tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86614595845265090752024-01-27T04:42:05.307-08:00Critical NarrativeAn examination of certain political, narrative, and academic issues from a reasonably conservative perspective.yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.comBlogger1083125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-19118601670266536212014-11-26T12:26:00.002-08:002014-11-26T12:26:14.275-08:00Sorry I've Been Gone So Long But Been Having Computer Problems and Blogger Won't Let my Portable Write in the Body of theText So I'll Be Back After Thanksgiving. Have a Good One!yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-76756627274273396772014-11-12T22:29:00.003-08:002014-11-12T22:29:39.289-08:00Gallup: Majority in U.S. Want GOP in Congress to Set Nation's Course<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TRlIfoJ2tWgVad5In7OOPGp45YomZwVS9SCgmcez1kFQaKeREgkSD_qOgah8-Gl0XNRT2EiXPNL4AkgpdYMZvi14PEB_OUcqCx-raE_nD2GlEkMGNPNHZ_iCKBthYOcC0qoiUhbsREM/s1600/00+gallup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TRlIfoJ2tWgVad5In7OOPGp45YomZwVS9SCgmcez1kFQaKeREgkSD_qOgah8-Gl0XNRT2EiXPNL4AkgpdYMZvi14PEB_OUcqCx-raE_nD2GlEkMGNPNHZ_iCKBthYOcC0qoiUhbsREM/s400/00+gallup.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chart from Gallup article linked below</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3f6abPUoZDGYjf9zxJhOPGnvqzIdIvs2-D6qnh2UNXcpnM0m01AZLuOlSegvyfyLNssH96JcwOfG4BvHUdtJvGjHs0NIFI76QKfmjsBlSeBbVlkKpUgBdjQ7TYoS-Vdofq0umhhjKz-o/s1600/__obama+screaming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3f6abPUoZDGYjf9zxJhOPGnvqzIdIvs2-D6qnh2UNXcpnM0m01AZLuOlSegvyfyLNssH96JcwOfG4BvHUdtJvGjHs0NIFI76QKfmjsBlSeBbVlkKpUgBdjQ7TYoS-Vdofq0umhhjKz-o/s400/__obama+screaming.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"You folks think a wretched election can stop me?! Think again!"</td></tr>
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<br />
Change.<br />
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<a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/179339/majority-gop-congress-set-nation-course.aspx">From Gallup</a>: <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Republicans' 17-percentage-point edge over Obama on this measure exceeds what they earned after the 2010 midterm, when Americans favored Republicans by an eight-point margin (49% to 41%). It also eclipses the nine-point advantage Republicans had over Bill Clinton following the 1994 midterm in which Republicans captured the majority of both houses. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[...] </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The midterm election provided a clear signal as to which party voters want to control Congress. That message is echoed in the results of the latest Gallup poll showing Americans expressly asking for the Republicans -- rather than Obama -- to guide the direction the country takes in the next year. But, after four years of partisan gridlock, most Americans are not optimistic that the election's outcome will improve things.</blockquote>
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Don't worry though. Obama said that he heard the voices of all those who <em>didn't</em> vote... and all of them want the American middle class to continue being punished. <br />
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yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-3491074852924783232014-11-12T22:07:00.004-08:002014-11-12T22:08:01.317-08:00Wednesday Funnies: 10 Hours of Princess Leia Walking in NYC<br />
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What can you expect when walking about in a wretched hive of scum and villainy? Oh, New York. Sorry, I was thinking of Washington DC. My bad. <br />
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<br />yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-33461523913888994982014-11-10T15:47:00.005-08:002014-11-10T16:19:25.452-08:00Video: ObamaCare Architect Says ObamaCare Passed Due to "Lack of Transparency" and "the Stupidity of the American Voter"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPydnBzb1g_I8y9ewPOn3CJon8WXxcv0q3-_12XopB1Bdt6xryADOxqN1mYTCLwyU9R5Z4jlqI7LEQJ_S_bAVdIjQ3DAy2vrEnex6j4BZU7EfHcXxABOchVnjL7nf7gZwgenCcbOoAoJc/s1600/Obama-circle1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPydnBzb1g_I8y9ewPOn3CJon8WXxcv0q3-_12XopB1Bdt6xryADOxqN1mYTCLwyU9R5Z4jlqI7LEQJ_S_bAVdIjQ3DAy2vrEnex6j4BZU7EfHcXxABOchVnjL7nf7gZwgenCcbOoAoJc/s1600/Obama-circle1.jpg" height="400" width="396" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazingly, people who release these kind of pictures are trying to lie and deceive you. Weird, I know. Most people working hard to deify a leader are usually so trustworthy...</td></tr>
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<br />
Gloating about lying to and deceiving the the American public. These people have no shame-- which should surprise no one, by the way. (Video by way of <a href="http://dailysignal.com/2014/11/09/caught-camera-obamacare-architect-admits-deceiving-americans-pass-law/">The Daily Signal</a> h/t Instapundit)<br />
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The man in the video is Johnathan Gruber, an economist at MIT, who helped write the Affordable Care Act-- ObamaCare. Have a listen:<br />
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<br />
So let's see here, Gruber says <br />
<br />
(a) that the bill was intentionally written so that the CBO would not score the individual mandate as a tax-- although the Supreme Court would of course rule that the mandate is a tax so that the law could be ruled constitutional. Furthermore, Gruber acknowledges that the bill dies if the CBO scores it as tax, which is undoubtedly true.<br />
<br />
(b) the bill was written to intentionally deceive so that people would not understand that healthy people would be paying more to support the ill.<br />
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(c) that "lack of transparency is a huge political advantage."<br />
<br />
(d) that "the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but basically that was really, really critical for the thing to pass."<br />
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Nice. And classic Leftism, by the way. <br />
<br />
Does anyone remember when Obama was grating on about how transparent his presidency was going to be? I believe MSNBC still touts that trash. <br />
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Of course all of this was pointed out by me and other critics of ObamaCare. We were called "racist" and "delusional" and "conspiracy theorists" for saying this. But then we're all just stupid proles who don't know what's best for us. <br />
<br />
Remember, people like Gruber and Obama are your betters. Do not think for yourself. Do not criticize. If you have an opinion, do not voice it. And realize that your betters will lie, deceive, and insult you. But don't worry. It's all for you own good.<br />
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<br />yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-4265440699806172642014-11-08T14:15:00.002-08:002014-11-08T14:16:09.356-08:00Obama's Pet $1.6 Billion Solar Plant Needs $500+ Million Bailout<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoSHkLplpbZbP0c869hBrlrke0I0b6Q6nE5j8mOiFmw8ALS4_HuzlednqUs05O-gZ6whO3JsHtPQDOZxtfuSjlFBGVIPzxN8UwjDaweV6X068a-VHIFNMJS3wA1-f7QGR6djFa0k4aRnI/s1600/obama+hope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoSHkLplpbZbP0c869hBrlrke0I0b6Q6nE5j8mOiFmw8ALS4_HuzlednqUs05O-gZ6whO3JsHtPQDOZxtfuSjlFBGVIPzxN8UwjDaweV6X068a-VHIFNMJS3wA1-f7QGR6djFa0k4aRnI/s1600/obama+hope.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I deem this plant profitable and economically sustainable-- even though it needs a gift of more than half-a-billion dollars of your money. You folks can all thank me later."</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrRIJAsfHpV8VRQ4m93rCERYgK_8GYTHi7VWFs5xWExLD6CMAToVlDGkGMHjbUfY4DogBaduDXl2aZ57cxqO2UQT_jCBd1t6EDOpSLkrs8RRcLeWUr4vb-MHvyWtVGapBJ1UaEGCEYbg/s1600/00+ivanpah-plant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrRIJAsfHpV8VRQ4m93rCERYgK_8GYTHi7VWFs5xWExLD6CMAToVlDGkGMHjbUfY4DogBaduDXl2aZ57cxqO2UQT_jCBd1t6EDOpSLkrs8RRcLeWUr4vb-MHvyWtVGapBJ1UaEGCEYbg/s1600/00+ivanpah-plant.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(pic from <a href="http://www.dailytech.com/Largest+Solar+Thermal+Plant+Ivanpah+Goes+Live+Commercially/article34333.htm">DailyTech</a>)</td></tr>
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<br />
It's Obamanomics in action! Get money from limitless source (such as middle class taxpayers), blow it on some piece of sh*t that doesn't work and/or makes no economic sense, then request or demand more money from said limitless source and/or complain about racism. <br />
<br />
Brilliant!<br />
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<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/11/08/world-largest-solar-plant-applying-for-federal-grant-to-pay-off-its-federal/">From Fox News</a> (via <a href="http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/11/obamas-1-6-billion-dollar-ivanpah-solar-plant-cant-pay-its-bills-needs-bailout/">Gateway Pundit</a>): <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
After already receiving <strong>a controversial $1.6 billion construction loan from U.S. taxpayers</strong>, the wealthy investors of a California solar power plant <strong>now want a $539 million federal grant to pay off their federal loan</strong>. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"This is an attempt by very large cash generating companies that have billions on their balance sheet to get a federal bailout, i.e. a bailout from us - the taxpayer for their pet project," said Reason Foundation VP of Research Julian Morris. "It's actually rather obscene." </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Ivanpah solar electric generating plant is owned by Google and renewable energy giant NRG, which are responsible for paying off their federal loan. If approved by the U.S. Treasury, the two corporations will not use their own money, but taxpayer cash to pay off 30 percent of the cost of their plant, but <strong>taxpayers will receive none of the millions in revenues the plant will generate over the next 30 years</strong>. [That may not be a big deal, since this thing is economically suspect at best.]</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"They're <strong>already paying less than the market rate</strong>," said Morris, author of a lengthy report detailing alleged cronyism and corruption in the Obama administration's green energy programs. "Now demanding or asking for a subsidy in the form of a grant directly paying off the loan is an egregious abuse." </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
NRG doesn't see it that way, telling Fox News the money is there for the taking."NRG believes in a clean and sustainable energy future and therefore participates in available government programs to develop and expand the use of clean energy to accelerate America’s energy independence." In 2013, the <strong>Obama administration handed out $18.5 billion in renewable energy grants, with $4.4 billion going to solar projects</strong>. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Ivanpah is the largest concentrated solar power plant in the world. It was unveiled in February with great fanfare. Dr. Ernest Moniz, the U.S. Secretary of Energy, justified taxpayers' investment at the time, saying, "We want to be technology leaders. It's good for our economy and it’s also good for helping stimulate the global transition to low carbon." </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
But since then the plant has not lived up to its clean energy promise. <strong>According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the plant produced only about a quarter of the power it's supposed to</strong>, a disappointing 254,263 megawatt-hours of electricity from January through August, not the million megawatt-hours it promised. [emphasis mine]</blockquote>
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As an added bonus, the plant also kill birds at an alarming rate due to the fact that the plant's mirrors both attract and roast them alive. It's "speciesism" at its worst. <a href="http://soopermexican.com/2014/10/14/heres-a-video-of-an-animal-activist-screeching-insanely-at-people-eating-chicken/">So, that young woman who adopted that rescue chicken "Snow" probably doesn't like it much</a>. <br />
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But let's remember that Obama and cronies didn't fail us all with the solar plant, the sun and the solar plant failed them. Probably because of racism and ungovernable people and such...<br />
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<br />yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-5088085155966470952014-11-05T15:18:00.000-08:002014-11-05T15:18:29.425-08:00Fast & Furious Documents Finally Released to Congress<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKj6PFLrB-47yQ3-aORRZrTFGxVmxC2U9pFtdCClak-x1U7Xt172wmRqWYYO8nmmjl1Klrq51h2M7TleyUBEMtErHfzR1rtrWN3qSn4y9BF4Wbgqdlxit9zx01N3T90_gXySo6sXSMaN0/s1600/obama-dream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKj6PFLrB-47yQ3-aORRZrTFGxVmxC2U9pFtdCClak-x1U7Xt172wmRqWYYO8nmmjl1Klrq51h2M7TleyUBEMtErHfzR1rtrWN3qSn4y9BF4Wbgqdlxit9zx01N3T90_gXySo6sXSMaN0/s1600/obama-dream.jpg" height="400" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/morford/article/Is-Obama-an-enlightened-being-Spiritual-wise-2544395.php">The Light-bringer</a> sayeth: "When trying to sway public opinion regarding gun control, sometimes a few folks have to die. Also George Bush did it."</td></tr>
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Yeah, releasing the papers on Tuesday during the election. The Obama Admin. does <em>everything</em> it can to conceal. Of course, with the abysmal record and the various illegal activities, I suppose that's to be expected. <br />
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So let's not overlook this, even in the aftermath of this wave election. This idiotic operation, which was almost certainly a purely political operation to move forward then gun control agenda, is directly linked to the murders of hundreds of Mexicans and the killing of U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry. <br />
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<a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/nov/4/justice-dept-submits-64k-pages-fast-furious-docs/#!">From <em>The Washington Times</em> article by Steve Dinan</a>: <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Justice Department sent Congress 64,280 pages of documents it had previously withheld from the botched Fast and Furious gun-walking operation on Tuesday, in a move Republicans said was an admission by President Obama that he overstepped his legal bounds. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Investigators had sought the documents for years, with the House even suing in federal court to force their release. Mr. Obama had asserted executive privilege, claiming the documents were part of the “deliberative process” of White House decision-making and therefore didn’t need to be divulged, but the court rejected those claims.</blockquote>
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So, do you wanna bet that the 64,000+ pages don't show that <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/09/president-obama-falsely-claims-fast-and-furious-program-begun-under-the-previous-administration/">George W. Bush was behind operation Fast & Furious as Obama publicly claimed</a>. <br />
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<br />yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-10363893058026783572014-11-04T22:50:00.001-08:002014-11-04T22:55:41.545-08:00GOP Wins the Senate!<br />
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Congrats to the GOP, but mostly this a rebuke of Obama. Get it GOP? Now stop acting like cowards and let's get rid of ObamaCare, reform the partisan IRS, EPA, DOJ, and other ABC government agencies. and let's bring back some lawful restraints against our imperial president. <br />
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In the meantime, a little celebration: <br />
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<br />yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-61064008098116768802014-11-04T12:08:00.001-08:002014-11-04T12:08:21.332-08:00Q: How is Obama's ISIS Strategy Going? A: Disastrously <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyps7-F7jY1jCTnnZccrvveKVuAcV8ng-82nJ3azT0awELg1IEPn6nQDKFIExc_8dolNC0OPIr5JXnDigcRGc9tq0rRpFaVdZILunYJQz0gUjzBgYZkg7BkKmHII0fdMqDVD6dwKIzJBo/s1600/00+michelle-girls-nigeria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyps7-F7jY1jCTnnZccrvveKVuAcV8ng-82nJ3azT0awELg1IEPn6nQDKFIExc_8dolNC0OPIr5JXnDigcRGc9tq0rRpFaVdZILunYJQz0gUjzBgYZkg7BkKmHII0fdMqDVD6dwKIzJBo/s1600/00+michelle-girls-nigeria.jpg" height="190" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcFiNrr9OfBeWwX5FtOpiqxahudzbUsOjPK5bsnsnneB1lgqfVLDUHiErEqrWRZGsnQlu_sRvkgY7pxCxdw9JADBaW7eyOYiw_w8jXIDCOwtfvYhtROQ4zixbzvlaLi13_8DFstV4SW98/s1600/00+statedepartment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcFiNrr9OfBeWwX5FtOpiqxahudzbUsOjPK5bsnsnneB1lgqfVLDUHiErEqrWRZGsnQlu_sRvkgY7pxCxdw9JADBaW7eyOYiw_w8jXIDCOwtfvYhtROQ4zixbzvlaLi13_8DFstV4SW98/s1600/00+statedepartment.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But the State Dept. and White House used sad faces and hashtags! What could've gone wrong?!</td></tr>
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Which is exactly how I and about 90% of those not smitten with Obama expected. <br />
<br />
And tell me, where are the hashtags? I mean, how can these people understand how disapproving the Obama State Department is without some lame hashtag and sad faces?<br />
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<a href="http://hotair.com/archives/2014/11/03/by-the-way-obamas-isis-strategy-has-all-but-collapsed-in-syria/">From Ed Morrissey at Hot Air</a>: <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Not too much attention has been paid to our efforts to “degrade and destroy ISIS” in the past few days. Perhaps the White House can find something in this election cycle for which to be grateful, because this Washington Post report on our efforts to use proxies for that mission would otherwise dominate the news cycle. Not only has <a href="http://hotair.com/archives/2014/10/23/us-training-syrian-opposition-for-defense-only-against-isis/" target="_blank">the US focused entirely on preparing our “moderate” allies in Syria for defense</a> rather than attacking ISIS, they turned out to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-backed-syria-rebels-routed-by-fighters-linked-to-al-qaeda/2014/11/02/7a8b1351-8fb7-4f7e-a477-66ec0a0aaf34_story.html?hpid=z1" target="_blank">be incompetent even at that effort</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
The Obama administration’s Syria strategy suffered a major setback Sunday after fighters linked to al-Qaeda routed U.S.-backed rebels from their main northern strongholds, capturing significant quantities of weaponry, triggering widespread defections and ending hopes that Washington will readily find Syrian partners in its war against the Islamic State.</blockquote>
It’s not just that they got defeated — some of them switched sides:<br />
<blockquote>
Moderate rebels who had been armed and trained by the United States either surrendered or defected to the extremists as the Jabhat al-Nusra group, affiliated with al-Qaeda, swept through the towns and villages the moderates controlled in the northern province of Idlib, in what appeared to be a concerted push to vanquish the moderate Free Syrian Army, according to rebel commanders, activists and analysts.<br />
Other moderate fighters were on the run, headed for the Turkish border as the extremists closed in, heralding a significant defeat for the rebel forces Washington had been counting on as a bulwark against the Islamic State.</blockquote>
Michael Totten says that <a href="http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/michael-j-totten/us-proxies-surrender-syria" target="_blank">Syria is gone</a>, and so is any hope of containing ISIS without boots on the ground:<br />
<blockquote>
They were bad proxies anyway. The Syrian Revolutionary Front was an Islamist organization. Less deranged than Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, sure, but it was still an Islamist organization. Harakat Hazm is more secular, but it consists of a measly 5,000 fighters while the Islamic State has as many as 100,000.<br />
Syria is gone. The only portions of that former country that may still be salvageable are the Kurdish scraps in the north. The Kurds are good fighters and they may be able to hold on with our help, but there is no chance they will ever destroy the Assad regime or the Islamic State. They don’t have the strength or the numbers.<br />
So unless the United States decides to invade outright with ground forces—and fat chance of that happening any time soon—we’re going to have to accept that the geographic abstraction once known as Syria will be a terrorist factory for the foreseeable future. </blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote>
[...] </blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote>
In other words, good luck trying to “degrade and destroy” ISIS through the weak proxies on either side of the former Iraqi-Syrian border. As Totten writes, until we decide that this mission is worth doing ourselves, it won’t get done at all — or will it? The AP reported today that Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait are considering the formation of a ground force to intervene in the conflict, which might help in Syria — but might touch off a bigger war, since those nations want to push Bashar al-Assad out of power, too, and counter the influence of Iran</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<br />
So, we could very well see a major war triggered by Obama's stupid withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. And all of this to score some political points with Obama's Leftist base. Nice job. <br />
<br />
It's odd that this Administration's two-pronged diplomatic strategy of putting pressure to the point of betrayal on Israel, while saying dumb and disingenuous crap to make Arabs feel better about themselves hasn't magically solved all the Middle East's problems. Weird. <br />
<br />
Of course, the Left's interests do not lie in what's best for the US and its allies the Middle East. It's mostly about what will make the American Left feel better about themselves. Undoing Bush's work in Iraq, pulling out of Afghanistan, and releasing terrorists from Guantanamo has never been about "doing good," but is instead about righting the imperialism and arrogance Americans have shown under Bush. If this results in a major war, or mass killing, or terrorist attacks, or beheadings then so be it. In fact, it then gives them a chance to show how impotently compassionate they are with their #BringBackOurGirls and #UnitedForUkraine campaigns. <br />
<br />
<br />yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-20386882161405432102014-11-04T11:16:00.002-08:002014-11-04T11:17:05.387-08:00Election Day! Make Sure You Vote!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdP1XlUotTKzaPOnu8vH7_0jNB1HJoO5LGZaP8ijgg4zd_AimJAXNe9V_t8O1tYSjb9lVTR7EIxV92pkTKT6kfDC6fahvyYvuPq_BIVyNL4NdrMgEFog6yOk3VVCqAbIGuXdib2mQ-x4/s1600/00+Bus-sign-Obama-2014-Manhasset-cropped-e1414728268965-620x436.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdP1XlUotTKzaPOnu8vH7_0jNB1HJoO5LGZaP8ijgg4zd_AimJAXNe9V_t8O1tYSjb9lVTR7EIxV92pkTKT6kfDC6fahvyYvuPq_BIVyNL4NdrMgEFog6yOk3VVCqAbIGuXdib2mQ-x4/s1600/00+Bus-sign-Obama-2014-Manhasset-cropped-e1414728268965-620x436.png" height="281" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pic from <a href="http://legalinsurrection.com/2014/11/pre-election-night-results-open-forum-mindless-prognostication-and-punditry-post/">Legal Insurrection</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Indeed. Make sure you get out and cast your ballot.<br />
<br />
<br />
yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-85663839410835984722014-10-31T02:17:00.001-07:002014-10-31T02:17:45.978-07:00Happy Halloween<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr43vaEBTEziwuwHU7Ltf88UtBVXq5LfokmtdD_iqlGKmsxIdpMGYX5LF_Pkae9Ve-zGfWCy17XTIsIpGjLzs-TkMrVj6TytwjhKCz8WkILLVU6tAFtGSMqmkF91eJp5vJyt0nMIDbUpY/s1600/halloween+cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr43vaEBTEziwuwHU7Ltf88UtBVXq5LfokmtdD_iqlGKmsxIdpMGYX5LF_Pkae9Ve-zGfWCy17XTIsIpGjLzs-TkMrVj6TytwjhKCz8WkILLVU6tAFtGSMqmkF91eJp5vJyt0nMIDbUpY/s1600/halloween+cat.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Have a Happy Halloween!<br />
<br />
<br />
yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-33387895593830024872014-10-29T14:33:00.003-07:002014-10-29T14:33:43.633-07:00Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Responds to Obama Administration "Chickensh*t" Comment<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDLBjaNUEnE_vWrK_XdDgw2_l4KoSIDOzviIW2rPxvyG7QIS0U7IAa7FG3P8tAYodUR8rOF9plxAS5kBWP6Dlhtq7qy6ohEHJVQD0zFlgtdLd-3B7053aQ22yGSgmXaMWJ4j6oQy9m4E/s1600/00+chicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDLBjaNUEnE_vWrK_XdDgw2_l4KoSIDOzviIW2rPxvyG7QIS0U7IAa7FG3P8tAYodUR8rOF9plxAS5kBWP6Dlhtq7qy6ohEHJVQD0zFlgtdLd-3B7053aQ22yGSgmXaMWJ4j6oQy9m4E/s1600/00+chicken.jpg" height="367" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A chickenshit and a fighter (<a href="https://twitter.com/dandayan/status/527229166400196608/photo/1">Photo and caption from Dani Danyan's Twitter</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Smart diplomacy, huh?<br />
<br />
I guess all of that is going with Obama's "don't do dumb shit, call an ally's head of state chickenshit" policy. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.pmo.gov.il/English/MediaCenter/Speeches/Pages/speechZeevi291014.aspx">From Prime Minister's Office website</a> (via <a href="http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/10/breaking-israeli-prime-minister-netanyahu-slams-obama-administrations-chickensht-attack/">Gateway Pundit</a>):<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
As Prime Minister, I stand firm with regard to Israel's security. I care about
the lives of each and every citizen and each and every soldier. I have been on
battlefields many times. I risked my life for this country, and I am not
prepared to make concessions that will endanger it. <strong>And it must be understood,
our supreme interests, first and foremost security and the unity of Jerusalem,
are not the top priority of those same anonymous sources that attack us and me
personally.</strong> I am being attacked only because I am protecting the State of
Israel. <strong>If I did not protect the State of Israel, if I did not stand up
decisively for our national and security interests, they would not attack me.
And despite the attacks I face, I will continue to protect our country</strong>; I will
continue to protect the citizens of Israel. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I would also like to add that
I respect and appreciate our deep connection with the United States. Since the
establishment of the country, we have had disagreements with the US and we will
have disagreements in the future as well. However, they are not at the expense
of the close relationship between our peoples and our countries. <strong>We have seen
time and again, this year as well, that support for the State of Israel is ever
increasing among the American public, and this support reached an all-time high.
The strategic alliance and the moral covenant between our countries continues
and will continue.</strong> [emphasis mine] </blockquote>
<br />
You know, Netanyahu deserves better than to be knocked around by the legacy 'C' students working at the State Department. <br />
<br />
And, of course, the U.S. deserves better than the ungifted amateur that is currently alienating or openly betraying our allies. It's going to be long two years until that national embarrassment finally leaves office...<br />
<br />
yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-37276169508759045852014-10-28T09:38:00.002-07:002014-10-28T09:38:53.089-07:00In Ukraine Election, Pro-Western Parties Win Big<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNOMd5RgwM2LaWpKzJu8AmnieWgO9kEZzdpg7pNZbx-07Urf1XO6WXc3v3aYabsxMn3r1WHcpv0wIJ3xp_TbSUSmDz73WE1SXBF0JtPxdXeprEPfEE0voHOdXXDt1YB1dK1EqTZ47e60c/s1600/00+statedepartment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNOMd5RgwM2LaWpKzJu8AmnieWgO9kEZzdpg7pNZbx-07Urf1XO6WXc3v3aYabsxMn3r1WHcpv0wIJ3xp_TbSUSmDz73WE1SXBF0JtPxdXeprEPfEE0voHOdXXDt1YB1dK1EqTZ47e60c/s1600/00+statedepartment.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazingly, the hashtag diplomacy has shown little results...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
All of this happening while Russian backed separatists continue to battle the Ukraine military. And this, of course, coming after Obama's limp response to Putin's aggression against Ukraine. It seems Obama is perfectly happy at Ukraine being a Russian vassal state. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://freebeacon.com/national-security/pro-western-parties-dominate-ukraine-elections-as-clashes-with-russian-backed-forces-continue/">From <em>The Washington Free Beacon</em> article by Daniel Wiser</a>: <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Pro-Western parties prevailed in Ukraine’s parliamentary elections over the weekend, but the country’s armed forces continued to suffer casualties amid fighting with Russian-backed separatists in the east. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
President Petro Poroshenko’s political group began talks with Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk’s People’s Front party on Monday to form a majority coalition in the parliament that would push democratic reforms. The Opposition Bloc, a pro-Russian party with allies of former leader Viktor Yanukovich, received slightly less than 10 percent of the vote. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The election results keep Ukraine on a path toward closer integration with the European Union following the ouster of Yanukovich, a Russian ally, in February. Russia responded aggressively to the toppling of Yanukovich earlier this year by invading and annexing the Crimean peninsula and funneling arms and troops into eastern Ukraine to support the rebels there. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://freebeacon.com/national-security/russian-backed-rebels-launch-assault-on-donetsk-airport/" target="_blank">Ongoing fighting</a> between Ukrainian forces and the pro-Russian separatists in the country’s east—despite a ceasefire agreement reached in early September—remains a serious obstacle to closer Ukrainian ties with Europe. Two Ukrainian troops were reportedly <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/27/us-ukraine-crisis-election-idUSKCN0IF00R20141027" target="_blank">killed</a> in the region on Sunday. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[...] </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The White House press office released a <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/10/27/statement-president-parliamentary-elections-ukraine" target="_blank">statement</a> from President Obama on Monday praising Ukrainians for holding the elections and pledging to “continue to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and “stand with its people as they seek to build a more secure, prosperous, and democratic future.” Obama offered no indication that he would reverse his policy of not providing lethal aid to the Ukrainian military. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Poroshenko bluntly <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/09/18/ukrainian-president-asks-us-for-military-aid/" target="_blank">told</a> U.S. lawmakers in September that “one cannot win the war with blankets,” a reference to the limited supplies U.S. officials have contributed to the Ukrainian effort thus far. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/27/us-ukraine-crisis-election-recognition-idUSKBN0IG1BQ20141027" target="_blank">said</a> on Monday that Moscow would recognize Ukraine’s elections in the hope that the country now has leaders who “do not drag Ukraine to the West or to the East” but “will deal with the real problems facing the country.” Last Friday, President Vladimir Putin <a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/russia-blames-ukraine-for-blocking-peace-accord-1414173503" target="_blank">blamed Ukraine</a> for the recent breakdown in the ceasefire.</blockquote>
<br />
The situation is getting very tense in Eastern Europe, as America continues to be weak and divided under Obama's incompetent and divisive lead. No European state really has much of a military to speak of-- aside from Russia-- and if the US signals that it will not protect its allies, Russian military action is not out of the question. Russia has been rehearsing an invasion of Poland for many years, and I do wonder if they might not seize the opportunity. <br />
<br />
Obama's "the 1980s have called and they want their foreign policy back" quip is looking more and more stupid and naive by the day. <br />
<br />
yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-333957498604349542014-10-27T08:27:00.002-07:002014-10-29T14:16:35.392-07:00City of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Backs Down-- Won't Force Christian Ministers to Marry Gay Couples <br />
<br />
I posted about this a few days ago. It seems that someone blinked in the city government and Coeur d'Alene has backed away from forcing unwilling Christian ministers to officiate at gay marriages. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://boisestatepublicradio.org/post/coeur-dalene-says-hitching-post-exempt-gay-rights-law">From Boise State Public Radio article by Jessica Robinson</a> (<a href="http://itdontmakesense.blogspot.com/2014/10/coeur-dalene-reverses-ministers-dont.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+itdontmakesense+%28_It+Don%27t+Make+Sense_%29">h/t to Sig94</a>): <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The city of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, said a for-profit wedding chapel owned by two ministers doesn't have to perform same-sex marriages. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The city has been embroiled in controversy ever since the owners of the Hitching Post sued the city. They say a city anti-discrimination law threatened to force them to marry same-sex couples now that gay marriage is legal in Idaho. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The story lit up conservative and gay-rights blogs. Wedding chapel owners Donald and Evelyn Knapp said they feared jail time or fines if they declined marriage services to a same-sex couple. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Initially, the city said its anti-discrimination law did apply to the Hitching Post, since it is a commercial business. Earlier this week, Coeur d'Alene city attorney Mike Gridley sent a letter to the Knapps’ attorneys at the Alliance Defending Freedom saying the Hitching Post would have to become a not-for-profit to be exempt. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
But Gridley said after further review, he determined the ordinance doesn’t specify non-profit or for-profit. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“After we've looked at this some more, we have come to the conclusion they would be exempt from our ordinance because they are a religious corporation,” Gridley explained. </blockquote>
<br />
I wonder what will happen when somebody brings up charges like these in a deep blue state like California, New York, or Illinois, rather than somewhere like Idaho?<br />
<br />
I'm sure it's already happened, but I haven't really heard much about it. Let's not forget that people in those more "enlightened" states scoff when anyone says the First Amendment is under attack. yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-12046301160877771782014-10-24T14:59:00.003-07:002014-10-24T14:59:38.752-07:00Good News: 2nd Dallas Nurse Ebola Free<br />
<br />
This means both Dallas nurses who contracted the Ebola virus have been cured of the disease. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/dallas-nurse-amber-vinson-free-ebola-virus-hospital-191358319.html">From Reuters</a>: <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A second Dallas nurse who contracted Ebola is now free of the virus, Emory University Hospital in Atlanta said on Friday. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1414187339351_1610">
Amber Vinson, one of two nurses from a Dallas hospital infected with Ebola after treating the first patient diagnosed with the disease in the United States, is still receiving supportive care at Emory and no release date has been set. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1414187339351_1611">
But tests no longer detect the virus in her blood, the hospital said in a statement.</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
At least CDC incompetence didn't kill these two young women. yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-38087446595018008412014-10-20T22:13:00.002-07:002014-10-21T11:47:57.554-07:00Ebola Czar's Name Removed from List of Trustees of Progressive Think Tank<br />
<br />
As Glenn Reynolds wrote: "TRANSPARENCY." <br />
<br />
<a href="http://freebeacon.com/national-security/ebola-czar-vanishes-from-democracy-alliance-website/">From <em>The Washington Free Beacon</em> article by Elizabeth Harrington</a> (via<a href="http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/197017/"> Instapundit</a>): <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Third Way, a progressive think tank with ties to the Democracy Alliance, has removed newly appointed Ebola czar Ron Klain from its website, following a <em>Washington Free Beacon </em>report. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The <em>Free Beacon</em> <a href="http://freebeacon.com/national-security/democracy-alliance-linked-drug-company-lobbyist-made-ebola-czar/" target="_blank">reported</a> Friday on Klain’s status as a trustee for Third Way, and his past experience lobbying on behalf of a drug company that was accused of denying life-saving drugs to dying cancer patients. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The choice of Klain to head the administration’s emergency response to Ebola was <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/10/19/obama-klain-mccain-ebola/17500081/" target="_blank">criticized</a> as a political move. Klain is a political operative with no medical experience and a former advisor to former Vice President Al Gore, Vice President Joe Biden, and President Barack Obama. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[...] </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“He gained national notice as General Counsel for the Gore Recount Committee in 2000, in recognition of which he was selected as one of National Law Journal’s ‘Lawyers of the Year,’ and portrayed by Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey in HBO’s film ‘RECOUNT,’” a biography of Klain had read on the group’s website. </blockquote>
<br />
Well, we all knew that Obama's "Ebola Czar" was really going to be Obama's "Cover Your Ass with PR Flack Czar." But now the Administration doesn't want him associated with Third Way? Do they really think that doing that will make Klein look less like a partisan PR man? Seriously?<br />
<br />
Heh. Or is that Third Way doesn't want to be associated with any of Obama's czars? <br />
<br />
I suppose it could go either way right now... <br />
<br />yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-6744927837167820822014-10-20T21:52:00.003-07:002014-10-20T21:52:44.787-07:00Govt. Attempts to Force Christian Ministers to Perform Same-Sex Weddings<br />
<br />
Because thou shall not have anything greater than the will of the Left's current mascot identity group.<br />
<br />
And do I not remember various pundits and politicians assuring us that stuff like this wouldn't happen with the legalization of gay marriage? Or is my memory faulty? <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.adfmedia.org/News/PRDetail/9364">From the ADF Media site</a> (via <a href="http://hotair.com/archives/2014/10/20/hitching-post-wedding-chapel-ordered-to-perform-same-sex-marriages/">Jazz Shaw at Hot Air</a>): <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
City officials [of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho] told Donald Knapp that he and his wife Evelyn, both ordained ministers who run Hitching Post Wedding Chapel, are required to perform such ceremonies or face months in jail and/or thousands of dollars in fines. The city claims its “non-discrimination” ordinance requires the Knapps to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies now that the courts have overridden Idaho’s voter-approved constitutional amendment that affirmed marriage as the union of a man and a woman. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[...] </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Coeur d’Alene officials told the Knapps privately and also publicly stated that the couple would violate the city’s public accommodations statute once same-sex marriage became legal in Idaho if they declined to perform a same-sex ceremony at their chapel. On Friday, the Knapps respectfully declined such a ceremony and now face up to 180 days in jail and up to $1,000 in fines for each day they decline to perform that ceremony. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“The city somehow expects ordained pastors to flip a switch and turn off all faithfulness to their God and their vows,” explained ADF Legal Counsel Jonathan Scruggs. “The U.S. Constitution as well as federal and state law clearly stand against that. The city cannot mandate across-the-board conformity to its interpretation of a city ordinance in utter disregard for the guaranteed freedoms Americans treasure in our society.”</blockquote>
<br />
An obvious infringement on the Free Exercise clause. I suppose that since the First Amendment has been interpreted to protect government <em>from religion</em> rather than the obvious reading of protecting religion <em>from government</em>, such cases are inevitable. <br />
<br />
The Left has spent far too much energy deifying the embodiment of their hopes. Surely they won't let a little thing like Christian faith trump both their own and their Dear Leader's political and social agendas. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-66220753379571373692014-10-17T05:57:00.002-07:002014-10-17T06:19:01.113-07:00Friday Funnies: When Amateurs Fight in the Boxing Ring<br />
<br />
Ah, yes. My favorite boxing match with a comedic edge. Watch as the "street fighter" Sutherland takes on a-- at best-- competently trained boxer in a professional bout. The results were not surprising.<br />
<br />
Enjoy:<br />
<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/dADz2E5xcmc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Okay, that wasn't so great for Sutherland. But I bet that if he'd been taking on some smaller, drunk guy in a bar's parking lot, he would've <em>totally </em>won. <br />
<br />
I remember watching this match with my dad on Tuesday Night Fights back in the '80s. It was something we would still smirk about many years later. <br />
<br />
<br />
yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-35850612760466613832014-10-16T21:55:00.000-07:002014-10-17T05:58:12.416-07:00Report: ISIS Losing in Kobane Fight<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtZnZBUmO4aK8WUH1iTSXB9KZsN5QLxWmC1lUTM0QvN8efQBG_S8099v6sSOJ8qzSLUeDuFjPG_CgAP9_c0L0p1_CBTNU3490VsLep4vv90n8aSuZ-DUgvoTulX8WPe0HjQVMXwaxe4U/s1600/00+kurdishfighters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtZnZBUmO4aK8WUH1iTSXB9KZsN5QLxWmC1lUTM0QvN8efQBG_S8099v6sSOJ8qzSLUeDuFjPG_CgAP9_c0L0p1_CBTNU3490VsLep4vv90n8aSuZ-DUgvoTulX8WPe0HjQVMXwaxe4U/s1600/00+kurdishfighters.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Good news, if a BBC report of a Kurdish fighter is to be trusted. I hope and pray that it can. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29647314">From the BBC</a> (via Ace of Spades): <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1">
The Islamic State (IS) militant group
has been driven out of most of the northern Syrian town of Kobane, a Kurdish
commander has told the BBC. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Baharin Kandal said IS fighters had retreated from all areas, except for two
pockets of resistance in the east. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
US-led air strikes have helped push back the militants, with another 14
conducted over the past 24 hours. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Meanwhile, the new UN human rights commissioner has called IS a "potentially
genocidal" movement. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[...] </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Speaking by phone, Kurdish commander Baharin Kandal told the BBC's Kasra Naji
that she hoped the city would be "liberated soon". </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Ms Kandal said her militia group had been receiving arms, supplies and
fighters but she refused to say how, reports our correspondent, who is on the
Turkish border near Kobane. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Kurdish defenders have victory in their sights. After exactly a month of
fighting, they say they have driven Islamic State from most of the city. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[...] </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The battle for Kobane, which is also known as Ayn al-Arab, is regarded as a
major test of whether the US-led coalition's air campaign can push back IS.</blockquote>
<br />
Well, the answer for that last bit is "no, an air campaign will not push back ISIS." In Kobane ISIS met stiff resistance from people who possessed no illusions about the consequences of an ISIS victory. ISIS's penchant for burying people alive, beheading, crucifixion, mass executions and public displays of the bodies hardened the resolve of the Kurds, rather than throwing them into a panic. The Kurds' response of throwing everyone who was willing into the fight (including the elderly, children, and women) against this terrible enemy, is both an admirable and an atypical response. It is unrealistic to expect any and all people fighting ISIS to respond with the same heightened grit, determination, and heroism as the Kurds displayed in Kobane. Thus, the results cannot and will not be the same in future battles. <br />
<br />
Basically, the U.S. air campaign will be effective only if all of the enemies of ISIS display heroic levels of courage and determination at all times. Sheer idiocy. An American general planning for a battle and who is expecting, or indeed relying upon, this level of desperation and requiring this amount of heroism from American troops is unreasonable-- and possibly criminal. Expecting constant heroism from loosely-organized, non-professional militias is ludicrous. <br />
<br />
Yet, this seems to be the plans of the Obama Administration. <br />
<br />
Utter foolishness...<br />
<br />yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-57589693885700734132014-10-16T01:29:00.002-07:002014-10-16T01:29:59.822-07:00CBO: ObamaCare Increases Deficit by Billions and Billions<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhDcs8vT2cTIo4TS30BV56zUBxtz2gnwgK3Zj2BWSL9hBq4spwjj9slFjSEwzBbx8spdn4YupsPchQ1MKBlQdK1e6pnUj1F9lrKhJW636GF5WDdekZzqnVj1tZbZik_Ypwgu3uXRNIa8/s1600/obama-saint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhDcs8vT2cTIo4TS30BV56zUBxtz2gnwgK3Zj2BWSL9hBq4spwjj9slFjSEwzBbx8spdn4YupsPchQ1MKBlQdK1e6pnUj1F9lrKhJW636GF5WDdekZzqnVj1tZbZik_Ypwgu3uXRNIa8/s1600/obama-saint.jpg" height="292" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"<span style="color: #222222;">I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits, either now or in the future. I mean just look at this halo behind me! Would a man photographed with a golden halo lie to you? Never!"</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Obama lied. Again. What a shocker.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://freebeacon.com/issues/obamacare-will-increase-deficit-over-next-decade/">From <em>The Washington Free Beacon</em> article by Caroline Lee Smith</a>: <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A new analysis of data from the Congressional Budget Office has provided a final cost estimate for the implementation of Obamacare over the next decade–and the results are bleak. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
With the initial plan for the law’s enactment, the legislation issued in March 2010 concluded that–based on its scoring conventions and assuming the law would be implemented as written, the health care provisions of the plan would have reduced the federal budget deficit by $124 billion between 2010 and 2019. In 2012, the CBO updated its 10-year estimate, saying health care would reduce the deficit by $109 billion. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Since then, the CBO has again updated its estimates to fall in line with changes in the implementation of Obamacare and its botched rollout and limited enforcement. In those estimates they discovered that instead of saving money, Obamacare will only increase the deficit. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The United States Senate Budget Committee wrote:<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="color: #222222;">Altogether, the SBC Republican staff analysis finds that after taking these significant changes since 2012 into account, the Democrats’ health care law will </span><i style="color: #222222;">increase</i><span style="color: #222222;"> the budget deficit by $131 billion over the current 10-year budget window (FY 2015–2024). </span> </blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote>
<span style="color: #222222;">This estimate is arrived at by taking the $180 billion in projected deficit reduction from the CBO 2012 extrapolation and then accounting for the lower net cost of the coverage provisions ($83 billion), the lower estimated federal health care savings under the plan ($132 billion), as well as the lower projected revenue levels when including the labor market effects of the legislation ($262 billion).</span> </blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote>
<span style="color: #222222;">The difference between the 2012 extrapolation and the current estimate of the cost of the Democrats’ health law amounts to a $311 billion change in its net deficit impact.</span></blockquote>
Never mind that President Obama promised this would not happen.</blockquote>
<br />
Gosh, I'm beginning to think that maybe this Obama fellow isn't really that honest. Or is it just that he seems dishonest because of dog whistle racism, and George W. Bush, and stuff. <br />
<br />
Well, I'm sure this increase in cost will make the unpopular ObamaCare even more unpopular. However, I doubt the Democrats will care. And we already know Obama doesn't give a crap. <br />
<br />yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-90010391251282028112014-10-15T05:31:00.002-07:002014-10-15T05:31:29.061-07:00ObamaCare Website Withholds Revealing Higher Rates Until After Election <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJLcKaq_YR2jh1M-5t0hnS01vZckbxMOjdSiCDr2m2AIvVT9GaQ-dAuH4mt7az2JRDFI1Kt2UotYyN0LfX5O4jmbEMfn3x9QDniCjfnVmwsD7S-KMjMUFatik4vaEyyA3UxX56TyxeBo/s1600/obama+smug_obama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJLcKaq_YR2jh1M-5t0hnS01vZckbxMOjdSiCDr2m2AIvVT9GaQ-dAuH4mt7az2JRDFI1Kt2UotYyN0LfX5O4jmbEMfn3x9QDniCjfnVmwsD7S-KMjMUFatik4vaEyyA3UxX56TyxeBo/s1600/obama+smug_obama.jpg" height="400" width="367" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Suck it, America. My wife and I never liked you much anyway..." </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
At this point, the Obama Administration is becoming impossible to parody. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/oct/14/obamacare-website-wont-reveal-insurance-costs-for-/#!">From <em>The Washington Times</em></a> (via Drudge): <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Those planning to purchase health insurance on the Obamacare exchange will soon find out how much rates have increased -- after the Nov. 4 election. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Enrollment on the Healthcare.gov website begins Nov. 15, or 11 days after the midterm vote, and critics who worry about rising premium hikes in 2015 say that’s no coincidence. Last year’s inaugural enrollment period on the health-care exchange began Oct. 1. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“This is more than just a glitch,” said Tim Phillips, president of free-market Americans for Prosperity, in a Friday statement. “The administration’s decision to withhold the costs of this law until after Election Day is just more proof that Obamacare is a bad deal for Americans.”</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Robert Laszewski, president of Health Policy and Strategy Associates, said in a Monday column in USA Today that "when it comes to a lack of openness and transparency about Obamacare, this administration has no peer."</blockquote>
<br />
I guess we can't have people finding out exactly how big of turd ObamaCare is until <em>after</em> the election. Because, you know, Obama did so well jamming ObamaCare down our throats when he had a Democrat-controlled congress. <br />
<br />
Most transparent presidency evah. <br />
<br />
Like I said, beyond parody. <br />
<br />
yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-3818604164075295472014-10-14T22:03:00.001-07:002014-10-14T22:03:20.520-07:00Congressional Report: Chance of Military Conflict with China Increasing<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-CoRkq5vjH9i7QWvmEik6KV1R8MKtT7-SoJIDCWCZYf6G6R4Z6Y74d37EaIgOTL9IwQj-NxddNYN_iAooryWmg_CppZwA3zYSI2K-I69KmhOgSq3VcT7uc1zZLvbNdEnxODftK5AK6g/s1600/00chinesemilitary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-CoRkq5vjH9i7QWvmEik6KV1R8MKtT7-SoJIDCWCZYf6G6R4Z6Y74d37EaIgOTL9IwQj-NxddNYN_iAooryWmg_CppZwA3zYSI2K-I69KmhOgSq3VcT7uc1zZLvbNdEnxODftK5AK6g/s1600/00chinesemilitary.jpg" height="261" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Not a surprise to me, but worth noting. And at least there's some attention being paid to China's progressively aggressive behavior. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://freebeacon.com/national-security/china-military-buildup-shifts-balance-of-power-in-asia-in-beijings-favor/">From <em>The Washington Free Beacon</em></a>: <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
China’s decades-long buildup of strategic and conventional military forces is shifting the balance of power in Asia in Beijing’s favor and increasing the risk of a conflict, according to a forthcoming report by a congressional China commission. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
China’s military has greatly expanded its air and naval forces and is sharply increasing its missile forces, even while adopting a more hostile posture against the United States and regional allies in Asia, states a late draft of the annual report of the bipartisan U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
As a result, “the potential for security miscalculation in the region is rising,” the report said, using the euphemism for a conflict or shootout between Chinese forces and U.S. forces or those of its regional allies. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The report paints an alarming picture of China’s growing aggressiveness and expanding power, including development of two new stealth jets, the first deployment of a naval expeditionary amphibious group to the Indian Ocean, and aerial bombing exercises held in Kazakhstan. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
China’s communist government also views the United States as its main adversary—despite strong trade and financial links between the two countries, the report says.</blockquote>
<br />
Yes, thank you for <em>finally</em> acknowledging that Beijing sees America as an adversary, if not enemy. They have had this view for decades. I guess we need to send Hilary Clinton over there with a big ol' red "Reset" button, huh?<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Other key findings of the report include:<br />
<ul>
<li>Chinese President Xi Jinping has made China’s missile forces the “core strength” strategic deterrence.</li>
<li>Chinese defense spending will continue to fund an acceleration of the military modernization for the next five years.</li>
<li>A U.S. defense analyst said China’s efficient defense spending could render U.S. aircraft carriers difficult to defend. China could build 1,127 DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missiles for the cost of one U.S. aircraft carrier at $13.5 billion.</li>
<li>China is using the estimated 235,000 Chinese students studying in the United States to conduct technology collection for the Beijing government.</li>
<li>Joint ventures between Chinese and U.S. companies include a legal requirement for the Chinese firms to share technology with the Chinese military and intelligence services.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<br />
But hey, let's not worry about this. Russia is our good pal, Ebola will never come to America, the CDC hasn't been politicized to the point of mockery, we'll be able to keep our doctor/health insurance plan, ObamaCare will be super popular, and China will never be aggressive to ourselves or our allies in Asia. We have Obama's word on all of this. <br />
<br />
That's enough. Right?<br />
<br />
yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-7552373787771623462014-10-14T21:34:00.002-07:002014-10-14T22:03:34.250-07:00Obama's Ebola Czar Conspicuously Absent<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgql6Av9N8HNxLLI5L6HtaxxfAWmH-7RRFUTyVQAZwYjumAwxJP-by4wX9X5Ubg1UpUWbwzAyOPC8IYTiKY09tRiPTJgRuqeS2pKf9XrbBc1nI5Nd-agPXblSt8GOSaToTu3dHPZsdEGRo/s1600/00+nicolelurie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgql6Av9N8HNxLLI5L6HtaxxfAWmH-7RRFUTyVQAZwYjumAwxJP-by4wX9X5Ubg1UpUWbwzAyOPC8IYTiKY09tRiPTJgRuqeS2pKf9XrbBc1nI5Nd-agPXblSt8GOSaToTu3dHPZsdEGRo/s1600/00+nicolelurie.jpg" height="400" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Nicole Lurie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I guess there wasn't enough political currency to be gained by touting her-- unlike claiming that the new, <a href="http://patterico.com/2014/10/13/nih-we-could-have-developed-an-ebola-vaccine-but-for-budget-cuts/">agenda-driven CDC and NIH needs mountains of more money to do their job</a>. Oh, and then there was the $400 million+ scandal involving her back in 2011. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://thefederalist.com/2014/10/14/president-obama-already-has-an-ebola-czar-where-is-she/#.VD00GzVpH9w.facebook">From <em>The Federalist</em> article by Mollie Hemingway</a> (via Instapundit): <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...nobody has even discussed the fact that the federal government not ten years ago created and funded a brand new office in the Health and Human Services Department specifically to coordinate preparation for and response to public health threats like Ebola. The woman who heads that office, and reports directly to the HHS secretary, has been mysteriously invisible from the public handling of this threat. And she’s still on the job even though three years ago she was embroiled in a huge scandal of funneling a major stream of funding to a company with ties to a Democratic donor—and away from a company that was developing a treatment now being used on Ebola patients. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[...] </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
So, we have an office for public health threat preparedness and response. And one of HHS’ eight assistant secretaries is the assistant secretary for preparedness and response, whose job it is to “lead the nation in preventing, responding to and recovering from the adverse health effects of public health emergencies and disasters, ranging from hurricanes to bioterrorism.” </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
In the video below, the woman who heads that office, Dr. Nicole Lurie, explains that the responsibilities of her office are “to help our country prepare for, respond to and recover from public health threats.” She says her major priority is to help the country prepare for emergencies and to “have the countermeasures—the medicines or vaccines that people might need to use in a public health emergency. So a large part of my office also is responsible for developing those countermeasures.”</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
Hemingway goes on to suggest that perhaps one of the reasons for Dr. Lurie's absence is <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2011/nov/13/nation/la-na-smallpox-20111113">a $433 million scandal involving Lurie, billionaire Democrat donor Ron Perelman, and a no-bid contract for small pox vaccines</a>. She's probably right, although really what is one more scandal involving graft and another democratic donor? <br />
<br />
Regardless, we can see that, once more, the Obama administration has subverted the original purpose of many government agencies (IRS, CDC, NIH, HHS), some of which are quite valuable in times of crisis, for pushing political agendas and for facilitating graft. <br />
<br />
What a legacy Obama has left for us...<br />
<br />yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-15608413438273324652014-10-13T23:20:00.001-07:002014-10-13T23:20:54.878-07:00America is Out of Top 10 in Economic Freedom<br />
<br />
How bad is this? Well, Canada is ranked higher. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/10/10/US-Slips-to-12th-in-Economic-Freedom">From Breitbart</a> (via Drudge): <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A new report of "economic freedom" around the world finds the US ranked 12th among 152 countries, tied with the United Kingdom, and lower than neighbor Canada or Australia. <a href="http://www.cato.org/economic-freedom-world?utm_source=Cato+Institute+Emails&utm_campaign=2c0c3406bb-Cato_Weekly_Dispatch_October2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_395878584c-2c0c3406bb-142614745&mc_cid=2c0c3406bb&mc_eid=60e11a8899">The index</a>, published by the Cato Institute and Canada's Fraser Institute, has been published since 1996. As recently as 2000, the US ranked 2nd in the world, in terms of boasting a free economy. The US's declining ranking will lower future economic growth. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The index, built on decades of research by Nobel laureates and dozens of leading scholars, <a href="http://www.cato.org/pubs/efw/efw2014/efw-2014-executive-summary.pdf">measures 5 broad factors</a> that impact the economy: 1. Size of government; 2. Legal structure and security of property rights; 3. Access to sound money; 4. Freedom to trade internationally and; 5. Regulation of Credit, Labor and Business. Countries where citizens are freer to engage in business and trade and property and legal rights are protected by the rule of law will score higher on the index. According to economic research, though, these countries will also do better economically and create and generate more wealth. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The 10 freest economies in the world are: Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland, Mauritius, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Australia, Jordan, and Chile and Finland tied for 10th. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
America's descent down the ladder of economic freedom is unsettling, in itself. More troubling, however, is the chief factor behind the US decline. The biggest drop in US economic freedom has been in the country's legal structure. The report <a href="http://www.cato.org/pubs/efw/efw2014/efw-2014-chapter-1.pdf">notes</a> that, "increased use of eminent domain to transfer property to powerful political interests, the ramifications of the wars on terrorism and drugs, and the violation of the property rights of bondholders in the auto-bailout case have weakened the tradition of strong adherence to the rule of law in United States." </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[...] </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A balanced federal budget is insignificant and meaningless if the rule of law has been subverted. No single election or administration can repair that damage. That is a task that must be tackled by a generation.</blockquote>
<br />
So let's all keep this in mind as we start voting for the next ten to twelve years. It's not enough to simply oppose Obama, Elizabeth Warren and others on the hard Left. We need to hold every politician accountable.<br />
<br />yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-46162851990128800402014-10-13T06:45:00.002-07:002014-10-13T06:45:32.005-07:00Is Obama's Competence a Factor in Mid-Term Elections?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJLcKaq_YR2jh1M-5t0hnS01vZckbxMOjdSiCDr2m2AIvVT9GaQ-dAuH4mt7az2JRDFI1Kt2UotYyN0LfX5O4jmbEMfn3x9QDniCjfnVmwsD7S-KMjMUFatik4vaEyyA3UxX56TyxeBo/s1600/obama+smug_obama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJLcKaq_YR2jh1M-5t0hnS01vZckbxMOjdSiCDr2m2AIvVT9GaQ-dAuH4mt7az2JRDFI1Kt2UotYyN0LfX5O4jmbEMfn3x9QDniCjfnVmwsD7S-KMjMUFatik4vaEyyA3UxX56TyxeBo/s1600/obama+smug_obama.jpg" height="400" width="367" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Someday all the folks will see how good they had it under my rule. Folks like Democratic bundlers, unions, Washington bureaucrats, and golf caddies."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The answer is, of course, yes. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://freebeacon.com/uncategorized/sense-that-obama-admin-not-competent-to-protect-the-american-people-big-factor-in-midterms/">From <em>The Washington Free Beacon</em></a> (video at link): <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
USA Today Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page said the sense that the Obama administration is “not competent to protect the American people” is a “big factor” going into the midterm elections. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“B<span style="color: black;">oth of these stories, the Ebola virus and the threat from ISIS are feeding into a sense that Americans have that the world is not only a dangerous place but the government is not competent to handle them,”</span> Page told Face the Nation on Sunday. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“I<span style="color: black;"> think it is a very dangerous thing for president Obama, the sense that his administration is not competent to protect the American people, that is the most fundamental job of a U.S. president and I think it is a big factor in the midterm elections.”</span></blockquote>
<br />
Since I don't believe Obama is competent enough to sullenly manage a McDonald's or Denny's, I guess this is pretty bad news for Democrats. But mostly it's continued bad news for America, as Obama still has two more years to further ruin the economy, to further demoralize and disarm the military, and to further agitate racial tensions and violence. Aren't we all in for a good time... <br />
<br />
yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661459584526509075.post-1932883342496101162014-10-10T18:51:00.001-07:002014-10-10T19:00:17.780-07:00Russia Deploys Nukes in Crimea<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcFiNrr9OfBeWwX5FtOpiqxahudzbUsOjPK5bsnsnneB1lgqfVLDUHiErEqrWRZGsnQlu_sRvkgY7pxCxdw9JADBaW7eyOYiw_w8jXIDCOwtfvYhtROQ4zixbzvlaLi13_8DFstV4SW98/s1600/00+statedepartment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcFiNrr9OfBeWwX5FtOpiqxahudzbUsOjPK5bsnsnneB1lgqfVLDUHiErEqrWRZGsnQlu_sRvkgY7pxCxdw9JADBaW7eyOYiw_w8jXIDCOwtfvYhtROQ4zixbzvlaLi13_8DFstV4SW98/s1600/00+statedepartment.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huh. This hashtag diplomacy thing from the State Department seems to have not worked. I guess Russia's not living in the 21st century or something.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I guess they plan to keep that piece of property. And this happens in spite of Obama's stern recrimination that Putin isn't behaving like a 21st Century man. I guess pissy little comments from Obama didn't have much effect on Russia. Go figure. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://freebeacon.com/national-security/russia-deploying-tactical-nuclear-arms-in-crimea/">From <em>The Washington Free Beacon</em></a>: <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Russia is moving tactical nuclear weapons systems into recently-annexed Crimea <strong>while the Obama administration is backing informal talks aimed at cutting U.S. tactical nuclear deployments in Europe.</strong> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Three senior House Republican leaders wrote to President Obama two weeks ago warning that Moscow will deploy nuclear missiles and bombers armed with long-range air launched cruise missiles into occupied Ukrainian territory. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[...] </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Regarding the nuclear deployments to Crimea, Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member James Inhofe (R., Okla.) first disclosed last month that Putin had announced in August his approval of deploying nuclear-capable Iskander-M short-range missiles along with Tu-22 nuclear-capable bombers in Crimea, located on the Black Sea. [emphasis mine]</blockquote>
<br />
And as Obama continues to take both the teeth and the morale out of our military, Russia is amping up both its rhetoric, its military capabilities, and its aggression. What could go wrong for a president who promised a return of hope, lower seas, and peace in our time? <br />
<br />yukio ngabyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132998741555231924noreply@blogger.com0