties should a new government arise in Cairo. 

This is not good.  

While Egypt has played the role of a moderate in Middle Eastern politics, and played a vital role in the peace process since signing a treaty with Israel, there has been a dictator at Egypt’s helm for thirty years.

And he’s used his military and secret police to murder his opponents, lock up his enemies, and has amassed a $70 billion fortune.  I have no doubt that he’ll be prosecuted for corruption for that alone.  I’m not surprised that his family is allegedly fleeing Egypt.   Wonder what they’re taking with them.

I think that our politicians need to get with the program, and realize that their “good friend”, while he’s contributed to stability in the region, has violently repressed the people of Egypt, and they’re clearly fed up.  Washington and Tel Aviv need to support the Egyptian people, NOW.

Obama’s policy of “passive bystander” is failing.  He needs to get in front of the cameras and state that he supports the Egyptian people and their aspirations for freedom.  And he needs to convince Mubarak that it’s time to leave sooner rather than later.

If Egypt stabilizes and they start having democratically elected governments, it can serve as a model for the rest of the region.  That’s something to strive for, rather than clinging to a dictator who is losing power rapidly.   The U.S. should be embracing the rule of law for Egypt, rather than the rule of one man.

Hosni Mubarak’s Egyptian Government Should Be Abandoned, and the Protesters Endorsed: Weak U.S. Response Will Lead to a Weak U.S./Egyptian Relationship

President Obama’s response to the massive upheaval in Egypt has been exceptionally weak, and the U.S./Egyptian relationship that emerges may reflect that.

We should be telling Mubarak to not let the door hit him in the butt on the way out, and endorse the leader that the protest factions have united behind, Mohamed ElBaradei.   ElBaradei can lead the Egyptian people out of the current dictatorship. and into free and fair elections.

We’ve been backing the wrong man in Egypt for far too long, and President Obama needs to show some iron. 

Mubarak’s time is running out, and so is our time to strengthen our ties to the Egyptian people.

And the more friendship we display to the Egyptian people, the less likely the Brotherhood of Islam will take control of Egypt once Mubarak’s government is toppled.  Obama’s making this much more difficult than it needs to be.

What Some Call “Vitriol”, Others Call “Freedom of Speech”: People Are Complaining Because Congress DOESN’T LISTEN and Does What It Wants, and The Public Has Had Enough

I’ve been watching Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats use the term “vitriol” to describe the current atmosphere when it comes to their incompetence and irresponsibility.

If they don’t like the current atmosphere, perhaps they ought to consider changing their own behavior to get the public off their cases.  Because that’s the source of much of the public tension.  

In the last session, Congress enacted a health care bill that the majority of Americans opposed, continued spending outside its means, and continued to push the debt ceiling higher and higher.  They’ve got their priorities backwards, choosing to move their party agenda forward, at the expense of all Americans. 

And they’re hypocrites too, name-calling their opposition and employing the same kind of “vitriol” that they’re accusing the public and their right-wing opponents of employing against THEM.  Except that when the Democrats call one of their GOP opponents a “Nazi” or a “racist”, they claim that it isn’t “vitriol” at all.  They’re exercising their rights to be idiots, after all.

And they can’t figure out why the public is so irate with them?    According to the example that the Democrats are setting, it’s “vitriol” until they (the Dems) use the same kinds of words.  THEN it’s “free speech.”

Bunch of dang hypocrites.

British Moves to Cut Their Military Budget Are Yielding Strange Results: Aircraft Carriers Without Aircraft, New $5 Billion Surveillance Aircraft Being Turned Into Razor Blades Without Performing a Single Mission

One note: I converted British pounds into U.S. dollars for this posting.

Great Britain has been slashing programs from their military budget, and it’s yielded some strange results, and some costly ones too.

Most of their front line aircraft carriers are being scrapped or sold.  Their Harrier jumpjets are being scrapped.  Their brand-new aircraft carriers won’t be online for at least five years, and they won’t have any fixed wing aircraft for the remaining or new carriers for several years after that.

The latest thing is that they spent the equivalent of $6.5 billion on a new class of spy aircraft, and now that they’re rolling off the production line they’re being retired without taking to the air.  They’re severely over budget ($1.2 billion) and nine years behind schedule.

The cancellation of the Nimrod Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (MRA4) is expected to save the British military approximately $3.1 billion over ten years.

They’re also laying off 17,000 troops and support personnel.

Is this what our military cuts will look like when they do come?

So This is the New Moderate Tone in Washington? Democrat Refers to Republicans as “Nazis”

Well, well, well!

As anticipated, the Democrats couldn’t refrain from getting nasty in the ongoing health care debate, with Nazi references to the Republican position on health care.

Why am I not surprised that this “truce” wasn’t going to last very long?  Politicians have no choice but to launch personal attacks; they do not possess the vocabulary to argue their points without doing so.

The more things change…the MORE they STAY THE SAME!!

President Obama Should Ask President Hu if Chinese Ballistic Anti-Ship Missiles Will Be for Chinese Military Only, or if They’re Planning on Exporting Them Elsewhere

China is continuing their development of the world’s first anti-ship ballistic missile, and the U.S. Navy needs to adapt to this new weapons system and soon.

But first, we need to assess what the Chinese intend to do with these weapons.  Once they’re deployed, will they remain on Chinese territory, or is China planning on selling the designs or the actual weapons to countries who would love to destroy a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier?

China says that they will be to protect China from the U.S. Navy.  But has anyone asked them what their intentions are with these game-changing ballistic missiles in terms of international sales?

President Obama Needs to QUIT BOWING to Foreign Leaders! This is Disgraceful!

I think Burger King is the ONLY one President Obama hasn’t bowed and scraped to.

As the American head of state, President Obama is on an equal footing with ALL heads of state, whether they’re Presidents, Premiers, Prime Ministers, Kings, Queens, Emperors, and other people with equally impressive titles before their names.

He MUST quit bowing to his equals unless the bow is being returned at the same level. He keeps violating diplomatic protocol and American tradition, and it’s sickening to watch.

With the arrival of the President of the People’s Republic of China today in Washington, he needs to bow to no one, no matter how much money we owe them. Straighten up and represent the American people properly, please, Mr. President.

Here's what the Taiwanese make of President Obama entertaining President Hu. This is not good for an American President to be thought of like this.

Israel and U.S. May Have Unleashed Computer Virus to Sabotage Iran’s Nuclear Program: It’s Better Than Launching a Military Assault on an Iranian Nuclear Facility and Sparking a Regional War

There have been several news reports that Israel and the U.S. are responsible for unleashing a computer virus on Iran’s nuclear production facilities.

Israel is said to have assembled the same sort of centrifuges that Iran is using, and tested the virus, with U.S. cooperation, at their facility first before sending people in to plant it.  The virus causes the centrifuges to spin wildly out of control and ruins them.  The virus is said to be extremely difficult to eradicate and has set back the Iranian nuclear project back 3-5 years.

For those who think that this is a bad idea, remember what Israel did to the Osirak nuclear  facility in Iraq in the early 1980s?  They sent in a squadron of F-16s to destroy the facility and assassinated several Iranian and French nuclear scientists who were assisting the Iraqis.

I like this sort of action over military action.  Iran’s got enough military hardware to cause a lot of trouble in the Middle East, and we don’t need that right now.

It has been the stated goal of the U.S. and the international community to stop Iran from getting the bomb.   This sabotage is a good start.

Tucson Victim Claims Gunman Was “Exercising His Second Amendment Right” When He Opened Fire: NO HE WASN’T!!

One of the people who was wounded in last Saturday’s mass shooting in Tucson put an inflammatory document online, in which he attacked the media and private citizens by name (he’s probably going to get sued by one or more of the individuals he attacked) and said that the gunman was exercising his “Second Amendment rights.”

With all due respect, no he wasn’t.  The Second Amendment doesn’t say ANYTHING about shooting a federal judge or a U.S. Representative or a nine-year-old girl, or any of the other victims whose names and stories we are still learning.   The victim’s political statement is deeply flawed.

The gun is nothing but an extension of the person’s will.   What good is a gun without a hand to wield it, a steady arm and an eye to aim it, and a finger to pull the trigger?

People have been posting the following note on the social websites.  It reads in part: “…If guns kill people, then pencils misspell words, cars drive drunk, and spoons made Oprah fat ! Remember: Hold the person accountable for their actions, not the means they chose to utilize!!!”

Quit blaming the Second Amendment. 

This guy could have just as easily climbed into his car and drove through the very same crowd that he attacked with a gun, like the madman who tried to run over Rep. Katherine Harris in Florida in 2004.  That fool claimed he was exercising his “political expression.”  I don’t seem to recall people trying to ban the First Amendment after that, or banning cars either.

Restricting the First Amendment right of free speech or the Second Amendment right to bear arms doesn’t deal with the lunatics out there who might go off at any time for any reason.

Build more loony bins.

Now Liberal Media Bashes Palin for Defending Herself: Do They Seriously Expect Her to Allow Them to Trash Her Without Comment?

Liberal media outlets NBC, ABC and CBS went out of their way to blame Sarah Palin for the Tucson massacre, and then cried foul when she gave it right back to them.

They stand revealed as the hate-mongering opportunists that they really are.  They’ve all but accused Palin of having blood on her hands, even as their more even-tempered colleagues are telling them to back down on the rhetoric even before the first victims of Saturday’s mass shooting are laid to rest.

This is the most disgusting political ploy that I’ve ever seen by the left-wing press; this is even more disgusting than the political rally/funeral of Minnesota congressman Paul Wellstone.

And like the Wellstone “funeral”, this will also backfire on the opportunists, especially the idiot sheriff out there who sounds more like a Democratic Party spokesman rather than a lawman.   He’s a political hack masquerading as a cop.  Hope his constituents are paying attention to his inattention to the facts of the case.

The “blood libel” quote that the press is skewering her about is in reference to a very old false rumor that Jews and other non-Christians kill Christian children for their blood for use in pagan rituals and foods.   Blood libel accusations over the centuries have caused even more blood to run in the streets.

I think' Palin knew EXACTLY what she was saying, and who she would provoke.  And that their angry responses would provide her with even more source material to use against the Democrats. 

While I’m concerned over the use of this particular religious term, it’s really amusing to see the Democratic media sputtering over what Palin’s said now.   They get so flummoxed.

With the blood libel card now played, I think it would be a smart move for both sides to refrain from using it again.  It is an offensive term. 

If the Democrats are serious about lightening up the tone, perhaps they should refrain from calling Republicans “Nazis” during political debate, and using the SAME graphics with bulls-eyes on vulnerable Republican districts, as Palin did with crosshairs on vulnerable Democratic districts.   That will be a good start.

I don’t think either side can stop.   They would run out of vocabulary to use.

Quit Blaming the Tea Party for Today’s Catastrophe in Arizona: The Shooter is a Lunatic and Had His OWN Agenda

In the midst of the day’s disastrous events in Tucson, one of Congresswoman Gilffords’ Senatorial colleagues blamed the Tea Party and the GOP for pushing the IDIOT who shot her and eighteen others over the edge.

And some liberal bloggers are echoing the remarks.

Grow up!

This guy is a lunatic!  He shot nineteen people for no good reason, and the investigation will bear this out.

Gates Targeting Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle: He Might Want to Hold Off on Decision to Cut Marine Landing Craft from Military Budget

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) in his sights for termination.  It’s a high speed landing craft/infantry carrier that will replace the much slower and lower performance Amphibious Assault Vehicle that has been around since the 1960s.

I think he should look at other programs to cut.

We might need to land the Marines along the Korean coast, like they did during the Korean War.  What if we need to land troops in Somolia, or Yemen, or Ivory Coast, or Iran, or Taiwan, or any of the coastal hotspots around the world? 

Chances are, if they have to repel a North Korean invasion of South Korea, most of South Korea will be overrun before we can get additional troops in there.  And if that were to come to pass, the North Koreans would be ready for an end-run this time.   They’ve got artillery all up and down their coastline now, as well as mobile artillery.  They didn’t have nearly as many guns in 1950.   Inchon was moderately defended, but the North Koreans still damaged two U.S. Navy cruisers and three destroyers with their coastal guns.

I really think the EFV should be spared; the Iraq War will be winding down in the next year; the military will save money by cutting out Iraq War funding in the future on the level that it has been at.

This is a program that should be spared for now.

Russia Delivers 1,800 Shoulder-Launched Anti-Aircraft Missiles to Venezuela: Should We Threaten to Return the Favor and Send the Same Number of Stinger Missiles to Chechnya?

Venezuela has continued its massive arms buildup, preparing to export the weapons to rebel groups in neighboring democratic nations, with most of its weapons purchases coming from the Russian Federation.

This is not particularly helpful.  Russia needs to stop supporting Hugo Chavez.

Vladimir Putin seems to want to reignite the Cold War, and is using proxies like Venezuela to do it.

In that vein, should we threaten to match the Russian arms sales to Venezuela with shipments of arms to Chechnya in equal numbers?   Russia recently delivered 1,800 shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles to Venezuela.  What if we were to send 1,800 shoulder-fired Stinger missiles to Chechnyan rebel groups?  Russia would have a stroke!

Unfortunately, al-Qaeda has been known to support the Chechnyan independence drive, and there’s no guarantee that any Stinger missiles provided to Chechnya wouldn’t end up elsewhere in the world, being used against American, Israeli and European airliners as well as Russian interests.

It’s an interesting “What if?” 

But the risks far outweigh the benefits of taking an action as dangerous as supplying advanced arms to the Chechnyans.

When our nation provided Stinger missiles to the Afghans in their war against the Soviets in the 1980s, we had little idea that some of the same people we were supporting back then would become America’s most dangerous enemies down the road.   In those days, the Soviets were the #1 threat, and the perception was that they’d be around for a long time to come.

All Stingers provided to the 1980s mujahedeen in Afghanistan were either used, or went off-line when the batteries in the Stinger’s target-acquisition system ran out, or became unusable due to lack of maintenance by qualified technicians.  Remember, we are talking about 12rh century horse soldiers using 20th Century technology. 

But with today’s arms market, it might be possible to keep Stinger technology going for a lot longer if we WERE to provide Stingers to Chechnya.  We’d probably have issues with the missiles for a LONG time to come should the missiles fall into the wrong hands.

But what if….

Should Billy the Kid Be Pardoned?

Outgoing New Mexico governor Bill Richardson is giving consideration to pardoning Billy the Kid for his crimes during his years as an outlaw in the 1800s.

And the question being asked is this: Should the Kid be pardoned?

Two words as far as I’m concerned: HELL NO. 

He killed several people before murdering a Sheriff and two deputies during his short life, before being gunned down by Pat Garrett.  And they’re still unsure of how many murders that the Kid actually carried out.  Some have attributed over twenty murders to Billy the Kid.

I don’t care that his life has been painted as heroic by Hollywood in recent years. 

He was a cold blooded killer who is undeserving of consideration of a pardon.  I also think that the governor of New Mexico (or any state for that matter) can pardon someone more deserving of it.

Many people who are pardoned today got into trouble, spent time in jail, came out, and never got into trouble again.  In fact, some of the more recent pardons were given to people who became model citizens after they paid the price for whatever they did to get put into jail in the first place.

The Kid kept killing after his murder of the two deputies who were manning the jail that he was locked up in.  This is not my idea of a model citizen.

Give the pardon to someone else.  I’m hoping Governor Richardson chooses not to act.

WikiLeaks Founder Fears U.S. Indictment: Why Should He Be? What Was He Expecting?

The founder of WikiLeaks fears that the U.S. government is about to issue an indictment over his posting of classified materials on the Internet.  Couple of questions and observations over his being worried about a potential U.S. indictment:

If he was afraid of being indicted, then why did he go WAY out of his way to post classified U.S. government materials online?

Why is he afraid?  Judging from his  bombastic statements, he obviously thinks that he can win a court case.

No, I think he was angling for a U.S. indictment all along.  No one is above the law, and the malcontent Julian Assaunge is no exception.

Measuring Julian Assaunge: His Threat to Release “Doomsday” File if He’s Arrested to Stand Trial for Sex Crime Charges Proves the Kind of Man He Really Is

If we were to judge what kind of person that WikiLeaks founder Julia Assaunge is based on his current behavior, what kind of conclusion are we forced to reach?

Consider: He’s releasing classified documents that don’t belong to him, and without any concern as to who gets hurt because of his releasing them.

Consider: He’s forcing our State Department to deal with the global damage caused by his reckless disregard for the consequences, thereby distracting the State Department from conducting American foreign policy both at home and overseas.

Consider: He was accused of serious sex crimes in Sweden and fled the country, which lead Sweden to file a warrant with INTERPOL for his arrest and extradition back to Sweden to face trial.

Consider: He’s threatened to release unredacted U.S. material—all of it—if he’s arrested to face a sex crimes trial in Sweden. In other words, he’s threatening to violate a ton of laws if he’s arrested for breaking laws in Sweden. In his mind, it’s all right for him to threaten the U.S. with severe damage if Sweden has him arrested for breaking Swedish laws.

What conclusion comes to mind about Assaunge when you consider all the above factors?

Here’s my read:

He’s a white-collar criminal who's out there blowing his own horn and saying "look at me!" And now he’s now threatening to use his ill-gotten gains to make demands of the U.S. government, “or else!” That’s classic blackmail, which is also illegal. An argument could be made that he’s also a terrorist, by holding our government hostage to these documents. Those documents are WMDs, and they’re definitely in the wrong hands.

The sooner they arrest him, the sooner they can get this man and his organization out of the headlines.

U.S. Government Denies Trying to Take WikiLeaks Down: But They Should Pin a Medal on the Hacktivist Who Is!

I am not a fan of WikiLeaks.  Let me make that abundantly clear before I proceed any further. 

I do think that this web site needs to go away, before any of the data that the site is releasing gets anyone killed, or before WikiLeaks volunteers start being targeted for assassination by various intelligence agencies from around the world.

Remember, Russia poisoned one of its enemies with radiation a couple of years ago.  The KGB used to carry out hits around the world.  The Israeli intelligence agency has a very active hit squad as well, and has used them to maximum effect both inside and outside of Israel.  Our own CIA is currently firing missiles at terrorists in various areas of the world.  There are dozens of other intelligence agencies who could really get nasty if their government orders them to take out a few key WikiLeaks people.

While I don’t think that a drone strike against WikiLeaks would happen in Great Britain, or in Sweden, or any other U.S.-allied country, it’s entirely possible that a foreign power might not feel the same restrictions in conducting an operation in a U.S.-allied country.

We do have some sort of patriotic hacker who is attempting to hurt WikiLeaks, in the same way he’s taken down jihaddist web sites spouting al-Qaeda propaganda.  The U.S. government shouldn’t move against this person, even if he is breaking the law to stop a group that is also breaking the law. 

He’s doing the U.S. government a huge favor.  Pin a medal on him!

While no one has yet died from the WikiLeaks data dumps, it’s only a matter of time now, and the U.S. government SHOULD be waging cyberwar on WikiLeaks to prevent U.S. soldiers, spies and diplomats from getting killed. 

I also believe that it’s not in U.S. national interests to have foreign leaders toppled due to WikiLeaks data dumps.  The Yemeni President is particularly vulnerable, as are Arab leaders who publicly denounce the saber rattling between Washington and Tehran, but secretly pressure the U.S. to bomb Iranian nuclear sites.  The Saudi King is of particular interest.

This is not about the First Amendment.  The press in this country is covered by the First Amendment, as are its citizens, but not a foreign-owned (private) company that is headed by an anarchist. 

We can make due without WikiLeaks.

WikiLeaks CAN Be Stopped: The Feds Must Use the Same Law That They Used to Take Down 75+ BitTorrent Web Sites in the Last Few Days

ICE Investigations has been seizing web sites that have been pirating video and music stuff in the last few days, and it’s using a new law that is also the key to putting a stop to WikiLeaks and their reign of releasing information that doesn’t belong to them.

The new law is called the “Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act” and provides for the government to seize domain names of suspected sites that are in violation of U.S. copyright laws.

They can also use this law to order international web sites to be taken down as well, if they are violating copyright laws.  It also allows for charges and fines to be levied against the web site owners.  By all means, take them WikiLeaks sumbitches DOWN!  It won’t stop them completely, but it’ll slow them down for a while.

It’s better than a government like Russia’s, or Israel’s, to order hits on WikiLeaks employees who dare to participate in the release of information that isn’t theirs to release, which is now inevitable. 

Sooner or later, WikiLeaks will anger the wrong people, and a government will order up their dirty tricks squads to take out some button pushers who release the wrong information, regardless of the consequences.

The sooner that WikiLeaks is held to account for their actions, the better.   No one needs to get shot or blown up, but it will probably start happening soon if WikiLeaks isn’t reined in.

U.S. Government Must Not Back Down from North Korea: They’ll Run Roughshod Over the Entire Region if U.S. and South Korea Don’t Powerslam North Korea

North Korea needs to be put into its place as soon as possible.  And after they pull the trigger first.

Its leadership is too immature to possess the kind of firepower that it does have, at the costly expense of ignoring the plight of its own people.  No responsible government would allow over a million of its own people starve to death, while arming its military to the teeth. 

Why does North Korea need the fifth-largest army in the world when its people are starving to death?  They rank just behind Russia in active duty personnel, and first in the world in reserves with 4.7 million people under arms.  And they’ve engaged in a massive arms build-up in the last ten years.

The U.S. government needs to help South Korea deal with the North Korean problem permanently.    The Obama Administration cannot back down from North Korea, under ANY circumstances.   Give them an inch, and they’ll take the entire field.

The South Korean public is really upset over their government’s lackluster response to North Korea’s aggression.  Demonstrations are really heating up in Seoul.

The U.S./South Korean war games need to proceed as planned.  And if North Korea is crazy enough to take a shot at a U.S. Navy carrier, the Navy had better blow everything with a red star out of the water, and out of the air in reply.

There’s little chance of North Korean citizens rising up against Kim Jong Il; they worship him like a god.   I don’t think the North Korean military will rise up either, until Kim Jung Il dies and his son tries to take over.  

But then, would dealing with North Korea’s generals be any better than dealing with Kim Jung Il, or his hand-picked brat?   Is there anyone with any amount of sanity in North Korea’s military?

Does South Korea Have the Nerve to Defend Itself From North Korean Aggression? Lack of a Response Leads Defense Minister to Resign Under Heavy Pressure

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak accepted his Defense Secretary’s resignation after he came under heavy fire from politicians inside South Korea, who felt that South Korea hasn’t done enough to respond to North Korean aggression in the last year.

The first act by North Korea was the destruction of the South Korean naval vessel Cheonan eight months ago by a North Korean submarine, which resulted in the loss of 46 lives, followed by the artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island by North Korean military forces two days ago.  In both cases, the South Korean military was restrained from launching retaliatory strikes against North Korean targets.

There have been other sea battles between North and South Korean warships in the Yellow Sea over the years, but the last two engagements have been really nasty, with a heavy loss of life in the sinking of the Cheonan, and heavy damage to Yeonpyeong Island.

The current South Korean government took a hard line against North Korea, but so far they haven’t lived up to their promises.   Now the South Korean government is rushing troops to other South Korean islands that might be North Korea’s next target.  The South Korean press and public are commenting that the move is too little, too late.

When North Korea strikes again, will South Korea sit back and let it happen again?  Or will they make North Korea pay for what they’ve done?

North Korean Artillery Barrage of South Korea Raises New Questions About What’s Happening in North Korea

Yesterday morning’s artillery duel between the North Korean and South Korean militaries doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.   The talking heads on TV are speculating that the North Korean leadership perceives its world-stage image as weakening, and took advantage of South Korean military maneuvers to demonstrate its strength.

I’m not sure that’s it. 

I think it’s more likely that they perceive the United States leadership as weak, and that they (North Korea)  want more bargaining chips for the six-party nuclear talks. If that’s what they were trying to do, I think it’s had the opposite effect that they were looking for.  South Korea is looking for an excuse to knock out the North Korean base that opened fire on Yeonpyeong.

I also think that the talking heads are correct in saying that this move coincides with the transition of power from Kim Jung Il to his son.

The saber rattling sure hasn’t let up either.  South Korea has promised “enormous retaliation” if North Korea puts one toe out of line, and North Korea has promised “merciless strikes” on South Korea if its sea border is “violated” again.  The western sea border was set by the U.N. and has never been recognized by North Korea.

I think that there’s a good possibility that there will be some major sea battles in the days and weeks to come, regardless of what the North Korean leadership is doing.  I hope it doesn’t spill over onto the rest of the DMZ.  We don’t need three wars right now.

See What Happens When A Country That Has No Military Has a Dispute With a Nation That Does? The Non-Militarized Country Gets Invaded

The border dispute between Costa Rica and Nicaragua is an example of why a military force is necessary.

The two Central American counties have had a dispute for many years about a piece of land that runs along their common border.  It belongs to Costa Rica and has been recognized as Costa Rican territory by the international community.  A couple of weeks ago Google Maps showed that it was Nicaraguan territory, and Nicaragua used the mistake as a pretext to invade Costa Rica to enforce its claim of the area in question.

Since Costa Rica has no military, it cannot repel the Nicaraguans on its own, or keep the Nicaraguans from occupying the rest of Costa Rica if they so please.

This is an illustration of why a military force is necessary and that not having a well-disciplined military which obeys its elected leaders is a bad idea.  The time has not yet come to beat the swords into plowshares either; there are too many aggressors in the world who are willing to  use force to settle their disputes.

It can be argued that Costa Rica has been at peace without a military for many years; and that was true.  But it’s not exactly helping them right now, is it?

All Costa Rica can do now is take this dispute to the U.N. and the International Court and see 1) if they can win a decision and 2) if Nicaragua will heed the decision should the case go in favor of Costa Rica.

Why Are American Kids Being Required to Say the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish? And Why in Oklahoma of All Places?

A mom in Oklahoma is very upset that her eighth grader is being required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in a language other than English.

I don’t blame her.

Our pledge should not be required to be said in any language other than English.  And school districts should not  be threatening to give students zeros on an assignment like this.  

It’s bad enough that they’re taking down American flags over schools on American soil in favor of the Mexican flag so as not to make Mexican students uncomfortable, while spitting on everybody else’s feelings every 5th of May.

It’s bad enough that they’re sending kids home for wearing American flags on their shirts.

It’s bad enough that they’re requiring teens to remove American flags from their own vehicles while on school property.

If they’re going to persist in this behavior, perhaps they should take the Pledge of Allegiance out of school.  If they’re going to force people to say it in a way that is coercive, then it should be banned.  We don’t currently require students to say it in English, so why is this school in Oklahoma trying to force students to say it in Spanish?

They need to stop trying to turn the United States into Mexico.  We don’t want to be Mexico.

If NPR Cannot Deliver More Balanced Content and Tolerate Views that Differ From Theirs, Then They Should Not Be Receiving Public Funding

National Public Radio has been under very close scrutiny the last several days, due to their very public firing of Juan Williams, a senior NPR correspondent and occasional Fox News contributor, over his expressing his viewpoint about Muslims on commercial airliners.

Williams was appearing on Bill O’Reilly’s show on Fox, and said that he was nervous about flying on commercial flights with Muslims in “full garb.”

Thank you, Juan Williams, for expressing the viewpoints that MANY others have felt since 9/11.

Think about this:

A couple of years ago, there was a man who went crazy on a Canadian Greyhound bus.  He pulled out a knife and started stabbing the guy sitting next to him; the screaming caused the bus driver to pull over and the other passengers to scramble off the bus as the screaming continued.  Minutes later, police boarded the bus and found the guy eating his victim.

A few days after that, I was on an overnight bus here in the U.S., and guess what my reaction was?  “Don’t trust ANYBODY!”  I sat right behind the driver and wouldn’t have allowed ANYONE to sit next to me.  Fortunately, there were only about a dozen passengers on this large bus.  Still, I  didn’t sleep a wink.  I was aware of the location of every single passenger on that bus at every moment of the 22 hour ride by looking through the driver’s inside mirror.

Was my reaction any different than Juan Williams’ reaction that he expressed on the O’Reilly Factor?

There’s no other explanation: NPR fired Williams for expressing his honest opinion.  And this kind of intolerance of people expressing their views cannot be tolerated at a taxpayer funded operation.

Since NPR is partially taxpayer funded, NPR should have more of a balanced viewpoint.  But instead, they present the liberal version of everything, are anti-American and go out of their way to discredit Fox News.

NPR’s funding should  be scrutinized.

GOP Hopeful Says Overthrow of Government is on the Table; WRONG!

A GOP candidate in Texas went on the record and said that a violent overthrow of the American government is “on the table” if new leadership isn’t elected.   WRONG!

This man is not fit for office.

For the record, I will support NO American government that comes to power by means of violently overthrowing a previously and legitimately elected American government, no matter how much I disagree with that elected government.   The Constitution needs to be protected from rabble rousers like this.

Nor will I support any subsequent government that comes to power if it contains traitors who supported or participated in a violent overthrow.  They are not fit for office either.

It is the duty of all American citizens to uphold and protect our Constitution.

Now, having said all that, if an elected government interferes with holding regularly scheduled elections, or tries to remain in office, illegally,  then it’s the duty of all Americans to turn out en masse to protect the Constitution and force the government out in favor of a newly elected one.

There are Constitutional means to throw politicians out of office, as we will see in early November, and without firing a shot too. 

But instituting a civil war will only turn our country into a third world country.   We don’t need that kind of trouble here.

Bush Added $5 Trillion to National Debt in Eight Years: Obama’s Added $3 Trillion in 22 Months: When Will This Madness Stop?

The Treasury Department announced that the Obama Administration has added $3 trillion to the national debt so far, with no end in sight.   That’s after 22 months in office, compared with Bush’s addition of $5 trillion over eight years.   As of October 15th, the total stands at $13.666 trillion.  Obama is spending at a much faster rate than Bush did.

How long will this madness continue?  This is totally unsustainable.

If the budget is $1.7 trillion out of whack, then they need to make  a minimum of $1.7 trillion in government spending cuts.  Discretionary spending needs to be cut, and they need to stop this talk of printing up more money to artificially prop up the economy.

If they want more Americans back to work, then they need to renew the Bush tax cuts for businesses.  Small business owners aren’t hiring because they don’t know what the Obama tax rates will be.

If the Republicans win big in a couple of weeks, and they DON’T take IMMEDIATE steps to stop the out of control spending, then they’ll be voted out AGAIN!

And their tax cuts had better not include borrowing money from the Chinese to pay for the cuts.  If they want to cut taxes by $700 billion, that needs to be cut from the government budget…no more of this “cut taxes but don’t cut expenses” business that both the Democrats and Republicans have engaged in while they were in the majority.

And the Obama Administration needs to cancel/stop whatever they’re planning on with 401K Plans.   Those should stay in the private sector.  Federal, state and local governments have made a mess out of their own retirement plans, so they should stay out of the 401Ks.

Start cutting!

Peace Between Israel & Palestinians Will Be Impossible: Israeli Settlements in Palestinian Zones Make This View the Reality

Israel will never be able to reach peace with the Palestinians, and this is what the Israelis had in mind all along.

Below is a map showing Israel, the West Bank, and the locations of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, as well as effective areas of Palestianian Authority control.

The Palestinians will need access to the Jordanian border in order to receive the kind of non-military aid that their economy and people need, but the sheer number of Israeli settlements effectively control Palestinian access to Jordan.

And some of those settlements have been there for decades. They cannot be removed without starting an Israeli civil war.

Israel has known for decades that these settlements, which have been in dispute under international law as long as they’ve been in existence, will make it very difficult to return Palestinian lands to the Palestinians. That’s what they’ve had in mind all along.

The Palestinians want their area of control (in green) to expand to include the entire West Bank. The Israelis want the map above to stand.

Those stands doom any chance at a land-for-peace deal, unless one side or the other makes extraordinary concessions. I don’t see it happening without major fallout.

What is the Military REALLY Fighting For: Our “Freedoms” or To Destroy al-Qaeda and the Taliban?

This post might get me in some trouble, but I don’t really care.

I’ve been listening to common folk and to our politicians talk about thanking the military for “defending our freedom” while serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, but let’s take a step back and consider this.

The military deserves our undying gratitude for their service to our country, and for all the sacrifices that they and their families have made during this long war. 

But defending our freedoms?  From who, exactly?

The Taliban and al-Qaeda can’t vote to curtail our freedoms, such as suspending habeas corpus and parts of the Constitution.  Congress and the President CAN.

Our idiot politicians are FAR more likely to curtail or suspend our freedoms based on what kind of plot that al-Qaeda hatches in our midst. 

If we REALLY want the military to “defend our freedoms” then we should deploy them to WASHINGTON DC!!  Specifically, to the House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, the White House and the Supreme Court.  THEN they’ll be truly “defending our freedoms” from the politicians who are likely to pass freedom-ending legislation in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack.

Let’s get this straight: the military is in Afghanistan to destroy al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and to prevent them from launching attacks on us and our allies.   They ARE keeping us safe, and I sleep a lot better at night knowing that.  Thank you, U.S. military.

Give it some thought.

Obama is More of a Threat to Long-Term U.S. Growth Than Fox News Is: He Should Take Responsibility for His OWN Actions and Not Try to Put Blame Onto Others

President Obama had an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, and said that the “perspective that Fox News promotes is ultimately destructive to long-term U.S. growth.”

I disagree.  His financial policies are proving to be more disastrous to U.S. short and long-term  financial health than any perspective that Fox News promotes. 

His refusal to give tax cuts to businesses are preventing them from hiring new workers, which would have a definite effect on the unemployment situation,  bring in more revenue for state governments and for the federal bottom line, increase consumer spending, and do other things.  Obama could trigger all of that almost immediately if he wanted to.

Businesses won’t budge until the President does.  It’s not in their best interests to do anything that the President wants.  His spending is reckless to the point of madness, and is going to bite us HARD when we least need it or want it.

President Obama needs to be more reasonable in how he stimulates the economy—through the private sector, not through more borrowing and spending.

Change from “Global Warming” to “Global Climate Disruption” Doesn’t Change the Bad Science Behind It: This is a New Political Term for “CRAP”

More hubris from the left on global warming appears to be on tap.

They are abandoning the wildly inaccurate “global warming” term in favor of “global climate disruption.”  And they’re still using their inaccurate politicized science to state that man is dooming the planet.    New term, same old crap.

They’re still ignoring the fact that the sun has more to do with climate change than they’re willing to admit.  They’re ignoring the fact that the other planets in the solar system that have atmospheres were going through a period of global warming at the same time that we were, and when the sun spots stopped that the warming stopped on the other planets too.  That’s man’s fault, too, is it?

They are ignoring the effect that volcanoes around the planet have on global warming and global cooling.  They’ve understated the impact for YEARS. 

The fact is that we don’t know a lot of stuff about global warming and global cooling, and it is certainly NOT “settled science.”

They need to quit screwing around with the science.  And as far as I’m concerned, renaming something as controversial as global warming IS screwing around.

I’m not impressed.

Blockbuster Finally Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy: It’s What Happens When They RIP THEIR CUSTOMERS OFF

I have no sympathy for Blockbuster Video filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  They’ve been ripping their customers off with their high rental prices for years, and their various late fee schemes, and are reaping the results of what they’ve sown.

I’m looking forward to the discount sale at the local Blockbuster.

Congress Needs to Pass a Bill Which Bans the Practice of Attaching Unrelated/Unpassable Measures to Must-Pass Bills: All Bills Should Pass or Fail on Their Own Merits, Not on the Coat Tails of Others

There's an immigration act attached to the Defense appropriations bill.

There's also a provision to authorize the ending of the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy in the Defense appropriations bill.

Both of these measures need to be broken out and voted on as stand-alone bills, as one is unrelated to the military, and the other is a Defense matter, and a Presidential decision.

All bills should be free of riders. And Congress should pass a measure which says so.

I'm tired of politicians sneaking ill-advised and unnecessary riders into legislation that deserves its own vote, that's free of controversial unrelated measures that often overshadow the measure that's actually being voted upon.

The next Congress had better do its job, or they will be voted out too!

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French Arrogance in Dealing With Roma Criticism is Telling: Their Hypocrisy is ASTOUNDING

The French are all up in arms over how the European Union has condemned them for their tactics in dealing with their Gypsy (Roma) population.

In fact, the level of their arrogance is simply astonishing.

And they accused the U.S. of arrogance in world affairs??!  They have NO leg to stand on, whatsoever.  A sampling of their arrogance:

"It is an insult. It is a wound. It is a humiliation,"…."I am the French president and I cannot allow my country to be insulted."  President Sarkozy of France
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2019860,00.html#ixzz0zogCB7q9

… "it's very easy to give lessons". "France doesn't pretend to give lessons to the world, even if we're often seen as the country of human rights ... We also don't pretend to listen to lessons from countries that don't make a tenth of the efforts that we've accomplished," Francois Zimeray, France's ambassador for human rights.  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/un-tells-france-to-stop-forced-expulsion-of-roma-2064038.html

"That's enough of her tone, my patience has its limits, that's not the way to speak to a great state,"  Pierre Lellouche, French Mininster http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=france-eu-criticism-of-roma-policy-unseemly-2010-09-15

The French government can buy it’s own BS if it wants, but they should have kept it to themselves if they intended to accuse other countries of arrogance.

HYPOCRITES!

When is a Combat-Ready American Soldier Not a Combat-Ready Soldier Anymore? Not When Idiot Liberal Politicians and the Liberal Media Label Them as Such, That’s for Sure!

 The troops are seriously annoyed that they’ve been labeled as being “non-combat” forces in Iraq.  Who can blame them?

The idiot politicians and liberal media made a huge deal out of their new codename for the Iraq War and that the “last combat brigade” rolled into Kuwait last month.  American soldiers ought to punch reporters and politicians in the mouth when they utter those words.   What an insult!

The military use of the term “combat brigade” and the civilian use of the term are not the same thing.   The war is still on, and our soldiers are still under enemy fire.   We should not forget that.

The remaining troops in Iraq are as combat ready as ever.

Coverage of Threatened Koran Burning Sparks Incidents All Over the Country: Press is at Fault Here

We now see what happens when the press overdoes it on coverage of hate preachers and imams.

Korans have been burned all over the country.  Not that I care too much about that, but I wonder how much of this is due to press influence and over covering this idiotic Florida preacher and his “Burn a Koran Day.”

How long will this fiasco play out overseas?  How many copycats in other Western countries will take place?  And how many more embassies will get burned to the ground?  The uneducated Afghans are already murdering people in the streets.  They can’t even READ the Koran.

I registered my disagreement with the burnings on 9/11.  That isn’t the date for protests of ANY kind, even though it is the Constitutional right of every American to do so.  And as I had hoped, the pastor changed his mind, but Korans got burned anyways.

And the press is dutifully reporting the incidents, which ARE isolated.   But by drawing all this attention to the distortions of these fanatical religious leaders, who are NOT part of mainstream Christianity, or of Islam for that matter, the press is making matters worse by creating a bigger splash to sell news and improve their ratings.

If I didn’t know better, I’d say that the press WANTS a war between the West and Islam.  Their reckless actions in covering these self-important preachers and imams are taking us someplace that we don’t want to be.

The press needs to handle this MUCH more responsibly.

Hate Pastors and Imams Need to Get Out of the News: Media Organizations Shouldn’t Give Them Another Second of Coverage

The news media has been stirring several stories and given them more coverage than they deserve.  And they need to reverse their course.

I’m speaking of the continuing coverage that they’ve given to Westboro Baptist Church, which appeared on the radar several years ago due to their anti-homosexual agenda and their protests at military funerals, which is detestable.  

They gave Jerimiah Wright too much coverage, due to his connection to President Obama.

Now they’re devoting WAY too much time to the Koran-burning church in Florida and the support that Westboro Baptist Church is (sort of) giving to them.  And the attempts of the Florida church pastor to tie in his ill-advised Koran burning to the mosque plans in New York City, which was never mentioned when he scheduled his Koran burning for 9/11.

And the same thing goes for the planned mosque in New York City.  It does not appear that the imam in charge won’t change course, though his investors might for the right price.  And now Donald Trump is throwing his two cents in, offering to buy the property to get the mosque out of the news.  I think the investor is holding out for mo’ money.

And the liberal media loudly booed Trump for getting involved.  Shame on them for booing Trump’s attempt  to end the mosque controversy, and denying them further material to cover.  That’s what they’re really demonizing Trump about.

I’m not saying that the media  shouldn’t don’t cover the subjects, but don’t OVER-COVER it, which they have already done too much of.  These idiots love the coverage that they are getting.  The media shouldn’t interrupt their programming to cover live press conferences from these idiots, and offer detailed analysis afterwards.  That’s severe overkill.

Nothing that these people are doing warrants live coverage.    ENOUGH, ALREADY!

In Light of Danger to Troops in Afghanistan, Florida Church Should Probably Cancel Plan to Burn Korans on September 11th

There’s been a controversy brewing in Florida, ever since a church decided that it was a good idea to burn a pile of Korans on the ninth anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks.  The controversy has gone international, and may have serious repercussions for U.S. and international troops in Afghanistan.

The Dove World Outreach Center says that “Islam is of the devil” and that the church is obligated to carry out the burning because the Koran is not God’s word, is “totalitarian, and….teaches idolatry, paganism, rites and rituals.”  Over the last week, there have been large protests in cities across Afghanistan, and across the Muslim world.

In fact, the military brass is so concerned that General Petraus has gone to the press, expressing concern that the action might play directly into the hands of the Taliban and other groups who are fighting against the coalition in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I think there is merit to what Washington and the military leaders are saying.  Anything that derails efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan, and the eventual withdrawal of international troops should not be tolerated.

The church does have a right to express itself, and I’m not in total disagreement with what they say, but how they express themselves makes me worry about the troops.  They’re in enough danger already.  And how many of our embassies in other Muslim countries will be burned to the ground if this book burning goes forward?

I would encourage the Dove World Outreach Center to cancel their current plan and come up with a way to express themselves that doesn’t cause more people to join the fighting against our forces.   That’s the last thing that the troops need.  

Glenn Beck Rally Was Interesting to Watch, But the Debate Over How Many People Were at the Rally is Just as Interesting

Fox News commentator Glenn Beck held his rally over the weekend at the Lincoln Memorial; an interesting conflict has broken out in between media outlets as to how many actually attended.

CBS News reported 87,000 people in attendance, with a margin of error of +/- 9,000.

MSNBC reported 500,000 people. The New York Times reported in the neighborhood of 300,000 people. NBC News’s Domenico Montanaro tweeted that he thought the number was around 325,000 people, based on what someone at the National Park Service told him.

Liberal bloggers reported 30,000. They must have been drunk or stoned.

Here’s something else that’s curious. I found this link to the rally, and an event marshal turning people away from the event, saying that the park was at capacity at the 2:00 mark of the video. The capacity of the National Mall is 2.1 million people. What gives?

Two possibilities (out of many): Beck reserved the park for 300,000 people, and the NPS decided to not allow any more to enter as they were at the 300,000 person mark. Or there were 2.1 million people there. I’m more inclined to believe the former. Even Beck said that there weren’t a million people there.

There is a possibility that the Beck rally outdrew the MLK rally of 47 years ago, which liberals are angrily in the process of denying. They’re still in a state of shock.

I don’t have a dog in this particular fight, but I’m really enjoying the bantering going on.

There’s nothing like a liberal belief being shaken to its core by an upstart conservative, especially a lunatic like Beck. The liberals can’t grapple with him; they come up short, even when Beck makes outlandish statements and is forced into minor retreats, like his statement that Obama is a racist, which he did pull back from.

And if liberals are wondering where in the world Beck came from, remember this: he worked for CNN first. Can you imagine what would have happened if he was still working for CNN and managed to pull this off? They’d be having hissy fits and calling for his head.

This is GREAT stuff!

UK and France to Share Their Navy Aircraft Carriers: This Will Never Work

The United Kingdom and France are talking about sharing their aircraft carriers.  Prime Minister Cameron of the UK and President Sarkozy of France are scheduled to meet in November to discuss this idea, which is a bad one.

French and British interests often differ, and the respective navies are no different.  Can you imagine the American and Russian navies sharing three aircraft carriers for the expressed purpose of saving money?  It certainly wouldn’t work for us. 

Does France really need an aircraft carrier?   They don’t throw their military power around without the United States being involved first.  They’d rather keep their military at home.

The Charles de Gaulle was put into service in 2001, but construction began on the ship in 1989.  Work was stopped four times due to funding issues in the French economy.   And the entire French Navy has suffered as well.  French naval specialists have criticized the French government for allowing their Navy to fall into disrepair.

The British have two active carriers, HMS Ark Royal and HMS Illustrious, with one in reserve, with two more under construction (HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth).  They’re cutting government spending, and are looking for a way to save money on their carriers. 

What the British ought to do is phase out the two active carriers, and the reserve carrier, and go with the two new ones, and forget about the French.  They are still a maritime power and need their carriers to defend the Falklands, and other British interests around the world, which sometimes conflict with French national interests.

Seriously though, what do the French need more aircraft carriers for?  For them it’s a huge waste of money, if they don’t take care of their Navy.

Commentator Had It Right When He Said That Government Hurricane Response is Different on Two U.S. Coasts: Gulf Coast—Ho Hum, East Coast—FULL ALERT!!

I was online earlier today, and came across a commentator who said that the federal government response to Hurricane Earl’s approaching the eastern seaboard of the United States is radically different than the federal response to a hurricane approaching the Gulf Coast.

Currently, it’s “gee, there’s a hurricane approaching the Gulf states.  Let’s wait it out and see what’s going to happen.”  Compare to the East Coast response taken from headlines today: “FULL ALERT!!  MASS EVACUATIONS!!  CATEGORY 5!!  SIDESWIPE!!”

It should be the same response on both coasts.  The federal government should be springing into action whenever a hurricane approaches our coast, and not just on the East Coast.

There are those who are saying that the government wants to be on top of this approaching storm, given their very slow response to the BP oil disaster in the Gulf, to show that they’ve made improvements to their responses.

If that’s true, it’s cheap theatrics.  I’m not impressed so far.

Religion Questions About Obama Threaten to Sidetrack the Opposition: They Need to Focus Their Attention on the Damage Obama’s POLICIES Are Causing, Not Whether He’s a Muslim or Not

I’ve been watching this debate over whether Obama is a Christian, or a Muslim, or an agnostic, or whatever label he’s choosing to describe his religious beliefs.  And I don’t think it’s helping to defeat his agenda, which is continuing to advance.

In the end, it’s his secular POLICIES that will push us into an unprecedented economic collapse.  The anti-Obama religious stuff isn’t particularly helpful to dealing with all the problems that we have directly in front of us.  He’s spending much more, much faster, on failed economic policies that have long been disproven. 

There is WAY too much to deal with without adding “Obama is a Muslim” to the list.  It’s time to drop this debate and start talking balanced budget amendment, and getting government spending under control, before we’re sold off into economic slavery to the Chinese.

That scares me more than whether Obama is a Muslim or not. 

Look at it this way: our country has survived ALL the religious persuasions (or lack thereof) of all 43 Presidents prior to President Obama.  We’ll survive his religious persuasion as well.

I’d rather see us focused on fixing the government and the economy instead of this debate, which is nothing but a huge distraction and plays squarely into President Obama’s hands, as he continues to push damaging legislation through.

Get focused, people!

Mosque at 9/11 Site Shouldn’t Proceed: Hypocrisy on Display by Politicians and Media Over This Entire Affair

As a country, we have gone out of our way to show that we respect Muslim sensitivities around the world, instructing our soldiers not to enter mosques in Iraq and Afghanistan, or to damage those mosques during combat operations. 

Here at home, we are being told that we have to respect Muslim holidays, to not use offensive terms to describe Arabs and Muslims, and to not associate the word “terrorist” with the word Islam.  In short, we are extending every courtesy to those of the Islamic faith.

We have grown to be very sensitive to Muslim sensitivities.

So why the hell don’t they realize that they’re offending AMERICAN sensitivities, by putting up a mosque and a cultural center on the very doorstep of one of the worst atrocities in American history, carried out by Islamic extremists?

Our idiot politicians aren’t doing enough to protect American interests in this matter, subordinating our interests and our sensitivities to their version of political correctness.

This is like the controversy that erupted in Poland, with the construction of a coventry near the grounds of the Auschwitz death camp.   In that situation, Jewish leaders protested, and the coventry was eventually shut down.  

9/11 is not in the same ballpark as the Holocaust, but the the controversies that erupted after both events aren’t entirely dissimilar. 

The people pushing for the creation of this Muslim shrine in the shadow of the twin towers  should either scale back their plan, or construct this religious institution in a location that isn’t as traumatized or sensitized to it.

The last thing we need is for someone to try to destroy this mosque, should it be built.  We don’t need religious wars starting up here.

This is not about freedom of religion.  This is about freedom of speech, and political attempts to shut down the exercise of that  free speech. 

Shame on us, Mayor Bloomberg, Mr. Cultural Diversity himself, for raising valid viewpoints?  No, no, no.  Shame on Mayor Bloomberg for being a blooming idiot,  for ignoring his oath of office and for trying to silence those who have a differing viewpoint than his own. 

Mr. Thought Cop ought to practice what he preaches—a little MORE diversity.

Why Has The Mainstream Media Focused SO MUCH ATTENTION on Drug Addict Lohan??! Surely There Are More Worthy Subjects to Focus In On

I cannot believe how much attention the media is giving to drug addict and sometimes actress Lindsay Lohan.

Part of the reason she’s going into rehab is that she can’t hack being in the media spotlight.   Give her some breathing room and let her do what she must to get better.

As for the media itself, aren’t there better stories out there to report on??!  This celebrity obsession is extremely unhealthy.

Federal Lawsuit Against Arizona Reeks of Stupidity: The Feds Need to READ the Arizona Law IN ITS ENTIRETY as Their Lawsuit is Based on False Information and Assumptions

Will someone in the Obama Administration please read the Arizona immigration law IN ITS ENTIRETY?  I don’t think a single person with a “D” after their name has.  Obama sure hasn’t.  Nor has his incompetent Attorney General.  Nor has anyone in President Obama’s cabinet.  Democrats in Congress sure haven’t.

I hope that Arizona files a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking a court order to force the government to enforce ALL existing federal laws along the ENTIRE Arizona/Mexico border, and not just certain sectors.

What do they need, bodies of dead American families found in their own homes, wiped out by Mexican drug lords who are currently waging a war against the Mexican government just over the border?

Obama needs to move the army up to the border, and issue orders that any Mexican gangs who are running roughshod over the border and firing on American border patrol agents on the American side of the line should be blown straight to hell!

Engaging in a frivilous lawsuit against a law that ONLY challenges the citizenship of people who are accused of a crime…that’s all that the Arizona law says, and nothing else.  This federal lawsuit should be thrown out immediately.  What a waste of time and resources!

Internet Kill Switch: Sounds Like a Way to Kill Free Speech as Well as Stopping Cyber Attacks

Last week, President Obama signed a measure into law that gives him the authority to protect U.S. web assets from cyber attack, by having the U.S. part of the web shut down for up to 120 days.

Sounds like a really good way to isolate people from one another, to prevent the exchange of free ideas, and to prevent the American people from learning about whatever the government is working so hard to keep from them, until it’s too late.

They should be focused on firewalling the country’s internet access, and learning how to keep the Internet up and running while waging a cyber war against an attacker.

I don’t like the idea of having to shut down the Internet to stop a cyber attack.   But if the American government now considers cyber attacks a threat to national security, they need to shift gears and adapt quickly to the growing threat from cyber attacks through use of other means.

Israel Does Have a Right to Search for Weapons on Ships Entering Gaza: But Once They’ve Been Searched, Those Ships Should Be Allowed to Dock in Gaza

Israel created a huge brew-ha-ha on the high seas last week, when Israeli naval troops boarded several Turkish vessels and impounded the ships, cargoes and people aboard them.  On one ship, the activists resisted, and a fight broke out, which left nine of the activists dead and many others—activists and Israeli commandoes—hurt.

Israel has kept Gaza under blockade and has promised to maintain the blockade, so long as Hamas clings to power and continues to launch an array of weapons across the border into Israel.

Hamas has bombarded Israeli cities with rocket fire for a long time, and Israel doesn’t want them to be rearmed by Syria and Iran, with even deadlier weapons via the sea.

Israel does have a right to search those ships for weapons, in the same way that the United States imposed a blockade on Cuba to prevent nuclear weapons on Soviet ships from reaching Cuban ports during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The world feigns outrage at the Israeli actions, but casts a blind eye on Hamas bombarding Israeli cities with sophisticated weapons from Iran and other countries.  This isn’t right or fair.

The international community has no right to ask Israel to lower its defenses without presenting a viable alternative.  It should be that Turkey and other naval powers take over the blockade and stop ships carrying weapons from reaching Gaza.  Once they’re inspected and declared weapons-free, they should be able to set sail straight into Gaza.

Or have the cargoes inspected in their home ports before departure, by Israeli and other international inspectors, thereby making a boarding at sea unnecessary.  They could sail straight into Gaza without delay.

There is a lot of room for compromise here, as I see it. 

I am in agreement that the current system cannot stand, but for crying out loud, the world should offer Israel something in return.  I am also of the opinion the a UN peacekeeping force should take up residence in Gaza as well.

Any talk of a UN probe is suspect, given the UN’s reputation for focusing on Israel and ignoring the Hamas actions which started Israeli action to stop whatever Hamas is doing.  Nothing’s changed.

“Traitors” in My Prior Post Was Correct: Here’s Why

In my next-to-last post, I called certain members of Congress “traitors” for standing and applauding the hypocritical Mexican President as he railed against Arizona’s anti-border crossing measures.

I’ve gotten some feedback, with mixed results, in the last week.  I’m taking it all in stride, but this subject is worth another post.

I called them “traitors” for caring more about Mexican citizens than about the American citizens who have been murdered by Mexican criminals who came across the border illegally.

I called them “traitors” for not standing up against Phoenix becoming the kidnapping capital of our country.  

I called them “traitors” for failing to look at statistics: 80% of all immigration officer deaths were at the hands of illegals.  35% of the entire federal prison population is illegal immigrants, and 20% of Arizona’s prison population are illegals.   Ship them home and ease the overcrowding in our own prisons!

70% of Arizona’s population support SB1070.  ‘That’s pure democracy that they’re trying to overturn.

Congress needs to get with the program, and Obama needs to fire his attorney general for saying that he won’t enforce federal laws.  This is pure electioneering.

The Mexicans need to get their own house in order before telling us how to run ours.  They have no room to be criticizing us when their own immigration policy is even stricter than Arizona’s.  And Mexico needs to get their drug lords under control.\

Time for Mexico to put up, or shut up.  And Obama’s party needs to follow suit.

Kilpatrick Should Not Have Been Put in Jail: His Ability to Repay the City of Detroit is All But Destroyed

The state really messed up when they put Kwame Kilpatrick, the disgraced former Mayor of Detroit, back into prison for the next eighteen months to five years.

When he was sentenced, he also lost his $100,000 a year  job in Texas.  So instead of him making whatever payments he can over the next five years, they’ve chosen to get reimbursed nothing.

Did they just shoot themselves in the foot or what?  Yes, he needed to be taught a lesson, but Detroit can’t afford to be foregoing any income.   In this case, it would have been better to come up with a solution that allowed him to keep his job and keep making payments.

A little more common sense down there, please.

Traitors in Congress Cheer Meddling Mexican President as He Criticizes Arizona’s Recent Legislation: Caulderon Should Keep Mexican Crime on HIS Side of the Fence Before Criticizing U.S. Attempts to Control HIS Criminals on OUR Side of the Border

Every Democrat and Republican who stood up and cheered as Mexican President Caulderon criticized the state of Arizona over their attempts to protect their people should turn in their resignations and walk straight out the door, never to return.  

We’ll definitely remember in November.

And the Mexican President has the unmitigated gall to come into OUR House of Representatives, to complain about our treatment of HIS criminals??!  He needs to get HIS own house in order before telling us how to run OURS!   He’s the biggest hypocrite north or south of the Rio Grande.

And the liberal Democrats who stood up and cheered should be ashamed of themselves.  First they didn’t read the legislation.  Then they criticized what they didn’t read.  And then they cheered one of the architects of the chaos along our southern border.  We don’t want Mexico’s problems in any of the border states.  Mexico can fend for itself.  Why hasn’t it already CRUSHED the drug gangs with its army?

I do not like it when Mexicans illegally cross our borders in the first place.  And I don’t like it when they cry about not having American citizenship, then throw it back in our faces with these demonstrations, carrying Mexican flags.  They can go wipe their butts with their Mexican flags.  Demonstrating for American citizenship with Mexican flags…they come to us begging for what they want, then insult us.  What are we to think?

The message that many of us are getting is that they want to become Americans to be Mexicans.  

What’s the point of their applying for citizenship here if they have no intention of contributing to our society, to making it better?  They can stay in Mexico and be Mexicans, and contribute to the betterment of Mexican society.  They sure need it, and we don’t need to be giving out freebies to illegals here.

Obama Apologizes for Arizona’s “Human Rights Violations”: He Should Apologize for His Mishandling of Border Security

President Obama has apologized to China for Arizona’s immigrant security law, which he has labeled a “human rights violation.”

I think it’s a very sad state of affairs when a sitting U.S. President apologizes for a law that is designed to protect AMERICAN CITIZENS—including immigrants who followed the law and came here legally, and went through the naturalization process— from being MURDERED in their own homes and KIDNAPPED on their own U.S. streets by ILLEGALS.  People in Arizona who live along the border live in constant fear.  Is this Obama’s version of “ensuring domestic tranquility?”

Obama should have apologized to the people of Arizona for the federal government FAILING to do it’s job and ENFORCING the law, and PROTECTING the border.

But instead, he’s caught apologizing for what IS (again), and kissing Chinese tail (again).

Can we have a recall election for President Obama in November as well?

Gordon Brown is Out, and David Cameron is In as British Prime Minister: What the UK Does to Cut Its Budget Should Be Watched by Obama Administration Officials as We Should Be Doing the Same Thing

It’s been a week of high drama in the United Kingdom as they had a general election, had a hung parliament in terms of no party capturing a majority of the seats in that election, and then all the haggling between the parties to form the next British government.

In the end, David Cameron’s Conservative Party joined forces with the Liberal Democratic Party; Cameron is now the Prime Minister; the leader of the Liberal Democrats is deputy PM.  The cabinet has members of both parties taking up key positions.

President Obama needs to carefully watch what the British do with their budget in the next several months.  If their measures work and Britain is able to stay on an even keel while refraining from exploding their deficit, as Obama is currently doing to the U.S. debt, then perhaps we can pull back from the abyss as well, using parts of the British model.

Cutting the U.S. debt load immediately would be a smart move.  April was UGLY in terms of how much debt was added on: four times higher than in April 2009, and an all-time record for  budget deficits in a month.

And President Obama’s team seems to think that they have to spend massive amounts of money to keep the economy afloat.   This is flawed thinking, and they have to shift gears, before it’s too late.

GM’s Hokey Loan Repayment: They Used A Different Federal Loan to Repay the TARP Loan

GM’s announcement that they had repaid their federal loan in full was done by using money from another federal loan to take care of the TARP loan that they received after going into bankruptcy.

Guess what!!  GM is STILL on the hook, except now they owe even more.  Way to go, GM!

DISGRACEFUL!   And now, a question: since the statement was done in a commercial and played across the country on national TV, can the FCC sue for false advertising?

The only good news coming from GM right now is that they’re making money.  In the end, that’s what matters, but they need to come clean with what they did to “repay” their loan “in full.” 

President Obama Manages to Nominate Someone Even Less Qualified Than Bush’s Harriet Meyers for U.S. Supreme Court: Pick a Judge, Please

I seem to remember a political firestorm a couple of years ago when then-President George W. Bush nominated Harriet Meyers to the Supreme Court.  And I didn’t disagree when Harriet Meyers decided to withdraw her nomination.  Bush was loudly criticized for being an “idiot” for choosing an “obviously” unqualified person for the U.S. Supreme Court.

Now, President Obama has nominated someone who has never even BEEN a judge, just someone who whitewashed a plagiarism scandal at Harvard University.

So if Bush was an idiot for nominating “unqualified” Meyers, what does that make Obama for nominating non-judge and even-less qualified Kagan?

Looks like it’s back to the drawing board, and pick a judge, please, Mr. President.

AMERICAN Students Sent Home For Wearing AMERICAN FLAGS on May 5th: Political Correctness Crowd Running Amok Over Rights of Americans in Favor of Foreign Holidays

What kind of monkey business is this??!

American high school students were sent home to change their shirts on May 5th because they decided to wear the flag of their country to express their viewpoint that not everyone celebrates Mexican holidays.

The administrators of this high school should resign and apologize for dishonoring their country’s flag. 

This is the United States, not Mexico.  And any school on U.S. territory currently flying the Mexican flag rather than the American flag should remove those Mexican flags and run the Stars and Stripes up the pole, IMMEDIATELY!  And any Mexican that doesn’t like that can make a run for the border, AND STAY THERE!

Cultural sensitivity, my afterburner!  Liberal ilk imposing their viewpoints on everyone else is what this is!

Obama Doesn’t Fit the Traditional Mold for a Socialist: Pegging the President on the Political Board

There has been an ongoing debate on whether President Obama is a socialist, and my view is that he is not.  He’s a liberal, but not a traditional one at that, either.

A socialist would have been pushing for the complete nationalization of the financial system, from top to bottom, as Chavez of Venezuela and Castro of Cuba have done to their own countries.  Obama hasn’t done that.   He’s helped to create a system with a kill switch built into it; when the banks stabilize and pay back the government, they’re off the hook. 

To date, the American taxpayer has been paid back $587 billion of the original $787 billion that the government loaned out to the banks.

Socialists do not want Obama’s health care plan either.   Under a Socialist plan, there would be no crushing after-care bills that will still bankrupt entire families; the Socialist model calls for Cadillac-style plans for everybody. 

According to Bill Wharton over at the Washington Post, Obama’s plan underinsures everybody in the name of universal health care.  And there’s still the possibility of catastrophic bills that could push a family or individual into bankruptcy if an individual or family uses up their “allotment” of health care. 

I am opposed to both ideas, as both are prohibitively expensive to the American taxpayer.  We can no more afford the Socialist plan than we can President Obama’s.

According to the Socialist web site, the official Socialist party line is to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan and Iraq immediately, to close all of our overseas bases and to “unconditionally disarm.”  Obama has set a deadline in Iraq, but not one in Afghanistan.  And he wants to expand our involvement in Pakistan and elsewhere in the world, and upgrade our nuclear weapons platforms.   So he doesn’t match up there either, though he has called for a nuclear weapons-free world, while taking steps to upgrade America’s nuclear arsenal.

At first, I thought he was a socialist, but the more I researched it, the more I realized that the dots just didn’t connect.  The Socialist platform is as radical an agenda as I’ve ever seen, and even a leftist like Obama has openly rejected major parts of it.

Make no mistake, I think his agenda is very bad news.   And we don’t  know what is coming next, though we have a general idea.

President Obama’s brand of liberalism is darn peculiar and difficult to pin down.  But this man isn’t a socialist: he belongs to a branch of liberal thought that IS far to the left of center, and is quite radical.  Beyond that, the picture is still out of focus.

There is a label out there for Obama’s brand of liberalism, but “socialism” isn’t the best fit for it.