Critical Narrative

Another Personal Update

2011-11-01T15:34:00.000-07:00

I must apologize for being away for so long. And thank you for your patience and for the many kind messages that I've received.

After a drawn out and painful struggle, my father recently passed away. I'd been very distracted and sort-of dead to the world during much of his illness and was unable/unwilling to post. Now, I really just don't have the heart to wade back into the blogging world, nor do I currently have the patience required for the job. I'm also dreadfully behind in my writing projects, and need to focus much more time and effort there to be able to get myself back to form.

I don't think I'm calling it quits on this blog yet-- though I have considered it-- but I am going to wait for a time (a month or maybe a little longer [yes, I know I've said this before]) before I get back here. It is possible that some dramatic world or national event could compel me to come back sooner.

Recent land grabs by Chavez in Venezuela have grabbed my attention, but Tom Blumer at his BizzyBlog did a great job of covering the AP's (mis)handling of the story, so there's little point in me retreading it.

And a portion of me does want to write about the Occupy Salem movement-- a collection of twenty or so tents (there seriously may be more city provided port-a-potties than tents on the grounds) occupied by handful of people whose grievances seem mysterious at best-- but I can't muster up more than this passing mention right now.

Despite this, the odds are very good that I won't start posting here until December.

Again, thank you for your kind messages and words. And I hope to be posting back here again relatively soon.

Yukio Ngaby

Personal Update

2011-07-21T00:56:00.000-07:00

I must apologize for not updating this blog for some time now.

I try not to get too personal on this blog, but my father was taken to the hospital early in June and was listed as being in grave condition. He was in ICU for over three weeks and not expected to live. Thankfully, he is improving although he is still in the hospital (no longer the ICU) and a full recovery is impossible. On the up side he is mentally fully there, and the permanent physical problems that he will face are both manageable and controllable-- if his health continues to improve.

During this time, I really just don't have the heart nor patience to write about politics. I probably will come back to this blog, but I can't really give a time. Maybe in another two or three weeks or so I'll be back. But I don't know...

On the bright side, I've been able to get a good deal of writing done on my newest novel. And it should be shopped around to the publishing houses in a few more months or so.

Anyway, thanks for still visiting. And I'll be posting again relatively soon.

Yukio Ngaby

Hezbollah Takes Control of Lebanese Government

2011-06-15T00:40:00.000-07:00

From the AP article "'Terrorist' group takes over Lebanon's government" (yes, the word "terrorist" was in quotes in the headline) via CBS News.com:

"Hezbollah and its allies rose to a position of unprecedented dominance in Lebanon's government Monday, giving its patrons Syria and Iran greater sway in the Middle East.

"Lebanon Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced a new Cabinet dominated by the militant group and its allies after the country has operated for five months without a functioning government. The move caps Hezbollah's steady rise over decades from resistance group against Israel to Lebanon's most powerful military and political force.

"Opponents of Hezbollah - which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization - say having it in control of Lebanon's government could lead to international isolation. The group's most ardent supporters are Iran and Syria, which dominated Lebanon for 29 years.

"The new government opens the door for renewed Syrian influence in Lebanon at a time the Syrian leadership is struggling at home. It's a remarkable turnaround from 2005, when fallout from the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri led to massive anti-Syrian protests in Lebanon. The protests, dubbed the 'Cedar Revolution,' drove tens of thousands of Syrian troops out of Lebanon and ended decades of Syrian domination over its smaller neighbor.

"The ascendancy of Hezbollah is a setback for the United States, which has provided Lebanon with $720 million in military aid since 2006 and has tried in vain to move the country firmly into a Western sphere and end Iranian and Syrian influence. It also underscores Iran's growing influence in the region at a time when Washington's is falling.

"U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called for an immediate cutoff of U.S. funds to the new government 'as long as any violent extremist group designated by the U.S. as foreign terrorist organizations participates in it.'

"'For years, members of Congress warned that it was unwise to fund a Lebanese government in which Hezbollah participated. It was clear that Hezbollah's influence was growing, and that the executive branch had no long-term strategy to deal with that reality, and no contingency plan to stop U.S. aid from falling into the wrong hands,' the Florida Republican said in a statement."

But how much do you want to bet that the US doesn't cutoff foreign aid to Lebanon? After all, we wouldn't want to provoke Hezbollah to further violence in the Middle East-- having such a sterling record in the past and all...

"The Islamic militant group's power has been steadily growing over the years and its newfound clout could add volatility to a region already rocked by anti-government uprisings in a half-dozen countries.

"A Hezbollah-led government would obviously raise tensions with Israel, which fought a devastating 34-day war against the Shiite militants in 2006 that left 1,200 Lebanese and 160 Israelis dead. Lebanon, torn apart by decades of civil war and deep sectarian divides, has had several major military conflicts with neighboring Israel.

"Hezbollah forced the collapse of Lebanon's previous, pro-Western government in January over fears it would be indicted by a U.N.-backed tribunal investigating the killing of Hariri, a billionaire businessman and political leader who had been trying to limit Syria's domination of Lebanon in the months before his death.

"Syria denied any involvement in his killing and called the tribunal a conspiracy by the U.S. and Israel.

"Hariri's son, Saad, who was prime minister in January, refused to denounce the tribunal or cut off Lebanon's 49 percent share of the funding for it.

"Hezbollah and its allies then walked out of the government, forcing its collapse, and secured enough support in parliament to name Mikati as the new prime minister. But Mikati has struggled to form a Cabinet, insisting he won't do the bidding of any one side.

[...]

"The makeup of the new government is seen as almost entirely pro-Syrian. President Bashar Assad of Syria, facing a growing uprising against his rule at home, called twice to congratulate Lebanese leaders on the new government's formation.

"Lebanon's politics are always fractious, in part because of the sectarian makeup of the country's government. According to Lebanon's power-sharing system, the president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the parliament speaker a Shiite Muslim.

"Each faith makes up about a third of Lebanon's population of 4 million."

This is not a surprise at all. Frankly, I am surprised that Hezbollah's "remarkable" takeover took this long following Hezbollah's assassination of Rafik Hariri (he was the former Prime Minister killed by about 2000 lbs. of dynamite in February of 2005). Yet, the development is still troubling and will likely lead to another military action by Israel once Hezbollah starts instigating "border incidents" and lobbing more rockets into Israeli neighborhoods.

Oops: British Study Reveals Electric Cars Produce Higher Emissions Over their Lifetimes than Gas Equivalents

2011-06-14T03:36:00.000-07:00

From the The Australian article (h/t Dave Powers at MichelleMalkin.com):

"Electric cars could produce higher emissions over their lifetimes than petrol equivalents because of the energy consumed in making their batteries, a study has found.

"An electric car owner would have to drive at least 129,000km before producing a net saving in CO2. Many electric cars will not travel that far in their lifetime because they typically have a range of less than 145km on a single charge and are unsuitable for long trips. Even those driven 160,000km would save only about a tonne of CO2 over their lifetimes.

"The British study, which is the first analysis of the full lifetime emissions of electric cars covering manufacturing, driving and disposal, undermines the case for tackling climate change by the rapid introduction of electric cars.

[...]

"The study was commissioned by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, which is jointly funded by the British government and the car industry. It found that a mid-size electric car would produce 23.1 tonnes of CO2 over its lifetime, compared with 24 tonnes for a similar petrol car. Emissions from manufacturing electric cars are at least 50 per cent higher because batteries are made from materials such as lithium, copper and refined silicon, which require much energy to be processed.

"Many electric cars are expected to need a replacement battery after a few years. Once the emissions from producing the second battery are added in, the total CO2 from producing an electric car rises to 12.6 tonnes, compared with 5.6 tonnes for a petrol car. Disposal also produces double the emissions because of the energy consumed in recovering and recycling metals in the battery. The study also took into account carbon emitted to generate the grid electricity consumed."

Hmm. So let's see... electric cars are really expensive to produce-- even hybrids have a tough time turning profits-- have a really short range, and ultimately produce more CO2 than gas-powered cars. Ah, the short-sided need to do something. Perfect.

Speaking of battery disposal, what doesn't seem to be taken into account is the battery acid. Isn't battery acid like one of the most destructive things to put into the ground? But hey put hundreds of millions of car batteries out there. We'll just shoot the used up batteries into the sun or something.

Irish Government Plans to Raid Private Pensions for Govt. Spending

2011-05-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

Not an uncommon tactic in South and Central America... And it's something to watch for here in the US.

From the Business Insider article by Joe Weisenthal and Gregory White:

"The Irish government plans to institute a tax on private pensions to drive jobs growth, according to its jobs program strategy, delivered today.

"Without the ability sell debt due to soaring interest rates, and with severe spending rules in place due to its EU-IMF bailout, Ireland has few ways of spending to stimulate the economy. Today's jobs program includes specific tax increases, including the tax on pensions, aimed at keeping government jobs spending from adding to the national debt.

"The tax on private pensions will be 0.6%, and last for four years, according to the report."

These temporary taxes have a way of not being so temporary as government spending increases-- which is what usually happens when money is raided-- er, taxed-- from private accounts.

"Ireland's ability to levy further taxes on other parts of the economy is restricted because its economic growth has been inhibited in the wake of a financial crisis that crippled its banking sector and decimated its public finances.

"Unwilling to budge on the country's low corporate tax rate, Enda Kenny's Irish government has chosen to target pensioners for funds to grow the economy. Whether it turns out to be an example to other countries seeking alternative ways to raise revenues with aging populations is yet unknown."

Ah, the wonders of overspending government...

Still Kicking and Still Writing

2011-05-06T04:09:00.000-07:00

Just dropping in to say that I'm still alive and still writing. The book is going slower than I expected for a variety of reasons, but I'm still plugging away at it.

I'll try to post more in May than I did in April, but life is being a little frantic and disorienting for me right now, so it may not happen. Anyway, I'll be back posting regularly eventually (maybe June). And of course, check out the blogs on the Blog List.

Thanks,
Yukio Ngaby

Obama's Toxic Speech

2011-04-14T13:43:00.000-07:00

Obama's speech was a farce of course. In the true manner of a "community organizer," Obama rallied a disbelieving America toward class warfare. None of this should be a surprise coming from a man who was a good friend to Bill Ayers, attended Reverend Wright's church for so many years, and is credited with writing the book Dreams of my Father. When the going gets tough, the community organizers point the fingers and lay out the blame.

Does anybody even remember the "Great Uniter" rhetoric, the "light-bringer" promises?

From The Wall Street Journal:

"The immediate political goal was to inoculate the White House from criticism that it is not serious about the fiscal crisis, after ignoring its own deficit commission last year and tossing off a $3.73 trillion budget in February that increased spending amid a record deficit of $1.65 trillion. Mr. Obama was chased to George Washington University yesterday because Mr. Ryan and the Republicans outflanked him on fiscal discipline and are now setting the national political agenda.

"Mr. Obama did not deign to propose an alternative to rival Mr. Ryan's plan, even as he categorically rejected all its reform ideas, repeatedly vilifying them as essentially un-American. 'Their vision is less about reducing the deficit than it is about changing the basic social compact in America,' he said, supposedly pitting 'children with autism or Down's syndrome' against 'every millionaire and billionaire in our society.' The President was not attempting to join the debate Mr. Ryan has started, but to close it off just as it begins and banish House GOP ideas to political Siberia.

"Mr. Obama then packaged his poison in the rhetoric of bipartisanship—which 'starts,' he said, 'by being honest about what's causing our deficit.' The speech he chose to deliver was dishonest even by modern political standards."

Yup. When the chips are down for a Leftist, then it's time to try to play class against class, driving people apart for political gain. Classic. Absolutely classic.

Jacobson at Legal Insurrection had this to say:

"Barack Obama promised us hand-to-hand combat, and his speech yesterday was the start.

"The nation is facing a debt crisis of historic proportions, but nothing will be done because Obama already has launched his presidential campaign. A compromise must included serious changes to unsustainable entitlements which are swamping the Treasury. Yet Obama took any significant changes off the table yesterday, by channeling Alan Grayson's charge that Republicans want people to die quickly.

[...]

"The truth is that Obama doesn't care about the deficit. Obama proposed a budget not long ago which would have increased spending and the deficit. It was only after the recent showdown over last year's budget that Obama decided that politically he needed to appear to be attentive.

"Yesterday's speech was a calculated move by someone who doesn't care about the deficit to pretend to care so that he could use the issue in political hand-to-hand combat.

"If you don't think 2012 is the make-or-break political year for this country, then you haven't been paying attention."

Indeed. Can we imagine the results of four more years of this kind of divisiveness?

I think that Pat Austin at And So it Goes in Shreveport had the best summation of Obama's speech:

"The bottom line of Obama's plan is that we're going to forge ahead with green energy even though it doesn't exist. We're going to buy oil from foreign sources even though we have plenty of resources here and gas is climbing to $5 a gallon. We're going to cut defense while we're engaged in three wars, raise taxes on those who provide jobs and growth, and implement a health care albatross that will saddle the country with inferior care, raise the deficit and expand entitlements, further deepening our economic woes."

It seems that Obama is absolutely determined to impose upon us a centrally controlled economic system. Is this a surprise to anyone based on Obama's background, his rhetoric and speeches, his past associates, his books?

And of course this centralized system that has never worked-- no matter how draconian the implementation. Centralizing a large economy has always resulted in massive inefficiencies, terrible shortages of goods and services, an expansion of poverty, an increased gap between rich and poor, and massive corruption. How many times do these systems have to fail before people stop trying?

From Paul Ryan's response as published in The Washington Post:

"Two months ago, President Obama submitted a budget for fiscal 2012 that did not deal with the major sources of government spending while calling for much higher taxes on American businesses and families. This budget was widely panned as lacking seriousness.

"Now comes a deficit speech that doesn’t even rise to the level of a plan. Missing was a credible way to curb out-of-control spending. Instead, the president called for greater reliance on government price controls, which would strictly limit the health-care options of current seniors while failing to control costs. The president would couple this approach with $1 trillion in tax increases, which would destroy jobs and hurt the economy.

"We cannot accept an approach that starts from the premise that ever-higher levels of spending and taxes represent America’s new normal. We have an obligation to fulfill the mission of health and retirement security for current retirees and future generations. We have a historic commitment to limited government and free enterprise. And we have a duty to leave the next generation with a more prosperous nation than the one we inherited.

"The House Republican budget keeps America’s promises to seniors and those near retirement by making no changes to their current arrangements. It keeps America’s promises of health and retirement security for future generations by saving and strengthening our most important programs. And it keeps a promise that is implicit in our form of government: that a government instituted to secure our rights must be a limited government.

[...]

"The president’s proposals are aimed more at empowering government than strengthening the free market. He continues to prove he’s not up to the challenging work of reforming government to meet 21st-century needs. If he gets his way, the nation will endure huge tax hikes, seniors’ access to health care will be reduced — and we will experience an epic collapse of our health and retirement programs that would devastate our nation’s most vulnerable citizens.

"House Republicans are fighting to prevent this. Our budget offers a compassionate and optimistic contrast to a future of health-care rationing and unbearably high taxes. We lift the crushing burden of debt, repair the safety net, make America’s tax system fair and competitive, and ensure that our health and retirement programs have a strong and lasting future. These issues are too important to leave to the politics of the past. If President Obama won’t lead, we will."

The stakes are very high now. Fiscal sanity must be implemented. Failure to do so will be disastrous.

CNN Considering Hiring Chris Rock

2011-04-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

As CNN continues to circle the drain, it's come to this. From The N.Y. Post:

"CNN brass are scrambling to find a new host for their troubled 7 p.m. timeslot, and trying to win back the African-American and Hispanic viewers sources say they've lost since the 2008 presidential campaign.

"Hoping to accomplish both things at once, insiders said the network is interested in wooing African-American entertainers for the slot, currently held by 'John King USA,' and has mentioned comedian Chris Rock and former 'Talk Soup' host Aisha Tyler as possibilities."

Well that D.L. Hughley show worked out so well for CNN...

Pelosi: "To My Republican Friends: Take Back Your Party. So That it Doesn’t Matter So Much Who Wins the Election"

2011-04-12T14:51:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, if only we all thought the way Nancy Pelosi and the Left does, then there would be no problems in our world. I suppose those pesky other points of view and beliefs just get in the way of running our ungovernable country.

From Mediaite is this little but of the former Speaker's wisdom (video at the link):

"Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi gave a speech at Tufts University in Massachusetts where she shared some 'friendly' advice with the opposing side in Washington. Clearly frustrated with the lengthy and acrimonious budget fight, Pelosi said 'elections shouldn’t matter as much as they do' and warned that it would be problematic for the country if both parties do not have shared values.

"Pelosi challenged Republicans:

"'To my Republican friends: take back your party. So that it doesn’t matter so much who wins the election, because we have shared values about the education of our children, the growth of our economy, how we defend our country, our security and civil liberties, how we respect our seniors.'

"Might the old saying 'elections have consequences' be replaced by Pelosi’s new version of 'it doesn’t matter so much who wins the election?'"

She then goes on to say that "Elections shouldn’t matter as much as they do." Does anyone have a problem with that last line? Anyone?

Of course this is coming from a prominent member of the same political party that declared the Democrats had been given a mandate from the people following the '08 elections. And this is coming from the same party whose presidential candidate declared that his own election marked the moment when healing would start and the ocean levels would begin to recede. Hmm.

I am also curious as to what exactly were the the shared values that caused Pelosi to push ObamaCare through with a parliamentary trick past massive protests. Some mysterious value not shared by the majority of the American people it would seem. It's little wonder that Pelosi should believe that elections shouldn't matter so much in America.

Bahrain's Shiite Leader Demands Withdrawl of Saudi Forces

2011-03-31T02:02:00.000-07:00

From the AP article:

"Bahrain's Shiite Muslim opposition on Wednesday demanded that the Saudi-led military force helping to put down protests leave the country immediately.

"The demand underscored the sectarian element of the anti-government movement in the tiny, strategic island kingdom, where majority Shiites are demonstrating for more rights and freedom against a Sunni dynasty that has ruled Bahrain for two centuries.

"About 1,500 troops from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Sunni-led Gulf states entered Bahrain two weeks ago at the invitation of Bahrain's monarch. The king also declared emergency rule and cracked down on protesters, killing at least 20.

"A senior Shiite opposition leader, Ali Salman, said the foreign troops must leave because the opposition rejects 'any military intervening for any party' in Bahrain. Salman also said Iran shouldn't interfere.

"'We don't want Bahrain to turn into a conflict zone between Saudi Arabia and Iran,' which has condemned the deployment, Salman said at a news conference in the capital, Manama. 'That's why we object to the Saudi intervention. We call for immediate withdrawal of the troops, and we reject Iranian interference.'

"The Gulf Cooperation Council force entered Bahrain earlier this month over the causeway that connects it to Saudi Arabia, with the stated mission of helping keep order.

"Shiites around the Middle East protested GCC intervention. Iranian authorities charged the troops were in Bahrain to enforce Sunni monarchy's oppression of Bahrain's Shiite majority."

Hmm. I wouldn't count on a withdrawal from the GCC anytime soon.

Sen. Schumer Rehearses the Blame the Extreme Tea Party Rhetoric

2011-03-30T01:36:00.000-07:00

From the The Washington Examiner article by Susan Ferrechio (via Drudge):

"Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., a member of the Democratic Senate leadership, got on a conference call with reporters Tuesday morning without realizing the reporters were already listening in. Schumer thought he was on a private line with four Democratic senators who were to talk with reporters about the current budget stalemate.

"Schumer instructed the group, made up of Sens. Barbara Boxer of California, Tom Carper of Delaware, Ben Cardin of Maryland and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, to tell reporters that the GOP is refusing to negotiate.

"He told the group to make sure they label the GOP spending cuts as 'extreme.'
"'I always use extreme,' Schumer said. 'That is what the caucus instructed me to use.'

"Someone must have finally told Schumer that the media were listening and he stopped talking midsentence.

"Here's a bit more of what he said about House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, according to my notes.

"'The main thrust is basically that we want to negotiate and we want to come up with a compromise but the Tea Party is pulling Boehner too far over to the right and so far over that there is no more fruitful negotiations,' Schumer said on the call. 'The only way we can avoid a shutdown is for Boehner to come up with a reasonable compromise and not just listen to what the Tea Party wants.'"

"Schumer described Boehner as 'in a box,' over the budget negotiations.

"The four senators came on the call after Schumer abruptly went silent and followed Schumer's script closely."

The Democrats have pretty much become the party of identity politics and the party of smearing the opposition. How proud they must be...

Bahrain's King Declares "External Plot" has been Ended

2011-03-21T18:58:00.000-07:00

From Reuters:

"Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa said a foreign plot against his kingdom had been foiled and thanked troops brought in from neighbouring countries to help end increasing unrest after weeks of protests.

"'An external plot has been fomented for 20 to 30 years until the ground was ripe for subversive designs ...I here announce the failure of the fomented plot,' the state news agency BNA quoted him overnight as telling troops.

"King Hamad told the forces that such if such a plot succeeded in one Gulf Arab country, it could spill into neighbouring states, BNA said.

"The ferocity of a crackdown last week by Bahrain forces, aided by the entrance of troops from Sunni-ruled Gulf countries, stunned Bahrain's majority Shi'ites, the main force of the protests, and angered the region's non-Arab Shi'ite power Iran.

"Iran, which supports Shi'ite groups in Iraq and Lebanon, has complained to the United Nations and asked neighbours to join it in urging Saudi Arabia to withdraw forces from Bahrain.

[...]

"Bahrain has also said previously that it arrested opposition leaders for dealing with foreign countries."

It's pretty hard to say exactly how foreign influenced the Bahraini protests actually were. Certainly there was support from Iran as well as from other Shi'ite dominated countries and organizations. The actual extent of that support is difficult to ascertain.

Brazillian Protesters Attack US Consulate with Firebomb

2011-03-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

Obviously a Brazilian man who hates George W. Bush

Huh. But I thought that merely electing Obama was going to improve America's image around the world-- as well as lower the sea levels.

From the AFP (via Gateway Pundit):

"Police fired rubber bullets and used tear gas to break up a demonstration outside the US consulate in Rio de Janeiro on Friday, as US President Barack Obama prepares to visit the country, AFP reports.

Some 300 people had gathered at the site when Brazilian Military Police showed up and tried to break up the demonstration.

"Police cracked down on the crowd after protesters hurled a molotov cocktail at the consulate door, the O Globo newspaper reported on its website. [emphasis mine]

"'I was in the center of the protest when people began to run and I heard shots,' said AFP photographer Vanderlei Almeida. 'I had to get out of there because it was hard to breathe.'

"Almeida was struck by two rubber bullets -- one hit him in the leg, and the other in his stomach.

"Several protesters were detained, Almeida said.

"Obama arrives in Brazil on an official Saturday and will meet President Dilma Rousseff in the capital Brasilia.

"On Sunday, he is scheduled to deliver a speech in Rio's Municipal Theater after cancelling a public speech in the city's town square.

"Brazilian authorities have laid out a heavy security presence for Obama's two-day visit to South America's largest nation, and police in Rio had closed numerous streets from midnight Thursday in preparation."

It's Bush's fault... or something.

Threats Against Wisconsin Republicans Continue-- 20 Days and Counting

2011-03-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

More civility. The New Tone, I suppose.

John Nolte at BigGovernment.com is keeping track of the threats and vandalism that continues in Wisconsin. Still no word from DC Dems calling for restraint, civility, or anything like that. I guess Obama can't figure a way to turn it into a pep rally yet.

From Nolte:

"Below, you’ll find a compilation of 20 days worth of the death threats, vandalism, and intimidation practiced by pro-union thugs opposed to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s budget repair bill. Wisconsin is my home state. I lived there until I was 27 years-old in 1993 and most of my family, including my parents still live there. For that reason and because the issue of education and teachers unions has been a passion of mine for going on two decades, I’ve been following this story very, very closely. My original intent was to compile all of this earlier in the week, but after reading Lee Stranahan’s superb editorial I decided to wait and see if that might have some effect on the national and local Wisconsin media in moving them towards giving the ongoing violence, intimidation, vandalism, and overall thuggery occurring at the hands of union activists and their supporters, the coverage it needs and deserves.

"Not only should the local and national media be amplifying their coverage of this ongoing scandal because of the bar they themselves set with the Tea Party for what rises to the level of of racism, “predominantly white” protesters and troubling behavior — but in the wake of the tragic shootings in Tuscon you would think direct threats on elected officials would rate a little outrage. Well, obviously not when those threats come from the Left.

"Politics aside, what’s happening in Wisconsin is downright frightening because, as you’ll see below, these incidents are growing in number and intensity. Furthermore, other than the Right, no one is calling for calm or civility. The local media is, at best, wrist-flicking these incidents, Democratic legislators have not called for calm, President Obama is AWOL, and worst of all, Public Union employees not involved in the thuggish behavior taking place in their name, have been complicit with their silence.

"This is more than a disgrace, it’s dangerous. Conservative radio talk show hosts and Governor Walker can talk all they want, but I fear that until the media starts a campaign of shame by focusing on these incidents, and responsible pro-union types begin to police their own side, someone is eventually going to get hurt.

"What you’re going to read below is a startling compilation of what can only be described as thuggery. These examples are occurrences that have taken place only since the beginning of the month and do not include the equally disturbing incidents we’re hearing about outside of Wisconsin. Keep in mind, it’s more likely than not that I missed a few things."

Read the rest. It's tough to take, but it's important.

Bahrain Arrests Opposition Leaders

2011-03-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

From Reuters:

"The Gulf Arab state of Bahrain has arrested opposition figures for communicating with foreign countries and inciting murder and destruction of property, state television said on Thursday.

"A statement said the unnamed men were 'leaders of the civil strife' who had 'communicated with foreign countries, and they incited killing of citizens and destruction of public and private property'. It did not say how many had been arrested.

"Members of the opposition bloc Wefaq said earlier that six opposition leaders had been arrested on Thursday morning."

Not a surprising turn of events.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

Here's hoping everyone has a great St. Patrick's Day.

Japanese Earthquake News Links

2011-03-13T05:21:00.000-07:00

For those interested in news about the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, below are some links to some major online Japanese newspapers published in English:

The Daily Yomiuri Online

Local police are saying that the death toll will likely exceed 10,000.

Gas Prices have Risen 67% Under Obama

2011-03-11T03:12:00.000-08:00

Well, I know I've been more than a little annoyed at the gasoline prices at the pump since Obama took over. Heck I remember when I was annoyed that gas was consistently at $2.00 a gallon.

Since Obama's been president gasoline prices are 67%. Under Bush (the friend to big oil according to the Left) they rose 7% in the same time frame.

From The Weekly Standard article by Mark Hemingway:

"Ah, January of 2009. Hope was in the air, but more importantly, gas was under two dollars a gallon. Since then gas prices, have gone up 67 percent and it's an ominously upward trend. Interestingly enough, the Heritage Foundation also took a look at the first 26 months of Bush's presidency -- gas only rose 7 percent during that time frame.

"Now obviously turmoil in the Middle East has something to do with our current astronomical gas prices, but keep in mind that by this point in the Bush presidency 9/11 had happened and we were on the verge of invading Iraq. So while the president can't be entirely responsible for global commodity prices, it's still worth asking what Obama's doing to make things worse.

"After all, this is the President who told us 'We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK.'

"This is the President that appointed a Secretary of the Interior that famously said he didn't mind if gas hit $10 a gallon.

"This is the President whose administration secretly urged him to bypass needed Congressional approval to create as many at 17 national monuments throughout the west, effectively closing off all that land to energy exploration forever.

"This is the President who has illegally tried to illegally enforce an offshore drilling ban.

"How much higher is gas going to go before the Administration takes a long hard look at what its doing to send gas prices through the roof?"

I think the Obama Administration has very little about low gas prices. I mean most of it's used by bigoted, gun-clinging, religious zealots anyway... Obama's contempt is pretty clear.

Bahrain Protests Continue; Protesters Encircle Capitol

2011-03-06T02:17:00.000-08:00

From the AP:

"Thousands of Shiite protesters in Bahrain have formed a huge human chain around the capital, Manama, as their campaign to loosen the Sunni monarchy's grip on power in the strategic Gulf nation enters its third week.

"No police were in sight Saturday as protesters — men and women — held hands to encircle Manama, where Bahrain's Shiite majority has been leading daily demonstrations to end what they say are discriminatory policies and political persecution.

"Tensions have been high in the Gulf kingdom, the host of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, since a street battle between Sunnis and Shiites on Thursday left at least a dozen people injured."

Announcement: Break from Blogging

2011-03-02T13:16:00.000-08:00

I've started the first draft of a book recently, so I'll probably be out of it for 3 months or so-- maybe longer. When I write first drafts, I tend to get caught up in the process and pretty much dead to the world around me.

I'm still going to try to post 10 to 15 posts per month while I'm writing, but that's likely wishful thinking and I'll probably post less. It's sort of an inopportune time right now with the budget battles, fleeing Democrats, Middle Eastern revolutions etc. going on right now, but I can't just wait for things to slow down.

Anyway, check out the blogs on my Blog List. And I will continue to be post here, just more infrequently for a while.

Thanks,
Yukio Ngaby

Freddie Mac Continues to Hemorrhage Money: $1.7 Billion in 3 Months

2011-02-24T15:59:00.000-08:00

From the AP article by Marcy Gordon:

"Government-controlled mortgage buyer Freddie Mac managed a narrower loss of $1.7 billion for the October-December quarter of last year. But it has asked for an additional $500 million in federal aid - up from the $100 million it sought in the previous quarter.

"Freddie Mac also posted a $19.8 billion loss for all of 2010.

"The government rescued Freddie Mac and sibling company Fannie Mae in September 2008 to cover their losses on soured mortgage loans. It estimates the bailouts will cost taxpayers as much as $259 billion.

[...]

"Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac own or guarantee about half of all mortgages in the U.S., or nearly 31 million home loans worth more than $5 trillion. Along with other federal agencies, they played some part in almost 90 percent of new mortgages over the past year.

"Fannie and Freddie buy home loans from banks and other lenders, package them into bonds with a guarantee against default and sell them to investors around the world.

"The government's estimated cost of bailing out the mortgage giants far exceeds the $132.3 billion they have received from taxpayers so far. That would make theirs the costliest bailout of the financial crisis."

I see no problem here. Move on...

Ore. Dem Wu Says Painkillers were to Blame for Erratic Behavior and Sending Pics of Himself in Tiger Costume

2011-02-23T14:36:00.000-08:00

Well, at least Democratic Congressional Rep. David Wu didn't say it was because he was dehydrated...

From the AP:

"An Oregon congressman said Tuesday that he accepted prescription drugs from a campaign contributor last October, around the same time members of his staff complained of his erratic behavior.

"Rep. David Wu told The Oregonian in a written response to a query that he had left another kind of painkiller — one prescribed by his doctor for neck pain — in Washington. He said the donor offered him an alternative, and he took two tablets.

"'This was the only time that this has ever happened,' Wu wrote. 'I recognize that my action showed poor judgment at the time, and I sincerely regret having put my staff in a difficult position.'

"Earlier Tuesday, Wu said on ABC's 'Good Morning America' that it was 'unprofessional and inappropriate' for him to send pictures of himself wearing a tiger costume to staff members.
Wu said the photos were taken while he was 'joshing around' with his children in October just before Halloween.

"One photo shows Wu wearing an orange and black striped tiger outfit with pointy ears and striped mittens. Portland newspapers reported that campaign staffers pleaded with Wu to seek psychiatric help in the final week before the November election, but he refused.

"The Oregonian and Willamette Week on Friday, citing interviews with a number of anonymous staff members, reported that the 55-year-old Wu was increasingly unpredictable on the campaign trial and in private last fall, and had several angry and loud outbursts.

"The newspapers reported that campaign staffers were appalled by a series of e-mails sent from Wu's federally issued BlackBerry that included the photo of him in the tiger costume. But more disturbing, staffers said, were e-mails written in the voice of his adolescent children.

"In an October speech to a friendly audience at a meeting of Washington County Democrats, Wu lashed out at his opponent and the media. He also talked his way past a security checkpoint to campaign for votes at the airport around that time, according to reports.

"Wu on Tuesday acknowledged sending the tiger costume photos and said he has sought mental health treatment, including counseling and medication. He said in the ABC interview that he's 'in a good place now,' but he said he ruled out inpatient treatment because he couldn't spend time away from his family.

"'Last October was not a good month. It was very stressful. I did some things, I said some things, which I sincerely regret now,' Wu said.

"The seven-term congressman assured voters he is fit to remain in office."

Of course Wu's fine... I mean, just because your staff wants you to get mental help isn't really much of an indication of a problem or anything... And clearly his odd behavior for October was due to the fact that he took the wrong prescription medications. It could happen to anyone.

I'm a little curious as to what the name and occupation of the campaign contributor who furnished Wu with the prescription pain meds might be. Apparently, he or she contributed drugs in addition to money. But nothing to see here. Move on...

I find it particularly interesting that the AP article completely neglects to mention that Wu is a Democrat. Not once is it said. Instead, the best we get is when the AP states about two-thirds of the way way through the article that "[i]n an October speech to a friendly audience at a meeting of Washington County Democrats, Wu lashed out at his opponent and the media."

Shh. Don't tell anyone, but Wu, the guy in the tiger suit, is a Democrat.

Keep on shilling AP.

Obama's DOJ Refuses to Defend DOMA, Perhaps Ushering In Era of Selective Enforcement

2011-02-23T12:40:00.000-08:00

The Department of Justice has announced it will refuse to enforce the Defense of Marriage Act. Eric Holder, after consultation with Obama, has decided to stop defending key portions of the law.

William Jacobson at Legal Insurrection has an excellent overview, and rightly points out that this political game is a massive power grab by the Obama administration.

From Jacobson:

"The decision by the the Department of Justice to refuse to defend the Defense of Marriage Act is a massive power grab by the Executive Branch.

"The Justice Department is tasked with representing the 'government' is the broad sense in legal matters coming before the courts. There is no congressional Justice Department. Whether it likes a law or not, the Justice Department traditionally has fulfilled the role of arguing for the constitutionality of a law if there were any good faith basis for doing so, because someone has to represent the will of the legislative branch in the courts.

[...]

"While opponents of DOMA will be cheering, this is misguided. As Orin Kerr points out, what goes around comes around, and there may be a host of legislation passed under Obama which a Republican administration could subvert by refusing to defend.

"Similar thoughts at Point of Law Blog:

"'I'm not a fan of the Defense of Marriage Act, but I do have a large problem with the politicization of the role of the Department of Justice. Strip away the gay-rights issue and consider the question: what would Democrats say if, in 2013, President Sarah Palin announced that her Department of Justice would refuse to defend the constitutionality of Obamacare in court? There is no provision in the Constitution for a retroactive veto. Compare and contrast the Bush administration Department of Justice, which steadfastly (and successfully) defended McCain-Feingold and enforced FACEA.'

"Is this really how we want our system of justice to work?

"The President for whom the words 'rule of law' flow so easily from the teleprompter doesn't seem to know what the words actually mean."

I guess anything to get people's minds off of unemployment and fleeing Democrat lawmakers... The short-sightedness of the Obama administration is astonishing to me.

Bahraini Protesters Once Again Fill Pearl Square in Capital

2011-02-19T08:35:00.001-08:00

From the AP article by Hadeel Al-Shalchi and Barbara Surk:

"Thousands of singing and dancing protesters streamed back into Manama's central Pearl Square Saturday after Bahrain's leaders withdrew tanks and riot police following two straight days of a bloody crackdown by security forces in the tiny monarchy.

"The royal family, which was quick to use force earlier this week against demonstrators in the landmark square that has been the heart of the anti-government demonstrations, appeared to back away from further confrontation following international pressure from the West.

"The demonstrators had emulated successful uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt in attempting to bring political change to Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet — the centerpiece of Washington's efforts to confront Iranian military influence in the region.

"Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, deputy supreme commander of the armed forces, appealed for calm and political dialogue in a brief address on state TV.

"People circling through the square clapped, whistled and wept. Some wore white sheets symbolizing their readiness for martyrdom, while others carried Bahraini flags, flowers and signs that said 'Peaceful.'

"'We are victorious!' they chanted as they marched back into the square that has been the headquarters for their revolt against the Sunni monarchy in the predominantly Shiite island nation.

"They also chanted: 'The people want the removal of the regime.'

"As night fell, defiant protesters erected barriers, wired a sound system, set up a makeshift medical tent and deployed lookouts to warn of approaching security forces.

"President Barack Obama discussed the situation with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, asking him to hold those responsible for the violence accountable. He said in a statement that Bahrain must respect the 'universal rights' of its people and embrace 'meaningful reform.'"

Once again, nebulously important-sounding but completely useless words from Obama. They signify nothing. He and his administration are so carefully vague in their language-- which demonstrates that they really have little understanding of what is happening there and why.

Surprise! Obama Favors Wisconsin Unions Over Taxpayers

2011-02-18T15:46:00.000-08:00

So much for Obama the Great Uniter... and Obama the Centrist, for that matter. But it's all Bush and Cheney's fault-- somehow.

The only surprise is that the Community-Organizer-in-Chief has so openly backed union interests over tax payers and fiscal responsibility. After all, the OFA have been openly supporting the protesters from the beginning and had a hand in the organizing the protests to begin with.

From The Washington Post article:

"President Obama thrust himself and his political operation this week into Wisconsin's broiling budget battle, mobilizing opposition Thursday to a Republican bill that would curb public-worker benefits and planning similar protests in other state capitals.

"Obama accused Scott Walker, the state's new Republican governor, of unleashing an 'assault' on unions in pushing emergency legislation that would change future collective-bargaining agreements that affect most public employees, including teachers.

"The president's political machine worked in close coordination Thursday with state and national union officials to get thousands of protesters to gather in Madison and to plan similar demonstrations in other state capitals.

[...]

"The White House political operation, Organizing for America, got involved Monday, after Democratic National Committee Chairman Timothy M. Kaine, a former Virginia governor, spoke to union leaders in Madison, a party official said.

"The group made phone calls, distributed messages via Twitter and Facebook, and sent e-mails to state and national lists to try to build crowds for rallies Wednesday and Thursday, a party official said.

"National Republican leaders, who have praised efforts similar to Walker's, leapt to his defense.

"House Speaker John A. Boehner (Ohio) issued a stern rebuke of the White House, calling on Obama to wave off his political operation and stop criticizing the governor.

"'This is not the way you begin an "adult conversation" in America about solutions to the fiscal challenges that are destroying jobs in our country,' Boehner said in a statement, alluding to the president's call for civility in budget talks. 'Rather than shouting down those in office who speak honestly about the challenges we face, the president and his advisers should lead.'

[...]

"By aligning himself closely with unions, Obama is siding with a core segment of the Democratic Party base - but one that has chafed in recent weeks as the president has sought to rebuild his image among centrist voters by reaching out to business leaders."

Surely, it is not the role of the president to meddle in local politics, especially after his party's spending policies were soundly rebuked in Wisconsin and all across America in the last election.

Bahraini Troops Fire on Protesters

2011-02-18T14:34:00.000-08:00

From the AP article by Hadeel Al-Shalchi:

"Soldiers opened fire Friday on thousands of protesters defying a government ban and streaming toward the landmark square that had been the symbolic center of the uprising to break the political grip of the Gulf nation's leaders.

"Officials at the main Salmaniya hospital said at least 50 people were injured, some with gunshot wounds. Some doctors and medics on emergency medical teams were in tears as they tended to the wounded. X-rays showed bullets still lodged inside victims.

"'This is a war,' said Dr. Bassem Deif, an orthopedic surgeon examining people with bullet-shattered bones.

"Health ministry officials said in a statement that seven people were critically injured.

"Protesters described a chaotic scene of tear gas clouds, bullets coming from many directions and people slipping in pools of blood as they sought cover. Some claimed the gunfire came from either helicopters or sniper nests, a day after riot police swept through the protest encampment in Pearl Square, killing at least five people and razing the tents and makeshift shelters that were inspired by the demonstrators in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

"The clash came hours after funeral mourners and worshippers at Friday prayers called for the toppling of the Western-allied monarchy in the tiny island nation that is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, the centerpiece of the Pentagon's efforts to confront Iranian military influence. Some members of Bahrain's Sunni ruling system worry that Shiite powerhouse Iran could use Bahrain's majority Shiites as a further foothold in the region."

Obama is running the same by-the-numbers response from Egypt, urging restraint and pretty much vaguely backing the protesters without knowing who they are, what they want, nor who backs them. And of course without taking into account what is in the best interests of the US allies in the region. Amateur ideologue...

From the AP:

"U.S. President Barack Obama condemned the reports of violence against the protesters in Bahrain, Libya and Yemen, urging government restraint.

"'I am deeply concerned about reports of violence in Bahrain, Libya and Yemen. The United States condemns the use of violence by governments against peaceful protesters in those countries and wherever else it may occur,' Obama said. 'The United States urges the governments of Bahrain, Libya and Yemen to show restraint in responding to peaceful protests and to respect the rights of their people.'"

Of course Obama didn't mention of the unrest in Iran. It is interesting how quickly he has jumped onto the protesters band wagon elsewhere, but steadfastly refused to condemn the violent crackdown of the Green Revolution by the Iranian government. What does that say?

Back to the article:

"Bahrain's king appointed Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa to lead a dialogue 'with all parties,' though it was unclear whether furious protesters would respond to the overture. Speaking on Bahrain's State TV, Salman expressed condolences for 'these painful days' and called for unity.

"'We are at a crossroads,' Salman said. 'Youths are going out on the street believing that they have no future in the country, while others are going out to express their love and loyalty. But this country is for you all, for the Shiites and Sunnis.'"

[...]

"At a Shiite mosque in the village of Diraz, an anti-government hotbed, imam Isa Qassim called the Pearl Square assault a 'massacre' and thousands of worshippers chanted: 'The regime must go.'

"In a sign of Bahrain's deep divisions, government loyalists filled Manama's Grand Mosque to hear words of support for the monarchy and take part in a post-sermon march protected by security forces. Many arrived with Bahraini flags draped over the traditional white robes worn by Gulf men. Portraits of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa were distributed.

"'We must protect our country,' said Adnan al-Qattan, the cleric leading prayers. 'We are living in dangerous times.'

"He denounced attempts to 'open the doors to evil and foreign influences' — an apparent reference to suspicions that Shiite powerhouse Iran could take advantages of any gains by Bahrain's Shiites, who account for about 70 percent of the population.

"The pro-government gathering had many nonnative Bahrainis, including South Asians and Sunni Arabs from around the region. Shiite have long complained of policies giving Sunnis citizenship and jobs, including posts in security forces, to offset the Shiite majority."

Lots of activity in Bahrain, and it's hard to say what will happen. However, my money is on the Sunni government staying in place-- especially since Saudi Arabia takes such an interest in keeping Iranian expansionism in check. There might be some token reforms within the Bahraini government, but the main players will stay largely the same. There's no guarantees, of course.

Wisconsin a Test Case for Unions and States Governments?

2011-02-18T08:06:00.000-08:00

Photos from Doug Ross

Are the Wisconsin protests a test for the unions nationwide?

From the NRO article by Katrina Trinko:

"Nearly 4,000 government union workers crowded the Ohio Statehouse today, protesting a bill by Republican state senator Shannon Jones that would eliminate some collective bargaining rights for public union employees in the state.

[...]

"In Indiana, over 600 United Steelworkers members protested Tuesday, opposing legislation that would make Indiana a right-to-work state and a different bill that would reduce unemployment benefits.

"Bottom line: What happens in Wisconsin could easily have a ripple effect across the nation. If the unions win, watch for them to challenge other governors just as aggressively. If they don’t win, that could embolden state legislators to vote for legislation unions oppose."

Maybe that's true, but either way Wisconsin legislators and the governor have to dig in here. The mid-west cannot give in to union threats, vitriol and protests.

Wisconsin Republican Lawmakers Face Threats of Attack

2011-02-17T19:03:00.000-08:00

Wisconsin Gov Scott Walker Portrayed as Hitler photo by Ann Althouse

More Leftist civility: Hitler posters and physical threats-- in addition to the name-calling vitriol and walkouts.

Wasn't this the kind of response everyone expected from the Right after Obama was elected, or when ObamaCare was passed? It didn't happen. But it does happen in Wisconsin when you take on the Democrat-allied unions.

From the NRO article by Jay Nordlinger:

"Randy Hopper is a state senator in Wisconsin. A Republican. He is now holed up with his colleagues — his Republican colleagues — in the capitol. The Democratic senators have apparently fled the state. Hopper says, 'None of my colleagues from the minority party decided to come to work today.'

"The Democrats are denying the Republicans the quorum necessary to vote on key fiscal legislation.

[...]

"Hopper has received threatening phone calls and e-mails. These are threats of a physical nature. 'We are working with law enforcement in my district. They are watching my home and my business.' Other Republicans have had their homes and businesses threatened, too. The unionists have demonstrated outside those homes and businesses.

"A menacing old phrase comes to mind (and has been used by others, in talking about events in Wisconsin): We know where you live.

"Hopper says, 'I've always said that they can threaten me all they want, but it’s not going to stop me from doing what the people elected me to do.' And he says more than once, 'We’re still here.' The Republicans have not run anywhere.

"They have been pushed around (literally), screamed at, etc. The capitol is surrounded. The signs carried by the protesters are 'vicious,' says Hopper. There are comparisons of Gov. Scott Walker to Hitler, of course. And there are other signs 'I won’t describe to you.'"

Kind of funny that the OFA is funding this kind of stuff-- you know, reaching across the aisle and all that.

And of course there's the money involved. Michelle Malkin has a very, very long list of Illinois educators making $100,000+ a year in Wisconsin. Check it out. Do you think they're not going to scream "Hitler" to try to save that sort of money? Guess again.

Obama's OFA Playing Role in Organizing and Promoting Wisconsin Protests

2011-02-17T14:43:00.000-08:00

Not exactly a shocker but still extremely inappropriate.

From the Politico article by Ben Smith (h/t Gateway Pundit):

"The Democratic National Committee's Organizing for America arm -- the remnant of the 2008 Obama campaign -- is playing an active role in organizing protests against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's attempt to strip most public employees of collective bargaining rights.

"OfA, as the campaign group is known, has been criticized at times for staying out of local issues like same-sex marraige, but it's riding to the aide of the public sector unions who hoping to persuade some Republican legislators to oppose Walker's plan. And while Obama may have his difference with teachers unions, OfA's engagement with the fight -- and Obama's own clear stance against Walker -- mean that he's remaining loyal to key Democratic Party allies at what is, for them, a very dangerous moment.

"OfA Wisconsin's field efforts include filling buses and building turnout for the rallies this week in Madison, organizing 15 rapid response phone banks urging supporters to call their state legislators, and working on planning and producing rallies, a Democratic Party official in Washington said [emphasis mine]."

Nice to see some of that OFA's genuine grass roots support in action... just like the Coffee Party in that sense, right?

Meanwhile the Dem State Senators are still hiding to avoid the vote. Talk about burying your head in the sand...

Bahraini Troops Rout Protesters

2011-02-17T07:47:00.000-08:00

From the AP article by Hadeel Al-Shalachi:

"Troops and tanks locked down the capital of this tiny Gulf kingdom after riot police swinging clubs and firing tear gas smashed into demonstrators, many of them sleeping, in a pre-dawn assault Thursday that uprooted their protest camp demanding political change. Medical officials said four people were killed.

"Hours after the attack on Manama's main Pearl Square, the military announced a ban on gatherings, saying on state TV that it had 'key parts' of the capital under its control.

"After several days of holding back, the island nation's Sunni rulers unleashed a heavy crackdown, trying to stamp out the first anti-government upheaval to reach the Arab states of the Gulf since the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. In the surprise assault, police tore down protesters' tents, beating men and women inside and blasting some with shotgun sprays of birdshot.

"It was a sign of how deeply the Sunni monarchy — and other Arab regimes in the Gulf — fear the repercussions of a prolonged wave of protests, led by members of the country's Shiite majority but also joined by growing numbers of discontented Sunnis.

"Tiny Bahrain is a pillar of Washington's military framework in the region. It hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which is a critical counterbalance to Iran. Bahrain's rulers and their Arab allies depict any sign of unrest among their Shiite populations as a move by neighboring Shiite-majority Iran to expand its clout in the region.

[...]

"The capital Manama was effectively shut down Thursday. For the first time in the crisis, tanks rolled into the streets and military checkpoints were set up as army patrols circulated. The Interior Ministry warned Bahrainis to stay off the streets. Banks and other key institutions did not open, and workers stayed home, unable or to afraid to pass through checkpoints to get to their jobs.

"Barbed wire and police cars with flashing blue lights encircled Pearl Square, the site of anti-government rallies since Monday. The square was turned into a field of flattened tents and the strewn belongings of the protesters who had camped there — pieces of clothing and boxes of food.

[...]

"The violence killed four people, said hospital officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

"Bahrain's parliament — minus opposition lawmakers who are staging a boycott — met in emergency session. One pro-government member, Jamila Salman, broke into tears. A leader of the Shiite opposition Abdul-Jalil Khalil said 18 lawmakers resigned to protest the killings.

[...]

"While the protests began as a cry for the country's Sunni monarchy to loosen its grip, the uprising's demands have steadily grown bolder. Many protesters called for the government to provide more jobs and better housing, free all political detainees and abolish the system that offers Bahraini citizenship to Sunnis from around the Middle East.

"Increasingly, protesters also chanted slogans to wipe away the entire ruling dynasty that has led Bahrain for more than 200 years and is firmly backed by the Sunni sheiks and monarchs across the Gulf.

"The stability of Bahrain's government is seen as crucial by its other allies in the Gulf, who — though they rarely say it in public — see Bahrain's Shiite majority as the weak link in their unity against Iranian influence.

"Hard-liners in Iran have often expressed kinship and support for Bahrain's Shiites. But in Bahrain, the community staunchly denies being a tool of Tehran, saying their complaints are rooted in their country's unbalanced system."

How will the US respond, other than urge restraint? Maybe Obama can make some flip-flop speeches again as he struggles to back the right horse.

Obama Set to Rebuke Israel at the UN

2011-02-17T05:42:00.000-08:00

Unbelievable.

From the Foreign Policy article by Colum Lynch (via Drudge):

"The U.S. informed Arab governments Tuesday that it will support a U.N. Security Council statement reaffirming that the 15-nation body 'does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity,' a move aimed at avoiding the prospect of having to veto a stronger Palestinian resolution calling the settlements illegal.

"But the Palestinians rejected the American offer following a meeting late Wednesday of Arab representatives and said it is planning to press for a vote on its resolution on Friday, according to officials familar with the issue. The decision to reject the American offer raised the prospect that the Obama adminstration will cast its first ever veto in the U.N. Security Council.

"Still, the U.S. offer signaled a renewed willingness to seek a way out of the current impasse, even if it requires breaking with Israel and joining others in the council in sending a strong message to its key ally to stop its construction of new settlements. U.S. officials were not available for comment, but two Security Council diplomats confirmed the proposal.

[...]

"Susan E. Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, outlined the new U.S. offer in a closed door meeting on Tuesday with the Arab Group, a bloc of Arab countries from North Africa and the Middle East. In exchange for scuttling the Palestinian resolution, the United States would support the council statement, consider supporting a U.N. Security Council visit to the Middle East, the first since 1979, and commit to supporting strong language criticizing Israel's settlement policies in a future statement by the Middle East Quartet.

"The U.S.-backed draft statement -- which was first reported by Al Hurra -- was obtained by Turtle Bay. In it, the Security Council 'expresses its strong opposition to any unilateral actions by any party, which cannot prejudge the outcome of negotiations and will not be recognized by the international community, and reaffirms, that it does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity, which is a serious obstacle to the peace process.' The statement also condemns 'all forms of violence, including rocket fire from Gaza, and stresses the need for calm and security for both peoples.'

[...]

"The U.S. concession comes as the Middle East is facing a massive wave of popular demonstrations that have brought down the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt and are posing a challenge to governments in Algeria, Bahrain, and Iran." And Yemen, though it's not mentioned.

Obama amateurism on display! Caught completely off-guard by the unrest in Egypt and the rest of the Middle East due to sheer incompetence and naivety, Obama has fallen back on the blame Israel strategy. Yes, let us stabilize the Middle East by reminding the Muslims that their real enemy is Israel. Brilliant! And this comes on the back of Egyptian opposition leader Ayman Nour publicly stating that "the Camp David accords are finished" and that "Egypt has to at least conduct negotiations over conditions of the agreement."

The Obama Administration has from the beginning worked its policies from the erroneous theory that Muslim hostility to the US is mainly due to Israel's existence. This is, most charitably, wishful thinking with no basis in reality. And now we see here Obama's "smart diplomacy" in action. After ingratiating apology speeches that demonstrated the Obama Administration's ignorance of the various Muslims' cultures and histories utterly failed, the Obama Administration will now rebuke Israel to satiate those hot tempers. Idiocy...

People have wondered if Obama would go down in history as the president who lost Egypt. That's probably a best case scenario. The real question is will Obama be the president who presided over a major war against Israel, and will he be the president that fiddled while the Middle East burned.

Protests in Yemen

2011-02-16T10:04:00.000-08:00

Protests have spread to Yemen.

From the AP article by Ahemd Al-Haj:

"Authorities flooded the streets of Yemen's capital with 2,000 police Wednesday to try to halt six days of Egypt-style demonstrations against the president of 32 years, a key U.S. ally in battling al-Qaida. One person was killed when police and protesters clashed in the southern port of Aden in the first known death during Yemen's political unrest.

"The police, including plainclothes officers, fired in the air and blocked thousands of students at Sanaa University from joining thousands of other protesters in the capital of the Arab world's most impoverished nation.

"A call spread via Facebook and Twitter urging Yemenis to join a series of 'One Million People' rallies on a so-called 'Friday of Rage' in all Yemeni cities, seeking the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

"'We will remain in the streets until the regime departure,' according to a statement posted on Facebook. Copies signed by a group named the Feb. 24 Movement were distributed among youth via e-mail. The group is taking that name because organizers hope to have their biggest protest on that day next week.

"Taking inspiration from the toppling of autocratic leaders in Egypt and Tunisia, the protesters are demanding political reforms and Saleh's resignation, complaining of poverty, unemployment and corruption.

"Saleh has tried to defuse protesters' anger amid the unprecedented street demonstrations by saying he will not run for another term in 2013 and that he will not seek to set up his son, Ahmed, to succeed him in the conflict-ridden and impoverished nation.

[...]

"Saleh has become a key U.S. partner in battling al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the terrorist network's offshoot in Yemen. The group's several hundred fighters have battled Saleh's U.S.-backed forces and have been linked to attacks beyond Yemen's borders, including the failed attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner in December 2009. The U.S. military plans a $75 million training program with Yemen's counterterrorism unit to expand its size and capabilities in the nation's mountainous terrain.

"It's a difficult balancing act for Saleh, who has been criticized as being too close to the United States.

"Yemeni state TV reported that Saleh has been holding meetings since Sunday with heads of tribes to prevent them from joining the anti-government protests.

[...]

"About 120 judges held a protest in front of the Ministry of Justice in Sanaa, calling for an independent judiciary and better salaries. It was the first demonstration by judges in Yemen.

"Saleh's government is weak — its control barely extends beyond the capital and is dependent on fragile alliances with powerful tribes — and it faces other serious challenges."

These challenges include both north and south Yemen threatening to secede.

This is why ingratiating speeches from the president is not really an American foreign policy. I have posted before about Obama weakening American allies with his apologies and promises to not unilaterally...

The collapse of Yemen's current government would pretty much put an end to any resistance to the Islamic terrorists in the country. Following a collapse, the terrorist groups will undoubtedly involve themselves in the tribal conflicts, but if they don't become an active threat against the tribal leaders as a whole, then they will be quite secure. None of the local tribes could dislodge the terrorist groups by themselves should they have the desire. If the terrorist groups back the right tribal coalitions (not unlike what bin Laden did in Afghanistan), then Yemen could as safe and secure for al Qaeda and their ilk as Taliban-ruled Afghanistan was.

Bahrain Experiencing Unrest and Violent Protests

2011-02-15T10:24:00.000-08:00

Bahrain is yet another country in the Middle East embroiled in civil unrest.

From the AP article by Brian Murphy:

"Thousands of protesters poured into a main square in Bahrain's capital Tuesday in an Egypt-style rebellion that sharply escalated pressure on authorities as the Arab push for change gripped the Gulf for the first time.

"Security forces have battled demonstrators calling for political reforms and greater freedoms over two days, leading to the deaths of two protesters and the main opposition group vowing to freeze its work in parliament in protest.

"In a clear sign of concern over the widening crisis, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa made a rare national TV address, offering condolences for the deaths, pledging an investigation into the killings and promising to push ahead with reforms, which include loosening state controls on the media and Internet.

[...]

"Oppositions groups aren't calling for the ruling Sunni monarchy to be ousted, but they do want an end to its grip on key decisions and government posts.

"Other demands — listed on a poster erected in the square — included the release of all political prisoners, more jobs and housing, an elected Cabinet and the replacement of longtime prime minister, Sheik Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

[...]

"The nation's majority Shiites — about 70 percent of the population of some 500,000_ have long complained of discrimination and being blackballed from important state jobs.

"Many in the square waved Bahraini flags and chanted: 'No Sunnis, no Shiites. We are all Bahrainis.' It also appeared they were planning for the long haul. Some groups carried in tents and sought generators to set up under a nearly 300-foot (90-meter) monument cradling a giant white pearl-shaped ball that symbolizes the country's heritage as a pearl diving center.

"Bahrain is one of the most politically volatile nations in the Middle East's wealthiest corner despite having one of the few elected parliaments and some of the most robust civil society groups. A crackdown on perceived dissent last year touched off weeks of riots and clashes in Shiite villages, and an ongoing trial in Bahrain accuses 25 Shiites of plotting against the country's leadership.

"A prolonged showdown could draw in the region's two biggest rivals: Saudi Arabia, as close allies of Bahrain's Sunni monarchy, and Iran, whose hard-liners have spoken in support of the nation's Shiite majority [emphasis mine]."

The last sentence is especially important. It's hard to say exactly what will happen in Bahrain, but the possibility of long, violent protests that escalate into a full-scale revolution is very possible. Clearly the king of Bahrain senses the possibility as demonstrated by his appearance on TV.

The Muslim Brotherhood exists in Bahrain as the Al Eslah Society, the president of which, Isa bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, is a member of Bahrain's royal family. The political wing of the Al Eslah Society is the Al-Menbar Islamic Society. In the Dec. 2010 election, the Al-Menbar Islamic Society won only 2 seats in the Council of Representatives which has 40 members. However, the Al-Menbar Islamic Society is very well organized and, as noted, has associates within the royal family of Bahrain. They could flourish with a little chaos.

If a violent Revolution should happen (which could happen with or without the support of the Muslim Brotherhood), Bahrain could become a key battleground in a proxy war. The Saudis and Iranians could turn the country of Bahrain into something like Beirut from the 1980s with various factions with foreign support fighting for dominance.

It is a place worth watching, and the implications of a weakened and violent Bahrain are significant for the region. Given that the Obama Administration had no contingencies for a revolution in Egypt beyond trotting out Obama to give speeches desperately trying to back the right horse, Bahrain will receive little advice and no help from the US should the situation escalate.

Were WMDs Found in San Diego or Elsewhere in the US?

2011-02-14T09:47:00.000-08:00

There's a local San Diego news (10 News San Diego, an ABC affiliate) video making the rounds, in which a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent seemed to have confirmed that weapons of mass destruction have been found by U.S. officials in the past. Maybe.

Bob McCarty at BigJournalism.com has an article here, coupled with a couple of shaky videos someone filmed while watching the TV news reports. The television news reports themselves are unwarrantably alarmist (especially once the raw footage of the interview is viewed), and the news anchors actively misconstrue what was really said by assistant port director Al Hallor.

The 10news.com article is better and can be found here. It reads:

"10News was granted access to San Diego's seaport for a firsthand look at how Customs and Border Protection officers safeguard against weapons of mass effect.

"'Given the open waterways and the access to the Navy fleet here, I'd say, absolutely, San Diego is a target,' said Al Hallor, who is the assistant port director and an officer with Customs and Border Protection.

"10News investigative reporter Mitch Blacher asked, 'Do you ever find things that are dangerous like a chemical agent or a weaponized device?'

"'At the airport, seaport, at our port of entry we have not this past fiscal year, but our partner agencies have found those things,' said Hallor."

This exchange came a bit later in the article:

"'So, specifically, you're looking for the dirty bomb? You're looking for the nuclear device?' asked Blacher.

"'Correct. Weapons of mass effect,' Hallor said.

"'You ever found one?' asked Blacher.

"'Not at this location,' Hallor said.

"'But they have found them?' asked Blacher.

"Yes,' said Hallor.

"'You never found one in San Diego though?' Blacher asked.

"'I would say at the port of San Diego we have not,' Hallor said.

"'Have you found one in San Diego?' Blacher asked.

"The interview was interrupted [by a public affairs officer] before Hallor was able to answer the question."

Huh.

Hallor is clearly hesitant and nervous in the interview. He is also clearly not used to being interviewed by the news which could be the reason for his nervousness (it was very obviously at least a partial factor). Did Hallor misspeak? If he did, he did so twice about the same subject, which is possible.

To their great credit, channel 10 has posted the raw video here. It's only about 6 minutes 30 seconds long, but it is very interesting. Check it out.

From the video:

(from about 2:53 in the video)

Blacher: Do you ever catch dangerous stuff, like uh... chemical agents, bombs?

Hallor: (sighs) Um... I don't know how to answer that one.

Hallor then asks a partially off camera woman, almost certainly the public affairs officer, about how to answer the question. Lots of inaudibles follow and not much of an answer is given.

In print this appears far more nefarious then it actually is on the video, but clearly Hallor and the public affairs officer have a list of "do not dos and mentions" in their guidelines regarding interviews. Another example of this, but hardly an alarming one, is at about 4:53 of the video when Hallor asks the likely public affairs officer if he should or should not talk specifically about the RID device, which is simply a part of the procedure to detect radiation in cargo containers.

The exchange about finding weapons of mass effect in San Diego transcribed in the 10 news article occurs at about 5:45 of the raw video. Right after the short largely inaudible exchange between Hallor, the public affairs officer and Blacher, this happens:

Blacher: Okay. You never found one in San Diego?

Hallor: (makes pained face before answering) I would say in the Port of San Diego, we have not.

Blacher: Have you found one in San Diego?

Hallor: (after about a six second pause) Trying to--

Public Affairs Officer (partially inaudible): Yeah, we'll just talk about the Port of San Diego. I'll follow up later because personally [inaudible] ever. So, I just want to double check to make sure we give them accurate information. So I'll follow up later about that.

As the 10 News article says, Customs and Border Protection sent this statement after the interview:

"CBP has not specifically had any incidents with nuclear devices or nuclear materials at our ports of entry. CBP is an all-threats agency. The purpose of many security measures is to prevent threats from ever materializing by being prepared for them. And, we must be prepared to stop threats in whatever form they do materialize at the border, whether it’s an individual or cargo arriving by land, air, or sea. Regardless of what the contraband or threat is, we’re being smart, evaluating, and focusing in on anything or anyone that is potentially high-risk.

"We were able to show you first-hand one example of how we evaluate segment risk, inspect, etc. in the cargo environment by air and sea here in San Diego. This is one portion of the CBP mission, and hopefully gives you some examples of how much has evolved in the past decade, with the new technologies we have at our disposal. This, coupled with document requirements at the border, advanced passenger and cargo information, better information sharing, and many other measures help us to secure the border - and each measure doesn’t work individually or in a vacuum, but rather in the layered security that we were able to demonstrate one facet of."

I don't quite know what to make of all this. Local news in Southern California (as local news does elsewhere, I am sure) often jump on "scoops" and excitedly over-report on subjects that turn out to be nothing-- such as the Southern California "missile" incident (it was an aircraft's contrail).

Was this incident another nothing? Most likely.

Much of Hallor's hesitancy appears to come from wanting to be as accurate and specific as possible to the questions asked, as well as being on guard to some out-of-context "gotcha" moment. Likewise his nervousness could have been entirely from being camera shy. Hallor's manner suggests that he is not often called upon to do television interviews.

That being said, clearly Hallor said something that he should not have. Either he misspoke or let something slip.

The questions are:

When Hallor answered "yes" to the question "Have they found them [weapons of mass effect]?", was he accurate?

Did Hallor misunderstand the question, or did he get a little confused by the line of questioning due to being nervous? Could Hallor have thought that the "they" in the question referred to the devices that detect radioactive materials?

It would seem that if weapons of mass effect had been found and that the knowledge of was well-known enough for Hallor to be privy it, it would be almost impossible to keep it out of the public eye for so long. And the sort of slips that Hallor makes throughout the raw video seem mostly due to stage fright and being very intent about not saying something that could be misconstrued-- a bit of irony there, I suppose.

That said, Hallor does seem to make the same mistake twice, and the statement from Customs and Border Protection addresses only "nuclear devices or nuclear materials at our ports of entry" and not non-nuclear weapons of mass effect. It's a little too specific for my tastes-- but, once again both government agencies and the media must play by the card regarding these sort of issues.

My bet is that this is all much ado but nothing-- but, I don't want to just completely dismiss the other possibility. It would certainly be nice if the media would follow up on this to confirm it one way or the other. I doubt that they will, though.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T05:51:00.000-08:00

Here's hoping everybody has a happy Valentine's Day.

Miserable California

2011-02-12T06:41:00.000-08:00

Forbes put out their America's most miserable cities of 2011 list recently. A California city not only took top honors, but 4 out of the top 5 cities were in California. And not coincidentally all four cities are in the swath of land between San Francisco/Sacramento and Merced. And with the exception of Bakersfield (a city that has been lowly regarded since well before I was born), all the California cites are between Sacramento/San Francisco and Fresno. Well, generations of entitlement programs and a hyperactive state legislature can work wonders...

The top 10 cities are:

1) Stockton, CA

2) Miami, FL

3) Merced, CA (about halfway between Fresno and Stockton, and 50 or so miles east of San Jose)

4) Modesto, CA (about halfway between Stockton and Merced)

5) Sacramento, CA

6) Memphis, TN

7) Chicago, IL

8) West Palm Beach, FL

9) Vallejo, CA (about 10- 15 miles north of San Francisco as the crow flies)

10) Cleveland, OH

Fresno (ranked 17th), Salinas (ranked 18th), and Bakersfield (ranked 20th) were all in the top twenty cities. Amazingly Detroit, the city of wild dogs, urban farming, bears, and unbelievable amounts of government corruption, was ranked 15th.

In the Forbes article Kurt Badenhausen states "We considered 10 factors, things that people gripe about around the water cooler every day. Most are serious issues, including unemployment, crime and taxes. A few are not as critical but still elevate people's blood pressure, such as the weather, commute times and local sports-team performance."

Not a perfect list of factors... I think anyone who has lived for any length of time in a high traffic area like the greater Los Angeles area would not refer to commute time as a non-critical factor. And please factor out the sports teams... I mean come on. "Sure, I don't have a job, my car radio was stolen, and my house is now worth 50% of what I paid for it, but the local basketball team is doing great! That makes my day..."

When my wife and I packed up and left California about five years ago, my friends and family were both incredulous and convinced that we'd soon be back after tasting life and weather outside of our home state. To this day, I'm incredulous that they won't leave.

Obama's Ideological Foreign Policy and its Collision with Reality

2011-02-11T11:14:00.000-08:00

Not long after posting on The Washington Post's story about Pakistan's rapidly growing nuclear arsenal, I came across Caroline Glick's terrific op-ed on the same subject and it references the same WaPo article. Anyway, she connects the dots between Pakistan, the not-so-great foreign policy the US enacted with it in the past, and Obama's ideological stances that endanger the US, the Middle East, and more. It's an excellent piece of work, and I highly recommend reading the whole work at the link below.

From Glick's essay:

"The Obama administration has been silent on Pakistan's nuclear proliferation activities. As ISIS President David Albright said to the Washington Post, "The administration is always trying to keep people from talking about this knowledgeably.

"'They're always trying to downplay the numbers [of Pakistan's nuclear warheads] and insisting that "it's smaller than you think."'

"Pakistan's nuclear growth goes on as its economy is in shambles, its government is falling apart and a large portion of the country's territory is controlled by the Taliban.

"Pakistan is the largest recipient of US foreign aid. In 2009 Congress approved a five-year $7.5 billion civilian aid package. Last October, the Obama administration proposed supplementing the aid with $2b. for Pakistan's military.

"The administration requested the supplemental aid despite criticism that economic assistance to Pakistan indirectly funds its nuclear project, since Pakistan is in an effective state of bankruptcy.

"Moreover, a US Inspector-General's Report published this week concluded that the $7.5b. in assistance has achieved little.

"For their part, the Pakistani government and military adhere to a radically anti-American line, and Pakistan's powerful ISI intelligence service and large sections of its military continue to maintain intimate ties with al-Qaida and the Taliban.

"Last month, Pakistani police arrested US diplomat Raymond Davis in Lahore after he killed two gunmen who were reportedly about to rob him at gunpoint. Pakistani law enforcement officials have charged Davis with murder and refuse to release him to US custody, despite the fact that he should enjoy the protection of diplomatic immunity. Rather than attempt to quiet passions, the Pakistani government is fanning anti-American sentiments by among other things, releasing a videotape of Davis's police interrogation.

"To date, while members of Congress are beginning to threaten to curtail aid to Pakistan pending Davis's release, the administration has limited its response to this de facto act of hostage-taking by Pakistan to refusing to hold high-level exchanges with Pakistani leaders. And even this limited response has been inconsistently implemented."

Glick then really hits the nail on the regarding the danger that Obama's ideology has put the US and the world in.

"Since taking office, the Obama administration has failed to conceive of a strategy for contending with the situation. One of the main obstacles to the formation of a coherent US strategy is the Obama administration's move to outlaw any discussion of the basic threats to US interests. Shortly after entering office, President Barack Obama banned the use of the term 'War against terror,' substituting it with the opaque term 'overseas contingency operation.'

"Last April, Obama banned use of the terms 'jihad,' 'Islamic terrorism' and 'radical Islam' in US government documents.

"Given that US officials are barred from using all the terms that are relevant for describing reality in places like Pakistan, it is obvious why the US cannot put together a strategy for contending with the challenges it faces there.

"Imagine an intelligence officer in Peshawar trying to report on what he sees. Imagine a defense attaché in Lahore trying to explain the problems with the jihad-infested Pakistani military to his superiors in Washington. Imagine a USAID officer trying to explain why the jihadist-mosque attending public refuses to work at US-funded highway programs.

"The Obama administration's decision to ban relevant language from the official US policy discourse was ideologically motivated. And in choosing ideology over reality, the Obama administration has induced a situation where rather than construct policies to deal with reality, at all levels, US officials have been charged with constructing policies to deny and ignore reality.

"Against this backdrop it becomes fairly clear why the Obama administration's handling of the political turmoil in Egypt has been so incompetent.

"Upon entering office, Obama made a determined effort to ignore the political instability percolating under the surface throughout the authoritarian Arab world. US government officials were instructed to curtail programs aimed at developing liberal alternatives to authoritarianism and the Muslim Brotherhood. The justification for this behavior was again ideological.

"As the world's biggest bully, the US had no moral right to judge the behavior of tyrants like Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

"Once the dutifully ignored long-repressed popular discontent boiled over into the popular revolts we have seen over the past month in Tunisia and Egypt as well as Yemen, Jordan, Algeria and beyond, the Obama administration rushed to get on the 'right side' of the issue. To avoid criticism for refusing to contend with the problems bred by Arab authoritarianism, Obama went to the other extreme. He became the most outspoken champion of unfettered popular democracy in Egypt.

"Of course, to occupy this other side of the spectrum, Obama has had to ignore the danger constituted by the most powerful opposition movement in Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood's hostility towards the US's most fundamental strategic interests in the Middle East has been swept under the rug by the Obama administration and its supporters in the US media.

[...]

"From its slavish devotion to appeasing Iran, its single-minded insistence on withdrawing from Iraq, its announced commitment to withdrawing from Afghanistan, to its tolerance of Hugo Chavez, and its infantile reset button diplomacy towards Russia, the Obama administration's foreign policy is on a collision course with reality."

I really wish that Glick was way off base here, but I'm afraid she isn't. Obama's rank amateurism coupled with his American counter-culture ideology have destabilized much of the world, turning many parts of the underdeveloped world into a very chaotic, and dangerous place. Hope and Change...

Pakistan Doubles its Nuclear Weapon Stockpile

2011-02-11T09:34:00.000-08:00

Here's a story that slipped under a lot of people's radar.

From The Washington Post article by Karen DeYoung:

"Pakistan's nuclear arsenal now totals more than 100 deployed weapons, a doubling of its stockpile over the past several years in one of the world's most unstable regions, according to estimates by nongovernment analysts.

"The Pakistanis have significantly accelerated production of uranium and plutonium for bombs and developed new weapons to deliver them. After years of approximate weapons parity, experts said, Pakistan has now edged ahead of India, its nuclear-armed rival.

[...]

"Other nuclear powers have their own interests in the region. China, which sees India as a major regional competitor, has major investments in Pakistan and a commitment to supply it with at least two nuclear-energy reactors.

"Russia has increased its cooperation with India and told Pakistan last week that it was 'disturbed' about its arms buildup."

You would think this news make a bigger splash than it did...

Republican Congressman Christopher Lee Resigns after Craigslist Flirtation

2011-02-10T08:24:00.000-08:00

Republican Christopher Lee resigned after details of his flirtations with a girl he met while answering a Craigslist "Women for Men" forum.

Allahpundit at Hot Air (h/t Jill at Pundit & Pundette) has a good summation:

"It’s a classic 'boy meets girl' story. Girl places ad in Craigslist’s 'Women for Men' forum; boy responds and kicks off a long, flirty e-mail exchange; boy ends up sending girl cheesy cell-phone photos of him with his shirt off; girl forwards photos and e-mails to Internet gossip site known for lurid stories about politicians and their hook-ups.

"Oh, almost forgot: Boy neglected to tell girl that he’s married, with children, and happens to be a Republican congressman from New York."

Amusingly this comes after current Republican House Speaker John Boehner told him to curb the partying-- which seems to have been a bit of a problem for Lee.

From the N.Y. Daily News article by Aliyah Shahid:

"A topless Craigslist photo might not have been a disgraced ex-Republican congressman's first transgression.

"House Speaker John Boehner warned Buffalo-area Rep. Christopher Lee – who resigned yesterday -- over his partying antics with female lobbyists last year, according to Politico.

"Sources told the political website that Lee was one of several junior GOP lawmakers that Boehner cautioned to "knock it off" with other women. Boehner, who was then House minority leader, had previously made clear that personal misconduct would not be tolerated."

And then there's the obligatory, Jack Benny-style lying about his age...

"The 46-year-old married congressman abruptly called it quits on Wednesday after the website Gawker busted him for sending a shirtless photo and flirty emails to a woman hunting for dates on the Craigslist.

"In the messages sent to the Maryland resident and government employee last month, Lee claimed he was a 39-year-old divorced lobbyist and a 'fit fun classy guy.'

"Lee stepped down 'effectively immediately' just hours after the report was published, although he initially told the site that his email account had been hacked."

And the best of all is the "My Creepy Dad" photos he e-mailed.

How dumb can you be? Good bye and good riddance.

A Father's Tribute to Christopher Monson (aka snaggletoothie)

2011-02-10T07:55:00.000-08:00

I had recently posted about the tragic passing of blogger Chris Monson, aka snaggletoothie. I had learning the news from Pat in Shreveport. Once again through Pat, I've found that Chris Monson's father has posted a moving tribute to his son at his blog. Go visit and leave a note, if you are so inclined.

As Pat noted, snaggletoothie's absence is felt, and will continue to be felt, in many corners of the blogosphere.

May he have found peace.

The Failure of Multiculturalism?

2011-02-06T08:17:00.000-08:00

Much is being made of British PM David Cameron's speech in which he claims that state sponsored multiculturalism has failed and is in some ways responsible for the rise of Islamic extremism and terrorism. Highlights from Cameron's speech can be found here and a full transcript can be found here.

As Jacobson at Legal Insurrection mentions "Cameron was not criticizing multi-racial or multi-ethnic societies; he was proclaiming the failure of policies which sought to segregate and separate groups in the name of multiculturalism rather than assimilating them into existing cultures." That is important to understand.

Like so many other failed European policies eagerly pursued by the American Left, multiculturalism has proven to be a political and social disaster in Europe. What has developed after its implementation, as Cameron noted, is an overriding sense of disconnection and alienation. This is hardly a surprise when introducing immigrants into a situation where their original culture essentially no longer applies due to the geographic setting, and the surrounding culture is both unaccepting (although "tolerantly" so) and inapproachable.

Particularly interesting is when Cameron promotes the idea of "active, muscular liberalism" as opposed to a "passively tolerant society". Differentiating between the two, Cameron said "A passively tolerant society says to its citizens, as long as you obey the law we will just leave you alone. It stands neutral between different values. But I believe a genuinely liberal country does much more; it believes in certain values and actively promotes them. Freedom of speech, freedom of worship, democracy, the rule of law, equal rights regardless of race, sex or sexuality. It says to its citizens, this is what defines us as a society: to belong here is to believe in these things."

Of course Cameron is talking about classical liberalism, and not the current, common American usage of "liberal" stemming from the Left's usurpation of the title.

I have long held the belief that the much vaunted value of "tolerance" is not nearly enough when different races and ethnicities interact. Tolerance is merely a place to start, and should not be thought of as a goal of any significance-- much the way starting a car is not a significant goal when driving from Los Angeles to New York. The result of mere tolerance, left on its own, can be seen across Western Europe now, and yet how often is tolerance held up to be the key and end all to racial harmony in America?

As Obama and the American Left have gone into overdrive to stress identity politics and to promote the alienating position in universities, it would be wise to look over the Western European example. The results of mere tolerance and multiculturalism is fully exhibited there, and, as is being admitted by an increasing number of politicians, it's an utter failure.

Obama Halo Sighted Again

2011-02-05T05:52:00.000-08:00

More Obama the savior imagery, this one from February 1st apparently.

I haven't seen one of these in a while, but then again I wasn't really looking. I guess the 2012 campaign is already under way...

Obama and US Betray Britain for New START Treaty

2011-02-04T18:01:00.000-08:00

Take that Britain!

It seems that Obama is pulling out all the stops in his attempts to destroy US relations with Great Britain.

From The Telegraph article by Matthew Moore (h/t Anne Leary at Backyard Conservative):

"The US secretly agreed to give the Russians sensitive information on Britain’s nuclear deterrent to persuade them to sign a key treaty, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

"Information about every Trident missile the US supplies to Britain will be given to Russia as part of an arms control deal signed by President Barack Obama next week.

"Defence analysts claim the agreement risks undermining Britain’s policy of refusing to confirm the exact size of its nuclear arsenal.

"The fact that the Americans used British nuclear secrets as a bargaining chip also sheds new light on the so-called 'special relationship', which is shown often to be a one-sided affair by US diplomatic communications obtained by the WikiLeaks website.

[...]

"A series of classified messages sent to Washington by US negotiators show how information on Britain’s nuclear capability was crucial to securing Russia’s support for the 'New START' deal.

"Although the treaty was not supposed to have any impact on Britain, the leaked cables show that Russia used the talks to demand more information about the UK’s Trident missiles, which are manufactured and maintained in the US.

"Washington lobbied London in 2009 for permission to supply Moscow with detailed data about the performance of UK missiles. The UK refused, but the US agreed to hand over the serial numbers of Trident missiles it transfers to Britain."

Brilliant! Obama manages to betray Britain for absolutely no gain whatsoever. This is so absolutely idiotic and incompetent I have to wonder if it isn't on purpose...

As I noted before, the New START treaty basically puts limits on the US arsenal and nothing else. As Andrew Osborne reported, Russian defense minister Anatoly Serdyukov has said that START doesn't effect their capabilities.

"The treaty, known as the 'New START', is the centrepiece of President Barack Obama's much-hyped 'reset' in relations with the Kremlin.

"It limits each country to 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads, down from the current ceiling of 2,200, and brings back a system of joint monitoring that ended when a previous nuclear arms treaty expired at the end of 2009.

"Anatoly Serdyukov, the Russian defence minister, told Russian senators that the treaty would not damage Russia's interests and would have little impact on its nuclear arsenal however.
"'The limits on delivery vehicles and nuclear warheads outlined are substantially more than our current possibilities,' he said. 'We do not possess so many (warheads and delivery vehicles) [emphasis mine].'"

Absolutely brilliant! Obama managed to compromise and sell out Britain, reduce the US nuclear arsenal, and for absolutely no gain. Maybe Obama can lecture the British about how he knows what's best for them, and how they're just scared and that makes them not conform to logic and reason as exemplified by his political stances, etc.

Way to go. No wonder the Russians were laughing about the "Overcharge button." It was a clear indication of things to come.

Is it really the Obama Doctrine to repeatedly betray your allies to your enemies for no gain? Ask Jordan next. Obama is proving to be the best friend to our enemies and the worst ally to our friends.

UPDATE: There has been some speculation that we're only seeing one side of the story. Since the Telegraph's only real source of this is WikiLeaks, there could be undisclosed documents in which the UK gave the go ahead to the US to reveal this information to the Russians.

So far this has been only speculation, and there is no indication that this is actually the case. More to come, I'm sure...

Don't Like the Tea Party and Arizona? Then Come Watch a Play about Murdering Conservatives Says Mercury Theatre Artistic Director

2011-02-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

More of that vaunted Leftist civility, I guess...

Dan Riehl at BigHollywood.com is reporting that the Mercury Theatre in Madison, WI is taking some heat for putting on a theatrical version of the film "The Last Supper."

From The Daily Page's event details:

"Mercury Players Theatre is producing The Last Supper, a play by Dan Rosen in which politics and morals are at odds when five liberal grad students discover a new way to deal with the radical right wing. Talkbacks will be held following the performances on Friday, January 28th and Saturday, January 29th. Following those performances, audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions of the cast, the director, the production team, and the playwright himself.

[...]

"'The Last Supper is a perfect Mercury fit. Mercury strives to keep our art current, poignant, radical and a bit raw --- so does Dan Rosen's The Last Supper. If you have felt helpless and unheard through the outrage of our own culture right now - through Arizona, through the Tea Party, through Madison's own political turn - then this is the show for you!' said Mercury's Artistic Director, Rachel Jenkins-Bledsoe [emphasis mine].

[...]

"Politics and morals are at odds when five liberal grad students discover a new way to deal with the radical right wing. Arsenic and Old Lace meets Fox News in this twisted dark comedy. This is the debut of a new version of the script, revised by the playwright to reflect the changes in the political climate since the play was originally written."

Yup. Because the only way to cope with a Right turn in this country is to watch a play about killing conservatives. How mature.

And my parents ask me why I don't go to the theater as often as I used to...

Problem: Bureau of Labor Statistics Reports Unemployment Dropped to 9% in Jan.; Gallup Says Unemployment Rose to 9.8%

2011-02-04T06:25:00.000-08:00

Now isn't this interesting...

Prof. Jacobson over at Legal Insurrection has linked to a report from the Department of Labor Statistics that claims the unemployment rate dropped to 9% in January 2011. Yet, Gallup released a report yesterday saying that unemployment rate rose slightly to 9.8% (as I posted here yesterday). That's quite a disparity.

Particularly interesting is the fact reported by Jacobson that the Department of Labor Statistics notes that only 36,000 jobs were created according to their figures-- yet that accounts for a .4% decrease in the unemployment rate (9.4% to 9%).

From the Department of Labor Statistics' report:

"The unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage point to 9.0 percent in January, while nonfarm payroll employment changed little (+36,000), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment rose in manufacturing and in retail trade but was down in construction and in transportation and warehousing. Employment in most other major industries changed little over the month.

[...]

"The unemployment rate (9.0 percent) declined by 0.4 percentage point for the second month in a row. (See table A-1.) The number of unemployed persons decreased by about 600,000 in January to 13.9 million, while the labor force was unchanged [emphasis mine]."

So let's see here. The number of unemployed people dropped by 600,000 people causing a .4 percentage point decrease (unless those two sentences are unrelated), yet only 36,000 nonfarm payroll jobs were created. And Gallup reports that unemployment rose slightly to 9.8% and didn't drop to anywhere close to 9%. Huh...

I'm sure there's an explanation for this difference. A very simple one.

UPDATE: It seems I was right. Don Surber offers this explanation to Glenn Reynolds (who apparently had the same question I did):

"The 'not seasonally adjusted' unemployment rate was 9.1% in December. It rose to 9.8% in January. In January 2010, it was 10.6%. This should explain the question from Glenn Reynolds as to why the official figure of 9.0% is so far below the 9.8% calculated by the Gallup Poll."

Simple... right?

However, Surber adds:

"A net gain of only 36,000 jobs in January shows the stimulus was a disaster.

"In fact, there may actually have been a loss of jobs in January.

"In 2010, revisions averaged a drop of 20,000 jobs a month (for example, last January, the government first reported a net gain of 14,000 jobs. That was quietly revised later to a loss of 39,000 jobs).

"It is true that winter is to blame for some of the smaller-than-expected job gain.

"But a net gain of 36,000 jobs in a nation of 300 million people is not enough to push unemployment from 9.4% down to 9.0%.

"Yet this is what the Obama regime wants us to believe.

[...]

"The administration’s manipulation of the numbers does not erase the fact that we very well could be headed to another recession.

"At a net gain of 36,000 jobs a month, it will take 18 years to get those 4 million jobs that President Obama promised in exchange for $787 billion.

"President Obama’s administration had expected a net gain of 146,000 jobs — still well below the net gain of 250,000 jobs necessary to sustain prosperity."

Better get ready to cling to religion and guns...

US Foes Encouraged by Middle East Turmoil and Sense Opportunity

2011-02-03T20:37:00.000-08:00

While many in America romantically laud the Egyptian uprising, American foes have been encouraging such uprisings for many years. Israel is being squeezed into a more and more precarious position as radical Islamic groups successfully jockey for political control and Western legitimacy amidst the chaos.

From The Wall Street Journal article by Jay Soloman:

"The so-called resistance bloc of nations and Islamist movements, led by Iran and Syria, believes it is increasingly on the ascent as unrest seethes in the Middle East.

"United in its opposition to the U.S. and Israel, this coalition is seeing many of its chief regional adversaries weakened—particularly Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah II.

"Tehran and Damascus have also been buoyed by last month's toppling of Beirut's pro-Western government at the hands of Hezbollah, the Lebanese political party and militia the two countries fund and arm.

"'[The unrest] proved that the global arrogance's era of domination and control of the region has come to an end,' Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Tehran's state television this week, using Iran's catch-phrase for the U.S."

But what about the contention that this unrest is part of a popular revolt against oppressive regimes? Well, few Middle Eastern regimes are more repressive than Syria and Iran. Personally I'll buy the hype when Syria begins to feel the heat. Iran won't since it weathered the Green Revolution following the sham elections.

The article continues:

"Syria is emerging as a bellwether to gauge the shifting power balance in the region.

"Damascus technically remains at war with Israel and, along with Tehran, is the principal financier and arms supplier for Hezbollah and the Palestinian organization Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip in the Palestinian territories. Hamas's leadership, headed by political director Khaled Meshaal, is headquartered in Syria.

"Organizations opposing the rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have pledged to launch their own protest movement this week and have cited Saturday as a 'day of rage.' Any sustainable movement against the Syrian leadership would buttress the argument that the protest wave is a broad-based effort driven by economics and concerns about lack of political freedoms, Western diplomats said.

"Mr. Assad on Sunday told The Wall Street Journal that his regime remains stable and that the true targets of the unrest are Washington's allies who have supported the war in Iraq and the Arab-Israeli peace process. He said Iran, Turkey and Syria will likely emerge with greater influence as the political transformation of the region continues.

"'As long as the people have a major say in the future [of the Middle East], then you are going to have the minor say in the United States,' Mr. Assad said.

[...]

"Iran has been particularly vocal in calling for Mr. Mubarak's overthrow in Egypt. Iranian leaders have drawn similarities between the events in Cairo and the 1979 Islamic revolution that deposed the U.S.-backed shah in Tehran. Iran has also voiced support for the Muslim Brotherhood, a Cairo-based group banned in Egypt that hopes to meld the Islamic religion with Egypt's legal system. The movement is expected to gain significant influence in any post-Mubarak government in Cairo.

"'With [the region] assuming a new shape and the developments under way, [we hope] we would be able to see a Middle East that is Islamic and powerful,' Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters in Tehran on Monday.

"Mr. Meshaal, the Hamas chief, has kept his silence in Damascus since the uprising against Arab governments broke out. Mr. Mubarak has closely cooperated with Israel in imposing an economic siege on the Gaza strip since Hamas took power in the Palestinian territory in 2007.
However, Hamas officials said in interviews this week that what's happening could be to the Islamist movement's advantage. They expect the changes in Egypt and Jordan, in particular, to give them more room to operate.

"'We like what's happening,' a senior Hamas official said.

"Two other countries that could emerge more powerful are Qatar and Turkey.

"The tiny emirate of Qatar is home to the Pentagon's Central Command in Doha and provided logistical support to the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But it also funds the Arab television channel, al-Jazeera, which has been a major voice calling for political changes in Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen. Qatar has also increasingly provided financial and diplomatic support for Hamas and Hezbollah."

When the American media and Hamas are both pleased with what they see in the Middle East, it's time to worry a little.

Unemployment Rises to 9.8% in January

2011-02-03T19:52:00.000-08:00

Do you remember when the media was up in arms at 5% unemployment under Bush?

According to Gallup, unemployment rose slightly in January to 9.8%.

From Dennis Jacobe at Gallup:

"Unemployment, as measured by Gallup without seasonal adjustment, increased to 9.8% at the end of January -- up from 9.6% at the end of December, but down from 10.9% a year ago.

[...]

"Comparing Gallup's unemployment and underemployment rates so far in 2011 with those for the same periods in 2010 provides something of a seasonally adjusted view of Gallup's jobs data. Unemployment and underemployment are now at least one point below the rates of a year ago, reflecting modest improvement over the past year.

"Still, Gallup's measures paint a real-time picture of the current job realities on the ground: nearly 1 in 10 Americans in the U.S. workforce are unemployed, nearly one out of five are underemployed, and the nation's overall hiring situation has not improved over the past four to six months."

Combine this with a possible 300% increase in foreclosures, and the economic future doesn't look so rosy. I guess we didn't know Obama's Recovery Summer would be followed by Spring Slide. I'm sure it's somehow all Bush and the GOP's fault though...

Are Incandescent Heating Balls on the Way to the US?

2011-02-03T05:08:00.000-08:00

From theblogprof:

"The best ideas out there these days tend to be the simplest ones. To get around the incandescent light bulb ban, the famous invention of Thomas Edison is being labeled a heating device. From MNN via Instapundit: Skirting EU law: The rebranding of incandescent bulbs as 'Heat Balls'

"'You gotta hand it to German businessman Siegfried Rotthaeuser, who came up with a brilliant run around the European Union ban on conventional incandescent light bulbs — he rebranded them as "Heat Balls" and is importing them for sale as a "small heating device."

"'Rotthaeuser's website is in German, but Google does a passable job of translation. First, he's clear that the Heat Ball isn't for lighting, stating (in German, the following is translated) "A HEAT BALL ® is not a lamp, but it fits in the same version!"

"'Further down: "The use of Heat Balls avoids the lack of heat. The intended use of heat Balls is the heating. "The man deserves to become a millionaire. As I teach in my classes, and in fact in this blog, all electrical devices in your house, including incandescent light bulbs, are in fact small electric furnaces that run around 100% efficient.'"

So, will we still be able to light our houses with light bulbs er... heating balls in the near future, or will mercury vapor be settling into our houses every time we break a bulb?

The US Misunderstanding of Egypt and the Nature of Religion as a Social Force

2011-02-01T23:28:00.000-08:00

Caroline Glick has yet another excellent op-ed, this time in regards to the Egyptian uprisings. I highly recommend reading the entire piece (link below). She points out the terrible misunderstandings that both the American Left and Right operate from regarding specifically Egypt, but also in foreign relations in general.

Americans have generally embraced the Egyptian protesters, siding firmly against Mubarak. This is not stunning news considering Mubarak's heavy-handed (too put it mildly) regime frequently imprisons and tortures Egyptians, and is, in many ways, responsible for the crushing poverty in Egypt.

Yet, I believe that Glick is absolutely correct when she points out that both the American Left and Right operate from flawed assumptions and have produced an unrealistic paradigm in the Middle East.

From Glick's piece "Clueless in Washington":

"What has most confounded Israeli officials and commentators alike has not been the strength of the anti-regime protests, but the American response to them. Outside the far Left, commentators from all major newspapers, radio and television stations have variously characterized the US response to events in Egypt as irrational, irresponsible, catastrophic, stupid, blind, treacherous, and terrifying.

"They have pointed out that the Obama administration's behavior - as well as that of many of its prominent conservative critics - is liable to have disastrous consequences for the US's other authoritarian Arab allies, for Israel and for the US itself.

"The question most Israelis are asking is why are the Americans behaving so destructively? Why are President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton charting a course that will necessarily lead to the transformation of Egypt into the first Salafist Islamic theocracy? And why are conservative commentators and Republican politicians urging them to be even more outspoken in their support for the rioters in the streets?

"Does the US not understand what will happen in the region as a result of its actions? Does the US really fail to understand what will happen to its strategic interests in the Middle East if the Muslim Brotherhood either forms the next regime or is the power behind the throne of the next regime in Cairo?

"Distressingly, the answer is that indeed, the US has no idea what it is doing. The reason the world's only (quickly declining) superpower is riding blind is because its leaders are trapped between two irrational, narcissistic policy paradigms and they can't see their way past them.
The first paradigm is former president George W. Bush's democracy agenda and its concomitant support for open elections.

"Bush supporters and former administration officials have spent the last month since the riots began in Tunisia crowing that events prove Bush's push for democratization in the Arab world is the correct approach.

"The problem is that while Bush's diagnosis of the dangers of the democracy deficit in the Arab world was correct, his antidote for solving this problem was completely wrong.

"Bush was right that tyranny breeds radicalism and instability and is therefore dangerous for the US.

"But his belief that free elections would solve the problem of Arab radicalism and instability was completely wrong. At base, Bush's belief was based on a narcissistic view of Western values as universal.

"When, due to US pressure, the Palestinians were given the opportunity to vote in open and free elections in 2006, they voted for Hamas and its totalitarian agenda. When due to US pressure, the Egyptians were given limited freedom to choose their legislators in 2005, where they could they elected the totalitarian Muslim Brotherhood to lead them.

"The failure of his elections policy convinced Bush to end his support for elections in his last two years in office.

"Frustratingly, Bush's push for elections was rarely criticized on its merits. Under the spell of the other policy paradigm captivating American foreign policy elites - anti-colonialism - Bush's leftist opponents never argued that the problem with his policy is that it falsely assumes that Western values are universal values. Blinded by their anti-Western dogma, they claimed that his bid for freedom was nothing more than a modern-day version of Christian missionary imperialism.

"It is this anti-colonialist paradigm, with its foundational assumption that that the US has no right to criticize non-Westerners that has informed the Obama administration's foreign policy. It was the anti-colonialist paradigm that caused Obama not to support the pro-Western protesters seeking the overthrow of the Iranian regime in the wake of the stolen 2009 presidential elections.

"As Obama put it at the time, 'It's not productive, given the history of US-Iranian relations, to be seen as meddling, the US president meddling in the Iranian elections.'

"And it is this anti-colonialist paradigm that has guided Obama's courtship of the Syrian, Turkish and Iranian regimes and his unwillingness to lift a hand to help the March 14 movement in Lebanon.

"Moreover since the paradigm claims that the non-Western world's grievances towards the West are legitimate, Obama's Middle East policy is based on the view that the best way to impact the Arab world is by joining its campaign against Israel. This was the central theme of Obama's speech before an audience dominated by Muslim Brotherhood members in Cairo in June 2009.

"Like the pro-democracy paradigm, the anti-colonialist paradigm is narcissistic. Whereas Western democracy champions believe that all people are born with the same Western liberal democratic values, post-colonialists believe that non-Westerners are nothing more than victims of the West. They are not responsible for any of their own pathologies because they are not actors. Only Westerners (and Israelis) are actors. Non-Westerners are objects. And like all objects, they cannot be held responsible for anything they do because they are wholly controlled by forces beyond their control.

"Anti-colonialists by definition must always support the most anti-Western forces as 'authentic.' In light of Mubarak's 30-year alliance with the US, it makes sense that Obama's instincts would place the US president on the side of the protesters.

"So there we have it. The US policy towards Egypt is dictated by the irrational narcissism of two opposing sides to a policy debate that has nothing to do with reality.

"Add to that Obama's electoral concern about looking like he is on the right side of justice and we have a US policy that is wholly antithetical to US interests."

Glick points out that a recent Pew poll points toward a radicalized Egypt. "According to a Pew opinion survey of Egyptians from June 2010, 59 percent said they back Islamists. Only 27% said they back modernizers. Half of Egyptians support Hamas. Thirty percent support Hizbullah and 20% support al Qaida. Moreover, 95% of them would welcome Islamic influence over their politics. When this preference is translated into actual government policy, it is clear that the Islam they support is the al Qaida Salafist version.

"Eighty two percent of Egyptians support executing adulterers by stoning, 77% support whipping and cutting the hands off thieves. 84% support executing any Muslim who changes his religion."

So, as Obama demands that Mubarak do something now (although what he wants done is left conspicuously absent from Obama's remarks-- as Michelle Malkin has pointed out) he is, in essence, encouraging the radicalization of Egypt's government. This move would have far-reaching effects in the Middle East, placing Jordan, Kuwait, and possibly even Saudi Arabia in terrific jeopardy of internal revolution. Israel, having given up numerous strategically important lands for the promise of a non-existent peace, is placed in a tightening vice of Islamic radicalism. Furthermore, Obama's current stance presents an America that does not stand by its allies, which would further increase moves of countries in the region toward closer ties with Iran or perhaps China.

For various reasons, Egypt and the world is faced with two unhappy possibilities. Either there will be an Egypt with an oppressive, brutal secular government that tortures people amid crushing poverty, or there will be an oppressive, brutal, radical Islamic government in Egypt that tortures people amid crushing poverty. Any other possibility is highly unlikely in the current political climate-- and has been since WWII.

This is not to suggest that the results of either outcome will be the same. For Egyptians, the ultimate result will be very significant for the populations and will determine, among other consequences, which sets of people will be oppressed, which will prosper, which sets will be tortured, which sets will be given benefits or enriched, etc. Likewise, the fallout within international relations will also be significantly different depending on the outcome, especially for America, much of Europe, Israel, the rest of the Middle East, and China.

Whatever happens, the US will likely be surprised by the outcome, based on the current expectations people have which are, in turn, based on misinformation and unrealistic paradigms with imposed American values.

I believe that part of the problems that Americans have in understanding the world around them (especially the Middle East) stems from not really understanding the nature of others' religions. For the most part Americans regard religion (like much of the West) as merely a benefit / reward belief system. It's almost a capitalistic exchange. One invests so much time in going to church and then expects a spiritual return of some sort-- going to heaven, God's favor, etc.

Yes, religious beliefs shapes our moral character. Yet, American morality is often defined, not through religious faith, but believed to be according to personal (and thus highly varied) dictates logic and reason. In practical matters, religion may influence the morality of our laws, but the laws themselves are what become important, and increasingly become more of the arbiter of morality. The secularization of law has, to various degrees, lessened the importance of religion in the lives of people (and incidentally strengthened Marxist convictions of the State's moral "responsibilities"). Of course there are exceptions in society, but the American character is not defined by these exceptions.

As a consequence, few Americans understand the true nature of religion. Likewise, many do not understand that religion is not merely something that rewards good deeds, but rather is a moral structure that shapes, in all aspects, our perceptions and evaluations of the world around us. It takes on an almost metaphysical reality-- not unlike the Marxist doctrines of the Left-- and is not to be dismissed as irrelevant or merely local color.

For the statist-minded Left which often, at best, believe that religion is merely a conduit toward promoting their opinions of social justice (Rev. Wright, et al.), foreigners' religious beliefs are viewed as being simple, quaint, and hollow. Or they may be openly scoffed at (even by theists), as the Leftist moral stance (based on current American political and social conditions and theories) are never in line with foreign senses of morality-- the more foreign the worse it is.

Even religious Right Americans, such as many neo-conservatives, discount the power of religion in favor of the power of economics and the power of their "universal" moral system based largely in acknowledgment of individual property rights. Their idea has consistently been that economic laws which they champion will dictate behavior in all countries-- trumping culture and religious conviction.

I suppose I should pause for a moment, and state that I am not trying to criticize Americans' (nor anyone's for that matter) faith and morals, nor am I advocating a state religion. In my view, it has always been of tantamount importance for people to freely choose (or reject) their religion, and to choose how much religious beliefs and customs affects their lives. I am merely trying to describe, without moral judgement, what I see happening around us.

Further, Americans don't seem to understand how rare the stability of our government actually is. The US government has remained, with modifications, intact for over 200 years. Very few modern governments can make the same claim. This stability, that Americans take for granted, has led us to overestimate the power of foreign governments and underestimate the power of non-governmental belief systems on foreign countries' populations. This is further reinforced by the Left's Marxist conviction that government can and does dictate human morals and conduct. The idea that religion offers stability in an unstable world is largely lost on Americans, who may mouth a superficial understanding of it, but do not comprehend the eventual effects of the situation on peoples attitudes, beliefs and actions.

American foreign policy has blundered clumsily along for years, adhering to a Cold War policy of purchasing the friendship of foreign governments with foreign aid. Such a policy has been effectively defunct for decades. With the spectre of Soviet communism a thing of the past, and without a competing foreign power to replace it, such payments often stopped being about friendship. More and more this foreign aid became bribes, a paying out of protection money to keep stability. This is an untenable situation, hastened, perhaps, by the rise of radical Islam as a significant, although disorganized and ultimately doomed, political player.

America must rethink both what it hopes to accomplish from its foreign policies, and how to go about to attain these goals. Simply continuing on with the same mind-set that has been in place, with slight variation, for thirty years is futile, expensive, and downright stupid.

For any foreign policy to be effective it must understand the character of the foreign nations with whom it interacts. Likewise, it must understand the reality of the situation, and formulate its possibilities from this knowledge. An effective foreign policy cannot be based around ideological fantasies. As long as policy-makers in the US base their perceptions and policies around "universal truths" based in either American capitalist or American anti-establishment/Marxist ideology, they are doomed to failure. And the consequences for ourselves and our allies around the world are inching toward catastrophic.

RIP Chris Monson aka snaggletoothie

2011-01-31T04:09:00.000-08:00

Chris Monson (1948 - 2011)

This morning I was greeted with very sad news. Chris Monson, a fellow conservative blogger and on-line friend, has passed away recently.

From his on-line profile:

"I was a nurse until 3 years ago. I worked on psychiatric and chemical dependency units. I am now disabled because of spinal injuries. I cannot walk very well. My use of my hands improved enough so that I can type and open some jars. I do a conservative political opinion blog with music and poetry. I am nearing the launch of a blog that will be devoted to discussion of the classic great books from Homer to Joyce and Faulkner.

According to Pat Austin at And So it Goes in Shreveport...:

"I received an email from Chris's father this evening telling me of his son's death. Chris suffered a seizure Monday, fell and hit his head, and by the end of the week he was in a coma. He died Friday afternoon."

Chris was an early follower of this blog (as he was of Pat's). I had several online discussions with him on many blogs and found him to be kind, witty, intelligent, and well-informed on a wide variety of subjects. We shared a fondness for literature and several times Chris directed me to informative articles about my writings' subjects-- articles that would have completely escaped my notice otherwise. The novel I'm currently working on changed significantly because of one of his suggested readings. When my hard drive failed and I lost a draft of my last book, he was one of the first to encourage me to get back to writing. It was a small thing, but I appreciated it a great deal.

His own political blog, Snaggletoothie of the Loyal Opposition, was always a joy to visit, full of videos-- topical and informative or, at times, just fun. His literary blog The Chinese Jar was likewise a frequent place for me to wander about. Chris was in the midst of posting video readings of Shakespeare's sonnets.

Again from Pat:

"His dad requests that any memorial or donations be made to the charity of your choice in Chris Monson's name. Or just snaggletoothie.

"His dad's blog is here and his post on Chris is here, should you like to leave a message."

My deepest sympathy goes out to Chris' family. Those of us out here on the internet who came to know Chris will feel the lack of his wit and kindness.

Rest in peace, Chris Monson. You will be missed.

The Challenger Disaster 25 Years Later

2011-01-28T04:55:00.000-08:00

Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, Judith Resnik. Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobeem Ronald McNair.

Not forgotten.

Time: Obama is Just Like FDR... No Wait... Obama Loves Reagan!

2011-01-28T02:20:00.000-08:00

(photo from Gateway Pundit)

Are you kidding me?! Obama and Reagan are regular ideological buddies... Yeah, right.

How are you going to shill for Obama, Time? Is Obama the new FDR or Reagan's best friend? Make up your mind already.

And this as Newsweek is reporting that Obama intends to unveil new gun control proposals. Yup. Obama sure is channeling Reagan...

Oh, and as Gateway Pundit noted, all three major networks described Obama's lackluster State of the Union Address as "Reaganesque." I'm sure it was just a coincidence.

South Sudan Votes for Independence; No Surprise

2011-01-28T01:31:00.000-08:00

From The Economist:

"THE preliminary official results from southern Sudan’s independence vote prove unsurprising to Sudan-watchers. Figures posted over the weekend on the referendum commission’s website show that more than 99 percent of voters in the south’s plebiscite want secession for their oil-rich but everything-else-poor homeland.

"The vote has already been praised by observers, and there is little doubt that the process is indeed representative of the will of the Southern Sudanese people. Thanks to the commission’s efforts to keep its website up-to-date with the latest results as they are processed, it is easy to track voter turnout across the south and to see the how many favour unity and how many secession. But a cross-check between the number of votes cast per county and the number of voters listed for each county in the final voter registry reveals discrepancies in more than half of the south’s ten states.

[...]

"Minor hiccups aside, the nearly four million people who voted in the referendum will almost certainly see their wishes realised. However, several key steps remain before the Juba government can declare independence come July. Aside from securing international recognition of the vote, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement must address a range of thorny issues related to its imminent divorce from the National Congress Party in Khartoum. They range from the division of $38 billion of debt to the demarcation of a contentious border to agreeing upon the future status of Abyei, an oil-soaked strip of land straddling the border between the two halves of Sudan. Northern and southern officials will need to find common ground—and fast—at the negotiating table if a definitive agreement is to be reached before the 2005 north-south peace deal expires on July 9th this year.

"At the same time, the Juba and Khartoum governments both have 'domestic' issues to contend with which could distract from the all-important north-south negotiations: rising food prices in both regions plus a discontented populace in the north and a hopeful one in the south mean both governments will have their hands full in the run-up to the country’s split."

It's hard to say what the future of South Sudan is. Some people are optimistically hailing this as a step toward lasting peace. That's very unlikely. As I've said before, South Sudan is made up of many ethnic groups, and violence across ethnic and tribal lines is very common. Additionally, a partial reason for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir's capitulation was due to fear of the U.S.

As Caroline Glick points out:

"In 2004, led by then president George W. Bush, the US cast a giant shadow throughout the world. The US military's lightning overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime frightened US foes and encouraged US allies. The democratic wave revolutions in Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Lebanon were all fuelled by the world's belief in US's willingness to use its power to defeat its foes.

"Bashir's regime is closely linked to al-Qaida, which he hosted from 1989 until 1995.

"When the US demanded that he accept the south's victory, he probably didn't believe he could refuse."

Certainly, the US is neither feared nor respected today in the same manner as 2004. Obama's amateurish apology speeches and promises to not act unilaterally made great strides in presenting the US as timid, shaky, and bursting with self-doubt.

Unfortunately, I think the most likely scenario is that the official split will be held up past July 9th by the issues The Economist describes, and then there will be a return to open hostilities. After all, Khartoum has had a number of years to re-arm and reassess.

I hope I'm wrong. Maybe the South and North Sudan will be able to hammer out a deal. Maybe Sudan is tired of bloodshed and will extend the peace deal past July 9th. Maybe the West will not lose interest (but haven't they already?) and keep up the pressure for a peaceful resolution. We can all hope.

So How's the New START Treaty Working Out?

2011-01-28T00:50:00.000-08:00

Obama's amateur politics in action...

From the Telegraph article by Andrew Osborn (h/t Jacobson at Legal Insurrection):

"The treaty, known as the 'New START', is the centrepiece of President Barack Obama's much-hyped 'reset' in relations with the Kremlin.

"It limits each country to 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads, down from the current ceiling of 2,200, and brings back a system of joint monitoring that ended when a previous nuclear arms treaty expired at the end of 2009.

"Anatoly Serdyukov, the Russian defence minister, told Russian senators that the treaty would not damage Russia's interests and would have little impact on its nuclear arsenal however.

"'The limits on delivery vehicles and nuclear warheads outlined are substantially more than our current possibilities,' he said. 'We do not possess so many (warheads and delivery vehicles).' The treaty's future hung in the balance towards the end of last year when Republicans, who are sceptical about the agreement, won more seats in the US Senate.

"But Mr Obama managed to get the senate to approve it in December in the face of strong resistance. Republican sceptics argued that it gave too much to Russia and was not in America's national interest.

"Mr Serdyukov has appeared to bolster that suspicion in the past, telling Russian MPs that the Kremlin would not have to actually make any real cuts in its arsenal.

"On the contrary, he told them it allowed Russia to beef up its nuclear deterrent substantially whereas Washington would have to make cuts in its own stocks.

"Russia is in the midst of a massive £450 billion rearmament programme that will also upgrade its nuclear strike capabilities. Mr Serdyukov said on Wednesday that Russia was working on its own nuclear defence shield but gave no details."

Huh... Obama said that "American leadership can also be seen in the effort to secure the worst weapons of war. Because Republicans and Democrats approved the New START treaty, far fewer nuclear weapons and launchers will be deployed. Because we rallied the world, nuclear materials are being locked down on every continent so they never fall into the hands of terrorists."

I guess what he meant was fewer American nuclear weapons and launchers will be deployed. I mean, the Russian defense minister is saying it won't effect them. I'm sure Obama just misspoke. Blame it on the teleprompter...

35 Killed by Suicide Bomber in Moscow Airport

2011-01-24T14:33:00.001-08:00

From the Reuters article by Alexei Anishchuk:

"A suicide bomber killed at least 35 people at Russia's busiest airport on Monday, state TV said, in an attack on the capital that bore the hallmarks of militants fighting for an Islamist state in the North Caucasus region.

"President Dmitry Medvedev vowed to track down and punish those behind the bombing, which also injured over 150 people, during the busy late afternoon at Moscow's Domodedovo airport. The dead included some foreigners.

"Islamist rebels have vowed to take their bombing campaign from the North Caucasus to the Russian heartland in the year before presidential elections, hitting transport and economic targets. They have also leveled threats at the 2014 Winter Olympics, scheduled for the Black Sea resort town of Sochi, a region some militants consider 'occupied.'

[...]

"The prosecutor's office said the bomb had been classified as a terrorist attack -- the largest since twin suicide bombings on the Moscow metro rocked the Russian heartland in March.

"'The blast was most likely carried out by a suicide bomber.'

"State television said the blast was the work of a 'smertnik,' or suicide bomber. State-run RIA, quoting Markin, said the bomber most likely had a belt laden with explosives.

[...]

"A decade after federal forces drove separatists from power in Chechnya in the second of two wars, the mainly Muslim North Caucasus is wracked by violence.

"Medvedev, who has called the Islamist insurgency in the North Caucasus the biggest threat to Russian security, wrote on Twitter: 'Security will be strengthened at large transport hubs.'

[...]

"No group has yet taken responsibility for the attack, but dozens of Internet surfers, writing in Russian, praised the suicide bomber on unofficial Islamist site kavkazcenter.com.

[...]

"Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who shares power in a 'tandem' arrangement with the less influential Medvedev, has staked his political reputation on quelling rebellion in the North Caucasus.

"He launched a war in late 1999 in Chechnya to topple a secessionist government. That campaign achieved its immediate aim and helped him to the presidency months later; but since then insurgency has spread to neighboring Ingushetia and Dagestan.

"'It does not ... bode well for Russian ties to the North Caucasus and is yet another sign that what Putin started in 1999 by invading the rebellious republic of Chechnya has come home to roost again in the Russian capital,' said Glen Howard, president of the U.S. Jamestown Foundation research institution.

"Tensions between ethnic Russians and Muslims -- at 20 million they make up one seventh of Russia's population -- flared dramatically last month in a string of clashes, which involved thousands of Russian nationalists who attacked passersby of non-Slavic appearance, many of whom were from the North Caucasus.

"Analysts say rebels are planning to increase violence in the run up to 2012 presidential elections, that may well see Putin returning to the presidency.

"'It is a clear jab at the FSB (Federal Security Services) and at the elections,' said Adil Mukashev, an independent expert on terrorism issues."

Quite a problem Russia has had for the past ten years or so. No clear end, and no real solution in sight.

Added New Links to Blog List! Just a Conservative Girl and Hillbuzz

2011-01-21T00:16:00.000-08:00

I've added a couple of blogs to my Blog List.

First up is one of the women over at Potluck, Just a Conservative Girl. I'm a little late in adding her blog. For some reason I'd thought that I already had, but I was wrong. Right now she's got post up about a protest against a proposed Walmart in Washington DC, complete with footage she shot herself. It's dark but the sound is good, and you can see enough to get the idea.

The second site is the guys over at Hillbuzz. I've quoted, referenced and linked to them before, but for some reason I never put them on my Blog List. That error is now corrected. Right now they seem buzzed about Sarah Palin in 2012 and have an especially amusing piece in the Obama Democrat idea of civility, such as the image of smashing a video of Hillary Clinton's face with a hammer in a revamp of that famous old Apple (I believe) Superbowl commercial.

As I always say in these posts, I like to link to people who link to me. If you're linked to me and I don't have you on my Blog List, leave a comment and I will likely link back.

House Votes to Repeal ObamaCare-- More than Half the States Join Lawsuit Against ObamaCare

2011-01-19T16:22:00.000-08:00

From The Hill article by Russell Berman:

"The House voted on Wednesday to repeal the sweeping healthcare law enacted last year, as Republicans made good on a central campaign pledge and laid down the first major policy marker of their new majority.

"The party-line vote was 245-189, as three Democrats joined all 242 Republicans in supporting repeal.

"Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said the healthcare law on the books would increase spending, raise taxes and eliminate jobs.

"'Repeal means paving the way for better solutions that will lower the costs without destroying jobs or bankrupting our government,' Boehner said in remarks on the floor before the vote.

"'Let’s stop payment on this check before it can destroy more jobs or put us into a deeper hole.'

"The vote to roll back the president’s signature domestic achievement of the 111th Congress just 10 months after its passage underscores the deep divisions that still surround the new law. But whether House action will signal the beginning of a rapid dismantling of the healthcare overhaul or serve merely as a historical footnote remains to be seen.

"Democratic leaders in the Senate have vowed to shelve the repeal bill, and President Obama has said he would veto repeal if it ever reached his desk.

"With those threats in mind, GOP leaders dared the Senate to take up the measure, and they promised to fight the healthcare law in other ways if repeal failed."

As Jeffrey H. Anderson at The Weekly Standard notes ObamaCare passed the House by 7 votes, while the repeal passed by 56 votes ten months later.

"Reflecting the clear and strongly held views of the vast majority of Americans, the House has voted overwhelmingly to repeal ObamaCare.

"Last March, the House voted to pass ObamaCare by a tally of 219 to 212 -- a margin of 7 votes; today it voted to repeal ObamaCare by a tally of 245 to 189 -- a margin of 56 votes. Ten months ago, the vote was 51 percent to 49 percent -- a margin of 2 percentage points; today it was 56 percent to 44 percent -- a margin of 12 percentage points. So the margin for repeal was 49 votes and 10 percentage points bigger than the margin for passage.

"Many have described this as being merely a symbolic vote. But, in truth, the 112th House will never pass a more important bill. It seems quite strange, moreover, that anyone would ever call legislation to repeal a 2,700-page law, which also happens to be the President's centerpiece initiative, anything other than substantive."

This comes on the heels of the announcement that more than half the states have joined a lawsuit challenging ObamaCare.

From the AP:

"Six more states joined a lawsuit in Florida against President Obama's health care overhaul on Tuesday, meaning more than half of the country is challenging the law.

"The announcement was made as House members in Washington, led by Republicans, debated whether to repeal the law.

"The six additional states, all with Republican attorneys general, joined Florida and 19 others in the legal action, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said."

Change?

Evergreen's Exodus to China Illustrates how Green Technology Doesn't Create Many American Jobs

2011-01-19T11:43:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday I posted about the NYT story that Evergreen Solar is closing up shop in Mass. and moving to China.

An interesting follow-up came from Edward L. Glaeser in the again in the NYT. I certainly agree with some of it, but Glaeser does come clean on the "Green jobs" myth. Read the whole thing at the link above. If he'd had the courage to write about this two years ago, I'd be more impressed. Still...

From Glaeser:

"Evergreen's factory had received more than $40 million in subsidies, which led many to see the plant closing as lesson in the futility of green energy and industrial policy. But what does Evergreen's story really teach us about solar energy, public subsidies and the future of American manufacturing?

[...]

"Evergreen Solar's move to China was supported by a $33 million loan from the Chinese government, and it has suggested that the Chinese production was cheaper because 'solar manufacturers in China have received considerable government and financial support.'

"But surely China's skilled, low-wage labor force is a far more important source of its low costs. Japan's success in the 1980s was also attributed to its activist industrial policy, but subsequent research found that government subsidies backed losers more often than winners.

"Joshua Lerner's superb book 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' (Princeton University Press, 2009) reviews public efforts to support start-ups and entrepreneurship worldwide and reminds us that 'for each effective government intervention, there have been dozens, even hundreds, of failures, where public expenditures bore no fruit.'

"I suspect few readers will really think that Evergreen Solar was shortchanged by American governments. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory contracted with the company in its early days. More recently, Massachusetts agencies gave tens of millions of dollars to the company. Conservative critics, such as Michelle Malkin, argue that the Devens closing provides a warning about green energy: 'the myth that "green jobs" are a boon to the economy keeps getting pierced by failed green jobs boondoggle after failed green jobs boondoggle.' But it was always a mistake to think that clean energy was going to be a jobs bonanza, and we should be investing in green technology whether or not it produces jobs.

"America has had many high-tech breakthroughs over the past half-century, but those innovations have rarely provided abundant employment for the less educated workers who need jobs most. The Devens closing reminds us that even when ideas are 'made in America,' production is almost always cheaper in China.

"Failed public investments, like the money spent in Devens, reflect both the fact that public officials are rarely skilled venture capitalists and that governments pursue many objectives that lead them away from solid investments. It's easy to see why any governor would be excited about a green-energy manufacturing plant in a less prosperous area of his or her state. But the same forces that made Devens political catnip meant that it was unlikely to be a long-term success."

Glaeser illustrates one of the many problems with government subsidies so touted by the Left, and that is that so little of it is invested wisely. Losers, which is wasted money, abounds. Of course, since the return that is realistically expected is political and not monetary, this matters little to the government in the short-term. The frenzied result can be seen throughout Washington and state capitals, and within the lobbying industry. It's a problem that should be limited, not expanded as Obama and the Left preach.

It would be rather revealing if Glaeser were to expound on why we should continue to invest in green technology whether or not it produces jobs. I guess we really need those cheap solar panels so we can make miles and miles of solar farms and divert incredible amounts of water (those solar panels need cooling) into the American Southwest, and we should be prepared to pay, through the nose, to get them. Gotta save the world from global warming... or something.

Thirdly, it would be nice if people went into a little as to why manufacturing costs are so much lower in China. Much of the Chinese labor force comes out of rural China, where young people are housed in government-run hostels in which the living conditions vary from "bad to unspeakable." These should not be confused with the South Korean or Japanese workers' dormitories. The Chinese hostels have much, much worse living conditions.

Oh, those evil capitalists exploiting their workers... oh, wait... I mean those good government people that want what's best for all their charges. Umm... Huh.

It would be nice if Washington would actually come clean over "green jobs" and then see how the public reacts to subsidizing America's "idea people" (is that really all the US has left?) and Chinese workers.

AP Touts Support for ObamaCare Repeal is Lessening with Flawed Poll-- Numbers of those Favoring ObamaCare Repeal Remain High

2011-01-18T12:14:00.000-08:00

Oh AP! There's always something wrong with you...

From Jeffrey H. Anderson at The Weekly Standard: (h/t to Jill at Pundit & Pundette)

A widely reprinted AP story, based on a recent AP/GfK poll, is entitled, 'Opposition to health care law eases.' Don't believe it. What has eased isn't the level of opposition to Obamacare, but rather the level of effort that AP/GfK has made to ensure that its polling sample is representative of American voters.

"When the AP/GfK poll screened for likely voters a couple of weeks before the election, it estimated that 48 percent of voters leaned Republican and that 42 percent leaned Democratic (which the election showed to be about right). In its latest survey -- the one that serves as the basis for the AP story -- AP/GfK didn't screen for likely voters and didn't screen for registered voters. Instead, it merely surveyed 1,001 adults. The result? The percentage of Democratic-leaning respondents stayed the same (42 percent), but the percentage of Republican-leaning respondents dropped by 12 points, to 36 percent.

"As one would expect -- with the same percentage of Democratic-leaning respondents having been surveyed both times -- the level of support for Obamacare remained essentially unchanged: 41 percent supported it previously; 40 percent support it now. Just as unsurprisingly, when the percentage of Republican-leaning respondents dropped by 12 points, the level of opposition to Obamacare dropped by 11 points (from 52 to 41 percent).

"Moreover, despite its gross under-representation of Republican-leaning respondents, the current AP/GfK poll still shows more people opposing Obamacare than supporting it, even greater opposition among those who feel strongly, overwhelming opposition to the individual mandate, and more support for repealing Obamacare in its entirety than for keeping Obamacare as it is. There's no story here, even though AP wrote one."

I would wonder if the AP has any shame-- but I know the answer to that one.

As the Quinnipiac polls show as reported by Jim Geraghty, ObamaCare is as unpopular as ever:

From Quinnipiac:

"The key to the public support for repealing the new health care law is among independent voters who want it taken off the books 54 – 37 percent. Republicans agree 83 – 12 percent, while Democrats support the health care reform 76 – 16 percent. Men want it repealed 53 – 40 percent, while women are split with 46 percent in favor of health care reform and 44 percent for repeal. White voters support repeal 56 – 37 percent, while black voters say let the law stand 75 – 15 percent and Hispanics want to keep the law 51 – 28 percent.

"'The Republicans pushing repeal of the health care law have more American people on their side. They may not have the votes in the Senate, but they have many on Main Street,' said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. 'While President Obama’s poll rating has improved in recent weeks, the coalition against his health care plan remains and is quite similar to the one that existed when his numbers were at their nadir [emphasis mine].'"

You go AP! Keep pushing the false narrative! It's not like anyone's ever going to find out...

US Solar Panel Maker Moving to China-- After $43 million in US Assistance

2011-01-18T10:31:00.000-08:00

Do you remember when green energy and green jobs would lead us out of the recession?

From the NYT article by Keith Bradsher (h/t Nickie Goomba):

"Aided by at least $43 million in assistance from the government of Massachusetts and an innovative solar energy technology, Evergreen Solar emerged in the last three years as the third-largest maker of solar panels in the United States.

"But now the company is closing its main American factory, laying off the 800 workers by the end of March and shifting production to a joint venture with a Chinese company in central China. Evergreen cited the much higher government support available in China.

[...]

"The Obama administration has been investigating whether China has violated the free trade rules of the World Trade Organization with its extensive subsidies to the manufacturers of solar panels and other clean energy products."

[...]

"Evergreen, in announcing its move to China, was unusually candid about its motives. Michael El-Hillow, the chief executive, said in a statement that his company had decided to close the Massachusetts factory in response to plunging prices for solar panels. World prices have fallen as much as two-thirds in the last three years — including a drop of 10 percent during last year’s fourth quarter alone.

"Chinese manufacturers, Mr. El-Hillow said in the statement, have been able to push prices down sharply because they receive considerable help from the Chinese government and state-owned banks, and because manufacturing costs are generally lower in China."

So Evergreen is moving from one government's subsidies to another. It's kind of like corporate welfare hopping. I wonder how long that business model can last?

Hollywood's Aaron Sorkin: "elite is not a bad word, it’s an aspirational one"

2011-01-17T15:46:00.000-08:00

Hmm. I wonder what Sorkin thinks of the word "pretentious"?

Such political acumen from the writer of such insightful classics as "The American President," "Charlie Wilson's War" and creator of that crackerjack show of Leftist wistful dreams "The West Wing."

From BigHollywood.com:

"Father of the Year?

"'And I want to thank all the female nominees tonight for helping demonstrate to my young daughter that elite is not a bad word, it’s an aspirational one. Honey, look around, smart girls have more fun, and you’re one of them.'

"Because we all know how grounded and at peace with himself the elitist Aaron Sorkin is.

"Yep, if we were handing out life advice to impressionable young children, you can bet Mr. Sorkin would at the top of the list. No demons or bitterness or mercenary impulses there. Just the kind of sunshine and gumdrop elitism that turns you into the kind of person who, during misogynist rants undoubtedly crafted while wearing elitist eyeglasses that have been conspicuously absent during awards season (self-conscious much?), wishes hunters would accidentally shoot one another.

"Sorkin’s Golden Globes shout out to all those actresses is likely nothing more than a cynical plea to the Academy to forgive a screenplay [The Social Network] many criticized as — like his sexist rants against Palin — anti-woman:

"'Missing from what critics are calling the defining story of our age are female characters who aren’t doting groupies, sexed-up Asians, vengeful sluts, or dumpy, feminist killjoys[.]'

"Sorkin wants that Oscar so bad he can taste it like the cool, round edges of a glass pipe."

And people wonder why Hollywood is losing money and its markets...

Hmm. I wonder if it has something to do with this?

But hang in there Hollywood elitist! Truly, you're a legend in your own mind.

$1.1 Billion Yacht Designed; Result is Collision of Gaudy and Disneyland Artificiality

2011-01-17T12:05:00.000-08:00

From the article by Kate Scheider (via Drudge):

"A lavish new yacht recreating the billionaire's playground of Monaco is set to become the world's most expensive.

"The staggering 155-metre Streets of Monaco yacht is expected to cost over $1.1 billion to build and is modelled on a section of Monte Carlo.

"Currently in the design stage, the super-ship will feature smaller versions of the state’s famous landmarks such as the Monte Carlo Casino and racetrack, as well as swimming pools, tennis courts, a cinema, a go kart track and a Hotel de Paris.

"Instead of traditional decks the one-of-a-kind ship will have buildings, and instead of a swimming platform it will have a beach."

As you can see by the picture, this thing is incredibly ugly. If the Disney "imagineers" designed an aircraft carrier, the results would be similar.

I guess this just proves that bad taste and poor aesthetics have an unlimited price range. Although a fair amount of contemporary art has already proven that...

Misleading AP Headline of the Day

2011-01-16T18:25:00.000-08:00

First the AP headline is:

"Muslim group: US teen not allowed to leave Kuwait" although the Yahoo link just said "US teen not allowed to leave Kuwait."

Kind of makes it sound like the evil Kuwaitis are holding an American teen against his will, keeping him in Kuwait or something.

Now here's the story beneath the headline in its entirety (link is here):

"A Muslim rights group says a U.S. teenager held in Kuwait was not allowed to board a flight back to the United States.

"An attorney for the Council on American-Islamic Relations said Sunday that 19-year-old Gulet Mohamed's brother bought him a plane ticket home at the request of a Kuwaiti deportation official, but that he was not allowed to board the plane after being taken to the airport.

"CAIR attorney Gadeir Abbas says the Alexandria, Va. teenager is on a no-fly list and the group plans to file a federal court challenge claiming the United States is wrongly blocking the return of a U.S. citizen."

So, actually the Kuwaitis are not allowing a person they're trying to deport and is on the U.S.'s no-fly list to board a plane to the U.S. That's a little different story than what the headline suggests, isn't it? Conspicuously absent are the details as to why Gulet Mohamed is being deported, and why he's on the U.S.'s no-fly list.

Nice job AP.

Obama's Arizona Memorial Slogan Recycled from Old OFA Rallying Cry

2011-01-14T16:06:00.000-08:00

(h/t to MJ at Zilla of the Resistance)

Ah, yes. "Together We Thrive." That slogan was emblazoned on the DNC blue t-shirts at the memorial/Obama pep-rally. And it also was the title of a piece by John Berry IV from a community blog on the Organizing For America website (see pics above). Berry's piece was an anti-free market screed (complete with Marxist language and tenets) calling for the working class to unite behind Marxist doctrine-- er, I mean Obama.

From Berry, dated Feb. 11, 2008:

"For too long Americans have been set one against the other, it is a side affect of a free market society. How can profits be maximized, how can I get the work done for the lowest possible costs. This continually sets one group against the other, especially in the blue collar sectors of America. It has become a part of the American Business model, whether it was indentured servants, slaves picking cotton, sharecroppers, the industrious people that built the railroads or todays migrant workers. As long as we remain divided, fighting for the scraps that America has to offer it will be one group against the other.

"What I see in Obama is a chance for a revolution. A chance for every group to participate and be heard; A chance to live the American dream that has been denied to so many. Together we can and will change the world and return America to the shining beacon of Hope and Prosperity that we were and that we can be again. Only when we work together do we accomplish feats that rival any ever accomplished in the history of mankind."

Hmm. I suppose Berry was expecting Obama to put an end to share-cropping and indentured servitude. When Berry says he believes America can return to being "the shining beacon of Hope and Prosperity that we were and that we can be again," I wonder precisely when in history he means. After all, when you take away the times of slavery, share-cropping, and the trusts, what's left? The roaring 20s, the Depression, World War II, the Fifties, the counter-culture, the 70s, and then Reagan. I don't suppose that Berry wishes to return to the salad days of Ronald Reagan...

So the rally and OFA blog entry use the same slogan...

Coincidence? Maybe.

Or was the whole thing a publicity stunt/pep rally for damage control and promoting retreaded '08 Obamaism? Maybe.

One way or another, the rally was certainly full of inappropriate whoops and cheers. The tone was completely wrong for a memorial. Obama's speech, while containing words that placated most conservatives, was full of qualifications. Obama made sure to not really wed himself to anything that he said.

While the mainstream media was quick to hail this a saving moment of the Obama presidency (almost as quick as they were to follow the Left's blogosphere into laying the blame on Palin/Angle/Limbaugh/Beck/Tea Party/etc.), it appeals to me as being more smoke and mirrors. Obama was forced into a response as the Left went into almost comical (in other circumstances) overload to exploit this tragedy and twist it into a smear campaign for their favorite targets.

It seems that the effort was a mixed result. While Obama's speech said some of the right things, it was just words-- qualified words at that. But some people optimistically accept his words. I think a lot didn't though. Cheering crowds of college students did little to demonstrate this as being anything more than a campaign rally with surreal timing. The political tone in this country hasn't changed significantly, which is bad news for the Left.

UPDATE: According to Judi McLeod of the Canada Free Press, those "Together We Thrive" t-shirts handed out at the "memorial" were also imprinted with the “Rocking America and Rocking the Vote” DNC slogan at the bottom.

From McLeod:

"If you were a mourner who took home a 'Together We Thrive' T-shirt have a look at the bottom of your shirt. 'Rocking America and Rocking the Vote' is a common theme of the DNC, and it’s right there on your Memorial T-shirt memento.

"Welcome to the era of Obama, where cheering and standing ovations, for the first time in history, became part of the Requiem for the Dead."

If true, it's another low-blow from the Democrats.

How desperate they are... The more we learn about this pep-rally the more warped and surreal it is becoming.

UPDATE 2: According to Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit, the inappropiate cheers were also prompted by the school's Jumbotron. What is this, China?

True? I suspect so. There are pictures.

Paul Krugman Makes Fraudulent Claim Against Michelle Bachmann in NYT-- Not a Surprise

2011-01-12T14:42:00.000-08:00

The New York Times' Paul Krugman is reasserting that he's on par with Ed Schultz. In the wake of the deranged Loughner's shooting spree, Krugman has taken up the cause to slander political opponents and mislead the public. Disguised as an opinion on "hate speech" (in other words anything not in line with the Left's political agendas), Krugman's column self-righteously disparages political opponent and spreads lies.

On Monday he wrote this:

"It's hard to imagine a Democratic member of Congress urging constituents to be 'armed and dangerous' without being ostracized; but Representative Michele Bachmann, who did just that, is a rising star in the G.O.P."

As James Taranto in The Wall Street Journal points out:

"As we noted in yesterday's column, in October then-Rep. Paul Kanjorski, a Pennsylvania Democrat, mused about assassinating a fellow politician. Not only was he not ostracized; he was rewarded with a spot yesterday on the op-ed page of Krugman's newspaper."

Yet, the quote, or phrase actually, attributed to Bachmann was cherry-picked from any sort of context and then grossly warped to fit Krugman's needs.

This is the actual quote from Bachmann via blogger Dave Evers at Fish Fear Me (with audio available at the link):

"We met with Chris Horner last week, 20 members of Congress. It takes a lot to wow members of Congress after a while. This wowed them. And I am going to have materials for people when they leave. I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us, having a revolution every now and then is a good thing, and the people--we the people--are going to have to fight back hard if we're not going to lose our country. And I think this has the potential of changing the dynamic of freedom forever in the United States and that's why I want everyone to come out and hear. So go to bachmann.house.gov and you can get all the information."

Yup. Telling people to be armed with facts about energy taxation is just about the same as inciting people to violence-- like let's say the band Rage Against the Machine's songs performed for arrestables just prior to a protest. Does Krugman really expect us to believe this?

Taranto continues:

"Krugman, who recreationally burns politicians in effigy, described Bachmann's comment as 'eliminationist rhetoric.' That is flatly fraudulent.

"If the broader claim--that the 'rhetoric' of Republican politicians and the nonliberal media was to blame for last Saturday's act of mass murder--is true, why can't it be presented without false factual assertions? Krugman's little lie undermines the big lie he and his newspaper are attempting to purvey.

"Krugman and his colleagues on the Times editorial board are not skilled enough to be effective liars. That is far from the worst thing you can say about newspapermen. But when did the people who run the New York Times forget that their job--their duty--is to tell the truth?"

This sort of nonsense that Krugman and many others are indulging in has to stop. The Left is walling itself in by making up it's own facts, isolating itself by printing obvious, and easily researched, distortions. While that's politically advantageous for the Right, it is ultimately damaging to the country as a whole.

I have to wonder if this is not the natural outgrowth of the Marxist belief that if you control the media, you control the people. It's a myth of course, as any study of Soviet Union, Eastern Bloc countries, and China can easily confirm. Hardly anyone believed the official line, and what resulted was simply that facts and truth became lost between rumor-mongering and cynicism.

The American Left (so keen on imitating policies that have repeatedly failed in foreign countries) seems intent on following this path-- even without a state-run media. The results for America will be the same-- pessimism, cynicism, distrust, and a loss of the truth.

UPDATE: Heh. The guys over at HillBuzz.org have a couple of choice quotes from Krugman.

"You know that Republicans will yell about the evils of partisanship whenever anyone tries to make a connection between the rhetoric of Beck, Limbaugh, etc. and the violence I fear we’re going to see in the months and years ahead. But violent acts are what happen when you create a climate of hate. And it’s long past time for the GOP’s leaders to take a stand against the hate-mongers".

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, January 2011

"A message to progressives: By all means, hang Senator Joe Lieberman in effigy".

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman – December 17th, 2009

Now to be fair to Krugman (which is far more than he does for his opponents) this is the context of his hanging Joe Lieberman in effigy statement:

"A message to progressives: By all means, hang Senator Joe Lieberman in effigy. Declare that you're disappointed in and/or disgusted with President Obama. Demand a change in Senate rules that, combined with the Republican strategy of total obstructionism, are in the process of making America ungovernable.

"But meanwhile, pass the health care bill."

Yup. It's the old America-isn't-governable-by-Leftist-political-elitists-unless-they-are-given-power-to-rule-by-decree theory--like Venezuela. That's a Woody Allen favorite, by the way. If only we could go a step further and get rid of those pesky, smelly, unintelligent, gun and religion clinging, ungovernable voters...

You may notice that Krugman's own 2008 election night party in which political effigies were burned is not mentioned. Hey, nothing eliminationist about that. No hypocrisy here. Nothing to see. Move on.

South Sudan, the Abyei Problem, and the Coming War

2011-01-11T12:54:00.000-08:00

Caroline Glick has an excellent op-ed regarding the South Sudan referendum. I highly recommend clicking on the link and reading the whole piece.

From Glick's piece "Sudanese Crossroads":

"On Sunday, the southern Sudanese began voting on a referendum to secede from the Republic of Sudan and establish their own sovereign nation. By all accounts, they will soon secede from the Arab, Islamic country and form an independent African, Christian and animist state.

"The consequences of their actions will reverberate around the world.

"This week's referendum takes place in accordance with the US-brokered Comprehensive Peace Treaty between the Khartoum government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement signed on January 9, 2005.

[...]

"The South Sudanese referendum will not settle the issue of control over all of southern Sudan. Numerous flashpoints remain. Most importantly, the disposition of the town of Abyei remains undetermined. Abyei is where most of Sudan's oil deposits are located.

"Unlike the rest of the south, its population is a mix of Arabs and Africans and its residents are split over the issue of separation from Khartoum. If there is war after independence, Abyei will likely be its cause.

"Abyei's residents were supposed to vote on a referendum to determine the disposition of their town at the same time as the rest of the south. But fuelled by their conflicting interests, they could not agree on how to run the poll, and so it did not take place.

[...]

"But then, last Friday, pro-Khartoum militias attacked anti-Khartoum targets in Abyei. By Monday, 23 people had been killed. According to South Sudanese military spokesmen, militiamen captured in Abyei said they were ordered to attack by Khartoum.

[...]

"In its 54-year history, Sudan has suffered from civil war between the north and south for 39 years. Some 200,000 south Sudanese were kidnapped into slavery. Two million Sudanese have died in the wars. Four million have become refugees.

"But the fact is that with the West openly supporting southern Sudanese independence, a new war's consequences will not be limited to Sudan itself. Therefore it is worth considering why such a war is all but certain and what southern Sudanese independence means for the region and the world.

"There were two main reasons that Bashir agreed to sign the peace treaty with the south Sudanese in 2005. First, his forces had lost the civil war. The south was already effectively independent.

"The second reason Bashir agreed to a deal that would give eventual independence to the oil-rich south is because he feared the US.

"Bashir's regime is closely linked to al-Qaida, which he hosted from 1989 until 1995.

"When the US demanded that he accept the south's victory, he probably didn't believe he could refuse.

"Today, the US is not feared or respected as it was six years ago. And according to a recent article in the online Small Wars Journal by US Army Lt. Col. Thomas Talley, Bashir's current dim perception of the US makes war inevitable.

"Talley argues that without Abyei, South Sudan will be rendered an economically nonviable failed state. South Sudan, he claims is too weak to secure Abyei from Khartoum without outside assistance.

"According to Talley, the deterioration of the global perception of US power has convinced Bashir that the US will not protect Abyei for the south and so his best bet is to invade the town or at a minimum prevent the south from securing it."

This is a reality ignored by Obama, and rarely reported on by the American media. Obama's exaggerated shows of weakness, his apologizing and attempts to ingratiate himself to foreign leaders and people, have placed American allies in a very difficult position across the globe. Obama's incessant need to satisfy the Left's self-serving vanity is tantamount to betrayal for American allies and has and will continue to cost many lives.

Glick continues:

"THE FACT of the matter is that the Arabs have reason to be concerned about what is happening in Sudan. If South Sudan becomes an independent nation, it will be the first case of rollback of Arab imperialism since World War I.

"One of the central aspects of Middle Eastern politics that is overwhelmingly ignored by scholars is Arab imperialism and the role it has played in shaping the region's politics.

"Both during the post-World War I breakup of the Ottoman Empire and with the breakup of the British and French empires after World War II, British and French imperial authorities colluded with Arab imperialists to guarantee the latter's nearly uninhibited control over the Middle East.

"For the Kurds, Shi'ites, Druse, Alawites, Copts, and other non-Sunni, non-Arab, or non-Muslim populations in the region, the end of Western rule meant the end of their relative freedom.

"In the case of southern Sudan, during the half century of British rule, the south was administered separately from the Arab north.

"But when the British withdrew in 1956, in their haste to leave, they placed the south under Arab rule. Fearing disenfranchisement and oppression, the south began the first Sudanese civil war in 1955 - the year before independence.

[...]

"AGAINST THIS backdrop of Western perfidy towards the Middle East's non-Arab minorities, the West's support for South Sudanese independence is nothing short of miraculous.

"Unfortunately, the West's support for South Sudan probably owes to Western ignorance rather than a newfound Western will to defy Arab imperialists. That is, it is likely that West is doing the right thing today in Sudan because it doesn't understand the ramifications of its own policy.

"If the West doesn't understand its policy, then it is unlikely to understand the significance of a challenge to that policy by Khartoum and its allies. And if it fails to understand the significance of a challenge to its policy by Khartoum, then it is unlikely to defend its policy when it is challenged.

"Against this backdrop, it is important to recall Lt. Col. Talley's claim that Bashir will attack Abyei because he does not believe that the US will defend South Sudanese control of the border town. The shallowness of Western support for South Sudan will lead to war."

It is crucial to understand America's place in the world, and the influence it exerts upon foreign nations-- something Obama both loves to deny and works mightily to reduce. Likewise, it is important to understand the history of the regions in the world in which much flux and chaos currently takes place. Reducing the world around us to two sides (often in opposition-- West vs. East for instance) is ridiculously simplistic and leads to terribly skewed world views and easily avoidable mistakes.

As a side note, I wonder if George Clooney will notice or care when war breaks out in South Sudan? Who will he urge to come to the rescue? Surely not Obama...

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Shot During Killing Spree; Predictably Blame Flies

2011-01-09T05:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner embarked upon a shooting spree killing six, and critically wounding Rep. Gabrielle Giffords an Arizona Democrat. Among the six people killed were a nine-year-old girl and Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court Arizona John Roll (a George H. W. Bush appointee). The tragedy of the incident should speak for itself.

Predictably and shamefully, what has followed has been a mad dash to politicize the event.

Legal Insurrection has a decent sampling of some of the comments offered up by Leftists bloggers including the tweet from Daily Kos creator Markos Moulitsas.

The AP attempted to blame the Republican candidate Jesse Kelly defeated in by Giffords in the election-- although no scrap of evidence suggests any link between Loughner and Kelly. Tom Blumer has an excellent piece regarding the AP's atrocious handling of the story.

CBS pushed Palin-blame as reported here.

New York Times' columnist Paul Krugman has leveled blame at the GOP in general and Sarah Palin in particular.

Inconveniently, nothing ties the shooter Loughner to the Republicans, Palin, nor the political Right at all. Merely the fact that Giffords was a Democrat was all that was needed for Lougher to immediately be depicted as a crazed Fox News/Palin junkee murderer. Indeed, as more is learned of Loughner, the more he appears to be mentally unbalanced and separated from reality to such an extent that political labels are absolutely meaningless.

From the Arizona Daily Star article by Tim Stellar:

"A former classmate of Loughner at Pima Community College said he was 'obviously very disturbed.'

"'He disrupted class frequently with nonsensical outbursts,' said Lynda Sorenson, who took a math class with Loughner last summer at Pima Community College's Northwest campus.

"Sorenson doesn't recall if he ever made any threats or uttered political statements but he was very disruptive, she said. He was asked to leave the pre-algebra class several times and eventually was barred from class, said Sorenson, a Tucson resident.

"Another Pima classmate, Lydian Ali, said Loughner would frequently laugh aloud to himself during the advanced-poetry class they attended. Only about 16 people were in the class, so Loughner's behavior stood out, Ali said.

"'It almost seemed like he was on his own planet, because his comments would have nothing to do with what we were talking about,' Ali said.

"MySpace, YouTube and Facebook accounts maintained by Loughner suggest he has spent most of his life on the northwest side: His profile says he attended Thornydale Elementary, Tortolita Middle School, Mountain View High School

"The online accounts also contain bizarre discussions of a new currency and literacy, as well as threatening and despairing messages.

"'WOW! I'm glad i didn't kill myself. I'll see you on National T.v.! This is foreshadow .... why doesn't anyone talk to me?..' he posted on MySpace Dec. 14.

"On Dec. 13, he wrote: 'I don't feel good: I'm ready to kill a police officer! I can say it.'

"In a posting on YouTube, Loughner wrote repeatedly about a new currency.

"'I'm thinking of creating a new currency,' he wrote. 'Therefore, I'm thinking of a design for my new coins size, shape, color, material, and image to start a new money system.'

"He also wrote repeatedly about literacy. In a written message on YouTube, Loughner said: 'The majority of people, who reside in District-8 are illiterate - hilarious. I don't control your English grammar structure, but you control your English grammar structure.'

"In a message posted on his MySpace account, titled 'Goodbye friends,' Loughner said: 'Dear friends...please don't be mad at me. The literacy rate is below 5%. I haven't talked to one person who is literate.' It was unclear when it was posted.

"In a MySpace profile, Loughner said 'My favorite interest was reading, and I studied grammar. Conscience dreams were a great study in college.'

"He lists among his favorite books 'Mein Kampf" and 'The Communist Manifesto'. But he also includes a broad variety of other titles, including: 'Animal Farm,' 'Brave New World,' 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' and 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'.

"In another YouTube message, Loughner said: 'I know who's listening: Government Officials, and the People. Nearly all the people, who don't know this accurate information of a new currency, aren't aware of mind control and brainwash methods. If I have my civil rights, then this message wouldn't have happen.'

"'In conclusion, my ambition - is for informing literate dreamers about a new currency; in a few days, you know I'm conscience dreaming! Thank you!'

"In a YouTube video dated Dec. 15, titled 'Introduction: Jared Loughner' the accused gunman describes himself as a U.S. military recruit who had applied to join the Army. The Army, however, said it rejected Lougher as a recruit in 2008."

Obviously Loughner was unbalanced. No where is it mentioned that Loughner had any connection to Sarah Palin, Fox News, Glenn Beck, Tea Party, Rush Limbaugh, Republicans, nor any other political Right target that the AP, CBS, Left blogosphere, and a NYT columnist have accused. No where.

The tragedy itself is senseless, the result of a pathetic little wretch obsessing over "conscience dreaming" a "new currency," and some bizarre idea of "literacy."

Yet, the ensuing media frenzy in the aftermath of this attack is a sad reflection on the state of politics in this country. So desperate is the Left and powerful aspects of the MSM that within 16 hours they overlay innuendo, conjure "evidence," level accusations, wag fingers, and erase their own heated rhetoric, for political gain. It is pathetic, and it is distasteful.

CBO Says Repealing ObamaCare Would Reduce Net Spending by $540 Billion

2011-01-07T23:27:00.000-08:00

Sure, but why would we want to reduce government spending during a fiscal crisis? Let's continue to spend our way out of debt. It worked so well for the Japanese...

From the The American Spectator piece by Philip Klein:

"The Congressional Budget Office, in an email to Capitol Hill staffers obtained by the Spectator, has said that repealing the national health care law would reduce net spending by $540 billion in the ten year period from 2012 through 2021. That number represents the cost of the new provisions, minus Medicare cuts. Repealing the bill would also eliminate $770 billion in taxes. It's the tax hikes in the health care law (along with the Medicare cuts) which accounts for the $230 billion in deficit reduction [emphasis mine]."

The full CBO e-mail is at The American Spectator link above. Check it out.

South Sudan Referendum Begins on Jan. 9th

2011-01-04T08:26:00.000-08:00

This story hasn't been overly exposed in the American media, but in five days (Jan. 9th, 2011) South Sudan will begin to vote on a referendum to stay a part of Sudan or to split, creating a new autonomous country. Voting will continue until January 15th. This vote comes as part of the 2005 peace agreement between Khartoum and the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement, following the very bloody Darfur conflict.

It would be extremely surprising if the South Sudan did not vote for independence in a fair election. Yet, the population of South Sudan are far from a unified people, with great differences in ethnicity, customs, language (over 400 dialects are spoken in this small area), religion, etc. Violence across clan and ethnic lines is very common-- although that's hardly unusual for Africa.

Hillary Clinton has called the South Sudan Referendum "a ticking time bomb."

From a Sept. 9, 2010 BBC article:

"The referendum on independence for Southern Sudan is a 'ticking time bomb', US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said.

"The vote is due in January and Mrs Clinton said the outcome was 'inevitable' - backing for secession."

Later Clinton says: "But the real problem is, what happens when the inevitable happens and the referendum is passed and the south declares independence. What happens to the oil revenues?"

For what it's worth, the UN has given its stamp of approval on the referendum on Dec. 22.

"'Based on our observations so far, we believe that a credible referendum can take place,' said Benjamin Mkapa, the chair of the Panel and a former President of Tanzania, at a news conference in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, at the end of the team’s third visit to the country since October."

The situation may not be as dire as Clinton portrays. However, one of the factors that has kept violence from raging out of control in the area has been international scrutiny and public opinion. Foreign interest in Sudan outside of the immediate region has waned though, and is unlikely to return unless further violence breaks out. The foreign press loves to report and criticize third-world violence, but doesn't focus on nation building and life after peace resolutions with quite as much zeal.

What happens next? We'll see very soon. Doubtlessly, there will be protests, claims (likely from Khartoum) of a lack of consensus, improper polling, and so forth.

It is a place to watch, especially for the next two weeks or so.

House ObamaCare Repeal Vote Scheduled for Jan. 12

2011-01-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

Well, Obama did say bring it on back in March, didn't he?

That date is according to William Kristol at The Weekly Standard.

Of course it won't even pass the Senate, but it's a start at getting rid of this economically Fascist law. Chip away the support and don't let it drop.

And as Jacobson at Legal Insurrection wrote: "There are several vulnerable Democratic Senators up for reelection in 2012. Make them vote on repeal of Obamacare as an entirety, and in pieces.

"And then run the advertisements early and often."

Gov. Schwarzenegger's Shameful Commute of Sentence for Political Ally's Son

2011-01-03T00:57:00.000-08:00

On his last day in office California's governor Schwarzenegger commuted the sentence of the son of a political ally. Former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez had worked with Schwarzenegger on a variety of issues when Speaker, and had, by all accounts, become close to the governor. Fabian's son, Esteben Nunez, had plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the stabbing death of Luis Sanchez near Sand Diego State University and was sentenced in June, 2010. Just before leaving office, Schwarzenegger shaved more than half of Nunez's sentence. (h/t to Michelle Malkin's coverage of this story)

From the June 25, 2010 AP article:

"Ryan Jett, 24, and Esteban Nuñez, 21, son of former state Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, were sentenced to 16 years in prison, the steepest punishment available under the law. The men had previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

"Sentencings for two others involved in the brawl were postponed until Friday.

"'Everything you do in life has a consequence,' Judge Robert O’Neill told Nuñez and Jett. 'People are judged by the company and they keep and the actions they do.'"

A nice sentiment, but of course that's all reversed now. Thanks, Gov. Schwarzenegger.

The AP article continues:

"The four defendants, all from Sacramento, were originally charged with murder and assault. Nuñez and Jett pleaded guilty in May to voluntary manslaughter and assault with a deadly weapon. They also admitted using a knife in the incident and causing great bodily injury.

"Rafael Garcia, 20, pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to destroy evidence and faces a possible prison sentence of up to three years. Leshanor Thomas, 21, pleaded guilty in February to assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit assault with a deadly weapon. He faces a sentence of up to four years and eight months.

"Deputy District Attorney Jill DiCarlo has said the four men became angry in the early-morning hours of Oct. 4, 2008, after they were kicked out of a fraternity party. They roamed the SDSU campus 'looking for trouble' and eventually challenged Santos and his friends to a fight on 55th Street near Peterson Gym.

"'It’s sadly pathetic that Luis wasn’t even at that fraternity party and yet he paid the ultimate price,' said Kathy Santos, the victim’s mother. The family lives in Concord.

"Prosecutors said Jett fatally stabbed Santos and that Nuñez is legally liable for the death as an aider and abettor. The prosecutor said Nuñez stabbed two other victims, one in the left shoulder and the other in the stomach and back. A fourth man was seriously injured when Thomas punched him in his right eye.

"Defense lawyers have argued that their clients were not the aggressors in the alcohol-fueled brawl and instead acted in self-defense. Nuñez’s lawyer, Brad Patton, said witness statements indicated that Santos may have had a gun.

"Prosecutors have said Santos was not armed.

"After the fight, Thomas drove the men back to Sacramento. According to witness testimony, Jett, Nuñez and Garcia drove to the banks of the Sacramento River where Nuñez placed a plastic bag on the ground containing clothing. Jett doused the bag with gasoline and set it on fire.
Prosecutors said the men tossed knives into the water."

An ugly incident, all the way around. Yet, hardly something worthy of a being commuted... unless your dad is a politically-connected buddy of the governor.

From the L.A. Times article by Evan Halper and Tony Perry:

"In his final night before leaving office, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger commuted the prison sentence of the son of former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez who had pleaded guilty to taking part in the slaying of a college student.

"Schwarzenegger announced the move in a batch of eleventh-hour press releases e-mailed to reporters. He also announced he was granting several other commutations and pardons and giving plum government appointments to political allies and the spouse of his chief of staff.
Esteban Nuñez, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison for his role in the October 2008 stabbing death of college student Luis Dos Santos near San Diego State, had his prison term commuted to seven years by the governor. In a statement, the governor noted that Nuñez, while involved in the fight, did not inflict the fatal knife wound to Santos' chest. He cites a finding by the court that it was a friend of Nuñez who stabbed Santos through the chest, 'severing his heart.'

"'I do not discount the gravity of the offense,' Schwarzenegger's statement said. 'But given Nuñez's limited role in Santos' death, and considering that…Nuñez had no criminal record prior to this offense, I believe Nuñez's sentence is excessive.'

"Fabian Nuñez, a Democrat, grew close to the governor while speaker. The two worked together to pass the state's landmark global warming law, which was a signature achievement of Schwarzenegger's time in office. Fabian Nuñez is a business partner of the governor's chief political advisor at the consulting firm Mercury Public Affairs.

[...]

"Santos, a software engineer in Concord in Northern California, said Esteban Nuñez 'had already gotten lucky once' when prosecutors accepted a plea bargain that allowed him to avoid standing trial on murder charges, which could have led to a life sentence.

"He said the family was not warned about the impending commutation and learned about it Sunday from reporters. 'The governor did not even have the courtesy to notify the victim’s family,' he said. 'This is dirty politics: cutting backroom deals. I guess if you’re the son of somebody important you can kill someone and get all sorts of breaks.'"

Well, Schwarzenegger certainly thinks that you should get all sorts of breaks...

Schwarzenegger's justifications are nonsense and seems to boil down to "I mean sure Nunez stabbed a few people, but he didn't kill anyone... " Nunez wasn't a guy just waiting in the car. He picked a fight, stabbed two people during the fight, and clearly aided and abetted Jett in the killing of Santos.

As Malkin points out, "This is bipartisan political cronyism at its worst."

Happy New Year 2011!

2010-12-31T17:47:00.000-08:00

Here's wishing everyone has a happy new year!

Both personally and professionally I'm looking forward to this year-- the first full year I've been completely healthy (I hope) for about eight years now.

Anyway, let's hope we all have much to look forward to this year...

All My Best,
Yukio Ngaby

Obama Sneaks in Envoy to Syria with Recess Appointment

2010-12-31T02:58:00.000-08:00

Just to show that the Obama administration thinks murderous, saber-rattling regimes aren't so bad and can be reasoned with...

From The Jerusalem Post article by Hilary Leila Krieger:

"Republicans lashed out at the White House for making a recess appointment of Robert Ford as US ambassador to Syria Wednesday after efforts to have him confirmed by the Senate stalled.

"Ford will be the first US ambassador to Syria since 2005, when the US ambassador then in place was recalled by the Bush administration following the assassination of the anti-Syrian Lebanese leader Rafik Hariri, widely suspected to have been done with the help of Damascus.

[...]

"'Congress is not typically happy or pleased about recess appointments. It makes it very difficult for these people to be reconfirmed, so it's a one-year appointment,' explained Syria expert David Schenker of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

"He said the decision to return an ambassador to Damascus showed that the Obama administration hadn't decided to change its engagement policy with Syria despite its role in transferring serious weaponry to Hizbullah and its unwillingness to comply with the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency about its suspected nuclear site.

"He added that the Obama administration was also eager to have an emissary in place before the UN tribunal handed down indictments in Hariri's murder, which are expected to be issued in the coming weeks against members of Hizbullah and could implicate Syria as well.

"'They think this will help to calm or constrain Syrian behavior,' Schenker said.

"But he questioned how much the US had to gain from having an ambassador on the ground, given the intensive outreach from senior officials who have traveled to Damascus to communicate the American perspective.

"'I'm not optimistic it will have any type of positive impact,' Schenker said."

What's not to be optimistic about? Talking to our enemies gives them a whole new venue to spread misinformation and distraction. What could go wrong?

Brit Govt. Mandated Eco-Boilers Break in Cold Weather-- Leaving Many Without Heat

2010-12-30T15:04:00.001-08:00

Yet another reason why you should not allow governments to control economies. They make a lot of mistakes, because they are not experts in the fields in which they meddle. Thus fragile machines replace hearty ones, and let them eat cake-- er, freeze for the good of the planet.

From American Thinker post by Phil Boehmke (h/t Anne Leary at Backyard Conservative):

"Five years ago the global warming crowd and their comrades in the Labour Party mandated the use of new green technology boilers in Great Britain. Government and environmental experts said that the ‘condensing boilers’ would not only greatly reduce the consumer’s carbon footprint, but would also lower their heating bills. Saving money and saving the planet, what could be better?

"The UK Daily Mail reports that during the recent record cold spell in Great Britain, tens of thousands of people were without heat due to a serious flaw in the new boiler’s design.

[...]

"To make matters worse, the new boilers typically last only 3-6 years and the costs of parts to repair the units are outrageously high. One of the bi-products of the condensation process is the creation of acidic water vapor from the dissolved nitrogen and sulfur oxides which corrode the delicate system components. Gee, the old boilers were very reliable and lasted 20 years on average."

And from the Daily Mail article by Michael Hanlon [emphasis mine throughout]:

"Five years ago, New Labour heralded them as the modern, clean and green way to heat your house. As a result, today there are already eight million 'condensing boilers' in homes across Britain. In fact, since 2005 it is illegal to fit any other kind.

"At the time, John Prescott claimed they would massively reduce your carbon footprint and slash your fuel bills. As a result, every year some 1.2 million old-style 'dirty' boilers are scrapped in Britain and replaced by this wondrous new variety.

"However, the recent cold snap has revealed a major problem with them. Tens of thousands of people found themselves shivering as their shiny new boilers cut out without warning.
British Gas is understood to have had 60,000 call-outs in Yorkshire alone. And the cost to call out a plumber? It can be between £200 to £300 [ about $309 to $463 USD] on a bank holiday. And don’t forget about VAT.

[...]

"It’s all the more infuriating because the problem causing these breakdowns is so simple. In cold weather, the pipe that takes waste water from the back of the condensing boiler - which isn’t there in a normal boiler - freezes solid, shutting down the system and in many cases causing permanent damage.

"But this problem is just one of many that have plagued this boiler design since they became popular in the Nineties. Many plumbers consider them to be little more than a multi-billion-pound con-trick.

"In a regular boiler, the hot gases produced when the methane fuel is burned heat water for your radiators, dishwasher, taps and so on. But about 25 per cent of the heat vents out of the exhaust pipe in the form of hot steam and CO2.

"In a condensing boiler, a condenser claws back much of the lost heat because as steam condenses into water, it feeds heat back into the system.

"This can increase overall efficiency from 75 per cent to as much as 93 per cent, and reduce CO2 emissions - and your bills - by a commensurate amount. That, anyway, is the theory boiler-makers and politicians want you to believe.

"In 2005, the then-deputy PM John Prescott drew up a masterplan to help Britain meet its CO2 emissions targets, as dictated by the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. This involved a new law ordering that all new and replacement boilers fitted to British homes - some 1.4m annually - must from that date be of the condensing type.

"A 'boiler scrappage' scheme followed in 2008, which offered people £400 [about $617 USD]towards the cost of a new condensing boiler if they replaced their old one - even if it was in perfect working order. [Does this remind anyone else of Cash for Clunkers?] Boiler manufacturers and plumbing and installation firms could hardly believe their luck.

"An estimated eight million homes in Britain made the switch, often encouraged by persistent salesmen who produced an impressive-looking audit offering a seductive assessment of how much money you could save by switching to a new, 'clean' boiler.

"But even ignoring the freezing pipe problem, it is clear that in most cases it makes no economic sense to scrap an old boiler that is still functioning.

"For an average home, replacing even a very inefficient old model with the best new boiler on the market will, at most, save a couple of hundred pounds a year in gas bills.

"That sounds good until you realise that at £2,000 [about $3085 USD] for one of the better condensing models, a new one will take at least ten years to pay for itself.

"And the problem is that these boilers simply do not last anything like ten years.

"'You might get 20 years out of one of the old ones,' Charlie Mullins says, 'but it is more like three to six years out of one of these new ones. In fact, if it goes wrong after four years, you are better off replacing a condensing boiler altogether because of the horrendous cost of the parts.

"'On the basis of efficiency, they certainly do not pay for themselves. It makes no sense to take out a working old boiler and replace it with a condensing one.'

"That’s not something the enthusiastic salesmen will tell you. They also won’t tell you that those touted increases in efficiency are theoretical, often not matched in reality. These boilers rarely operate at maximum efficiency anyway.

"Explained simply, the water returning from your radiators back to the boiler has to be below 55c for the condenser to condense the steam in the boiler into water. For most homes using standard radiators, this will probably not be the case - the returning water might be as hot as 65c, especially when the radiators are turned up in cold weather.

[...]

"The problems don’t stop there either. The condensed water vapour produced in the new boilers is slightly acidic (as it contains dissolved nitrogen and sulphur oxides), which inevitably causes corrosion of the delicate boiler components and also leads to breakdowns.

"So the message is clear: if you have an old boiler, provided it is working properly and is serviced regularly, you are almost certainly better off keeping it until it is beyond economic repair. Parts will be cheaper, it will be less likely to break down and there is no danger of it stalling on the coldest night of the year."

Of course the Obama administration and the Dems are dead-set on similar government mandated eco-policies here (Cap & Tax, Cash for Clunkers, "Green" Energy Subsidies, the VAT, etc.). And always they are based on the same nanny-state theory that the people are simply too stupid to know what's best for them, so they must be ruled through regulatory fiat.

As Lincoln once said: "They are the arguments that kings have made for enslaving the people in all ages of the world. You will find that all the arguments in favor of kingcraft were of this class; they always bestrode the necks of the people, not that they wanted to do it, but because the people were better off for being ridden."

Jordan Warming Relationship with Iran, After Warning of Iran's Growing Influence Ignored by US

2010-12-28T01:24:00.000-08:00

I missed this story from December 12...

From the Associated Press:

"Jordan's King Abdullah II on Sunday said he is seeking 'practical steps' for improving his country's frosty relations with Iran.

"The monarch's appeal contrasted with his regime's frequent criticism of Iran's policies.

"Abdullah made the appeal for better ties during a meeting with Esfandiar Rahim Mashai, the director of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's office, according to an official Jordanian statement. It said Abdullah was invited to visit Teheran.

"As early as 2004, Abdullah warned of Iran's growing influence in Iraq and the rest of the region.

"In US cables released by WikiLeaks, US diplomats were quoted as saying Jordan warned that Iranian influence could undermine American interests and moderate nations like Jordan, an ally of the US."

That last paragraph is the especially annoying part for me. The US has been repeatedly warned of the growing threat of Iran and Islamic extremism. The response has been to either ignore the problem, or to bleat out that all Muslims are extremist. These absolutely ineffective responses have made the world in general, and the Middle East in particular, a far more unstable and dangerous place in the past six years or so.

Caroline Glick has an excellent analysis, and I highly recommend you read it in its entirety.

From Glick's op-ed "Slouching Toward Tehran":

"Abdullah was one of the first world leaders to sound the alarm on Iran. In 2004 Abdullah warned of a 'Shiite crescent' extending from Iran to Iraq, through Syria to Lebanon. His words were well reported at the time. But his warning went unheeded.

"In the intervening six years, reality has surpassed Abdullah's worst fears. Not only Lebanon and Syria have fallen under Iranian control. Iraq, Turkey, Qatar, Gaza and increasingly Oman, Yemen and Afghanistan are also either willing or unwilling members of the axis.

"In the face of Iran's expanding web of influence and the mullahs' steady progress towards nuclear capability, Washington behaves as though there is no cause for concern. And the likes of Jordan are beside themselves.

"In a WikiLeaks leaked cable from April 2009 written by US Ambassador to Jordan R. Stephen Beecroft, Jordan's frustration and concern over the Obama administration's incompetence in handling the Iranian threat was clear.

"Beecroft wrote, 'Jordan's leaders are careful not to be seen as dictating toward the US, but their comments betray a powerful undercurrent of doubt that the United States knows how to deal effectively with Iran.'

"On the one hand, Jordanian Senator Zaid Rifai beseeched US to bomb Iran's nuclear installations. Rifai said, 'Bomb Iran, or live with an Iranian bomb. Sanctions, carrots, incentives won't matter.'

"But on the other hand, the Jordanians recognized that the Obama administration was committed to appeasing Iran and so tried to convince the Americans to ensure that their appeasement drive didn't come at the Arabs' expense.

"Beecroft reported a clear warning from Abdullah. Abdullah cautioned that if the Arabs believe that the US was appeasing Iran at their expense, 'that engagement will set off a stampede of Arab states looking to get ahead of the curve and reach their own separate peace with Teheran.'

[...]

"And since then, the Obama administration did nothing after Ahmadinejad and his henchmen stole the presidential election. It did nothing as they repressed the tens of millions of Iranians who demonstrated against the election fraud. The Obama administration did nothing as Iran conducted repeated war games along the Straits of Hormuz, progressed in its nuclear program, deepened its military alliances with Turkey and Venezuela and escalated its proxy war against the US and its allies in Afghanistan.

"The Americans said nothing as Iran prevented the pro-US faction that won the Iraqi election from forming a government. They did nothing as Iran forced the reinstallation of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki despite his electoral defeat.

"As Washington stood idly by in the face of Iran's aggression, Jordan and the other US-allied Arab states watched as Obama harassed Israel, announced his plan to withdraw all US forces from Iraq next year, appointed a new ambassador to Syria and approved more military aid to the Iranian-controlled Lebanese army. And Abdullah and the other Arabs watch now as the US is poised to begin yet a new round of appeasement talks with Iran next month.

"Unlike the previous failed rounds of talks, the next failed round of talks will take place in Turkey. Iranian officials are already exulting that Turkish Prime Minister Recip Erdogan will act as Iran's protector in those talks, and so officially end any semblance of Iranian diplomatic isolation on the nuclear issue.

"And so, just as Abdullah warned would happen, today he is leading Jordan into the ranks of 'countries without a backbone,' and making a separate peace with Ahmadinejad.

"Jordan is a weak country. Its minority Hashemite regime has failed to dominate its Palestinian majority. And since its inception by the British in 1946, Jordan has depended on Western powers and Israel for its survival.

"In acting as he is, Abdullah is following in his father's footsteps. The late King Hussein survived by watching the prevailing winds closely and always siding with the side he believed was strongest at any given time."

So many Americans simply do not understand the intricacies of Middle East politics, writing off Muslims as a single monolithic group (often intent on the destruction of the Western world), and write off the Israelis as a single monolithic group from whom all American troubles in the Mid-East extend.

The world is filled of political pragmatists. That's one of the first bits of knowledge that needs to be understood in international relations. It's not a universal rule, but it should be the default until proven otherwise.

It was ridiculous to believe that Obama's incessant and inauthentic apologies, fawning bows, and promises that the US will not act unilaterally would result into anything but significant (and needless) pressure on American allies, or countries sympathetic to the West. It fixed nothing except for the American Left's fragile egos.

All this so Obama and the Left can feel better about themselves... American narcissism like that is expensive, and comes at far too high a price for the rest of the world.

98 American Banks About to Collapse-- After $4.2 Billion Bailout

2010-12-28T00:37:00.000-08:00

And this is why you don't just throw money at a problem.

From the Business Insider piece by Katya Wachtel (via Instapundit):

"98 American banks that received $4.2 billion in bailout money are teetering on the edge of collapse, according to the Wall Street Journal.

"In Q2 the number of unsound banks numbered 86; the increase to almost 100 institutions - most of which are smallish banks with about $439 million in assets - comes as a result of decreasing capital and more bad loans.

"Also, unlike the big banks, which basically had access to liquidity from the federal government whenever they wanted during the crisis via various emergency lending facilities, these smaller banks received only TARP funds."

Great... decreasing capital and more bad loans. Does the US have to continue encouraging bad loans to prove ourselves?

Bomb Found at Greek Embassy in Rome

2010-12-27T08:07:00.000-08:00

From the Daily Mail:

"A package bomb has been found at the Greek Embassy in Rome, three days after mail bombs exploded at two other embassies injuring two people.

"Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman Gregoris Delavekouras said from Athens that no one was harmed in the latest incident, in part because heightened security measures had already been put in place.

"'The embassy was evacuated and the staff assembled some distance away from the building, so that everyone could be accounted for,' he told media.

"Mail bombs exploded Friday at the Chilean and Swiss embassies, injuring two people who opened them. An anarchist group with reported ties to Greek anarchists claimed responsibility.

[...]

"An Italian group calling itself the Informal Anarchist Federation claimed responsibility for Friday's blasts.

"News reports said that a claim found at one of the embassies cited the name of Lambros Fountas, a Greek anarchist who was killed in a shootout with police in March.

"Interior Minister Roberto Maroni has said that investigators believe the anarchists who were responsible might have ties to Greek anarchists responsible for last month's letter bombings at Athens embassies.

"On Nov. 2, suspected Greek anarchists sent 14 mail bombs to foreign embassies in Athens, as well as to Berlusconi, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Two of the devices exploded, causing no injuries."

Bad stuff right now. It'll get worse as many European governments are forced to cut services and pensions, and raise taxes and fees.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T15:47:00.000-08:00

Do nor be afraid I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord This will be a sign to you: You wilt find a baby wrapped in strips of cloths and lying in a manger.

I wish that all of you have a Joyous and Merry Christmas!

HHS Secretary Sebelius Seizes Power to Decree Cost of Health Care Insurance

2010-12-23T13:26:00.000-08:00

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has issued a 136 page "rule" granting herself the right to set prices for the cost of health insurance. Merry Christmas!

From The Weekly Standard piece by Jeffrey H. Anderson (h/t to Jacobson at Legal Insurrection who has much more):

"Not satisfied with the colossal amounts of power that she would acquire under Obamacare if it isn't repealed, Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary Kathleen Sebelius has issued a 136-page 'rule' that will now give her (and her subordinates) largely unchecked power to pass judgment on the prices of health insurance throughout the United States. Notwithstanding the fact that 43 states already regulate and approve health insurance premiums, Sebelius claims that we need an additional, more centralized, protection against insurers' unseemly 'profit motive.' But a far greater threat to the future of American republicanism is posed by the impulse that animates Sebelius and the bulk of the Obama administration: the power motive."

From The Wall Street Journal (I highly recommend reading the whole piece at the link):

"And seasons greetings from the folks at Health and Human Services too. Yesterday the department dropped one of ObamaCare's more destructive regulations, which will further increase political control of health care and impose price controls on private insurance premiums.

"Under the 136-page rule, the federal government will now decide what counts as an 'unreasonable' rate increase, and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius wrote to Governors yesterday urging them 'to prevent unjustified and excessive health insurance premium growth.' Apparently, 'unreasonable' means rate increases that exceed 10% next year, except when it doesn't. If an insurer crosses this arbitrary threshold, 'The review process would then determine if the increase is, in fact, unreasonable.' So that's cleared up.

"This discretion is typical of the vast ad hoc powers that ObamaCare handed to regulators, though Ms. Sebelius's true goal is to punish the insurance industry for rising health costs that the new entitlement is already turbocharging. Like so much else in U.S. health care, no one seems to find it odd that the government is decreeing how much businesses are allowed to charge for a product that consumers want to buy, regardless of the economic reality.

"ObamaCare mandates greater insurance benefits and other regulations that distort market pricing, while also accelerating the explosive costs of medical services. Premiums will naturally climb to cover those costs. It won't take much to hit 10% when the Standard & Poor's Healthcare Economic Commercial Index, which tracks private spending, increased 8.5% over the last year—and that's prior to the worst of ObamaCare kicking in.

"Contrary to the HHS caricature of a pitiless free market, 43 states already regulate and approve premiums in the individual or small-business markets, or both, based on actuarial and solvency data. HHS will allow state insurance commissioners to continue under the status quo, unless it decides that their reviews aren't 'effective,' whatever that means.

"This is all an effort to end-run Congress, which by some miracle declined to give HHS the formal legal authority to explicitly block premium increases, despite a direct appeal from President Obama. Instead, Ms. Sebelius is creating by regulatory fiat larger de facto powers to achieve the same end.

"Yesterday, HHS reiterated Ms. Sebelius's threat to exclude certain insurers from ObamaCare's insurance exchanges if they show 'a pattern' of unjustified rate increases. In practice, that would be a corporate death warrant. In September, after some carriers spoke honestly about rising costs, she warned that 'there will be zero tolerance for this type of misinformation and unjustified rate increases.'

[...]

"Politicized rate-setting is the new reality of the U.S. health insurance market, not that consumers will in any way benefit."

This sort of destructively, heavy-handed federal regulation is just one more reason why ObamaCare (which fits the economic definition of Fascism) must be repealed. No compromises.

In the short term, Jacobson has this point:

"The beauty from Obama's point of view of the regulatory state is that Congress does not vote on regulations.

"But there is a kink in the regulatory armor, and that is the budget. HHS must be funded, as must the army of people who will carry out the regulations.

"The incoming Republican House must be prepared to defund Kathleen Sebelius sufficiently that she cannot expand her authority or implement Obamacare. No capitulation this time, please."

Exactly. No compromise from the Republicans on this issue. None.

Bombs Explode at Embassies in Rome

2010-12-23T13:09:00.001-08:00

More chaos in Italy...

From The Wall Street Journal article by Nathania Zevi and Liam Moloney (via Drudge):

"Parcel bombs exploded at the Swiss and Chilean Embassies in Italy's capital on Thursday, injuring two people and raising concerns of possible terrorist attacks in the country's shopper-packed streets ahead of the Christmas holidays.

"The police are investigating whether violent anarchist groups are behind the bombings, said Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, following similar attacks in Greece last month.

"'Various elements lead us to believe that this is the correct path,' he was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency, according to the Associated Press. 'These are very violent groups that are also present in Spain and Greece and are very well connected.'

"A spokesman for Italy's police department said law-enforcement officers were carrying out inspections at other embassies in Rome. There was a false alarm at the Ukrainian Embassy.

"The attacks highlight concerns that the threat of terrorist attacks in Europe is escalating. On Tuesday, British police arrested 12 men in a counterterrorism operation. Earlier this month, a suicide bomber blew himself up in Stockholm near streets frequented by Christmas shoppers, the first serious attempt by Islamic extremists targeting civilians in Sweden.

[...]

"The Rome prosecutor's office has launched a probe into the bombs, said a person close to the investigators.

"The bombs follow other unrest in Italy. On Wednesday, students protesting a bill aimed at overhauling the Italian university system filled the country's main streets, and scuffles broke out in the southern city of Palermo, in Sicily. Last week, a similar protest turned violent in Rome.

"On Tuesday, a fake bomb was found on an empty train carriage in Rome's subway, in what police said might also have been an effort to protest the university bill.

"'I don't think these have the same source as the one found on the Rome metro,' Gianni Alemanno, Rome's mayor, told reporters after speaking to the Swiss ambassador."

It is likely that violence will continue as the various European governments deal with their financial shortfalls by raising fees and taxes (although cheating on taxes is very common in Italy), and cutting back their government programs. It's sort of like super-violent lobbying. The real question is to what extent the violence will escalate.

I'm also curious as to why a bomb was sent to the Chilean embassy...

UPDATE: Anarchists of claimed responsibility for the embassy bombs.

From the AGI:

"'We have decided to raise our voice again, with actions too; we'll destroy the system. Up with FAI, up with anarchy'. The parcel bomb sent to the Chilean embassy in Rome was claimed by the FAI anarchist group, according to the Police. The note with the message was contained in a small box, found near the clothes of the employee who opened the explosive parcel. FAI stands for Federazione Anarchica Informale, already familiar to the investigators. . ."

Hundreds Abducted and Missing Following Ivory Coast Elections

2010-12-20T15:08:00.000-08:00

Sad news, and all too common in West Africa...

From the BBC News article:

"Hundreds of people in Ivory Coast are reported to have been abducted from their homes since last month's disputed election, the UN says.

"The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says some of the assailants wore military uniforms and there is evidence of 'massive' human rights violations.

"More than 50 people have died in violence in recent days, she adds.

"Incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo says he won the poll, but his rival Alassane Ouattara has international backing.

"On Saturday Mr Gbagbo demanded that all 10,000 foreign peacekeepers leave the country, saying UN and French troops were colluding with former rebels.

[...]

"In a statement issued on Sunday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said UN officials in Ivory Coast had received hundreds of reports of people being abducted 'from their homes, especially at night, by armed individuals in military uniform'.

"She said the gunmen were 'accompanied by elements of the Defence and Security Forces or militia groups'. Some victims had later 'been found dead in questionable circumstances', she added.

"The 50 deaths, the statement said, had occurred in the past three days. More than 200 people had also been also injured.

"On Thursday, at least 20 people were killed as Mr Ouattara's backers tried to march on the headquarters of state TV and clashed with troops loyal to Mr Gbagbo.

[...]

"The UN, the US, former colonial power France, and the African Union have all called on Mr Gbagbo to stand down.

"French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday said he should quit by Sunday or face EU sanctions.

"But Mr Gbagbo says the 28 November election was rigged by rebels who still hold the north after the civil war in 2002-03.

"He was declared the winner by Ivory Coast's Constitutional Council after it annulled votes in parts of the north.

"Both Mr Gbagbo and Mr Ouattara have sworn themselves in as president. Mr Ouattara is currently under UN protection at a hotel in Abidjan."

Violence Erupts in Belarus Following Election and Alleged Voter Fraud

2010-12-19T16:57:00.000-08:00

Presidential candidate Vladimir Neklyayev being carried away

From the AP article by Yuras Karmanau:

"Thousands of opposition supporters in Belarus tried to storm the main government building to protest what they claim was large-scale vote-rigging in Sunday's presidential election, but they were driven back and beaten by riot police.

"Dozens of protesters were injured in clashes with the police, left bruised and bloody after being beaten with clubs. An Associated Press reporter at the scene also was struck on the head, back and arm.

"Up to 40,000 opposition activists rallied in central Minsk to call for longtime authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko to step down. It was the largest opposition rally since mass street protests against Lukashenko in 1996, but it was over within hours. By late Sunday, police had cleared Independence Square of all demonstrators.

"Protesters broke windows and glass doors of the government building, which also houses the Central Election Commission, but they were repelled by riot police waiting inside. Hundreds more riot police and Interior Ministry troops then arrived in trucks and sent most of the demonstrators fleeing. Some tried to hide in the courtyards of nearby apartment buildings, but were bludgeoned by troops waiting inside the courtyards.

[...]

"Leading opposition candidate Vladimir Neklyayev was beaten by riot police while leading a few hundred of his supporters to the demonstration and was taken by ambulance to a hospital, according to his wife. His left eye was bruised, his nose was bleeding and he was nauseous and unable to speak, Olga Neklyayeva told the Associated Press.

"Another opposition candidate, Vitaly Rymashevsky, was beaten in clashes with riot police by the government building. He claimed that the people who attempted to storm the building were police acting as demonstrators and that he was attacked when he tried to stop them.

"After the polls closed, thousands of opposition activists converged as planned on October Square, but most of the square had been flooded to make an ice skating rink and pop music boomed from loudspeakers.

"The protesters then set off along the main avenue toward Independence Square, where the main government building is located.

"The demonstrators shouted 'leave' to Lukashenko, who has led Belarus since 1994 in a heavy-handed regime that is often characterized as the last dictatorship in Europe.

[...]

"Russia and the European Union are closely monitoring the election, having offered major economic inducements to tilt Belarus in their direction.

"Signs that Lukashenko is leaning toward the West would be a moral victory for countries that have long criticized his harsh rule and worried about his connections with vehemently anti-West regimes. For Russia, a return to the fold would bolster Moscow's desire to remain the power-broker in former Soviet regions.

"In casting his ballot, Lukashenko expressed confidence that he would win a fourth term. He denounced the planned opposition rally as being led by 'bandits and saboteurs' and proclaimed that it would not take place.

[...]

"Nearly a quarter of the 7 million registered voters went to the polls in five days of early voting last week, according to the Central Election Commission. The opposition and election observers say early voting allows for ballot stuffing as boxes are poorly guarded and voting precincts are poorly monitored.

"Lukashenko, a 56-year-old former collective firm manager, maintains a quasi-Soviet state in the country of 10 million, allowing no independent broadcast media, stifling dissent and keeping about 80 percent of the industry under state control.

"Although once seen as almost a lapdog of Russia, Lukashenko in recent years has quarreled intensively with the Kremlin as Russia raised prices for the below-market gas and oil on which Belarus' economy depends.

"However, his tone changed this month after Russia agreed to drop tariffs for oil exported to Belarus — a concession worth an estimated $4 billion a year.

"But Lukashenko also is working to curry favor with the West, which has harshly criticized his years of human rights abuses and repressive politics. Last week, he called for improved ties with the U.S., which in previous years he had cast as an enemy.

[...]

"Lukashenko faced nine other candidates, who were uncharacteristically allotted time for debates on state TV and radio and whose campaign rallies have met less official obstruction than in previous elections.

"A candidate needs to get half the total votes in order to win in the first round; the large number of challengers appears to make that unachievable for any of them, but a combined strong performance could deny Lukashenko an outright victory. The opposition claims that a first-round victory for the president could only come through fraud."

I know very little about Belarusian politics, so I can't comment too much on this. It could be interesting to observe how this develops, though.

Venezuela Hands Chavez Power to Rule by Decree

2010-12-17T17:13:00.000-08:00

From the Reuters article by Frank Jack Daniel:

"Venezuela's parliament gave President Hugo Chavez decree powers for 18 months on Friday, outraging opposition parties that accused him of turning South America's biggest oil producer into a dictatorship.

"The move consolidated the firebrand socialist leader's hold on power after nearly 12 years in office, and raised the prospect of a fresh wave of nationalizations as the former paratrooper seeks to entrench his self-styled 'revolution.'

"Chavez had asked for the fast-track powers for one year, saying he needed them to deal with a national emergency caused by floods that drove nearly 140,000 people from their homes.
But the Assembly, which is dominated by loyalists from his Socialist Party, decided to extend them for a year and a half.

"That means the president can rule by decree until mid-2012, and can keep opposition parties out of the legislative process until his re-election campaign is well under way for Venezuela's next presidential vote in December of that year.

[...]

"The 'Enabling Law,' which means the president can issue decrees across a wide range of areas including housing, land, finances and security, has been denounced as autocratic by his political rivals as well as by the U.S. State Department.

"A freshly united opposition coalition won about half the popular vote at a parliamentary election in September to take 40 percent of the seats in the next Assembly -- where they had hoped to put a check on the president's powers.

"Chavez's latest move raised concern about whether he would accept defeat if the 2012 election does not go his way. Polls show his traditionally high ratings have slipped, with the nation split down the middle in September elections."

Well, isn't that nice? The opposition had hoped to put a check on Chavez's power and he and his cronies responded by giving himself dictatorial powers for 18 months. Such nonsense. And oh, I'm sure if Chavez was defeated in an election he'd step right down. He wouldn't allege voter fraud interfering with the mandate of the people or anything...

Director Blake Edwards Passes Away at 88

2010-12-17T10:42:00.000-08:00

Sad news. Film director Blake Edwards passed away at the age of 88.

Edwards was best known for his comedies directing Peter Sellers in the "Pink Panther" movies, as well as "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and the "The Great Race." He also directed the excellent Jack Lemmon, Lee Remick drama "Days of Wine and Roses."

His films will continue to be much-loved. R.I.P. Blake Edwards.

Reid Pulling $1.2 Trillion Spending Bill

2010-12-16T18:11:00.000-08:00

Reid is reportedly giving up on passage of the $1.2 trillion Omnibus Spending Bill.

From The New York Times article by David M. Herszenhorn (h/t Jacobson at Legal Insurrection):

"The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, said Thursday night that he was abandoning efforts to pass a $1.2 trillion spending measure to finance the government through Sept. 30 because Republicans would not support it.

"Mr. Reid said he would work with the Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, on a stop-gap spending bill instead. Senate Republicans also said they would not support a House-passed temporary spending measure running through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. Instead, they want to develop a separate measure running only through the early part of next year.

"At that point, Republicans will control a majority in the House and six additional seats in the Senate, giving them greater leverage over any spending decisions."

While many people are doing happy dances, I'm waiting to see what's going to happen in the next few days. This does look promising, though...

Unrest in Itlay, Riots in the Streets of Rome

2010-12-15T18:44:00.000-08:00

Confidence in the government seems to be waning...

From the AFP:

"Italians voiced shock on Wednesday after violent protests set off by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's narrow victory in a vote in parliament that leaves his government hanging by a thread.

"Berlusconi survived a no-confidence vote in the lower house by just three votes, following the rebellion of speaker of parliament Gianfranco Fini who left the ruling coalition with his allies earlier this year.

"The victory ignited running street battles between hundreds of anti-Berlusconi protesters and riot police in which more than 100 people were injured in the tourist-heavy centre of the Italian capital.

"'What happened yesterday was not an expression of freedom. It was an attack by organised groups of hooligans,' Berlusconi said on a news show on Wednesday.

"Protesters set cars alight, hurled cobblestones and beat officers with metal bars. Police retaliated by firing tear gas and striking protesters.

"A total of 26 protesters have been charged, police said on Wednesday.

"One officer dragged to the ground was seen by an AFP photographer with his gun in hand, though he later said the weapon had dropped out of his holster and he had grabbed it to prevent it falling into the hands of protesters.

"'Rome was defiled like it hadn't been since 1977 during the terrible Years of Lead,' when Italy was rocked by violent political militancy including bombings, shootings and kidnappings, said the Corriere della Sera daily.

"Rome's mayor Gianni Alemanno said the clashes were 'shocking' and likened them to the 'gratuitous violence that was on the streets of Rome in the 1970s and that I hoped never to see again.'

"Alemanno estimated the damage at 20 million euros (27 million dollars)."

I know little about Italian politics, but I doubt that Italy is in for more Years of Lead. I do think the stability of the last few years will be gone for quite some time. Like a lot of the world in these uncertain times, Italy will be a place to keep an eye on in the near future.

Dems Christmas Gift to America: A $1.1 TRILLION, 1,924 Page Bill

2010-12-14T17:37:00.000-08:00

The Democrats just threw out a $1.1 trillion budget bill today. They're going to try to force it to a vote with neither a chance for review nor debate. Merry Christmas!

Fox News reports:

"Republicans poring over a 1,924-page overarching spending bill proposed by Democrats to cover the rest of the fiscal year are threatening to grind the legislation to a halt, citing massive earmark spending, which, if passed, would be enacted into law without debate in the full Senate.
Two sources who spoke to Fox News are describing the legislation as 'a total mess.'

"But the head of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, said he believes the legislation must pass.

"'The twelve bills included in this package fulfill the Congress' most basic responsibility, to exercise the power of the purse,' he said in a statement. 'This measure reflects a year's worth of work by members of both parties. Together, we have closely scrutinized the president's budget request, held hundreds of hearings, thousands of meetings, and asked literally tens of thousands of questions to each and every federal department and agency seeking justification for how taxpayer dollars are being spent.'

"Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, responded in a statement, saying that after neglecting to pass a budget, 'today we learn Senate Democrats now want to sandwich them together, totaling almost 2,000 pages, and jam them through in the waning moments of this lame duck session before anyone can read them. This political end-around reveals just how quickly my colleagues across the aisle have already forgotten the voters' message in November.'

[...]

"In total, thousands of earmark requests are listed. The financial services earmark chart, for instance, lists 220 earmark requests from dozens of lawmakers, mostly in the House, each worth anywhere from $50,000 to $2.4 million. The largest sum was requested by Inouye and his Hawaii colleague Sen. Daniel Akaka for 'Bank on USA' demonstration projects in their state. The projects are designed to give underserved communities greater access to financial institutions.

"Elsewhere, the Department of Defense earmark list, mostly requests by senators, is 29 pages long and individual requests more often are worth $2 million to $5 million each. In that list, Inouye's requests total more than $159 million, including $21 million for a Hawaii Federal Health Care Network. Cornyn's defense spending earmarks total nearly $16 million."

Yes, I am sure that it is very important to pass for Inouye to get $150 million dollars through. Otherwise, fiscal responsibility would take over.

Jacobson at Legal Insurrection has the story and these words of advice for Republican lawmakers: "Use every procedural device available to run out the clock on the monstrosity that is the current Congress. The voters who gave Republicans back the House and closed the gap in the Senate expect the current Republican leadership and Republicans in the Senate to do no less in the face of more Harry Reid cramdowns."

Pat at And So it Goes in Shreveport also has the story. She's taken on the challenge of reading through the bill's nearly 2,000 pages. And she is livid at what she's finding.

For those of you with the patience and constitution to try to wade through this mess, the bill is available to read here. Best of luck.

Polls Show Support for ObamaCare Still Meager, Support for Repeal High

2010-12-14T11:03:00.001-08:00

A couple of recent polls have shown that the ObamaCare law passed through reconciliation is still hugely unpopular.

A Washington Post/ABC poll showed that 53% opposed ObamaCare while 43% supported.

From the TPM article by Jon Terbush:

"Support for the health care overhaul slipped lower in the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll released yesterday -- the same day a federal judge ruled that a key provision of the law was unconstitutional.

"Forty-three percent of respondents said they supported the health care legislation, compared to 53% who said they were opposed. Support is down from a high of 48%, recorded in November 2009. Those results are in line with most other polls taken in the last few months.

[...]

"More respondents were also 'strongly' opposed to the law as were strongly supportive by a 37% to 22% margin."

Interestingly, the Rasmussen Reports' poll show support for repeal of the bill at an all time high of 60%.

From the Rasmussen Reports:

"Time doesn’t seem to be winning the new national health care law any more friends. Most voters have favored repeal of the law every week since it was passed and support for repeal has now inched up to its highest level since mid-September. Many Americans remain concerned that the law will force them to change their health insurance coverage.

"The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 60% of Likely U.S. Voters at least somewhat favor repeal of the health care law while 34% are opposed. As has been the case since the law was first passed, those who favor repeal feel more passionately than those who want to keep the law--46% Strongly Favor repeal while just 23% who are Strongly Opposed.

"Total support for repeal is up four points from a week ago but consistent with opposition to the law for months. Support for repeal has ranged from 50% to 63% in weekly tracking since Democrats in Congress passed the law in late March.

[...]

"Complicating things for supporters of the health care law is the finding that 75% of voters with insurance rate their current health insurance coverage as good or excellent, while only six percent (6%) regard it as poor. Scott Rasmussen noted this comfort with existing coverage in an August 2009 Wall Street Journal column and observed that 'the fundamentals are really what make health-care reform a hard sell to American voters.'

"Fifty-four percent (54%) of voters now say the health care plan will be bad for the country. Thirty-two percent (32%) think the plan will be good for the country, while three percent (3%) say it will have no impact. Eleven percent (11%) are undecided.

"These findings, too, have changed little in months."

So, remember when Obama dared Republicans wanting to repeal the law with the words "Bring it on?" Like so much coming from the Obama administration, those ill-chosen words stemmed from baseless arrogance, ideology, and a misreading of the American people.