The Western Row House

Anyone Surprised?

2012-02-14T10:49:00.000-08:00

What Was Acceptable Before the Revolution is No Longer

Any U.S. aid cut to Egypt, top Muslim Brotherhood lawmaker Essam el-Erian told the pan-Arabic al-Hayat newspaper, would violate the U.S.-brokered 1979 peace agreement with Israel.

The Jerusalem Post quoted Erian as saying that if the U.S. cuts aid to Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood would consider changing the terms of the peace treaty. He is warning that the U.S. should understand that “what was acceptable before the revolution is no longer.”

http://bit.ly/w5u85P

Why the World Needs America

2012-02-11T10:46:00.001-08:00

This article will not only shed some light on why U.S. predominance is what it is, but will also provide you with answers for friends or family from Europe who express their resentment with what they perceive as our arrogance.

It's a bit of a long read but worth setting aside some time for.

Why the World Needs America
Robert Kagan, WSJ February 11, 2012

Foreign-policy pundits increasingly argue that democracy and free markets could thrive without U.S. predominance. If this sounds too good to be true, writes Robert Kagan, that's because it is.

http://on.wsj.com/wFe8FR

Social Networking for Command Staff

2012-02-09T20:38:00.001-08:00

This is actually pretty cool and does seem to have great potential, but RACR had little to do with the Brian Stow beating case or the Hollywood arson case as the Department suggests. As for the Hollywood arson case, officers flooded the affected areas as the result of regular communications and common sense. The reserve deputy who stopped the suspect was using his own observation skills. The area where RACR is most effective, is in sending messages to every captain's Blackberry device about any damn thing that happens in the city so that when asked by any commander or chief about anything, they'll have the right answer. It's more like an expensive social networking site for the command staff.

LAPD Pioneers High-Tech Crime-Fighting ‘War Room’
http://cbsloc.al/zZpXTF

Always Looking Forward

2012-01-17T12:39:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned to some of you last week, today would be a relatively good market day. This is mainly due to China's fourth quarter GDP being higher than estimated, even though growth for all of 2011 slipped. The fourth quarter growth rate was still weak which has Chinese leaders considering a move to stimulate growth. Also adding to today's market performance is that investor confidence in Germany has risen to a level higher than expected. Lots to watch out for in the coming weeks though. Greek debt still lingers and Saudi Arabia plans to keep oil prices high.

How did you know he was the driver?

2012-01-11T21:53:00.000-08:00

Deductive Reasoning

(DUI Collision Investigation)

During a search of vehicle-1 we found what appeared to be chow mein, and shrimp all throughout the driver and passenger area. During a search of party-1, I found what appeared to be chow mein and a piece of shrimp inside party-1's right front pants pocket along with the keys to vehicle-1.

Occupy 'founder' collects millions from Wall St. through Democratic party...

2012-01-06T20:59:00.000-08:00

From The Boston Herald.com Blogs 010612 http://bit.ly/zUAFOo

I thought Elizabeth Warren was all about transparency. We are all still waiting for her to file the required financial disclosure form.

The Oklahoma Professor has been criticizing Scott Brown for being “Wall Street’s favorite Senator.” She has also denounced “Wall Street cash in politics.”

But it turns out she may be indirectly accepting Wall Street money. The Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee, which is helping the Harvard Professor, has taken over $40 million from Wall Street during the last 7 years according to records from OpenSecrets.org. In fact, Wall Street is the biggest contributors to them. They beat lawyers and labor union. Just during this election season the DSCC has already received $1.5 million from Wall Street.

If Lizzy Warden is truly opposed to Wall Street money, then shouldn’t she reject the DSCC’s money? Otherwise she is just using the DSCC to funnel in Wall Street money.

I smell "funk!"

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

So, Sandusky used to shower with young boys to teach them"hygiene?" I had a drill instructor in Army basic training who barked and growled at us about how he could smell "funk" and that he didn't want to smell no "funk!" "You all gonna learn to wash yo ass!" he'd bellow. Only, he didn't get into the shower with us. Big difference.

http://bit.ly/rU0gPw

US clears Iraqi airspace for Israeli strike on Iran...

2011-12-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

US clears Iraqi airspace for Israeli strike on Iran... Of course, this clears the way for Iran to strike Israel too.

From the article: Gen. McInerney said he thinks there is a good chance that Iran, stretched economically by Western sanctions and fearing threats from Israel, will launch a war against the Jewish state through Iraq.

“Our departing Iraq will be a huge strategic mistake,” he said of the Dec. 31 deadline for all U.S. forces to leave.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/14/us-will-leave-iraqi-airspace-clear-for-strategic-i/

Mayor was one of them until it became an embarrassment

2011-11-29T20:19:00.000-08:00

Mayor Villaraigosa was in agreement with protesters and acquiesced by allowing the tents to stay. When disease, crime, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in destruction caused him embarrassment, he decided to evict the protesters based on his claim that he had just learned of children living in the encampment. Really?

http://lat.ms/uDkAhy

OWS, a united movement? Voice of the People?

2011-10-05T16:43:00.000-07:00

From The Lookout (Y! News Blog)- "More and more people are joining the Wall Street occupation," an article in the Occupied Wall Street Journal, the new house organ of the nascent protest movement, reports."They can tell you about their homes being foreclosed, months of grinding unemployment, or minimum-wage dead-end jobs, staggering student debt loans, or trying to live without decent healthcare." ...According to one veteran progressive activist, Bill Johnson, the movement is "the voice of the people rising up."

There may be more people joining the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, but it would be a mistake, however, to think that they are united in a single cause. There seems to be an array of specific and sometimes correlating reasons for joining movement. Some of those reasons are based on legitimate issues and concerns. If they were really all united though, the demands of Occupy Wall Street would have to be the result of a shared opinion. Somehow, it doesn't seem plausible that all those people would support the following extreme and for the most part, unrealistic,demands established and presented by Occupy Wall Street:

Demand one: Restoration of the living wage. This demand can only be met by ending "Freetrade" by re-imposing trade tariffs on all imported goods entering the American market to level the playing field for domestic family farming and domestic manufacturing as most nations that are dumping cheap products onto the American market have radical wage and environmental regulation advantages. Another policy that must be instituted is raise the minimum wage to twenty dollars an hr.

Demand two: Institute a universal single payer healthcare system. To do this all private insurers must be banned from the healthcare market as their only effect on the health of patients is to take money away from doctors, nurses and hospitals preventing them from doing their jobs and hand that money to wall st. investors.

Demand three: Guaranteed living wage income regardless of employment.

Demand four: Free college education.

Demand five: Begin a fast track process to bring the fossil fuel economy to an end while at the same bringing the alternative energy economy up to energy demand.

Demand six: One trillion dollars in infrastructure (Water, Sewer, Rail, Roads and Bridges and Electrical Grid) spending now.

Demand seven: One trillion dollars in ecological restoration planting forests, reestablishing wetlands and the natural flow of river systems and decommissioning of all of America's nuclear power plants.

Demand eight: Racial and gender equal rights amendment.

Demand nine: Open borders migration. anyone can travel anywhere to work and live.

Demand ten: Bring American elections up to international standards of a paper ballot precinct counted and recounted in front of an independent and party observers system.

Demand eleven: Immediate across the board debt forgiveness for all. Debt forgiveness of sovereign debt, commercial loans, home mortgages, home equity loans, credit card debt, student loans and personal loans now! All debt must be stricken from the "Books." World Bank Loans to all Nations, Bank to Bank Debt and all Bonds and Margin Call Debt in the stock market including all Derivatives or Credit Default Swaps, all 65 trillion dollars of them must also be stricken from the "Books." And I don't mean debt that is in default, I mean all debt on the entire planet period.

Demand twelve: Outlaw all credit reporting agencies.

Demand thirteen: Allow all workers to sign a ballot at any time during a union organizing campaign or at any time that represents their yeah or nay to having a union represent them in collective bargaining or to form a union.

A few of the demands may be attractive to some, but are not likely representative of what most people are looking for by joining the movement. For the most part, in order for the demands to be met, capitalism and individual liberty would have to be severely curtailed. Not too sure that everyone would really want that.

http://yhoo.it/qGGLk5

Did Hank Williams Jr. really compare Boehner with Netanyahu?

2011-10-04T22:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, he's being accused of comparing Obama with Hitler. There has been a lot of news lately about the Fox News Hank Williams Jr. interview in which Williams compared the relationship between Obama and Boehner as being as different as that of Hitler and Netanyahu.

Hank Williams Jr.s' music was immediately removed from ESPN's Monday Night Football due to the assumption that he somehow likened Obama to Hitler.

Not sure where they got that from, considering that Williams' statement was clearly a description of the vast difference between the two and not a description of either one or the other. He also expressed his dissatisfaction with the GOP altogether.

Read the full transcript or watch the video and decide for yourself. Be honest.

HANK WILLIAMS: Remember the golf game?

STEVE DOOCY: Boehner?

HANK WILLIAMS: That was one of the biggest political mistakes ever.

CO-HOSTS: Why?

HANK WILLIAMS: That turned a lot of people off. You know, watching, you know, it just didn’t go over.

GRETCHEN CARLSON: You mean when John Boehner played golf with President Obama?

HANK WILLIAMS: Oh, yeah! Yeah. And Biden and Kasich, yeah. Uh-huh.

GRETCHEN CARLSON: What did you not like about it? It seems to be a really pivotal moment for you.

HANK WILLIAMS: Come on. Come on. It would be like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu, OK?

http://bit.ly/pg719e

Bias Policing Complaints - Now and Then

2011-09-27T07:40:00.001-07:00

A couple of our supervisors had to handle a bias policing complaint. It was a "he stopped me because I'm black" complaint. Because the investigation included an immediate recorded interview of the complainant, canvassing a vast area for witnesses, recording addresses and names of people spoken with, taking photographs, checking security cameras, mapping out the area of the traffic stop to include grid coordinates, and preparing a six page entry just for the Complaint Intake form, I couldn't help but to tell the following true story about the way it used to be. -Don

Bias Policing in the Old Days

One time when I was working Rampart I had to handle a call in Central. It was a 415 Man. I was white at the time. The suspect was black. The suspect later complained to a white Central sergeant that I was racist and that I only stopped him because he was black. The sergeant told the suspect that he knew Officer Kelly and Officer Kelly doesn't have a racist bone in his body. The suspect said, "Okay Sarge, if you know him." And that was that.

Bush's Fault

2011-08-24T00:25:00.001-07:00

The new fault line identified today on the East Coast has been named "Bush's Fault".

"We had reversed the recession, avoided a depression, gotten the economy moving again," Obama told a crowd in Decorah, Iowa. "But over the last six months we've had a run of bad luck." Obama listed three events overseas -- the Arab Spring uprisings, the tsunami in Japan, and the European debt crises -- which set the economy back...

Now Mr. Obama can add the "Bush's Fault" earthquake to the list!

CompStat for Dummies

2011-08-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

"I'm gonna create a two-sentence book called CompStat for Dummies. The book will say, 'It's a computerized pin map, stupid. Now just go in there and do your Kabuki dance for the chief.' Think it'll sell down at PAB?"

-- Hollywood Nate Weiss

Same Old Delusional Ideas

2011-08-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

Not very progressive

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Friday, "The action by S&P reaffirms the need for a balanced approach to deficit reduction that combines spending cuts with revenue-raising measures like closing taxpayer-funded giveaways to billionaires, oil companies and corporate jet owners."

Harry, even of you confiscated every dime the "rich" earned, you would barely have enough money to cover government spending for 24 days." 8,274 people earned $10 million per year or more, earning a total of $240 billion in 2009. Another 227,000 people earned a million dollars or more in 2009. But it doesn't come anywhere close to covering the deficit of $1.5 trillion.

Barack Obama was the first president to sign a budget with a $1 trillion deficit into law. Think about it.

The following article is from the U.K. Daily Mail. You will see little mention of this in the U.S. media.

http://bit.ly/oYbaJW

Is it time to head for the hills? Not just yet

2011-08-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

The White House didn't listen. They still don't get it. Administration officials who know nothing about markets and the economy are disputing the downgrade. They are anonymously claiming that the S&P analysis was fundamentally flawed. It is administration officials, the president, and the majority of Congress who are flawed.

While a downgrade seems discouraging, it may produce some positive effects such as real limitations on spending and a stronger awareness of these types of consequences. As a result, more citizens may vote differently in the future.

Keeping watch. Not ready for drastic measures yet. Holding out hope in America. There may come a time, however, when it'll be time to pack up the guns and supplies and head for the hills... Just kidding, for all you liberals and regime informers. I'm not as delusional as Dr. Peele thinks.

MSNBC INVESTIGATES: Are Tea Partiers 'delusional,' addicts?

2011-08-03T20:26:00.000-07:00

MSNBC host Martin Bashir interviewed Stanton Peele, a psychologist and an "expert on addiction," this afternoon. Bashir urged Peele to psychologically evaluate supporters of the Tea Party.

Peele stated of the Tea Partiers, "They want something they can't have. They want a state of happiness or nirvana that can't be achieved except through an artificial substance and reminds us of the Norway situation, when people are thwarted at obtaining something they can't, have they often strike out and Norway is one kind of example to one kind of reaction to that kind of a frustration."

Wow, the Norway situation! Is that a fact?

'They want something they can't have.' You mean like raising the debt ceiling only to have borrowing top the GDP in one day and still be in danger of having our credit rating downgraded.

Talk about wanting something we can't have. We compromised, we voted and we cheered for something we'll never have, yet it's the Tea Partiers who are somehow delusional.

Peele goes on to explain, "They want no new taxes because they seek some kind of idyllic past... perhaps they will become discontented and people are likely to get riled up, and it could become a very angry movement could, potentially become a violent movement.

So, even though past evidence indicates that lower taxes create more commerce and jobs that translate to more tax revenue, while higher taxes normally have the opposite effect, it is still somehow, the Tea Partiers who are unreasonable and totally out of line in making this point while exercising their free speech rights.

I guess if a strong enough case can be made against the Tea Partiers, the government could just round them all up and silence them before they cause any more trouble.

And here are a couple of fine examples of civility presented by the left: Yesterday, Democratic House members and Vice President Joe Biden reportedly called Tea Partiers "terrorists," apparently following the lead of many liberals. And Maureen Dowd in today's New York Times compared supporters of the Tea Party and their allies in Congress to "cannibals," "vampires," "zombies," and "the metallic beasts in 'Alien.'"

Full Story: http://bit.ly/q4ipKh

And They Call Tea Partiers "Terrorists."

2011-08-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid talked Tuesday with Michele Norris, co-host of All (select) Things Considered.

Harry Reid: "And if Republicans don't agree, the ax will fall, the Nevada Democrat said. The automatic, indiscriminate budget-slashing procedures built into the law will take effect and cut programs Republicans hold dear, like defense spending."

http://n.pr/pR26o2

Reid's remark, however, oddly suggests that only Republicans would care about national security.

By the way, he need not worry, most Republicans will go along with whatever the Democrats want anyway. It's their constituents who's opinions will not be represented.

Why would he specifically mention defense though? Well, we know why. He is using a threat to our national security as a bargaining chip.

After all, the ax could just as easily fall on some of the well known and wasteful, duplicative spending programs without actually cutting the services they provide. For example, when you have 82 expensive programs that all accomplish the task of a single program, why not cut 81 of them? Obviously, that would shrink the size of government which is something Reid would not want to allow.

http://bit.ly/i0GZiL

If we really wanted to, we could cut from the following:

15 different agencies overseeing food safety laws

20 separate programs to help the homeless

80 programs for economic development

82 federal programs to improve teacher quality

80 to help disadvantaged people with transportation

47 for job training and employment

56 to help people understand finances.

No, instead, let's threaten the safety of the United States and her allies in order to play politics.

And they call Tea Partiers "terrorists."

Those damned Tea Partiers! Oh, wait a minute...

2011-08-01T16:09:00.000-07:00

(CNSNews.com) – Congressman Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) has claimed that "Tea Partiers" have enacted a "plan to dismantle the American government" and in the process, the country has lost its "moral compass." http://bit.ly/qC244Z

Sorry, Congressman, but you seem to be a little mixed up. Maybe you got caught up in Harry Reid's rhetoric the other day. In actuality, it would seem that The Tea Partiers are the ones who are rejecting the back room deals, pay offs, and politics as usual. They have not been willing to compromise for political favors. They appear to be the ones using the "moral compass" and that's what has the crony establishment so upset.

Look at what the great and noble compromise on the debt ceiling got us. We ended up with some kind of murky convoluted deal in which spending cuts aren't really cuts at all, and our credit rating is no safer than it was before. Guaranteed, the big players didn't walk away empty handed though, but what did their constituents end up with?

As for dismantling the American government, the current crony establishment has been busy working on that task for quite some time and are coming very close to fruition. If the Tea Party was to dismantle anything, it would be the corrupt deals and self serving false political relationships that currently exist in Congress today. They have demonstrated a fearless effort to replace it all with a true representation of their constituents who have relied on the democratic process in making their choices.

Will the Tea Party succeed? Who knows? Will they cause harm to America? Other than some much needed discomfort, probably not.

Given that most Republicans are not much different than Democrats, the existence of Tea Party Republicans should be a welcome reminder that we do have a two party system.

Debt Deal A "Satan Sandwich" Well... It's What Everyone Supposedly Wanted

2011-08-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

"I am concerned about this because we don't know the details. And until we see the details, we're going to be extremely non-committed but on the surface it looks like a Satan sandwich," Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Missouri) said on MSNBC. http://bit.ly/pPoX6v

Well... Often times compromise requires one to relinquish his or her core values. It's not always good, to say the least.

By the way, for those of you who are concerned, there will be no real spending cuts. The trillion or so mentioned is based on baseline budgeting which is nothing more than an "Enron" style of accounting. There will only be cuts to a fabricated growth rate of spending. http://bit.ly/oV6Nfu

Unfortunately, the only real cut that could still occur, depending on specific recommendations, would be to our national security. It would represent 50% of the over-all supposed spending cuts.

Is it time to panic?

2011-07-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

This is why there is no real panic on Wall Street. None of us should panic over this one particular debate. It is the long term plan that we should be concerned with. In order to protect liberty from tyranny, we'll need to stay focused, stay in contact with our representatives whether they like it or not, and vote responsibly.

http://bit.ly/pib2o2

Additional reading: http://bit.ly/pxhanG Moody's: Neither plan will work...

Debt Limit Debate Flashback

2011-07-19T04:53:00.000-07:00

Senator Barack Obama, March 2006

The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the US Government cannot pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies. Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that the buck stops here. Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better."

- Senator Barack H. Obama, March 2006

U.K. Labour Leader Calls for an End for Their Version of Free Speech

2011-07-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

Ed Miliband has demanded the breakup of Rupert Murdoch's UK media "empire." While there are legitimate issues with regard to the Rupert Murdoch News Corporation phone hacking scandal, it is a far leap to call for the dismantling of what is referred to as an "empire."

If there was ever any kind of empire within the world's media that would need dismantling, at least in favor of diversity, it would be that of the one in which socialism and certain forms of communism are promoted and routinely supported. Miliband doesn't want even 20% of the market owned by anyone who may not agree with socialist and or communist views.

If "scandal" was the true concern, most of the U.K. and U.S. media would have to be dismantled. The BBC alone, with their numerous faulty and outright false reports on everything from the Iraq war to global warming would be THE empire to dismantle. The New York Times would have to be ban from the U.K. as a result of their spate of incidents involving adjudicated false political and environmental reports, by false credentialed reporters, who were clearly attempting to shape public policy worldwide.

Yes, certain empires need to be dismantled and yes, where scandals develop, justice and fairness must prevail in order for a free society to exist.

I don't know, maybe Miliband is only guilty of wanting to throw out the baby with the bath water.

http://bit.ly/nsR7pg

Media Continues Their Efforts in History Revisionism of the 1980s

2011-07-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

Once again, we have an example of the media trying to revise history by reporting that Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill somehow liked each other and sought compromise as a virtue and not a vice. CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley, using this premise, interviewed President Obama with regards to the current debt talks.

Pelley: Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill were on opposite sides of the political spectrum, but they respected each other, they liked each other, and they got things done.

Mr. Obama: Right.

Pelley: Do you like [House] Speaker [John] Boehner?

Mr. Obama: I do. I think John would like to do the right thing.

Pelley: Do you trust him?

Mr. Obama: I do trust that when John tells me something, he means it. I think that his challenge right now is inside his caucus. But I think Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill are a great example.

Ronald Reagan repeatedly took steps that included revenue, in order for him to accomplish some of these larger goals. And the question is if Ronald Reagan could compromise, why wouldn't folks who idolize Ronald Reagan be willing to engage in those same kinds of compromises?"

The real story is that Reagan did it one time. He got lied to and never, ever did it again. They are ignoring that, doing everything they can to continue their history revisionism of the 1980s.

Tip O'Neill did not like Reagan at all. He said that Reagan was "Herbert Hoover with a smile, a cheerleader for selfishness." He said that Reagan's policies "meant that his presidency was one big Christmas party for the rich." Tip O'Neill was a leading opponent of the Reagan administration's policies, domestic and foreign; defense. Following the 1980 election, Republicans won the Senate along with the White House. O'Neill became the leader of the congressional opposition. He called Reagan, "The most ignorant man who had ever occupied the White House."

Paul Duke of CBS PBS and NBC interviewed O'Neill in 1984. Here's what O'Neill had to say about Reagan.

O'NEILL: " I think that he thinks he's in a grade B movie fighting the Indians or something. I really get frightened about it! I don't believe he does his homework. I don't believe that he does his study. I don't believe that he puts the time in on it. I know his working habits such that, uh, I don't believe he works over three-and-a-half hours a day. He works off three-by-five cards at all times. You take him away from them and he really... He can't discuss the issue that you're talking about. I don't think that the president of the United States is truly in tune with the average American citizen. You know, he likes to say, "You want to come back to the old days?" The old days. You know, we're in the same age vintage. That's a myth talking about the old days, when the breadwinner of the family worked six days a week and saw the family on -- on -- on -- on... once -- once a week. He's forgotten from where he came."

WARNING to Progressives:

2011-07-10T22:18:00.001-07:00

During his Twitter Townhall on Wednesday, President Obama admitted that government welfare has created dependency. He noted:

"I think we should acknowledge that some welfare programs in the past were not well designed and in some cases did encourage dependency.… As somebody who worked in low-income neighborhoods, I’ve seen it where people weren’t encouraged to work, weren’t encouraged to upgrade their skills, were just getting a check, and over time their motivation started to diminish. And I think even if you’re progressive you’ve got to acknowledge that some of these things have not been well designed."

Is NPR "Fair and Balanced?"

2011-07-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

Corporate sponsorship makes up about 25% of the NPR budget. NPR claims that it does not carry traditional radio commercials, but has advertising in the form of brief statements from major donors, called underwriting spots, not commercials. These underwriting spots are supposedly governed by specific FCC restrictions in addition to the truth-in-advertising laws; they cannot advocate a product or contain any "call to action". But they do advocate products and "calls to action" and they are blatant about it.

For example, there is an MSNBC ad featuring Chris Matthews advocating his commercial show and a specific anti-Republican political opinion containing verifiable false information. The ad also encourages the sharing of the message.

The false information in the MSNBC ad was a claim that Republicans are not engaging in the issues. The truth is, they are on record, discussing the issues in detail and have been since long before this ad. They are in fact, receiving resistance from Democrats as a direct result of disagreements with their ideas and suggestions. Republicans and Democrats are doing what they are supposed to be doing.

Local public broadcasting affiliate websites contain even more ads pushing all types of products and services. Proceeds go to both the affiliate and to NPR.

So, not only is NPR essentially running regular commercials, they are also advocating partisan political points of view, all while receiving public funding.

It is interesting how people say they have a problem with Fox News which is just barely to the right of center in most of it's programing while the majority of the remaining media, including NPR, position themselves firmly on the left.

How can intelligent, open minded people effectively examine the issues when they are so single minded in their approach? How can these same people justify tax breaks and public funding for a business that engages in commercial advertising when they are generally opposed to such advantages for other corporate enterprises? Is that their idea of "fair and balanced?"

Weak Harvard Study Attacks Americans on Independence Day

2011-07-02T20:46:00.000-07:00

So here you have Harvard vs. Independence Day. According to a Harvard University study, Independence Day parades are right wing and turn youngsters into Republicans. This is funny because Harvard socializes and converts people to the left but look what it costs. How much does it cost to go to a Fourth of July parade. Nothing! Harvard admission costs a fortune. It costs a lot to brainwash Americans. A natural understanding of the Fourth of July is free!

From the study: The ideal experiment to estimate the effects of Fourth of July would be to allocate participation in the event randomly to some individuals and not to others, and then compare preferences and behavior across the two groups. In the absence of such evidence, and because we cannot audit actual participation nor control for unobserved factors likely to motivate those who join the festivities, it is difficult to measure the impact of celebrating Fourth of July.

It seems as if Harvard has plenty of money to burn if they are willing to publish a study right before the nation's first national holiday that admits difficulty in measuring the impact of celebrating the Fourth of July yet concludes that it is right wing propaganda.

Details can be found in the below listed story. A link to the study is also included.

Harvard: July 4th Parades Are Right Wing - Washington Whispers (usnews.com)

http://bit.ly/iBcSk7

The study:

Shaping the Nation: Estimating the Impact of Fourth of July Using a Natural Experiment

http://hvrd.me/jeOWSk

Republicans destroying the economy? How is that possible?

2011-07-01T15:44:00.000-07:00

The Media and Democrats are pumping up their propaganda that Republicans are somehow trying to sabotage the economy. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) was asked by a reporter if he thought Republicans were intentionally trying to destroy the economy. Schumer responded: "It's a thought that you don't want to believe but every day they keep giving us more and more evidence that there's no choice but than to answer yes."

Fact: No Republican idea on the economy has been accepted since 2007. Everything that's happened in the economy has come from Pelosi or Harry Reid and Barack Obama. The Republicans haven't had the votes. They only have the votes in the House of Representatives now, but nothing they've tried has passed. They prevailed to an extent back in December during the lame-duck session.

Fact: The following states have Republican governors and are experiencing economic growth: Texas, North Dakota, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio.

Whenever conservative ideas are applied, economies improve. Every time taxes are reduced, tax revenues increase because economies improve. There is a clearly documented history of this that should not be ignored by anyone who is serious about economic recovery.

If you want something to be afraid of...

2011-06-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

The argument for raising the debt ceiling is being made with the use of threats and scare tactics. In short, we are told that we have to cut vital services in order to avoid raising the debt ceiling. The poor, the elderly, and children will be tossed out on the streets to starve and die.

Well, I've got good news. It turns out that we will not have to cut vital services after all, because for every vital service, there are numerous duplicate services, all with their own costly bureaucracies. For instance, we could cut 19 of the 20 federal homeless programs and still have a homeless program that accomplishes the same thing. How about cutting 81 of the 82 programs to improve teacher quality?

If you are not sure of what the extent of duplicative spending has become, here is a sample:

15 different agencies overseeing food safety laws
20 separate programs to help the homeless
80 programs for economic development
82 federal programs to improve teacher quality
80 to help disadvantaged people with transportation
47 for job training and employment
56 to help people understand finances

If you want something to be afraid of, think about a living under a massive central government run by tax and spend socialists.

Tons of Goods Delivered to the Gaza Strip Every Day

2011-06-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

How is it that nearly 6,000 tons of food, fuel, materials and other supplies get to the Gaza Strip on a daily basis while we constantly hear from the left wing, pro-Islamic Jihad media, that Israel is somehow standing in the way? They use images, of course, of the few instances when phony convoys have been stopped. In fact, as if they were in on it, their cameras are always poised for those confrontations. As a result, we always see the IDF preventing aid from getting to the poor people in the Gaza Strip.

6,000 tons, specifically made up of food, fuel, materials and other supplies reach the people of the Gaza Strip on a daily basis. Why aren't we seeing this?

Go to the below link for more on how Israel facilitates the delivery of food, fuel, materials and other supplies to the Gaza Strip.

http://bit.ly/ihwXTE

There is Hope if We Learn from History

2011-06-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not these are not the worst economic times we have ever had. Our government though, especially here in California, is working hard toward breaking past records. California lawmakers are looking to tax online purchases, raise car registration fees and local sales tax rates, and add a new fee on residents in fire zones. This may initially boost revenue, but businesses and private individuals will adjust and compensate as they always have in the past, and revenues will decrease as they always have in the past. Sometimes we are so progressive that we forget to look back at what works and what doesn't work.

When President Reagan took office unemployment was soaring into double digits at a peak of 10.8%. There was double-digit inflation. The CPI registered at 11.3% in 1979 and 13.5% in 1980 (25% in two years). The prime rate peaked at 21.5% in 1980. The poverty rate climbed by an astounding 33%, from 11.4% to 15.2%. There was a fall in real median family income that began in 1978, snowballed to a decline of almost 10% by 1982. In addition, from 1968 to 1982, the Dow Jones industrial average lost 70% of its real value, reflecting an overall collapse of stocks.

President Reagan articulated a four-point economic program to reverse the collapse of the American economy: cut taxes, reduce spending, initiate anti-inflation monetary policy, and deregulation. The results were phenomenal.

For details on the differences between Reagan and Obama on the economy, read the below linked article "Reaganomics Vs. Obamanomics: Facts And Figures" by Peter Ferrara

http://onforb.es/mCAWcw

Is Wealth a Limited Resource?

2011-06-12T17:16:00.000-07:00

What concerns me most is that this "phobia" as described by Andrew Thomas in the below linked article, "The Socialist Phobia of Scarcity," is propagated by mainstream liberalism. The danger of course, is that if enough people fall for it, they will allow government to grow and take drastic steps in order to save them. This would result, as it has in many other countries, in oppression and exploitation at the hands of government.

Thomas refers to the socialist view as that of a "phobia" and for the most part downplays the intentional deception employed by those who know that it is not about establishing a workers paradise, rather, it is about establishing a power base from which all wealth is held and controlled by an elite few.

The phobia is based on the theory that wealth is a limited resource. Interesting of course, that socialists would have society believing it is the capitalists who are hoarding all of this limited wealth and thus inflicting oppression on society. Thomas explains, that aside from the portrayal of greedy corporate boogeymen, capitalism is clearly able to expand and create wealth well beyond a chosen few. He makes the point that wealth is not a limited resource.

Thomas also delves into other aspects of the phobia such as natural resources, irreplaceable species, and population.

This a good and concise read in which Thomas starts off with a story about an inevitable discussion/confrontation with his new son-in-law who is an enthusiastic member of ISO, the International Socialist Organization.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/06/the_socialist_phobia_of_scarcity.html

http://bit.ly/jp7IP0

Legally Concealed

2011-06-06T22:31:00.000-07:00

The Baltimore Police Department has released an intelligence bulletin that warns police officers of 2nd Amendment support decals. In their bulletin they explain that the company “Legally Concealed” has created and is marketing decals and apparel to the public “specifically to show support and solidarity for the 2nd Amendment."

Remember, this is a warning for officers to use caution around citizens who may be in the act of committing open support for the Bill of Rights! While it is understood that officers like to have a "heads-up" when they approach a vehicle, this just smacks of anti-gun over zealousness.

They did add something worthwhile though. They included the company's web address: http://www.legallyconcealed.org/

Hopefully a lot of cops will purchase the products. Maybe cops could even put those 2nd Amendment support decals on the cars they park at the station so that their boot licking liberal politically correct command staff can get an eyeful.

A copy of the bulletin is available, however, out of respect for the agency's intent to limit it's distribution to law enforcement personnel only, approval to receive a copy will need to be made through the editor at: gardakel@yahoo.com

Boycott was all talk, of course

2011-06-05T16:38:00.000-07:00

The below link is to a story in the L.A. Times about how politicians talked a big game and even voted on a boycott of Arizona. Except of course, no boycott actually materialized.

"This is a moment of hypocrisy if the city of Los Angeles says one thing and does another," said Rabbi Jonathan Klein.

Like this is the first time L.A. has said one thing and done another? Come on, Rabbi! Are you new here?

What's funny is that anyone actually believed there would be a boycott in the first place.

http://lat.ms/lNTggh

Police Department Fails to Recognize LGBT Pride Month

2011-06-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

Note: This is not a criticism of the LGBT Community. It is a criticism of police department administrators. Administrators have botched their own effort to be politically correct.

The police department has placed a banner on it's website to recognize "Gay and Lesbian Pride Month." There's only one problem. It is supposed to be "LGBT Pride Month."

This is particularly pathetic because in their effort to be so politically correct, they forgot to include Bi-sexual and Trans-gender. These additional categories are considered to be just as significant. Together it is known as the "LGBT Community" and this is "LGBT Pride Month 2011," as proclaimed by the President of the United States.

We had to endure lengthy training at work which consisted of a pre-scolding for our presumed ignorance and prejudice. (a prejudice in itself, I guess). Then it was drilled into our heads that we would see LGBT's as being exactly of the same significance as anyone else (with some special consideration of course - which is not 'exactly'). And finally, we were threatened that if we were caught even thinking anything contrary to what we were trained in, we would face swift and severe consequences.

To be scolded and indoctrinated is one thing, but then to witness the authority f-it all up, is just classic.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em

2011-06-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder why the government works so hard to ban certain foods but has held off on tobacco? Remember the feds raiding the Amish organic dairy farm? When was the last time we saw them raid a tobacco plantation? There are some government sponsored anti-tobacco PSA's. They are paid for, however, with only a portion of the tobacco lawsuit settlement money. The government has kept most of those funds.

Currently, tobacco and gasoline are the best sources of tax revenue. The president himself has stated that he didn't mind the high price of gasoline.

In addition to the huge amount of tax revenue made from gasoline, the federal government takes an 18.2% tax on each pack of smokes. The average state tax on a pack is $1.45; in tobacco states $0.485, in non-tobacco states $1.57.

The economic stimulus strategy has otherwise failed. We will pay $14 billion for the GM bailout alone. Hell, you have GM car dealers buying the Chevy Volt themselves to reap the tax incentives and then selling them off to other manufacturer's car dealers to sell as used cars.

So, your duty as a U.S. citizen is to smoke 'em if you got 'em. If you don't, bum one off your neighbor. And keep the pedal to the metal. We've got a country to save. We need the tax revenue and we need to reduce the population at the same time.

http://bit.ly/ikRXxp

http://bit.ly/bRVg1R

http://bit.ly/lIwBaI

http://bit.ly/m1KmkL

Memorial Day 2011

2011-05-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Who are the villains when it comes to "Big Oil?"

2011-05-26T22:13:00.000-07:00

Next time you get mad at "big oil" consider who you are really mad at and if your anger is really warranted. The the majority of “big oil” is owned by you and other American citizens. Corporate management only owns 1.5 percent. You and tens of millions of other Americans own big oil through retirement accounts which represent (14 percent) and pension funds (26 percent). Mutual funds account for 29.5 percent ownership and individual investors own 23 percent. The remaining 5 percent is held by institutional investors.

The range of conditions that affect the cost of gasoline at the pump varies, but has little to do with evil "big oil" executives trying to soak you. Some of the reasons include decisions by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), geo-political conditions, speculation, inventories, exchange rates and inflation and even the weather.

Despite the need for a villain, it really comes down to basic economics. Do villains exist though? Is profit taking without greed? No doubt, but the real villains would have to be me and you. We are hated by the anti-free market crowd on the left. They will use our fear of being taken advantage of, to their benefit. Keep that in mind when dealing with the stress of high oil prices.

And one other thing. Oil company revenues go toward paying executives, investors (me and you), research and development. The high taxes we pay on gasoline are received by a government that does not have to re-invest their income to pay those who invest in, and or produce the energy in the first place. Their profit is free and clear. Which is why they spend millions to study shrimp on treadmills and gelatin wrestling in Antarctica.

In other words, your investment in the vital resources that make our freedom possible, is a threat to left and their anti-free market agenda, and a big joke as far as our government is concerned.

Much of the information for this article is from John Felmy, chief economist with the American Petroleum Institute, who spoke to economists on May 26, 2011 in Washington, D.C. about the oil and natural gas industry.

Spending Money Unwisely

2011-05-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

How in the world do even the most ardent of supporters cope with this kind of blatant hypocrisy and failure? Here we are spending millions to study shrimp on treadmills and gelatin wrestling in Antarctica. While he was campaigning, Obama said, "When I'm president, I will go line by line to make sure we are not spending money unwisely."

The following links will detail how ridiculous all of this is.

http://bit.ly/jhaMnH http://bit.ly/4TuZKB

If You Believed in ObamaCare, You Were Duped

2011-05-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

A little education on why if you believed in ObamaCare, you were duped.

Almost 20% of new ObamaCare waivers go to businesses in Nancy Pelosi's District. http://bit.ly/mfiaXA So what's wrong with all of these waivers? Weilding Waivers as Weapons, http://bit.ly/jHGvXE that's what's wrong. Waivers have reached 1,372, over half http://bit.ly/iYWhUx of which have gone to unions.

Note the Difference

2011-05-16T15:22:00.000-07:00

George W. Bush speech after capture of Saddam:

The success of yesterday's mission is a tribute to our men and women now serving in Iraq. The operation was based on the superb work of intelligence analysts who found the dictator's footprints in a vast country. The operation was carried out with skill and precision by a brave fighting force. Our servicemen and women and our coalition allies have faced many dangers in the hunt for members of the fallen regime, and in their effort to bring hope and freedom to the Iraqi people. Their work continues, and so do the risks. Today, on behalf of the nation, I thank the members of our Armed Forces and I congratulate 'em.

Barack Obama speech after killing of bin Laden:

And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al Qaeda, even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat his network. Then, last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden. It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground. I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan . And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice. Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

"Common" Decency

2011-05-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

So here is a president who cited "decency" as a reason not to release photographs of OBL, dead in his underwear with a bullet hole in the back of his head.

"Decency" by the way, is not a legal reason to withhold information of great public interest. National security and concern for the safety of our troops were some the other somewhat legitimate reasons given. Those reasons are currently being challenged with regard to the Freedom of Information Act.

To cite "decency" however, is to display a high level of arrogance. He is saying that he alone, can make such a decision based purely on his personal opinion. You work for the American public, Mr. President. You are not a dictator. You might be a proxy assassin, but not a dictator.

While we are on the topic of decency, why in the world would the president invite a hip hop artist to the White House, who celebrates cop killers and opposes inter-racial marriage? That's right, this artist, this poet, "Common," says it's okay to have inter-racial sex but not marriage. He also raps about bitches and ho's. And let's not forget, he raps about killing President Bush. Where is the Secret Service when you need them?

Which hip hop numbers will he perform for the president? Will the president smile and applaud?

What ever happened to common decency?

Media Ratchets Up Support for Obama

2011-05-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed the number of stories portraying Osama bin Laden as having been just weeks or days away from pulling off some huge attack somewhere, killing untold numbers of people? There has been at least one AP story each day making such claims.

This is not to say that what we are hearing may not indeed be the case. The issue here is that we would probably have heard the opposite if the killing of Osama bin Laden had occurred while President Bush was still in office.

Bush would never have been given credit for saving us from such a real and present threat. OBL's journal and plans would have been down played as much as possible and his having been executed by our military would have been thoroughly scrutinized. The actions that followed, such as the secret burial at sea and the botched Islamic burial ceremony would have been turned into a frenzy of criticism and quite possibly an international crisis.

http://yhoo.it/l82hgU

Just this past week MSNBC's Martin Bashir asked GOP ex-Rep. Tancredo if he would have preferred Obama's death over that of bin Laden.

This is clearly a case of journalistic manipulation of political views. It is in fact, journalistic malpractice. Journalistic malpractice however, is an every day standard of the mainstream media when it comes to protecting and promoting liberal politicians and liberal policies.

http://bit.ly/mxHRSu

With the help of the media, President Obama has a very good chance of winning re-election. First of all, no viable Democrat candidate is going to challenge Obama. No one would dare take a second term away from the first black president.

The Left, currently disappointed with Obama having adopted a number of controversial Bush policies, will still support him when it comes to the election. They will not stand for a Republican win.

The media will do everything within their means to destroy anyone who gets in the way of this president. If you don't believe it, just watch and listen.

Special Interests and Duplicative Spending - The Real Deal

2011-04-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

It is interesting that last week's 11th hour budget battle came down to threats of either cutting abortion funding or not paying the troops in order to pass a budget that it is still unsustainable. Those on the left were infuriated over the idea of cuts to abortion funding. After all, they were up to one baby every 95 seconds, enough to populate the city of Cincinnati within a year. Those on the right couldn't fathom the idea of not paying our troops as they sit in harm's way while their families are trying to put food on the table.

The question should be, why these issues? Well, these issues serve as a distraction form the one real issue. These issues tend to generate dramatic emotional responses. The more drama created on these hot-button issues, the more out of focus the real issue becomes. If we could cut through the smoke screen, we could really cut the budget. Unfortunately, lawmakers and federal agencies are quietly protecting their special interest programs.

The GAO has identified between $100 billion and $200 billion in duplicative spending. The GAO would not provide a specific figure.

If you are not sure of what the extent of duplicative spending has become, here is a sample from the current budget:

15 different agencies overseeing food safety laws
20 separate programs to help the homeless
80 programs for economic development
82 federal programs to improve teacher quality
80 to help disadvantaged people with transportation
47 for job training and employment
56 to help people understand finances

It has been said that the budget agreement, though not perfect, is a good start. Unfortunately, it's not even close.

http://on.wsj.com/gQal4M

The Answer to Rising Gas Prices

2011-04-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

President Obama appeared at a recent gathering in Pennsylvania. A man in the audience questioned him about rising gas prices. The President responded by telling the man to think about trading in his gas guzzler for a vehicle with better mileage.

President Obama: “None of that is going to help you this week, though. So, like I said, if you’re getting eight miles a gallon you may want to think about a trade-in. You can get a great deal. I promise you, GM or Ford or Chrysler, they’re going to be happy to give you a deal on something that gets you better gas mileage.”

The President is not completely off the mark with regard to short term solutions. It's just that he is incredibly inconsistent when it comes to energy policy. Spending billions to help other countries drill for oil while blocking it here in our own country makes no sense at all, unless the intent is to hold down U.S. progress while boosting the progress of other nations. This is not something that is becoming of a U.S. president.

Since the topic of trade-ins is on the table, let's consider whether we should trade-in our cars and other aspects of our lives to conform to higher oil prices. Then, let's consider how far we should go with these trade-ins should the price of oil continue to climb. They have these great cyclo-taxis in Hanoi.

At what point do we say enough is enough and realize that we should probably just trade-in the President. Wouldn't it be nice to have a U.S. president who favors the U.S.?

Note: The AP also reported on the above story but later removed the quote. Fortunately, CNS and other sources still have the story as well as a video. The CNS News story and video can be found at the below link:

http://bit.ly/dP9YRY

Payaso Pride and Cowardice

2011-04-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

Detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department say they believe as many of 100 people may have witnessed the attack at Dodger Stadium that left a Giants fan in a coma with a brain injury.

As the reward amount goes up, a large segment of the Hispanic community in Los Angeles remains silent. How much will it take to get someone to step up? Probably a lot more, along with some guarantee of anonymity or immunity.

This segment of the Hispanic community has no love or respect for outsiders. There is a code of silence that isn't necessarily about fear. It's about honor. It's about anti-U.S. attitudes. It's about anti-police attitudes. And more significantly, it's about racist attitudes. It's about la Raza. It's also for some, about a revolution for the return of California to Mexico.

Alright, enough of the analytical profiling. After all, that last part, being the revolution, is really stupid. It's not stupid to think that there is a revolution. It is the revolution itself that is stupid. What kind of morons figure that struggling to establish a life in the U.S. is somehow a way of infiltrating enemy territory so that you can turn it back into Mexico. It's like Charlie Sheen, "...winning!" No, you payasos, losing. Losing, big time.

Other than the above described profile, the Hispanic community as a whole has always been a positive contributor to the overall character of Los Angeles. It would be a shame to see it scorned and labeled as just an ignorant hate group.

One can only hope that there is some form of shame or embarrassment in the Hispanic community that will rise above payaso-pride and inspire even just one person to speak out.

Pro-democracy movement?

2011-04-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

Pro-democracy movement? Not. Did Obama make a mistake in pushing Mubarak out? Or, was it intentional?

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=215050

What really went on with Bush on 9/11

2011-04-04T17:00:00.000-07:00

What really went on with Bush on 9/11 as related by Col. Mark Tillman, the pilot of Air Force One at the time. Things you've never heard before from the guy who was there and in charge. A well-told story, too. You'll need a little over 20 minutes, but it's worth it.

http://premierespeakers.com/mark_tillman/video/14296

Should he stay or should he go?

2011-03-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

Over just the last 72 hours the Administration has defined it's stance on Gaddafi and Operation Odyssey Dawn.

"He's gotta go."
"He can go, doesn't have to."
"No, he doesn't have to stay."
"No, he can stay!"

Obama: "Al-Qaeda in there? Yeah, changes it a little bit. We don't know. We'll have to wait and see."

Here are some related sources: http://wapo.st/iaji7K http://politi.co/ePA8vt http://bit.ly/hN9WZ6 http://bit.ly/fmuWZH

Sorry to get your hopes up, but...

2011-03-16T19:54:00.000-07:00

On March 3, President Obama said: “With respect to our willingness to engage militarily, … I’ve instructed the Department of Defense … to examine a full range of options. I don’t want us hamstrung. … Going forward, we will continue to send a clear message: The violence must stop. Muammar Gaddafi has lost legitimacy to lead, and he must leave.”

The president then sent war ships to stage on the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya which emboldened the rebels and protesters. They fought and held off Gaddafi's mercenaries for as long as they could. After all, they had the United States on their side. And then there was nothing. The United Sates had spoken but did not act. The U.S. never intended to act.

The rebels and protesters now face torture and death.

http://f24.my/ffOb8E

Administration in disarray over Libya

2011-03-10T21:21:00.000-08:00

The Obama Administration is in disarray over Libya. National Intelligence Director James Clapper says Gaddafi will prevail. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon suggested Clapper's was a "static and one-dimensional analysis". Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the U.S. will wait. The president was playing golf.

http://bbc.in/fIgFAS

What are the Alternatives?

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

Some folks threaten to leave the country (usually Hollywood actors) but they never do. Others tune in, turn on and drop out. (the 60's) Then there are those who become separatists. They live within our borders but do not recognize any of our laws. (nut jobs) My question is, what can we do, short of something stupid, to get some relief from the insanity that comes out of Washington?

Congressional Hearings on Homegrown Terrorism

2011-03-06T07:57:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK - A coalition of over 100 interfaith, nonprofit and governmental organizations plans to rally in New York City against a planned congressional hearing on Muslims' role in homegrown terrorism.

It has been suggested, however, that a congressional hearing should be held on the coalition of over 100 interfaith, nonprofit and governmental organizations' role in homegrown terrorism.

We'll just have to wait and see.

Government shutdown - not

2011-02-25T10:25:00.000-08:00

From the AP - Don't worry about a government shutdown. Social Security checks would still go out. Troops would remain at their posts. Furloughed federal workers will still get paid. The FBI, the Border Patrol, the Coast Guard, and the federally funded LAPD would remain open. That's the little-known truth about a government shutdown. The government doesn't shut down.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110224/ap_on_re_us/us_what_shutdown

Facts of the Matter

2011-02-20T12:43:00.000-08:00

Amidst claims of union busting and comparisons to Nazi Germany, it might be a good idea to look at why Wisconsin taxpayers elected Governor Walker in the first place.

Here are the basic facts that were considered in the drafting of Governor Walker's proposal. This information was collected by the Heritage Foundation from a variety of sources.

Wisconsin's budget deficit is $137 million. It is projected to grow to $3.6 billion by 2013.
Source: MSNBC

Wisconsin public employees contribute less than 1% to their pensions. Taxpayers pay almost 100%. Walker's proposal requires public employees to pay 5.8%, just below the national average.
Source: Minnesota Public Radio

On average: A Wisconsin public school teacher's total yearly compensation is almost $78,000.00 for an 180-day school year.
Source: Washington Times

Wisconsin public employees contribute 6% to their healthcare premiums. Walker's proposal requires public employees to pay 12%, still less than half the national average.
Source: Wisconsin State Government

Rhetoric vs. Reality

2011-02-18T16:30:00.000-08:00

Here's one for you. Remember all the flap about how right wing rhetoric caused the shooting in Tucson? We were told by President Obama to "tone down the angry rhetoric that has come to dominate the nation's politics."

When TEA Party demonstrators assembled in D.C., the event was captured on thousands of recording devices. To this day no credible evidence has been presented that would depict TEA Party demonstrators engaging in angry rhetoric. Contrast that with what you will see in the following video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=71gsnLfsbbM

T&A Pat Down

2011-02-12T14:47:00.000-08:00

T&A pat down agent hollers: 'Hey, I thought she was mine! I was gonna do her!'

http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2011/02/08/stay-classy-tsa/

Obama's Two Mistakes

2011-02-01T16:56:00.001-08:00

There are those who will argue that Obama made a mistake and wasted his time on the health care law, that he should have done his homework and now the entire law is a mess. Actually, there is nothing wrong with the law in terms of how it was designed to suit his purposes. There was only one mistake. (first mistake)

The mistake was not to include a "severability" clause. All else in the planning of this law was time well spent, again, for his purposes. He succeeded in having created a situation, that if not stopped, the private sector insurance industry would be driven out of existence, allowing for the government to be the only place anyone could go for health care insurance. This was in fact, Obama's stated goal.

The lack of a severability clause is what has derailed the plan. If there was was such a clause in place, only that part of the legislation found to be unconstitutional would have been struck down. The rest of the bill would remain unharmed.

The reason for not including this clause is the CBO. There needed to be the illusion of revenue being generated. If you force 32 million uninsured people purchase insurance, you add 32 million times an annual premium. Obama had to convince the CBO that this revenue would be there. The bill had to be structured so that this part could not be thrown out. It had to be all or nothing.

Now that the mandate forcing people to buy insurance or face a fine has been struck down, the entire bill goes down with it. Of course, Obama will ask for a stay and then appeal the ruling.

The Commerce Clause clearly states that the federal government cannot require any person to buy a product or service. States have more authority in this area as with car insurance. The federal government can strongly suggest certain things. It can suggest that everyone get a vaccination for instance. It can warn you that you will die and cause everyone else to die if you don't, but it cannot mandate that you get vaccinated. There is a good reason for this. It is to keep the federal government from becoming an aristocracy or a kingdom or a dictatorship.

The federal government does not have omnipotent powers. Unfortunately, Obama has been acting under the premise that the federal government has such powers. (second mistake) That premise of his is what was struck down.

UC Irvine: Traditional Soul Food on MLK Day is Insensitive

2011-01-27T16:47:00.000-08:00

Officials at UC Irvine said that serving chicken and waffles on MLK Day was in poor taste after a complaint was generated by student Ricardo Sparks, co-chairman of the university's Black Student Union.

The problem, however, is that chicken and waffles is known and appreciated as traditional ethnic soul food. (see below links) Apparently that doesn't matter. Now, cafeteria staff members must attend cultural sensitivity training.

Sparks was quoted as saying, "I understand people have prejudice and ignorance, but this is out in the community and nobody is saying anything about it."

Obviously, nobody is saying anything about it because they are not so ignorant to believe that there was anything insensitive about serving ethnic soul food on MLK Day.

Southern California Public Radio
http://www.scpr.org/news/2011/01/27/uc-irvine-says-mlk-day-chicken-waffles-special-was/

Wikipedia - chicken and waffles - beloved traditional soul food
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_and_waffles

Amy Ruth's Restaurant, Harlem - Dish called "Al Sharpton" (chicken and waffles)
http://www.amyruthsharlem.com/dinnermenu/waffles/wafflemenu01.html

By the way, what do you suppose the cafeteria will serve on St. Patrick's Day? I hope they are not so insensitive and ignorant as to serve corned beef and cabbage!

The Largest Army in the World

2011-01-07T15:46:00.000-08:00

The state of Wisconsin has gone an entire deer hunting season without someone getting killed. That's great. There were over 600,000 hunters. Allow me to restate that number. Over the last two months, the eighth largest army in the world - more men under arms than Iran ; more than France and Germany combined - deployed to the woods of a single American state to help keep the deer menace at bay. But that pales in comparison to the 750,000 who are in the woods of Pennsylvania this week. Michigan 's 700,000 hunters have now returned home. Toss in a quarter million hunters in West Virginia , and it is literally the case that the hunters of those four states alone would comprise the largest army in the world. America will forever be safe from foreign invasion of troops with that kind of home-grown firepower.

Hunting - it's not just a way to fill the freezer. It's a matter of national security!

Now you know why the liberal anti-gun group wants to take our guns away; they're afraid of us.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/outdoors/111168089.html

Don't rock the boat...

2010-12-28T22:11:00.000-08:00

Looks like Hawaii's newly elected Governor Abercrombie is unwittingly rocking the boat out there. He says he wants to find a way to release more information about Obama's birth and dispel the conspiracy theories. (Yeah, how about the original vault copy of the birth certificate?)

Abercrombie will be asking the state attorney general's office about what can be done to put an end to the questions about Obama's birth documentation.

Can you imagine what the state attorney general must be thinking about Abercrombie's request? Consider that Abercrombie's statements and request have now been reported by the media and that he has drawn new attention to the issue, an issue that may not be possible to resolve as there may not be any more proof of Obama's birth that can be offered.

Hawaii state attorney general to Governor Abercrombie: What were you thinking?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101229/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_birth_certificate

President Obama is Almost Everything He Was Elected Not to Be

2010-12-20T22:51:00.000-08:00

President Obama has become almost everything he was elected not to be. He now supports lobbying, earmarks, and passing unread legislation. He is however, still "black," at least partially, and he may be a U.S. citizen.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101221/ap_on_go_co/us_us_russia_nuclear

We Can't Just Leave It Up to the Parents

2010-12-13T20:36:00.001-08:00

Michelle Obama: "We can't just leave it up to the parents"

The "Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act" was signed into law by President Obama earlier today.

Not sure if this is to stop the kids from starving or to keep them from getting fat. Either way, the new law will subsidize and regulate what many kids eat before school, at lunch, after school, and during summer vacation. She actually said of deciding what American children should eat: "We can't just leave it up to the parents."

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/michelle-obama-45-billion-child-nutritio

WikiLeaks thought to have information on Obama citizenship or lack thereof

2010-12-08T23:32:00.000-08:00

There has been a lot of rhetoric lately over why President Obama would side with Republicans on tax cuts when Democrats still control both houses. Democrats and the media have been calling Obama out on his recent contradictory positions on taxes and economic recovery. He has claimed that he is being held hostage by Republicans and that the tax cuts will have a negative effect on the economy but then turns around on the same day, raising the direst alarm yet, he angrily warns fellow Democrats that if they defeat the big tax-cut compromise, they could jolt the nation back into recession.

The answer may lie with WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange. He has promised to release the "Doomsday Files" or the "Poison Pill." At the same time, as he sits in custody for not wearing a condom during a "one night stand", his supporters have hacked MasterCard, Visa, PayPal and numerous other websites that have cut ties with WikiLeaks. It is now suspected that he or his supporters have hacked into Obama's private Blackberry and that they have warned him about information they have regarding his citizenship or lack thereof! That's right. Obama is being held hostage not by Republicans but by a pencil neck computer geek and he has to do whatever the geek says or else!

Anonymous White House sources have reported that Obama has been sitting around lately watching ESPN and showing no interest in his duties. Could it be that he is resigned to the fact that he has been had and that his ride is over?

Another Chicago Police Officer Murdered

2010-11-30T17:45:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that Chicago is in the United States. It wasn't long ago when many in Congress were calling for a withdrawal of troops from Iraq, citing a lack of success and increased violence as their reason to cut and run. Maybe we should use the same reasoning and withdraw our police officers from cities like Chicago.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-11-26/news/ct-met-cop-shot-1127-20101126-20_1_line-of-squad-cars-chicago-police-officer-longtime-officer

A Day of Public Thanksgiving and Prayer

2010-11-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor -- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness." Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be -- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks -- for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation -- for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the tranquility [sic], union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed -- for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted -- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions -- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually -- to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed -- to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn [sic] kindness onto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord -- To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease [sic] of science among them and us -- and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789. George Washington

Allred: Meg knew Nicky was illegal

2010-09-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

Maybe us "Meg's" of the world should just fire all of the "Nicky's" of the world. We could call it "a day without illegals," because we fired them all.

Also, if we are not allowed hire them, then our government should not be allowed to provide any services for them. Let's either do it right or not at all.

Adios, boys and girls! There is nothing here for you. Go back to whatever hopeless pile of crap country you came from.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100929/ap_on_el_gu/us_california_governor_housekeeper

The Forgotten Man

2010-09-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

The Forgotten Man - Jon McNaughton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KGlBHyVeYU

Government supports Sharpton, Ignores Beck

2010-08-30T21:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend's twin rallies, one sponsored by Glenn Beck called: "Restoring Honor," the other sponsored by Al Sharpton called: "Reclaim the Dream," both received considerable attention. Unfortunately for Sharpton, his rally paled in comparison to Beck's.

When it was all said and done though, the Obama regime and his state-run media came to Sharpton's rescue. Obama said that he ignored the Beck rally and that guys like Beck can always get a certain portion of the people whipped up into a frenzy.

His state-run media ran stories describing the crowd in some cases as numbering only in the tens of thousands when it was evident that it was in the hundreds of thousands. They also made sure to point out that the crowd was mostly white.

While numerically, the latter may be true, the crowd was clearly, by the thousands of photos published by other than state-run media, a highly diversified crowd.

And finally, the regime added an extra measure when Obama's top education official, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, urged government employees in an internal email to attend Al Sharpton's rally.

Sources:

http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=197029

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Education-secretary-urged-his-employees-to-go-to-Sharpton_s-rally-651280-101839293.html

13 Reasons to Believe Obama is Lying About His Top Priority

2010-08-15T20:38:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, even CBS News, an admitted liberal news organization, is calling out this ridiculous phony president. They have just published the following story on Obama's top priority or should we say, top priorities, 13 of them to be exact. The story not only lists all 13 top priorities but it describes the meaning of the term "top priority" by pointing out that the dictionary defines "top" as a singular entity: "the part of anything that is first or foremost." The story goes on to say that by designating a multitude of "top priorities," Obama can be seen trying to score political points with the constituencies for all of these issues.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20013622-503544.html

Is there some law against enforcing the law?

2010-08-01T16:47:00.000-07:00

Is there some law against enforcing the law? Well, not really but yes. As we've seen during this past week in Arizona, it all depends on political motive.

The federal government provides funding and assistance in the enforcement of state laws all across this nation. States also assist the federal government with the enforcement of federal laws. So why is there such a huge resistance to states participating in the enforcement of federal law when it comes to illegal immigration? After all, state and local governments are the most negatively affected by the problem.

Each week in Los Angeles, the federal government funds up to two or three DUI check points. Some of these operations employ up to 40 officers who are paid at time and half overtime. In most cases, only few DUI arrests are made per operation as opposed to twice the number of arrests made on any given night by regular non-federally funded DUI patrols in which only 8 to 10 officers are assigned.

The point here is that there isn't much opposition to the commingling of state and federal agencies when it involves other law enforcement efforts, even when those efforts result in a huge waste of our tax dollars.

How many people know or even care that these federally funded operations result in dozens of vehicle impounds per operation? You see, the dirty little secret is that the DUI check point is not as much about protecting the public from DUI drivers as it is about taking vehicles away from unlicensed drivers who are primarily illegal immigrants! Yes, put that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr. Obama. Perhaps Attorney Genius Eric Holder can assign a federal judge to order an injunction.

Check out that mug

2010-07-31T06:44:00.001-07:00

WASHINGTON – A second House Democrat, Rep. Maxine Waters of
California, could face an ethics trial this fall, further complicating the election outlook for the party as it battles to retain its majority.

People familiar with the investigation, who were not authorized to be quoted about charges before they are made public, say the allegations could be announced next week. The House ethics committee declined Friday to make any public statement on the matter.

Waters, 71, has been under investigation for a possible conflict of interest involving a bank that was seeking federal aid. Her husband owned stock in the bank and had served on its board.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100731/ap_on_go_co/us_waters_ethics;_ylt=AktOygxSHjpUrWFbPyhERMN34T0D;_ylu=X3oDMTJob3VzcjVpBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNzMxL3VzX3dhdGVyc19ldGhpY3MEY3BvcwMxBHBvcwMzBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA2Z1bGxuYnNwc3Rvcg--

Tea Party Event - Philadelphia Area

2010-07-30T16:47:00.000-07:00

For those of you in the Philadelphia area, there is a Tea Paty event that might be worth checking out.

The media have done their best to cast Tea Party members in a negative light but so far, what little evidence they have produced has been proven false or otherwise discredited. The real thing has been nothing like what has been reported to the public.

Check out the flyer/website for details. http://uni-tea.com/

The Sherrods

2010-07-27T14:36:00.000-07:00

There have been dozens of news stories this week on how Shirley Sherrod was wronged by a "right wing" blogger when a video clip of her was taken out of context and posted on the blogger's "right wing" Website.

The Obama administration promptly threw Sherrod under the bus before learning that the clip was taken out of context. The embarrassed administration then just as quickly pulled her out from under the bus and desperately attempted to dust her off.

Now, it seems that the administration might have been better off leaving her under the bus, because not only does the full video still present a somewhat racist tone but a video of her husband has now surfaced and it is actually racist and derogatory.

Had the administration not jumped the gun in the first place, there would be no issue at all and no one would have heard of Charles Sherrod.

Shirley Sherrod speaking to the NAACP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9NcCa_KjXk

Charles Sherrod's Uncle Toms.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrcJ3cBDS7Y

DHS censors WRH

2010-07-06T18:39:00.000-07:00

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees will no longer be able to access "The Western Row House" website. It has been listed among a total of five categories of websites that have been deemed by The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to be "inappropriate for government access."

The Categories include: chat/messaging, controversial opinion, criminal activity, extreme violence and gaming. The Western Row House of course, falls under the "controversial opinion" category.

When asked for his opinion, Donny James Jr., Editor in Chief of The Western Row House, simply shrugged and wondered aloud as to why they didn't include "porn" sites.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20009642-10391695.html

It has more to do with liberty than immigration

2010-07-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

It seems that the left have now claimed the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of immigration reform. The President lied in a speech on July 1st, when he used the poem, "The New Colossus" written by Emma Lazarus to justify the new interpretation of the Statue of Liberty's importance.

"The New Colossus" was a sonnet written in a contest to raise money to build the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty. The tired, the poor, the hungry huddled masses referred to those who had been oppressed or exiled and were now being tossed about on the sea while struggling to find freedom in a new home. It was written in 1883 and in 1903 it was engraved on a bronze plaque and mounted inside the Statue of Liberty.

The Statue of Liberty was not meant to be a symbol of immigration but a symbol of liberty and freedom for those who have been oppressed or exiled from their countries. The left has distorted the meaning of the statue as much as they have the words of "The New Colossus."

Because of the words, "Give me your tired, your poor, your hungry, huddled masses..." the left have decided that the Statue of Liberty stands for welcoming immigrants from anywhere in the the world just because they are poor. The problem with that line of reasoning is that we would have to ignore the rest of the poem and more importantly, we would have to ignore what the meaning of The Statue of Liberty was even before the poem was written.

The Statue of Liberty is a monument commemorating the centennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence marked the establishment of a country where people could live free from tyranny and oppression.

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

A century of serving the disenfranchised

2010-05-30T07:46:00.000-07:00

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0530-claretians-20100530,0,6326998.story?track=rss

For a century, the fates of Los Angeles, La Placita church and the priests of the Claretian Missionary order who serve there have been inextricably intertwined with provocative politics and courageous acts of faith.

In the 2000s, Father Richard Estrada helped organize some of the biggest protests in city history, bringing out hundreds of thousands of marchers against legislation aimed at criminalizing illegal immigrants and those who aid them.

What?! Isn't entering the U.S. illegally considered a crime? Granted, the difference between right and wrong is not always based on what is legal or illegal but laws are as important to human rights as any other method we use in maintaining a fair, civilized and safe environment to live in. Anything else results in chaos and destruction. Are we trying to protect chaos and destruction or are we trying to protect a fair, civilized and safe environment?

By the way, I am a Roman Catholic.

Attorney Genius Eric Holder suggests lawsuit against Arizona

2010-05-09T22:31:00.000-07:00

Washington (CNN) -- Attorney General Eric Holder said Sunday that the Justice Department was considering a federal lawsuit against Arizona's new immigration law.

"We are considering all of our options. One possibility is filing a lawsuit," Holder told NBC's "Meet the Press." Possible grounds for the lawsuit would be whether the Arizona law could lead to civil rights violations, he said.

The recently enacted Arizona law initially allowed police to ask anyone for proof of legal U.S. residency, based solely on a police officer's suspicion that the person might be in the country illegally. Arizona lawmakers soon amended the law so that officers could check a person's status only if the person had been stopped or arrested for another reason.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/05/09/holder.arizona.immigration/index.html?hpt=T2

This guy is a genius! So, let me get this right. The Arizona law and federal law are essentially the same except that with the federal law, agents can simply round up illegal aliens individually or in large scale raids based on suspicion alone. Arizona authorities however, need more than just suspicion. Sounds like the Arizona law is much more fair than the federal law yet the Justice Department is considering a federal lawsuit against Arizona. Who's kidding who?

Schwarzenegger backs national socialism

2010-04-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger pledged California's full support Thursday for national socialism, throwing the weight of one of the nation's most prominent Republicans behind the overhaul.

Schwarzenegger said he has long supported the concept of national socialism, and in 2007 proposed a $14.7 billion overhaul of the former free market in California.

That effort failed in part because of concerns over cost, but the governor credits the effort with helping lay the groundwork for a federal bill to be signed next year.

Schwarzenegger said it's time to set politics aside and start implementing national socialism, even as many cash-strapped states worry the costs of the overhaul will widen their budget shortfalls.

"The plan is not without flaws," Schwarzenegger said in remarks prepared for a speech he will gave later in the day that were obtained in advance by The Associated Press. "Achtung! It will be the law! And it is time for California to crush the resistance. Thoughtfully and responsibly."

This posting is an accurate spoof of a real AP story about health care reform.

Clearing up the lies with regards to the new Arizona law

2010-04-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

This is just to clear up some of the "shocking" misinformation that is circulating through the media.

First of all, it is an anti-ILLEGAL immigration law, not "anti-immigration" as almost every media story reports. Second, it is no more harsh than the current federal law.

The measure - set to take effect in late July or early August - would make it a crime under state law to be in the U.S. illegally. It directs state and local police to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they are illegal. ("Reason" as with all other crimes, means more than profiling.)

The following response is how the misinformation is being spread.

"If you look or sound foreign, you are going to be subjected to never-ending requests for police to confirm your identity and to confirm your citizenship," said Alessandra Soler Meetze, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, which is exploring legal action.

The ACLU conclusion is incorrect. Once again, "reason" as with all other crimes, means more than profiling. In fact, the current federal law is no different.

American TV show censored by a U.S. based radical Islamic website

2010-04-22T23:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, a U.S. - based radical Islamic website has caused an American TV show to censor it's material and they have done so not through any sort of legal challenge but by a threat of violence, a death threat to be specific. As of this posting, the United States government has not expressed plans to take any sort of action.

http://livefeed.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/04/south-park-censorship-.html

33 Minutes

2010-04-21T23:08:00.000-07:00

No matter where on Earth a missile is launched from it would take 33 minutes or less to hit the U.S. target it was programmed to destroy.

Over 20 countries have ballistic missile capacity.

One of the most fundamental roles of government is to protect us from enemies and right now we are not protected - Dr. Edwin Feulner, President, The Heritage Foundation.

"Hope" is not a good foundation for a national security strategy. We need to recognize the threats that are out there and the threat of a ballistic missile attack is real. - Robert Joseph, Undersecretary of State, 2005-2007.

Americans need to know that we are completely vulnerable to a ballistic missile armed with a nuclear weapon. - Dr. Kim Holmes, Assistant Secretary of State, 2002-2005.

The longest times are typically around 30 to 33, 34 minutes and that would be for a long range missile fired from North Korea to the United States or from Iran to the United States. - Gen. Henry A. Trey Obering III, Director, Missile Defense Agency.

If an enemy of America had a ballistic missile, they could basically hold America hostage and someday they'll come in a moment when America wants to go forth in the world and do something good. The enemy is going to say if you do that, then we're going to shoot this missile at New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco. - Dr. James Carafano, National Security Analyst.

It's very difficult to guess the number of states that will have ballistic missiles in ten years and if one follows a stright line projection, the number gets quite large. It is the type of state that is acquiring ballistic missiles that is disturbing. - Robert Joseph, Undersecretary of State, 2005-2007.

We've already seen the transfer of very short range rockets and missiles from a state to a terrorist organization. You marry that with a weapon of mass destruction, even one, even one fired into an American or allied city could cause tremendous devastation. - Gen. Henry A. Trey Obering III, Director, Missile Defense Agency.

For further information and a complete video on this topic, click on the following link:

http://www.heritage.org/Multimedia/Video/2008/11/33-Minutes--Trailer

Enough Already

2010-04-20T19:50:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but I am tired of hearing and reading about Obama. I am especially tired of writing about Obama. I'm sure that some of you are tired of seeing posts about Obama on this blog. It's all Obama this and all Obama that. I can't stand it any more.

Does this mean I'm through with posting Obama stories? Not exactly as there is and probably will continue to be endless pertinent material to post when it comes to Obama. Suffice to say that I am going to make an effort to broaden my coverage to include other political news and maybe some mixed news and information from other topic fields.

Thanks for your patience and for your support. Feel free to send me your thoughts. This is my blog to write and yours to read. I'm here to serve you, after I've served myself of course.

Another unwanted victory in the war on terror

2010-04-19T19:46:00.000-07:00

When we went into Afghanistan following 9-11, al-Qaida was busy setting up training camps and safe houses in Iraq with the help of Saddam Hussein. In addition to the WMD threat, provided by multi-national intelligence sources endorsed by the United States Congress and the U.N., not just Bush, we had ample reason to include Iraq as a crucial war front.

Today, as a result of taking action in Iraq in the first place, two of al-Qaida's top leaders are dead. The U.S. and Iraq claimed a major victory against al-Qaida on Monday when during a joint operation their forces killed the terror group's two top figures.

Vice president Biden took credit for the Obama Administration's success today in what he called a "potentially devastating blow" to al-Qaida in Iraq.

Remember, according to Obama, we should not have gone to Iraq. Just imagine where we'd be today if al-Qaida was able to flourish unfettered in Iraq.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100419/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

Obama to Wall Street:

2010-04-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

Hey...ah... Wall Street, I...er... got you where I want you...I think. Yeah, that's it.

I wonder if he'll return the $994,795 in Goldman Sachs campaign contributions ?

Party on Hillary!

2010-04-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

Months after President Obama urged federal agencies last year to cut wasteful spending, the U.S. Department of State paid $3,814 to fill an order of Jack Daniel's whiskey for gratuities at one of its many overseas embassies.

Last year alone, the State Department sent taxpayers tabs totaling nearly $300,000 for alcoholic beverages — about twice as much compared to the previous year, according to an analysis of spending records by The Washington Times.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/apr/15/taxpayers-foot-state-departments-stiff-liquor-bill/

Ahmadinejad to Obama:

2010-04-07T09:55:00.000-07:00

"American materialist politicians, whenever they are beaten by logic, immediately resort to their weapons like cowboys," Ahmadinejad said in a speech before a crowd of several thousand in northwestern Iran.

"Mr. Obama, you are a newcomer (to politics). Wait until your sweat dries and get some experience. Be careful not to read just any paper put in front of you or repeat any statement recommended," Ahmadinejad said in the speech, aired live on state TV.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100407/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_nuclear

Where do we get the free Obama care?

2010-04-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON — Two weeks after President Barack Obama signed the big health care overhaul into law, Americans are struggling to understand how — and when — the sweeping measure will affect them.

Questions reflecting confusion have flooded insurance companies, doctors' offices, human resources departments and business groups.

"They're saying, 'Where do we get the free Obama care, and how do I sign up for that?' " said Carrie McLean, a licensed agent for eHealthInsurance.com. The California-based company sells coverage from 185 health insurance carriers in 50 states.

Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/04/06/91696/health-care-overhaul-spawns-mass.html#ixzz0kQustNfT

Obama clears way for oil drilling

2010-03-31T10:06:00.000-07:00

We had a Bush/Cheney sign in front of our house when they ran for their first term. It wasn't long before we found a sloppily scrawled anonymous note attached to the mail box that said something about Bush carving up Alaska for oil. We new that it was from a liberal neighbor but since she chose not to identify herself we left it alone. We shook our heads, laughed about it and threw the note away.

We wondered today, what our liberal neighbor might think about the news that Obama has decided to clear the way for oil drilling off of the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico.

Now, Obama's decision is political as he made no secret about using it to gain Republican support for his sweeping climate change bill. In any case, it's a slap in the face of all those liberals who had hoped for extreme change. Or as Sarah Palin would say, how's that hopey changey thing working out for ya!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100331/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_drilling;_ylt=Ak5V2IlLQu7zubXelcMTdTh34T0D;_ylu=X3oDMTJpMWVjcThpBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMzMxL3VzX29iYW1hX2RyaWxsaW5nBGNwb3MDMQRwb3MDMwRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3J5BHNsawNmdWxsbmJzcHN0b3I-

Obama hints at strategy for 'tea party' movement

2010-03-30T21:57:00.000-07:00

According to the Associated Press, the tea party movement is decidedly conservative and libertarian, but otherwise diverse, divided over most everything except the need for limited government, less spending and an end to Obama's policies. Those in the coalition have allegiance to no political party, with independent voters and even moderate Democrats among their ranks.

President Obama however, contended the core of the loose anti-government network is "on the fringe."

During an interview on NBC's "Today" show, Obama said he recognizes that the movement involves people with "mainstream, legitimate concerns" about the national debt, government expansion and big spending.

It would seem that Obama is communicating two messages, one that acknowledges those with "mainstream, legitimate concerns" and another that says, watch out or we will "take you down," to use the words of United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano.

Just think, Napolitano could "take down" the "core" of the tea party movement under the guise that it is a threat to the government. Obama could then turn around and empathize with the rest of the movement by saying that he still respects their right to exist.

Click on the below link to read the story.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100331/ap_on_el_pr/us_obama_tea_party

Left Wing Protest Strategy

2010-03-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

Here is another example of absurd hypocrisy on display. After a week of listening to tales of how unruly the Tea Party protesters allegedly were, we are reminded of just how uncivilized the left can be. Remember, other than for a few isolated incidents, the Tea Party protesters became known for being orderly and law abiding. Not so, with protesters on the left. The protest strategy described in the below article is common. Left wing protest groups teach the strategy and they are proud of it.

Just click on the link below.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/03/karl-rove-battles-protesters-at-beverly-hills-book-signing.html

Bin Laden threatens US over alleged 9/11 plotter

2010-03-25T09:18:00.000-07:00

CAIRO – Osama bin Laden threatened in a new message released Thursday to kill any Americans al-Qaida captures if the U.S. executes the self-professed mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks or other al-Qaida suspects.

In the 74-second audiotape aired on Al-Jazeera television, the al-Qaida leader explicitly mentions Khalid Sheik Mohammed, who was captured in Pakistan in 2003. He is the most senior...

Wait a minute, this just in...

Osama bin Laden is dead. He's been dead for a long time.

You know what happens when you assume...

2010-03-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer wants Republicans to speak out against violence aimed at Democratic colleagues. Hoyer hinted that Republicans should do more to condemn these threats of violence.

Here's a question for Steny Hoyer:

With all of the anger on the left, all of the seething comments and threats that can be found on left wing websites with regards to the health care legislation not having gone far enough, how does he know that these alleged threats and acts of violence aren't being perpetrated by left wing nut jobs? They do have an ongoing history of such actions.

To his credit he did say, “I would hope that we would join together jointly and make it very clear that none of us condone this kind of activity.”

It's the (f)law of the land: Gap in health care law's protection for children

2010-03-23T23:11:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON – Claiming a historic triumph that could define his presidency, a jubilant Barack Obama signed a massive, nearly $1 trillion health care overhaul on Tuesday but then realized as a result of not reading the bill first, that there was a major flaw in the freshly signed legislation.

The Obama administration is now scrambling to fix a potential problem with a much-touted benefit of its new health care law, a gap in coverage improvements for children in poor health, officials said Tuesday.

Under the new law, insurance companies still would be able to refuse new coverage to children because of a pre-existing medical problem, said Karen Lightfoot, spokeswoman for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, one of the main congressional panels that wrote the bill President Barack Obama signed into law Tuesday.

It is unclear if officials are attempting to read through the bill in search of additional flaws.

Key Points to H.R. 3590:

2010-03-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

The Quality, Affordable Health Care for All Americans Act

Somehow, I don't think this is what most people had in mind.

H.R. 3590 is intended to expand access to health insurance, reform the health insurance market to provide additional consumer protections, and improve the health care delivery system to reduce costs and produce better outcomes.

While the bill would expand insurance coverage to 94 percent of the legal population (24 million Americans would still be without coverage) and could improve the functioning of the individual and small group insurance markets, many experts question whether it will effectively control costs or reform the health-care delivery system.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the coverage provisions in the bill will cost $848 billion over 10 years (fiscal years 2010-2019). However, the major provisions in the bill would not take effect until January 1, 2014, meaning the bill uses 10 years of revenue to pay for six years of coverage. Republican staff on the Senate Budget Committee estimates that the total spending in the bill over 10 years of full implementation (FYs 2014-2023) would exceed $2.5 trillion.

To pay for the expansion of insurance coverage, the bill increases taxes by $493.6 billion, and reduces Medicare spending by $464.6 billion. Specifically, the bill would cut $134.9 billion from hospitals, $120 billion from Medicare Advantage (MA), $14.6 billion from nursing homes, $42.1 billion from home health agencies, and $7.7 billion from hospices.

Among the more prominent taxes, the bill includes a new 40 percent excise tax on health insurance plans that exceed $8,500 for individuals and $23,000 for families, raising $149.1 billion over 10 years; a new Medicare payroll tax on higher-income individuals that raises $53.8 billion; a $60.4 billion tax on health insurers; a $22.2 billion tax on drug manufacturers; and a $19.3 billion tax on medical device manufacturers.

H.R. 3590 mandates that all lawful residents purchase qualified insurance coverage or pay a penalty. The penalty for not having qualified health insurance would be $750, phased in over three years beginning in 2014.

The bill would provide tax credits for individuals between 133 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL)—$29,330 to $88,000 for a family of four—to help them purchase insurance coverage. Credits would be available on a sliding scale based on income.

A government-run plan (or “public option”) would be available through the exchange unless a state passes a law opting out of the government plan.

The bill would create a tax on employers with more than 50 full time workers if their employees receive a subsidy through the exchange. This so-called “free rider” mandate would increase taxes on employers by $28 billion.

Medicaid would be expanded to cover all individuals up to 133 percent of the FPL, which would increase the number of individuals covered under the program by more than 40 percent.

A Couple Items to Shake Your Head Over

2010-03-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

Imagine if Bush had said something this stupid

How many people really take this guy seriously anymore? I suppose most of the 250 followers who came to listen him yesterday in Strongsville, Ohio still do.

In yesterday's speech President Obama laid it on thick and said something that Bush would never have gotten away with. Here's what Obama said:

"How many people are gettin' insurance through their jobs right now? Raise your hands? A'right. Well, a lot of those folks, your employer, it's estimated, would see premiums fall by as much as 3,000%, which means they could give you a RAISE!"

Let's see how these numbers add up. If an employer pays $4,000 in health care premiums for an employee and his premium went down 100%, he would save $4,000. If the premium went down 3,000%, that's a savings of $4,000 (100%) times 30. That equals $120,000

So Obama is saying that with his health care plan, employers would be able to give people a raise because their premiums will go down 3,000%. That means the employer will make a $120,000 profit on each employee's health care insurance once Obamacare is passed.

Of all the things Obama could be mad about...

In recent weeks it has become evident that President Obama has not been happy with the progress of his massive health care legislation. There is one other thing however, that he is not happy with. It is not the high unemployment numbers, the deficit, the mounting national debt or Americans being murdered in Mexico. What's really gotten on his nerves and made him angry to the point of losing his cool, is that the Jews are building 1,600 new homes in Jerusalem!

The Mount Vernon Statement

2010-02-18T10:17:00.000-08:00

CONSTITUTIONAL CONSERVATISM:
A STATEMENT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

We recommit ourselves to the ideas of the American Founding. Through the Constitution, the Founders created an enduring framework of limited government based on the rule of law. They sought to secure national independence, provide for economic opportunity, establish true religious liberty and maintain a flourishing society of republican self-government.
These principles define us as a country and inspire us as a people. They are responsible for a prosperous, just nation unlike any other in the world. They are our highest achievements, serving not only as powerful beacons to all who strive for freedom and seek self-government, but as warnings to tyrants and despots everywhere.
Each one of these founding ideas is presently under sustained attack. In recent decades, America’s principles have been undermined and redefined in our culture, our universities and our politics. The self-evident truths of 1776 have been supplanted by the notion that no such truths exist. The federal government today ignores the limits of the Constitution, which is increasingly dismissed as obsolete and irrelevant.
Some insist that America must change, cast off the old and put on the new. But where would this lead -- forward or backward, up or down? Isn’t this idea of change an empty promise or even a dangerous deception?
The change we urgently need, a change consistent with the American ideal, is not movement away from but toward our founding principles. At this important time, we need a restatement of Constitutional conservatism grounded in the priceless principle of ordered liberty articulated in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
The conservatism of the Declaration asserts self-evident truths based on the laws of nature and nature’s God. It defends life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It traces authority to the consent of the governed. It recognizes man’s self-interest but also his capacity for virtue.
The conservatism of the Constitution limits government’s powers but ensures that government performs its proper job effectively. It refines popular will through the filter of representation. It provides checks and balances through the several branches of government and a federal republic.
A Constitutional conservatism unites all conservatives through the natural fusion provided by American principles. It reminds economic conservatives that morality is essential to limited government, social conservatives that unlimited government is a threat to moral self-government, and national security conservatives that energetic but responsible government is the key to America’s safety and leadership role in the world.
A Constitutional conservatism based on first principles provides the framework for a consistent and meaningful policy agenda.

It applies the principle of limited government based on the rule of law to every proposal.
It honors the central place of individual liberty in American politics and life.
It encourages free enterprise, the individual entrepreneur, and economic reforms grounded in market solutions.
It supports America’s national interest in advancing freedom and opposing tyranny in the world and prudently considers what we can and should do to that end.
It informs conservatism’s firm defense of family, neighborhood, community, and faith.
If we are to succeed in the critical political and policy battles ahead, we must be certain of our purpose. We must begin by retaking and resolutely defending the high ground of America’s founding principles.

February 17th, 2010

The War on Carp

2010-02-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

From the Associated Press:

Feds Commit $78.5 Million to Fight Asian Carp in Midwest Waterways

Obama administration launches plan to limit Chicago-area locks and gates from opening to prevent the giant carp from dominating the Great Lakes.

WASHINGTON -- Navigational locks and gates in Chicago-area waterways crucial for shipping may be opened less frequently than usual under a $78.5 million campaign to prevent Asian carp from overrunning the Great Lakes, federal officials said Monday.

Read more: The War on Carp

I guess if you don't have what it takes to fight the war on terror you can always fight the war on carp!

Is this some carp or what?

Paranoid Politics from a Merchant of Hate?

2010-02-08T18:10:00.000-08:00

"Masterful Exercise in Paranoid Politics from a Merchant of Hate" -- Bob Shrum, Democrat Strategist

SHRUM: The difference with Ronald Reagan was that he always had an alternative vision of where America should go and what we heard tonight was more a masterful exercise, masterful in paranoid politics. I mean she came across to me as a merchant of hate with an "oh, gosh" smile. (from Shrum's statements on MSNBC following Sarah Palin's speech)

Here is how the "Merchant of Hate" Sarah Palin, exercised "Paranoid Politics" with her comments on Reagan. I don't know about you but I was unable to find paranoid politics or the hate that Shrum was referring to.

PALIN: We have a vision for the future of our country, too, and it is a vision anchored in time-tested truths, that the government that governs least governs best -- and that the Constitution provides the best road map towards a more perfect union.

PALIN: And that only limited government can expand prosperity and opportunity for all. And that freedom is a God-given right, and it is worth fighting for!

PALIN: These are enduring truths, and these enduring truths have been passed down from Washington to Lincoln to Reagan, and now to you.

PALIN: Let us not get bogged down in the small squabbles.

PALIN: Let us get caught up in the big ideas.

PALIN: To do so would be a fitting tribute to Ronald Reagan.

PALIN: He knew the best of our country is not all gathered in Washington, DC, it is here in our communities, where families live and children learn -- and children with special needs are welcomed in this world and embraced.

PALIN: The best of America can be fount in places where patriots are brave enough and free enough to be able to stand up and speak up and where small businesses grow our economy one job at a time -- and, folks, like Reagan, we know that America is still that "shining city on a hill." Tea party nation, we know that there is nothing wrong with America, that together we can't fix as Americans.

Wow! How evil and paranoid!

Seems to me that the paranoia and hatred lies with those on the left who are angry and fearful of a free and prosperous America.

A Budget for Success

2010-02-02T16:52:00.000-08:00

When Obama took office he promised to make tough choices and then released a budget proposing the most debt and the most spending ever seen in American history. Again, this year, his new plan boosts spending another $1.7 trillion and the deficit by $2 trillion over what he proposed last year.

This year's budget shows yearly deficits that are 49 percent larger than last year's budget. Nearly 42 cents of each dollar the federal government spends will be borrowed or printed. By 2020, which Obama's planners assume will be a time of peace and prosperity, annual deficits would still exceed $1 trillion. This is just not sustainable.

In his State of the Union speech, he asserted, "By the time I took office, we had a one-year deficit of over $1 trillion and projected deficits of $8 trillion over the next decade. Most of this was the result of not paying for two wars, two tax cuts and an expensive prescription-drug program." This is not true. In fact, if Obama is as intelligent as some claim, it would have to be a blatant lie.

Those policies were all implemented in the early 2000s. After all the blame that Obama places on Bush, still the deficit was only at $162 billion as of 2007. Now it is at $1.4 trillion. It is ten times as much in two years. The trillion-dollar deficits didn't begin until 2009, after the recession hit.

Before the recession, government spent $24,000 a year per US household. Obama would hike it to $36,000 by 2020. If adjusted for inflation this would be a $12,000-per-household expansion of government. Then just add the $75,000 share of our debt that every household has. If spending jumps $12,000 per household, taxes must eventually rise. Essentially, Obama is making a large down-payment on that with a $2 trillion tax hike on all Americans. According to Reuters, Investor's Business Daily, the New York Post, and the Wall Street Journal, every American will get a tax increase.

Again, this is unsustainable. A $2 trillion tax increase would still leave the government with $8.5 trillion in deficits over the decade.

Remember, this is all good for the leftist agenda. It plays right into the ideology of less personal liberty and a collective state, controlled by a government that has far reaching powers over the people. In other words, in an odd sort of way, this budget, should it pass, will be a tremendous success for Obama.

For the good of our nation, let's make him fail. Call and write to your representatives. Make sure they understand what political suicide means.