Friday, April 30, 2010

Its Easy To Blame the Rich Guys

PRUDEN: Calling in the clowns to reform Wall Street
It's easy to beat up anyone who works for Goldman Sachs and the other big Wall Street houses. The partners pull down salaries and bonuses that are unimaginably large to most of us; how many Kobe steaks, how many $500-a-bottle French wines can a Wall Street broker consume? How many Manhattan apartments and vacation homes in the South of France can a Goldman Sachs chairman live in? President Obama, ever the nanny, said Wednesday that "at a certain point you've made enough money." He didn't say how much is enough, and who would decide how much is enough, but it's scary to think what Saul Alinsky's disciple might have in mind for all of us.

Mr. Levin and his conspirators in the Senate are trying to make Wall Street in general and Goldman Sachs in particular responsible for the financial crisis of 2008. Investigators at the Securities and Exchange Commission have accused Goldman Sachs of selling $150 million worth of instruments backed by worthless mortgages to a German bank without disclosing exactly what the bank was buying.

The senators deduced from that that Goldman Sachs was trying to rig the market in subprime mortgages and thus set off the great meltdown of '08. The law assumes that not every investment banker is a virgin and does not require that Goldman Sachs relieve its institutional customers from their common-sense duty to know what they're buying. You could argue that what Goldman Sachs and other investment houses are doing is not nice, but it's not against the law. Carl Levin could work to fix that, but screeds are more fun.

There is more at the link. You should go read the whole thing.

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Why Are They After the Banks?

Big Brother loves 'financial reform'
Intrusive Office of Financial Research threatens civil liberties

The next time you make a withdrawal from an automated teller machine, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner might be watching over your shoulder. Boosted by the sweeping, 1,400-page financial regulatory proposal currently making its way through the Senate, Mr. Geithner would have unprecedented, real-time access to a wealth of personal and corporate financial data - all in the name of protecting the public.

The legislation, sponsored by Senate banking committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd, would create the innocuously named Office of Financial Research as a central repository for transaction-related records held by financial companies.

According to proponents, "decision-makers" like Mr. Geithner need up-to-the-minute information to act in order to prevent what they refer to as another Wall Street meltdown. The proposed agency would also provide statistical analysis and research, purportedly to monitor systemic risk to the financial system.

The idea raises a number of red flags, not least of which is the plan's fundamentally flawed premise that a central committee of unelected bureaucrats would be qualified to judge what's right and what's wrong for the economy. Our economic woes of the past three years would not have been solved had Treasury officials been armed with crisper charts and more accurate PowerPoint slides.

Yet the details of the proposal show that this new agency's mission is not meant to be limited to improving the quality of financial data. Mr. Dodd's legislation would grant the agency director the coercive power of subpoena to obtain records and rulemaking authority to force private-sector firms to maintain their internal financial records in a format acceptable to the government. The legislation also grants sweeping authority to maintain a data center that would collect and maintain "all data necessary" to carry out the director's wishes. Needless to say, the government's history of losing hard drives and laptops filled with sensitive information suggests entrusting more to
a federal agency is not a smart idea.

Of more concern is how the proposed law treats government employees with legal access to this gold mine of information. Bureaucrats would be allowed to exploit their knowledge of market conditions as private-sector consultants one year after leaving the agency. Not only would individuals who had such privileged access to confidential information command a high price in the private sector, they also would be equally rewarded while employed at public expense.

The already generous limitations of the general schedule of salaries and benefits would not apply to the Office of Financial Research. The agency's director could pay salaries in excess of $200,000 a year to as many bureaucrats as he saw fit to hire.

Indeed, the law sets up a semi-independent fiefdom where the agency director would set his own budget by imposing taxes on large financial firms and not have to answer directly to any elected officials.

There's no telling how much a multimillion-dollar boondoggle of this magnitude might end up costing in monetary terms, but it's enough to know the price in the loss of financial privacy and freedom is too great. The Senate should vote down this intrusive and wasteful bureaucracy.

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Just Throwing This Out For Consideration

Because I am the original cynical paranoid SOB..(Sweet Ole Bob)..and I don't believe in coincidences.

Hard on the heels of Dr Utopia announcing that offshore drilling would be "explored", comes a disastrous drill platform explosion and fire that releases millions of gallons of crude into the Gulf.

We won't know exactly what happened for weeks, probably months, if ever, and trusting the source of whatever information the media releases is marginal.

I believe we are facing a turning point in American history. The wealthiest nation on the planet, in terms of freedom and the ability to further ones own economic and social standing simply by working hard, is facing a crisis of monumental proportions due primarily to the politicians now in power.

Politicians who crave power the way a crack head craves their next hit. They are addicts. They are addicted to the power, and like crack heads, I believe they are capable of almost anything to further their agenda and keep/increase their power.

I also believe the socialist, marxist, communist, progressive (whatever) movement, specifically the people behind it, are capable of orchestrating and creating conditions and events that will further their agenda. I know from history that communists have killed people to maintain control. I know Karl Marx wrote that the ends always justify the means, no matter what.

So the questions are:
Was this drill rig accident just an "accident" or a convenient incident?

Why is Homeland Security involved in a petroleum "accident"?

Were there any new employees or recent arrivals on this platform?

What type of security is enabled on an offshore rig? (I mean the SOB is in the midde of the Gulf, its not like you can sneak up on it.)

Just asking.

As soon as I am satisfied that this was just a horrible industrial accident with very serious environmental issues, I'll go back to my cave, continue beating my kids, plot global domination and world peace, and be paranoid and cynical, like a good Southern redneck should.

Until then....maybe we need to ask some questions.

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Worth The Re-post

Open letter written by Lou Pritchett, VP of Sales and Customer Development for Procter and Gamble.

Barack Hussein Obama You Scare Me

You scare me because after months of exposure, I know nothing about you.

You scare me because I do not know how you paid for your expensive Ivy League education and your upscale lifestyle and housing with no visible signs of support.

You scare me because you did not spend the formative years of youth growing up in America and culturally you are not an American.

You scare me because you have never run a company or met a payroll.

You scare me because you have never had military experience, thus don't understand it at its core.

You scare me because you lack humility and 'class', always blaming others.

You scare me because for over half your life you have aligned yourself with radical extremists who hate America and you refuse to publicly denounce these radicals who wish to see America fail..

You scare me because you are a cheerleader for the 'blame America ' crowd and deliver this message abroad.

You scare me because you want to change America to a European style country where the government sector dominates instead of the private sector.

You scare me because you want to replace our health care system with a government controlled one.

You scare me because you prefer 'wind mills' to responsibly capitalizing on our own vast oil, coal and shale reserves.

You scare me because you want to kill the American capitalist goose that lays the golden egg which provides the highest standard of living in the world.

You scare me because you have begun to use 'extortion' tactics against certain banks and corporations.

You scare me because your own political party shrinks from challenging you on your wild and irresponsible spending proposals.

You scare me because you will not openly listen to or even consider opposing points of view from intelligent people.

You scare me because you falsely believe that you are both omnipotent and omniscient.

You scare me because the media gives you a free pass on everything you do. You scare me because you demonize and want to silence the Limbaugh's, Hannitys, O'Reillys and Becks who offer opposing, conservative points of view.

You scare me because you prefer controlling over governing.

Finally, you scare me because if you serve a second term I will probably not feel safe in writing a similar letter in 8 years.

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DCExaminer Morning Email

Byron York - How Obama could lose Arizona immigration battle
The drafters of the law knew the lawsuit was coming; a lawsuit is always coming when a state tries to enforce the nation's immigration laws. What the drafters didn't expect was Obama's aggressive and personal role in trying to undermine the new measure.
"You can imagine, if you are a Hispanic American in Arizona ..." the president said Tuesday at a campaign-style appearance in Iowa, "suddenly, if you don't have your papers and you took your kid out to get ice cream, you're going to be harassed."

Julie Mason - Bill Clinton has no shortage of time or opinions

In irregular rotation, the former president can be found: below the radar, on international rescue, or prominently off-message. Lately, it's a bit of the latter.
"I am not sure they violated the law," Clinton said earlier this week of Goldman Sachs, the investment bank being sued for fraud by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

J.P. Freire - Obama made $5m in 2009 and tells us we've made enough?
This comes on top of the other millions of dollars Obama received in previous years. The fact that Obama has been in the public spotlight as a politician has undoubtedly had an impact on the royalties of his two books as well. Go ahead and compare Obama’s 2009 income with other presidents here.

Susan Ferrechio - Bitter breakup between Crist and GOP in Fla. Senate race
The move could save his political career. As a Republican, Crist was trailing his more conservative opponent, Marco Rubio, by 20 points in the party's primary but runs much closer in polls with a third-party candidate in November.

Byron York - On AZ immigration, Gerson responds to me; I respond to him
Gerson’s big point is that when people like me “fail to comprehend” that being asked for a driver’s license is more burdensome in some circumstances than in others, it “reveals a fundamental lack of empathy.” But here’s the thing. If you are doing something illegal, then mundane interactions with the police are always a potential problem. Just look at the amazing variety of wrongdoing police discover as a result of routine traffic stops. When cops stop somebody with an expired tag, they aren’t necessarily looking for guns or meth or a guy wanted for skipping out on his debts. But that’s what they sometimes find.

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DCExaminer Editorial Highlights

WASHINGTON EXAMINER EDITORIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Reid, Levin demean the Senate

Today's Examiner Editorial
"If there is ever to be a restoration of civility in American politics, the adults in the Democratic Party ought to tell Reid and Levin to clean up their acts."

Obama's politically correct leadership invites military disaster

Jed Babbin, Part Five of a Five-Part Series
"Why would anyone want to serve in an army whose leader believes it's more important to support diversity than to protect their lives from murderous threats within the force?"

Republicans pick Wall Street over free markets

Timothy P. Carney, Examiner Columnist
"By proposing a financial reform bill that is mostly identical to the one proposed by Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., Republicans have passed up an opportunity to simultaneously appeal to their base, by returning to their alleged principles of limited government, and appeal to much of the middle, by waging a populist battle against Wall Street's corporate-welfare queens who panhandle on Capitol Hill."

Economy is looking up ... for now

Irwin M. Stelzer, Examiner Columnist
"Lying in wait to ambush the recovery are the president's tax increases, the hidden costs of the health care "reform," an energy bill that is ready to be introduced, and a Congress seemingly determined to make a whipping boy of the financial sector."

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Thursday, April 29, 2010

They're Finally Getting It

Cornyn: Crist v. Rubio Primary Has Been "A Learning Experience"

BY John McCormack

National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman John Cornyn said this morning that the Florida Republican primary between Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist has been "a learning experience" for him.

Cornyn told reporters at a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor that he first tried to recruit Jeb Bush to run for Senate. When Bush declined, Cornyn looked for the next most popular Republican (Crist) in the state to run. The lesson he's learned from the NRSC's endorsement of Crist?

"In this political environment," Cornyn said, "it's not necessarily helpful for candidates running in the states to have the national party chairman" endorse them.

"More than any time than I've seen in the recent past," Cornyn added, "instead of a Contract for America [voters] want a Contract from America."

Cornyn said that voters don't want to "have their choices made" for them by the political elite. They want those in Washington to hear their voices.

Cornyn will request that Crist return the money donated to him by Cornyn's PAC if Crist follows through on his switch to independent today.

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The VAT in the News

H/T The Hammer. Thank you MK for assembling this.

Newsweek: Why Are All these Crazy Wingers Talking About a VAT?

Mary Katharine Ham

No one's seriously talking about a VAT, nutters.

White House advisor Paul Volcker called the idea "not as toxic" as it's been in the past.
Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf said he's fielding "a lot of questions" about it from members of Congress.

White House economic advisor Austan Goolsbee did not avail himself of the opportunity to rule out a VAT on "Morning Joe," despite the fact that Mark Halperin gave him six tries at it.

The head of the White House's debt commission said the magnitude of the problem (made more magnitudinous by Obamacare) requires that everything, including a VAT, be on the table.

Obama himself did not rule it out, calling it a "novel" idea for America that has "worked for some countries."

Conclusion: This is all probably just a clever fund-raising ploy for conservative organizations. Dang, that Frank Luntz is good.

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Thunder Run - From the Front

In today's From the Front: (Click on link to read stories highlighted below)
This post is courtesy of The Thunder Run.

Dispatches:

Bouhammer: Afghanistan Report making waves
Family Matters Blog: Spouse Looks Forward to Husband’s Return
Helmand Blog - Afghanistan: 3 YORKS' soldiers return from Afghanistan
Bruce R: On PowerPoint rangers
Home From Iraq: Friends Old and New
IraqPundit: It Doesn't Look Good
Kit Up: Kit Up! is Going to the 'Stan
Bill Roggio: Taliban strike in North Waziristan and Peshawar
Loving A Soldier Blog: Catch up
One Marine's View: Sandwich ninja
Red Bull Rising: A Minority Report: "Death to PowerPoint!"
Sketchpad Warrior: What We Do
Joan D'Arc: The Army has done it again... -
Texas Music: Pom Poms
The Torch: Afghan detainee docs decision: When the law is no longer applicable
Unambiguously Ambidextrous: Afghans Must Think We’re Insane
Wings Over Iraq: It begins...
Nathan Hodge: Drone Pilots Could Be Tried for ‘War Crimes,’ Law Prof Says
Army Live: Caring for our Warriors
Andrew Lebovich and Katherine Tiedemann: Daily brief: TTP chief alive: Pakistani intelligence
Loving A Soldier Blog: Walk the Walk...
The Captain's Journal: Marine Corps Distributed Operations in Afghanistan
From My Position - On the Way!: Recognizing the Best Military Spouse


News from the Home Front:
Report Notes Afghanistan Developments, Challenges
Report: Still not enough troops for Afghanistan operations
Joint Base Lewis-McChord airmen to receive Silver Stars, other medals Thursday
Joey Caron's dedication to country "remarkable," commanding general says
Army Releases 2010 Modernization Strategy


News from the Front:
Iraq:

Human Rights Watch interviews detainees from Baghdad secret prison
Dangerous Games
Allawi's Iraqiya bloc seeks caretaker to safeguard election results


Afghanistan:
Afghan MP Says U.S. Troops Raid Home, Kill Relative
Afghan Lawmaker's Relative Killed in Night Raid
On a Holiday for Afghans, Tight Security and Violence
U.S. Questions Karzai’s Anti-Corruption Zeal
U.S. seeks to prop up Kandahar governor, sideline troublesome power brokers
Pentagon says instability in Afghanistan has 'leveled off'
Pentagon Sees Pakistan Shift, Downplays Afghan Impact
Pakistan Taliban Chief Believed Alive
Nad 'Ali 'Super-Shura' Attracts More Than 1,100
Afghan-international Force Kills Armed Individual in Nangarhar
IJC Operational Update, April 29
Hundreds protest death of Afghan lawmaker's kin in NATO raid
Afghan support for Karzai govt low, says Pentagon
Taliban key commander killed in N. Afghanistan
Taliban guns down outspoken Afghan tribal chief
Prince Harry is trained enough to take on the Taliban
Kandahar security plan ready
Officials slam education ministry
More Aussie police due

The Thunder Run's From the Front is a daily series that highlights news and personal dispatches from the front and the home front.

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Commercials That Really Get Me Jacked

There are two currently running and I turn off the sound when they start running, because I swear I will lose it if I have to listen to the blatant lies and twisted facts and deliberate omission and sideways accusations that some politicians don't support the troops because they want "Big Oil" and banks to make a profit.

The first is the AARP commercial with that stupid jingle. Its quite possibliy the dumbest thing I've heard in my entire 59 years on this planet. They lump banks and investment houses in the same bad light. Question for AARP, who is going to handle retirees money if there are no banks? The government? Thats what you sapsuckers want isn't it? Dip*****.

The second is from our old friends over at VoteVets, an organaization so far to the left it needs a permit to make a right hand turn. VoteVets has somehow managed to con some otherwise resonably intelligent veterans to do a voice over or make an appearence in a commercial telling everyone that "Big Oil" is the problem and they're the ones responsible for all our KIA's and wounded, because "Big Oil" only cares about profits and continues to do business with muslim countries in the Middle East and OH MY GOD ITS SO EVIL and Randy Forbes should stop siding with "Big Oil" and we should all convert our cars to run on Mr. Bubble because only then will we be truly free from our "addiction" to oil.

Hey, whoever is running VoteVets PAC. You're a moron and everyone can see what you're about. STFU. Use that money to help Homes For Our Troops build homes for wounded veterans. Give some to the USO or Soldiers Angels. Get a life. Get a job. Get a dog. Do something productive and constructive, like advocating for offshore drilling to replace Middle East oil.
Dumass.

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Here's My Surprised Face

Anyone that didn't see this coming the minute Crist denied he would do it on Fox News last month, is in dire need of something.

News Alert: Crist says he'll run for Senate as independent
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Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said Thursday that he is leaving the Republican Party and will seek a seat in the U.S. Senate as an independent. Crist began his campaign as the dominant candidate in the race, but he has steadily lost ground, in GOP polls and fundraising, to former state House speaker Marco Rubio.

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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Thunder Run - From the Front

In today's From the Front: (Click on link to read stories highlighted below) This post is courtesy of The Thunder Run.
Dispatches:
Michael Yon: Big Guns
Katherine Tiedemann: Daily brief: Taliban attack Peshawar police
ANNA BADKHEN: Afghanistan's Little Men
Army Blogger Wife: Deployment Question #15--Can I go too?
Army Live: (VIDEO) Sledgehammer Soldiers 6 months in
TIM HSIA: America’s Multiethnic Military
Corey Mindlin USArmy: Why is it?
David Bellavia: Veterans Take the Fight to Westboro Whackos <--(Bellavia is gonna get us in trouble)
the semi-normal, day-to-day life of a female marine: PTSD and Military Sexual Trauma
Bruce R: Afghan army marksmanship: quality vs quantity
Sargeant Stewart McCrone, Quick Reaction Force Commander, 16 Signals Unit at Camp Souter, Kabul: QRF
Bill Roggio: US-born cleric Awlaki 'proud' to have taught al Qaeda operatives
Loving A Soldier Blog: Allergies and more
LTC John: Good works, and good music
New Girl on Post: Back In The Boot
Ramblings from a painter: Skip Has Left The Building
LTC Rich Phillips: More Photos
Sic Semper Tyrannis: Iraqi election Aftermath: Sectarian Bombings
Terry Galvin: Ending Afghanistan's Agony: "Our Afghan Comrades Speak Out." Unambiguously Ambidextrous: Robert Semrau On Trial For Murdering “Soldier”?
The Unknown Soldiers: Quiet patriotism, out of the spotlight
Wings Over Iraq: The Difference
War, the military, COIN and stuff: Can Banning Ammonium Nitrate Help Curb IEDs in Afghanistan?
American Ranger: Big Problems in Afghanistan
The Captain's Journal: Chasing the Enemy
This Ain't Hell: Stop pretending that you care, at least it will make you honest.
News from the Home Front:
Local families still waiting for their soldiers to come home
DoD Agrees to Submit Some Fort Hood Documents to Senate
Administration continues to defy Senate subpoena for Fort Hood documents -
Pace of Changes Clouds Future, Mullen Says
Slain Nevada deputy had just returned from Afghanistan

News from the Front:
Iraq:

Report Details Torture at Secret Baghdad Prison
Sunni - Backed Vote Winner Seeks Caretaker Government -
Former PM Urges Interim Government in Iraq
Clinton urges Iraq to 'speedily' form government
Obama Sticks to a Deadline in Iraq

Afghanistan:
Military Disputes Taliban on Korangal Valley Outpost
Would-be Pakistan suicide bomber tells all
Five Policemen Killed In Pakistan Car Bomb Attack
UAE Jails Six For Funnelling Money to Taliban
Roadside Bomb Kills 12 Civilians In Afghanistan
Pentagon taking closer look at Afghan intel unit
U.S. Begins Inquiry on Spy Network in Pakistan
Case of teenage militant moves toward tribunal trial
Afghanistan denies police role in killing of U.N. staffers
Transfer of Authority in Helmand Province
Afghan Victory Day Celebrated in Kabul
IJC Operational Update, April 28
Terrorist attacks spike in Pakistan, Afghanistan -
Four policemen killed, six injured in suicide attack on check post in NWFP
Taliban "Ready for the Assault" in Kandahar
Afghan deputy trade minister calls for Iran’s cooperation in investment
Rocket hits Kabul City
U.S. plan to arm Afghan militia founders on tribal rivalries
Taliban protection payoffs denied by contractor
Afghans Mark Anniversary Of Mujahedin Victory
Roadside bomb kills 12 civilians in Afghanistan

The Thunder Run's From the Front is a daily series that highlights news and personal dispatches from the front and the home front.

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A Twofer From The Hammer

Remember...
9:40 AM, Apr 28, 2010 ·
BY Mary Katharine Ham
...when Nazi symbolism, vandalism, nasty signs, misspelled signs, violence, and arrests at protests (even without proof) would have deligitimized an entire movement and caused months of media coverage about the threat to the Republic posed by such barbarians? These are different times, now.


The Daily Grind
9:09 AM, Apr 28, 2010 ·
BY Mary Katharine Ham

The Arizona numbers: "Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Republicans support the law along with 62% of voters not affiliated with either major party. Democratic voters are evenly divided on the measure."

Drones to the border?

Steny Hoyer: Ok, time for y'all to suck it up and pay higher taxes to deal with the deficit.

Breaking: New poll finds Americans in anti-incumbent mood.

Casual observers may have been startled to hear a United States senator -- complete with silver comb-over and half-glasses perched on the end of his nose -- repeatedly say "shi- -y deal." Levin was just so excited, he was like a pig in, well, you know. In fact, Congress peddles shameful "deals" involving amounts of money so obscene, they would make a member of the Goldman Sachs compensation board blush.

Time for another "Obama is so clever that even when he faces clear, devastating legislative defeats, he's really winning" story.

Both sides hating on the deficit commission. Obama really does bring people together.

Video: Orszag helpfully explains how rationing will work.

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The Chronicle - Mark Alexander

Dezinformatsia

Stirring the melting pot: "Now to the growing national backlash against the state of Arizona over its tough new immigration law that says police can stop people just on the suspicion they might be there illegally." --NBC's Brian Williams

"It's now gone beyond protest to threats of a boycott, as Arizona becomes a laughing stock to some." --NBC's Andrea Mitchell

"Critics are having a field day with this, Sheriff Arpaio, as you know. Some are calling for a business boycott of the state of Arizona. The Homeland Security Secretary, used to be the governor of Arizona, says she doesn't like this, this bill. Editorial cartoons are making fun of it. Here's one where a guy goes up to a fast food counter and orders nachos and is immediately surrounded by police for probable cause. Are you worried that it affects the image of your state?" --NBC's Matt Lauer to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio

"Let me talk about the politics of this. It's forcing the president to address immigration policy. It's forcing Republicans and Democrats to wrangle with it. But what really is driving voters and emotion right now are jobs and the economy. Is this a bad issue politically at this time?" --MSNBC's Contessa Brewer

"Law Makes it a Crime to be Illegal Immigrant." --MSNBC on-screen caption -- begging the question, "What part of 'illegal' doesn't MSNBC understand?"

Blame Rush Limbaugh: "I think it is fair [for Bill Clinton to blame Rush Limbaugh and other talk hosts for inciting violence]. There is a climate of violence on the right. Liberals are demonized in the most personal way. I mean, you know, Rush comes out and has this wonderful op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal at the end of the week and saying, you know, 'conservatives are protesting because we love our country,' and unfortunately the rhetoric of the right has all too often been they love their country and we on the left do not. We are traitors, we are un-American, we are unpatriotic. Obama is weakening our national defense on purpose." --Salon's Joan Walsh

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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

From Cow Pastures To Kosovo: Help Us Raise Money for a Great Cause by Purchasing 173rd Airborne Throws

From Cow Pastures To Kosovo: Help Us Raise Money for a Great Cause by Purchasing 173rd Airborne Throws

Please go to the 173rd, 2-503 Sky Soldiers Fund Raising (Civilian Sponsored) website and order 1, 2 or several. Instructions for ordering either by paypal or check are on the above mentioned website. All purchases are tax deductible thanks to Warrior Legacy Foundation's partnership with us on this project.

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Wolves With Sheepskins

Looks as if the website for Defend Education is suffering from an overload. It was suggested that we should pay attention to this particular website in relation to the Arizona immigration issue.

After you've managed to get to the site, take note of the organizations involved in this project, and then jump over to Discover the Networks and do a search for those orgs.

Here's just a small sample:
Social Anarchists for Liberty & Justice, South California (this one really gets me.)
Social Justice Alliance, SUNY Stony Brook
Social Justice Alliance, UC Riverside, California
Socialism Now!, Chicago
Socialist Alternative
Socialist Organizer
Socialist Party of Connecticut
Socialist Party USA

There are 21 chapters of the SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) listed from schools across the country. These are the schoolchildren who like to vandalize recruiting centers and throw glass bottles of red paint on LEOs.

It is expected that Defend Education will find its way to Arizona and mayhem will insue.

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Goldman-Sachs Only Did What They Had To Do

I have my own opinions on this situation, and they all involve a straw man, a red herring, and the extremists on the left, hell bent on destroying this country by destroying our ability to direct our own financial decisions.
Rush Breaks Down the Democrat Party's Goldman Sachs Inquisition
Congress screwed up the market by forcing banks to make subprime loans to people who couldn't pay them back. Goldman isn't pure, but they wanted to survive. (Rush 24/7 Members: Listen)

"I'm not convinced that Goldman isn't in on this. They'll pay a $500 million or $400 million fine in exchange for a couple of billion in profit down the road. Goldman will take the hit, Republicans get tied to them, Democrats win in November (or don't lose as bad) and all is well." -Rush

The Regime, Class Warfare and the Destruction of American Capitalism
The greatest country on earth is being systematically dismantled right in front of our eyes, and the Republicans are getting blamed for it. It's absurd. (Rush 24/7 Members: Listen)

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Nazi RINO

Arizona puts the 'AZ' in Nazi?
(H/T Glenn Beck)

Because Arizona has taken the audacious step to make illegal immigration illegal, some lawmakers are calling for companies to boycott the state. The opposition to this law is quite confusing - what is it they are upset about exactly? Some politicians are now saying this law is reminiscent of Nazi Germany. Wait, didn't the left say it's out of bounds to make Nazi comparisons? ( Transcript, Insider Audio)

If you re-arrange the letters in Arizona, it spells Nazi RINO!!!!! Coincidence?

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The Daily Grind

The Daily Grind

BY Mary Katharine Ham

Tom Tancredo thinks Arizona law goes too far.

Time: You know who's having an awesome year? Obama.

Bronx soda buy-back flops: A dumpster labeled "soda toilet" contained very few deposits; only a couple of children surrendered containers of Tropical Fantasy and other sugar-sweetened juices. Those drinks joined a lone bottle of soda -- ironically, a Sprite Zero, which wouldn't be subject to the tax at all.

We need a guide: Is this righteous vandalism and Nazi imagery? I haven't seen much on the news about it.

Bob McDonnell isn't still talking about "inherited" problems, and he's only 100 days in: "We rejected that massive tax hike and balanced the budget through the implementation of tough but necessary spending reductions."

In related news, how much does the Washington Post hate Bob McDonnell?

"Those in the upper income strata [$200K/$250K and more] in each of these 15 [top earning professions] account for only about 1.3% of all income producers but will account for 40.5% of all those who will be burdened by the 'tax on the wealthy.'"

Tea Party bombing plot disrupted...oh, wait...I mean environmentalist bombing plot.

"What kind of U.N. environmental ambassador builds a 20,000 square-foot home with a six-car garage, an elevator and a lagoon?"

See every painting in the Museum of Modern Art in just two minutes, if you're into that kinda thing.

Live-blogging the Goldman Sachs hearing at WSJ.

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DCExaminer Morrning Email

The louder the liberals holler, the better the law in question. This Arizona immigration law that was just passed must be the best law ever written, judging from the reactions of the leftist intelligentsia.

Byron York - A carefully crafted immigration law in Arizona
The chattering class is aghast at Arizona's new immigration law. "Harkens back to apartheid," says the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Cynthia Tucker. "Shameful," says the Washington Post's E.J. Dionne. "Terrible--an invitation to abuse," says the New York Times' David Brooks.
For his part, President Obama calls the law "misguided" and says it "threaten[s] to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans." Obama has ordered the Justice Department to "closely monitor the situation and examine the civil rights and other implications of this legislation."
Has anyone actually read the law?

Sara Carter - Risk grows that Israel will go alone to take out Iranian nukes
The growing rift between the Obama administration and Israel, coupled with the administration’s failure to rein in Tehran’s nuclear program, has increased the chances that the Israelis will eventually launch an attack on Iran, experts said.

Julie Mason - Obama's election year pitch leaves out white males
President Obama's tricky, midterm election strategy relies on luring back the first-time voters who supported him in 2008 plus re-engaging women, blacks, young voters and Hispanics.

Susan Ferrechio - Another try for bipartisan bank bill after GOP blocks Dems' plan
Senate Republicans, along with one Democrat, voted to block a bill to overhaul the nation's financial system and create new layers of government oversight.
It was a major show of unity for Republicans, who believe the bill imposes overly burdensome regulations and would institutionalize government bailouts.

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Monday, April 26, 2010

DC Protest Warrior: Happy Hour Links From Today

DC Protest Warrior:
Happy Hour Links From Today

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Thunder Run - From the Front

The Thunder Run's From the Front is a daily series that highlights news and personal dispatched from the front and the home front. To be removed from this list, please reply to this email and place REMOVE in the subject line.

In today's From the Front: (Click on link to read stories highlighted below) This post is courtesy of The Thunder Run

Dispatches:


A Little Pink in a World of Camo: At A Loss
A Little Pink in a World of Camo: Hello, I'm in Delaware
A Major's Perspective: A Good Day
Bouhammer: Why we do it
Afghanistan My Last Tour: (VIDEO) Coming home
Katherine Tiedemann: Daily brief: 3 explosions strike Kandahar
al Shawa: Lethal Targeting in Iraq; Success on an Unprecedented Scale
Army Blogger Wife: Deployment Question #13--What do you eat?
Army Live: A Little Piece of Home
Bones: Enough
David Bellavia: Marine’s Murder Conviction Overturned
Free Range International: Security For Me But Not For Thee
Bruce R: Disavowed AND promoted
Knights of Afghanistan: Beer, Booze and Bribery
The Gun Line MkIII: ANZAC Day
TankerBabe: Help Us Raise Money for a Great Cause by Purchasing 173rd Airborne Throws
Hellcat Betty: Home At Last
Helmand Blog - Afghanistan: Nad-e Ali hosts “Super-Shura”
Insight of the Moment: May I be humbled
IraqPundit: What To Do Next?
Kudzu's Wandering Through the Vines: Deployments. Flaming Cars… Home
Bill Roggio: US strike kills 8 Taliban in North Waziristan
One Marine's View: One dog, One Marine, One mission
Rajiv Srinivasan: The Bus Stop
Registan.net: How to Write About Afghanistan
LTC Rich Phillips: Photos
Sketchpad Warrior: Sharing the Courage
Joan D'Arc: If you have ever lived OCONUS (outside the continental US), I could use your input...
Michael Yon: Battle for Kandahar
Terry Galvin: How The Media Spins Afghanistan
Zach Rosenberg: The Aeromedical Evacuation Shuffle
Wings Over Iraq: Do Aviators Get COIN--A Resounding "Yes"
White Rose Adventures: PGR Mission for KIA SPC Anthony Blount
The Captain's Journal: Counterinsurgency Zeal
Greyhawk: Bad news from Afghanistan
Kings of War: Apaches, Lies and Videotape
Burn Pit: What separates us from them…


News from the Home Front:
Feeling Warehoused in Army Trauma Care Units
It’s the Military, Undergraduate
Some 500 pay tribute to Pierce County soldier, 21, killed by bomb blast in Afghanistan
Charlie Company welcomed home at demobilization ceremony
Navy Names Amphibious Ship for Congressman John Murtha


News from the Front:
Iraq:
Louisiana's Tiger Brigade resumes role in Iraq's history
US soldier apologises for attack on Iraq families
Iraq Panel Wipes Out Votes, Result In Doubt -
Iraq's Sadr clarifies stance on militia's use
Iraqi Cleric Calls on Followers to Defend Against Attacks -
Qaeda Confirms Deaths Of Leaders In Iraq: Statement
Iraqi Insurgent Group Acknowledges Killing of Two Leaders


Afghanistan:
UN Curtails Operations in Kandahar After 3 Bombs
Afghan Schoolgirls Fall Ill In Suspected Gas Attack
80 Afghan Schoolgirls Fall Ill; Poison Feared
Indo-Pakistan Proxy War Heats Up in Afghanistan
Afghans burn NATO trucks in response to killing of 3 civilians
Fuel Trucks Attacked in Afghanistan
NATO: Joint Force Captures Taliban Sub-Commander in Afghanistan
Elite U.S. Units Step Up Effort in Afghan City Before Attack

The Thunder Run'sFrom the Front is a daily series that highlights news and personal dispatched from the front and the home front.

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Support the 1st Amendment - Draw Mo


Due to the recent calls for violence against many artists in Europe and America because of depictions of Mohammed, any depictions, not just "offensive" ones, Dan Savage has declared May 20, 2010 as Everybody Draw Mohammed Day.

Michael C. Moynihan at Reason has taken the ball and run with it.
I will be employing my tremendous skill as an illustrator, of course, and expect that my colleagues will do the same. If they refuse, they will be declared weak-kneed, namby-pamby, quisling infidels and will be shamed on this blog (Though such idle threats rarely work these days; perhaps I could threaten them with a painful death, which seems to do the trick). If readers would like to show their solidarity, please email your Mohammad masterpieces to me here: mmoynihan at reason.com. The best ones will be published on Hit & Run, which, along with the concomitant death threat, is reward enough.

Allah Pundit at Hot Air is spreading the word.

So, all of you artists out there....heck, non-artists too, be creative. Draw Mohammad. Send it in. Show how much you respect those thugs that threaten civilized people.

CB Edit: Our BFF SKK has a back story on this at Susan Katz Keating

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Editorials from the DCExaminer

WASHINGTON EXAMINER EDITORIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Obamacare Rx: Don't get sick

Today's Examiner Editorial
"You will also want to avoid getting sick if at all possible once Obamacare is fully in effect because you'll no longer be able to deduct a big portion of major medical expenses from your taxes."

Obama's credibility crisis

Examiner Sunday Editorial
"It seems entirely appropriate to ask if GM's repayment claims were 'suggested' by somebody in the Obama White House."

Weakening America starts with emasculating our intelligence agencies

Jed Babbin, Part One of a Five-Part Series
"Espionage is probably the world's second-oldest profession. But Obama and congressional liberals treat its U.S. practitioners as if they were engaged in the first."

Obama's law-breaking Pentagon

James Jay Carafano, Examiner Columnist
"No strategy is a real problem. By letting the Quadrenniel Defense Review cart roll in front of the strategy horse, Obama is depriving both the Congress and the American people of a full and clear picture of what he is up to."

Immigration and the congressional GOP

Hugh Hewitt, Examiner Columnist
"Because the immigration issue divides Republicans and unites Democrats, the president's team is thankful for an issue on which to pivot away from Obamacare."

What about when the government is anti-people?

Mark Hemingway, Examiner Columnist
"In other words, Clinton and Reno approved a military-style assault with the potential of giving a number of infants present chemical burns and toxic pneumonia. That wasn't an unfortunate consequence -- that was the plan."

Then there's the 'hateful rhetoric' from the Left

Gregory Kane, Examiner Columnist
"Let's see, there was the Weather Underground, in which Bombin' Billy Ayers and his wife, Bernardine Dohrn, played prominent roles. The Puerto Rican FALN committed more than 100 bombings across the United States and its homeland. Members of the Symbionese Liberation Army murdered Oakland, Calif., schools Superintendent Marcus Foster in 1973."

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Morning Reads from the DCExaminer

Byron York - Why Graham balked; can Dems win by losing on climate AND immigration?
Within hours, it became clear that there would be no unveiling, and, at least as far as Graham was concerned, no bill, either. Majority Leader Harry Reid and other Democrats decided to remove the measure, on which Graham and others had worked for months, from the Senate schedule and replace it with some sort of unformed and so-far-unwritten measure on immigration "reform."

Chris Stirewalt - Public unions make a private sector power grab
All week, the unions and their allies in community organizing will be holding mass demonstrations across the country to decry the power of Wall Street and demand passage of the president's plan.
Rallies and marches for a bank bill? What does that have to do with working for the government?

Michael Barone - Hold the VAT -- taxpayers may prefer spending cuts
The Obama Democrats' stealth strategy for increasing the size and scope of the federal government is well under way, despite huge voter backlash. Federal spending has been increased from a 30-year average of 21 percent of gross domestic product to 25 percent, and a bipartisan commission tasked with reducing the deficit may recommend tax increases. Presidential economic adviser Paul Volcker has already called for a value added tax, a form of national sales tax, and presidential press secretary Robert Gibbs has declined to rule it out.

Mark Hemingway - Did an Obama national security adviser make an anti-Semitic joke?
A Taliban militant gets lost and is wandering around the desert looking for water. He finally arrives at a store run by a Jew and asks for water. The Jewish vendor tells him he doesn’t have any water but can gladly sell him a tie. The Taliban, the jokes goes on, begins to curse and yell at the Jewish storeowner---

Susan Ferrechio - GOP says it has the votes to block Dems' bank bill
Senate Republicans say they will likely have the votes to block the start of debate on a major financial reform bill, which would leave the legislation in limbo until a bipartisan deal can be achieved.

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Friday, April 23, 2010

Somebody is misinformed

From the Kenyan National Assembly Official Report pdf uploaded at Canada Free Press.

The excerpt below is from a discussion on the Approval of Draft Constitution of Kenya at page 31. And important document, wouldn't you think? (Emphasis mine)

The other thing that we are addressing through devolution is exclusion. What has
made us suffer as a nation is exclusion. Once people feel excluded, even when you want to employ a policeman or constable or you want to build a dispensary, it must come from the centre. In the colonial days, these things were being done on the ground and they could give bursaries and build roads. I commend devolution. Those who fear devolution are living in the past. They are being guided by their ethnic consideration and objectives. They are living in the past. If America was living in a situation where they feared ethnicity and did not see itself as a multiparty state or nation, how could a young man born here in Kenya, who is not even a native American, become the President of America? It is because they did away with exclusion. What has killed us here is exclusion; that once Mr. Orengo is President, I know of no other place than Ugenya. That is why we were fighting against these many Presidencies in the past. I hope that Kenya will come of age. This country must come of age. People want freedom and nations want liberation, but countries want independence.
I beg to support.

The author mentions the reaction to his original post about this here.

Someone has been misinformed. Hope its not.....us......

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Thursday, April 22, 2010

Earth Day - I sacrificed

For Earth Day, I sacrificed. I sacrificed valuable and worthy materials.

To combat global climate change, I sacrificed 6 gallons of precious, precious gasoline, letting the smoke drift up, taking my prayers to stop global cooling....

To celebrate life on our mother Gaia, I sacrificed an animal on an alter of flame....well....part of an animal.......ribs mostly.......

To celebrate the joy of Mother Gaia's bountiful crops, I imbibed cold, wonderful beer....sacrificing my sobriety.

Tonight, I am sacrificing the wealth of Mother Gaia's bones, coal, to power this computer, in order to spread the word.....

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Printing Skin - Faster please!

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Iran's New Sooper Weapon

Iran decided to demonstrate its new naval super weapon. A new and improved.....speedboat. Iran has acquired the 82 mph Bradstone Challenger aka the Blade Runner 51. Guaranteed to strike fear into any unarmed tanker or moored hulk. (emphasis below added.)

April 22: Iranian boats take part in naval war game in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz southern Iran. Iran's Revolutionary Guards successfully deployed a new speed boat capable of destroying enemy ships as war games began on Thursday in a waterway crucial for global oil supplies, Iranian media reported.

Source: REUTERS/Fars News


"deployed a new speed boat capable of destroying enemy ships "

A speed boat capable of destroying a ship.......their quote. Perhaps they tow suicide bombers on "close, inshore, recon platforms" aka skis......

Swarms of ATGM (Anti-TANK Guided Missile) armed speed boats can be considered a threat. A threat to lightly armed ships. While tactics of swarming small boats against larger boats can be effective against single ships, US tactics and capabilities have been developed to handle these......ski boats. ATGM's are not very effective against ships, much less modern warships. And getting close enough to attack any ship capable of fighting back at that range.........well, let's just say that getting that close will take cast iron cojones......

The above picture is labeled, at FoxNews, at their photo story as "Sinking Target."

Ummmm, no so much..... it appears. Maybe after they open the sea cocks.....

From the Christian Science Monitor:

“The most important message from the exercises in the face of American nuclear threats is that we will strongly resist them,” said Ali Shirazi, the representative of Ayatollah Khamenei to Revolutionary Guard naval forces, according to Iran’s official news agency IRNA.

Resist nuclear threats ......... with speed boats........okaaaaayy......

Military spokesman Ali Reza Tangsiri said the new “Ya Mahdi” attack boat – named after the Shiite Muslim messiah who is expected to one day return and bring universal justice – was “less detectable by radar” because of its “high speed.”

High speed makes a boat less detectable by radar? Why didn't we think of that? Oh, wait! CVN's travel at 45+ (classified) knots. The faster they go, the less detectable they'll be!

All joking aside, swarms of boats and combined air and land based missile attacks, used intelligently can win against a technologically superior force. Used intelligently.......

While the exercise did utilize 300 speed boats and air and land forces, if their spokesman's statement above demonstrates the depth of knowledge available........do the words, "turkey shoot" have any meaning for you?

Ares, a defense technology blog, mentions that the new boat may be able to utilize the Iranian version of the Shkval super cavitation torpedo, called the Hoot. However, the torpedo seems to have only been test fired against a "dummy submarine."

Let it be known that the Russians have had trouble with the Shkval. The Kursk disaster was caused by the weapon's fuel causing an large explosion, sinking the submarine

But, they do look like they're having fun.

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Why Celebrate the 2nd? Because....

.......When Seconds Count, the police are only minutes away.....




Tell me again why banning guns is a good idea? Please, tell me how keeping law abiding citizens from being armed will make everything soooo much better.

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Why does Michael Steele still have a job?

Why do we need enemies when we have friends like these?

Speaking to 200 DePaul University students on Tuesday, Steele basically stated that there is no reason for blacks to vote for the Republican party. "You really don’t have a reason to, to be honest — we haven’t done a very good job of really giving you one. True? True."

For this, he was chosen as the Chairman of the RNC? Isn’t he the man that’s supposed to articulate why people should be voting for Republicans or if they are not, why those people are missing out?

Blaming the "Southern Strategy" that has made the GOP competitive in the political battles, Steele said, "We have lost sight of the historic, integral link between the party and African-Americans," Steele said. "This party was co-founded by blacks, among them Frederick Douglass. The Republican Party had a hand in forming the NAACP, and yet we have mistreated that relationship. People don’t walk away from parties, Their parties walk away from them." Implying that the current attraction of the GOP to Southerners is based on race is sure to motivate the African American members of our great country to vote GOP. I truly hope that he decided to keep his message simple, and does not believe this. The south votes for the GOP because it claims to be the party of principle, honor, pro-life, small government, and pro-defense. Our stated color-blindness matches the words of Dr. MLK.

"For the last 40-plus years we had a ‘Southern Strategy’ that alienated many minority voters by focusing on the white male vote in the South. Well, guess what happened in 1992, folks, ‘Bubba’ went back home to the Democratic Party and voted for Bill Clinton."

Hmmmm, I seem to remember that we "lost" the "black vote" somewhere around the mid 60’s prior to the "southern strategy." And Bill Clinton would have won even if he hadn’t gotten one single electoral vote from the South. However, all that is history and irrelevant.

"Bubba." So that’s what he thinks of the southern vote, the southern white male…..really. Great. "Bubba didn’t vote for Clinton. Clinton got 4 southern states. And 43% of the votes, about 28% of the voting population. Perhaps if the GOP hadn’t picked "Read My Lips" Bush as a candidate, we might have gotten a better turnout. I will admit that our choices in the primaries were terrible and Bush was the best of a bad deal. As it is, Steele conveniently forgets Perot. A huge part of that 18.9% of the vote was conservatives turned off by the big government (precursor of "compassionate conservatism?) GOP.

Steele’s job is to make TODAY’S GOP attractive to voters, not to declare that we haven’t pandered enough to any group. It is his job to present the message of the GOP, saying, "Here is our message and our principles. If you like what you hear and see, join us. If you don’t, why not?"

If a pro-life, color blind, equal opportunity, pro-liberty, pro-business, low tax, pro-defense message doesn’t attract you, then, why would we want you? If he can’t articulate it then he needs to copy it:

As the great Ronald Reagan said,

Americans are hungry to feel once again a sense of mission and greatness.

I don ‘t know about you, but I am impatient with those Republicans who after the last election rushed into print saying, "We must broaden the base of our party" — when what they meant was to fuzz up and blur even more the differences between ourselves and our opponents.

It was a feeling that there was not a sufficient difference now between the parties that kept a majority of the voters away from the polls. When have we ever advocated a closed-door policy? Who has ever been barred from participating?

Our people look for a cause to believe in. Is it a third party we need, or is it a new and revitalized second party, raising a banner of no pale pastels, but bold colors which make it unmistakably clear where we stand on all of the issues troubling the people?

Let us show that we stand for fiscal integrity and sound money and above all for an end to deficit spending, with ultimate retirement of the national debt.

Let us also include a permanent limit on the percentage of the people’s earnings government can take without their consent.

Let our banner proclaim a genuine tax reform that will begin by simplifying the income tax so that workers can compute their obligation without having to employ legal help.

And let it provide indexing — adjusting the brackets to the cost of living — so that an increase in salary merely to keep pace with inflation does not move the taxpayer into a surtax bracket. Failure to provide this means an increase in government’s share and would make the worker worse off than he was before he got the raise.

Let our banner proclaim our belief in a free market as the greatest provider for the people. Let us also call for an end to the nit-picking, the harassment and over-regulation of business and industry which restricts expansion and our ability to compete in world markets.

Let us explore ways to ward off socialism, not by increasing government’s coercive power, but by increasing participation by the people in the ownership of our industrial machine.

Our banner must recognize the responsibility of government to protect the law-abiding, holding those who commit misdeeds personally accountable.

And we must make it plain to international adventurers that our love of peace stops short of "peace at any price."

We will maintain whatever level of strength is necessary to preserve our free way of life.

A political party cannot be all things to all people. It must represent certain fundamental beliefs which must not be compromised to political expediency, or simply to swell its numbers.

I do not believe I have proposed anything that is contrary to what has been considered Republican principle. It is at the same time the very basis of conservatism. It is time to reassert that principle and raise it to full view. And if there are those who cannot subscribe to these principles, then let them go their way.

This message was true then and its true today. If this message is unattractive, then let them go their way.

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Wednesday, April 21, 2010

2nd Amendment March DC Rally

Patriot's Day. The anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord. An anniversary forgotten, though without this day, the Fourth of July would be just another summer's day.

I had forgotten this anniversary. No media celebrated it outside of Massachusetts. No school trumpets it. The country has forgotten about it.

But the 2nd Amendment supporters remembered. And they reminded me.

And so I went to the DC 2nd Amendment Rally to celebrate the "shot heard round the world." I went to celebrate the right to keep and bear arms; the right of a free man to defend his liberty.

And what did I find? About 2000 supporters, out of the MILLIONS in America. 2000 supporters, out of the thousands in DC that are finally allowed to keep arms, if not bear them. That fight is not over.

About 2000 from across the nation. Out of an estimated 80 million gun owners.

I don't know whether to celebrate this fact or to be ashamed. Either Americans are apathetic about the fight to retain the right to keep and bear arms or Americans are complacent because those that support the 2nd have been winning.

Since I am already familiar with the arguments and the culture of the 2nd Amendment, I decided that I would attend the rally as a "tourist" and attempt to look at the rally as a uninformed DC tourist. I traveled by bus along with the Richmond, Va. VCDL chapter. I was reunited with a long lost member of the UCV, Jesse. Go see his site at Insane Hippie.



First impressions are key. And my first impression was that the rally was small for such an important ideal. But, perhaps the rally would grow as the day went on......and it did. It was still smaller than I expected. But it was Monday and it was DC. I wouldn't want to fight that traffic....

My other initial impression was that the rally goers were cheerful and inviting. Good music, friendly smiles, and laughter abounded. The yellow Gadsen flag and the Navy Jack flew proudly in the air. An enterprising fellow sold other smaller versions and a variation of the Texan Gonzales flag utilizing an image of the AR-15. Two small boys wandered the crowd, selling buttons, their pockets filled with cash. Think about that.......where else would you let your child wander, with or without cash, knowing that your child was safe and protected. Orange "Guns Saves Lives" stickers proliferated like dandelions. Passing tourists started to sprout them.

I met people from Michigan, Ohio, California, Georgia, and Virginia. Their reasons for attending can encapsulated in one statement. Love of country. They all were there, not because of imminent threat to the 2nd Amendment, but to support it, to spread the message that the Constitution matters and if you restrict one right, all rights are vulnerable. They even offered language lessons .......

So, as a tourist, I took pictures. Hope you like them.


Re-enactors provided needed instruction to the park police about their new-fangled firearms.

Actually, the Park Police were extremely professional and seemed to enjoy themselves.
For a crowd of such dangerous individuals, the presence was slight. Except for the two on the roof of the building across the street....


Smile and wave boys... smile and wave.... Remember, cute and cuddly......



Great personages graced the rally: Davy Crocket and his brother in arms, Button Gwinnett.
Great feats of arms resulted of from the meeting....








General Washington (Kevin Grantz) and Mr. Patrick Henry reminded us of the true nature of our Republic. It is our responsibility to ensure its survival.




Michael Bane spoke of the American gun culture and the wonderment of actually succeeding on TV with no previous experience.



Philip Van Cleve spoke as well, but, I can't split his video to upload it. Sorry.

The rally went well. There will be more videos uploaded, including one by Lisa Mei who sang "Our Guns" and one from the end by Lucas Hogue. I was able to get part of the Patrick Henry speech.

Good rally.

crossposted at RedState

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Why They Must Destroy Our Economy

One of the ploys used by Marxists is to disparage equality of opportunity (i.e. self-determination and reliance on ones' own abilities) and offer up, instead, equality of outcome. (we'll just give everyone exactly the same amount). People shouldn't be judged on their ability but on their need: from each according to his ability to each according to his need.

Under this mantra, no one should be allowed to make more, have more, do more than another; everyone should be equal in their passions, opinions and possessions under the mantra of the "common good" or community. Such also extends to their political rights under the Marxist ideal of "democracy."

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A Message From My Good Friend Katie O'Malley

Dear Patriot,

Since 2009, millions have marched in the streets against the government takeover of health care. In towns across America, town halls, tea parties and rallies have become a weekly occurrence and to tell Congress and the President, in no uncertain terms, “we do not support the reckless path you are taking us down.”

And yet, in March of this year, our voice was ignored and Washington took over 1/6 of our economy by brute force and against the will of the People. And Healthcare is only the beginning. We have learned that, while our presence in the streets is important, our presence at the ballot box is the only thing that can truly ensure that our voices are heard. Electing strong, brave conservative Congressmen is the only way we can ensure liberty.

We have an amazing opportunity to make sure that Americans are aware of these threats and empowered to battle them at the ballot box. Ensuring Liberty will show them how the value and importance of electing solidly conservative candidates that will truly represent We The People in Washington, elected officials who embrace Ensuring Liberty’s first principles of :

· Less Government

· Lower Taxes

· Fiscal Responsibility

· National Security

· States’ Rights

This is a battle that cannot wait until the fall elections. We must ensure that voters across the Country are aware and educated about the many threats to our liberties. Special elections are taking place across the Nation over the next few weeks and primaries have already begun.

Over the next few weeks, we will be hosting several Virtual Town Halls all across the country. We will have many of our Congressional Caucus members on to hear what you want from Washington and to share their insights on how this can be done.

We need your help to make sure that these meetings can be a success and people everywhere know that they have a voice in Washington through our Congressional Caucus – The Ensuring Liberty Caucus. Please help us in our fight by joining Ensuring Liberty today. Your generous donation of $20, $50 or $100 dollars will help us defeat the liberal agenda and promote our conservative First Principles. It’s time to turn our anger into action.

We need your donation today so that we may continue the fight against liberals bent on trading our children’s financial freedom for quick political gain. Please click here right now to join us today. There is no better investment in our liberty. http://www.libertycaucus.net/join.htm

In Liberty,

Katie O’Malley

Executive Director

Ensuring Liberty is a non-profit organization that influences debate in across the Nation through constituent education and advocacy campaigns. Ensuring Liberty is a 501(c)4, and its affiliated PAC, the Ensuring Liberty PAC (ELPAC) were formed to address the next step in the growing impact of the conservative movement through issue advocacy, fund raising, candidate recruiting and most importantly, the development of a Congressional Caucus of like-minded representatives that stand for our First Principles.

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DCExaminer Morning Must Reads

Sebastian Mallaby -- In SEC vs. Goldman, who's really at fault?

The Obama administration would have a better argument to make that the SEC suit against Goldman Sachs was not a political stunt aimed providing some cover for the president’s own relationship with the firm (As Examiner colleague J.P. Freire points out, the firm put 10 times more into the Obama administration as Enron gave to George W. Bush) if the case were better.

Goldman is pretty clearly the most easily hated Wall Street firm. They made fat profits from taking huge risks and then letting the taxpayers take all the losses when the feds paid off the $22 billion in insane investment insurance Goldman had convinced the dummkopfs at AIG to issue.

But the SEC’s case against Goldman relates to a tiny portion of the money siphoned from taxpayers and it looks to be very thin at that – something whipped up on short order. That’s why Republicans are pushing for the emails between the White House and the agency.

As Goldman is now finding out, the problem of being in business with the government is that sometimes they cheat for you, but when the political climate demands it, they start cheating against you. Not to worry, though. A modest settlement following a complex legal battle followed by fat checks to the Hope and Change revival tour in 2012 should put everything right again.

Mallaby does a great job in explaining the abstruse financial product at the heart of the suit. It wasn’t a mortgage bond, but a bet on how mortgage bonds would perform. Goldman acted as the house, arranging the terms of the wager between John Paulson, the hedge funder who wanted to bet that mortgages would go bust, and Euro banks that were gobbling up anything that looked like a mortgage investment.

“Next, the SEC complains that Paulson had a hand in designing the securities, maximizing the chances that they would blow up. He did the equivalent of building a timber house with a large fireplace and a blocked chimney, then buying fire insurance on the structure. Shocking though this may sound, it is another non-scandal. An investor who wants to bet against a bundle of mortgages is entitled to suggest what should go into the bundle. The buyer is equally entitled to make counter-suggestions. As the SEC's complaint states clearly, the lead buyer in this deal, a boutique called ACA that specialized in mortgage securities, did precisely that.”

New York Times -- Financial Debate Renews Scrutiny on Banks’ Size

Writer Sewell Chan shows that bigger is hardly better when it comes to banking.

One area when conservatives and liberals can agree is that the idea of having an overclass of federally supported mega-banks is bad for the republic.

Liberals want the government to break up the big banks now. Conservatives want the big banks to lose any special regulatory status and be allowed to go bankrupt if they fail.

The Dodd-Obama bank bill does neither and in fact ensconces a handful of the biggest banks in what amounts to a VIP airport lounge for regulation and support. There are more rules, but the level of comfort is much greater than the rest of the terminal.

While President Obama promises to limit risk by controlling salaries for executives and imposing other restrictions, the best protection against risk – an inability to find investors – would actually be diluted by the special status for these elite bankers.

Andy Jackson wouldn’t recognize his party.

“What is not in doubt is that the crisis increased the size and importance of the six largest banks: Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.

During the crisis, Bank of America swallowed Merrill Lynch, JPMorgan Chase bought Bear Stearns and Wells Fargo acquired Wachovia. Goldman and Morgan converted to bank holding companies to gain access to lending from the Fed’s discount window.

In 1995, the assets of the six largest banks totaled 17 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product. Now they have assets amounting to 63 percent of G.D.P. Measured another way, the share of all banking industry assets held by the top 10 banks rose to 58 percent last year, from 44 percent in 2000 and 24 percent in 1990.”

Wall Street Journal -- Immigration Legislation Gains Traction

Sen. Scott Brown revealed that when President Obama called him Tuesday to lobby for the Dodd bank bill, Obama also told him to expect immigration legislation to crop up in about a month.

Why would Obama want to take on such an unpopular, politically divisive issue so soon after pushing through his national health program in an election year?

Even if he doesn’t get the bill passed, Obama hopes to fire up Hispanic voters in places like Nevada and California and label the GOP as xenophobic. It’s base politics and an effort to shrink the enthusiasm gap.

But its also poison with independent voters, blue-collar Democrats and states that still have manufacturing.

Writer Laura Meckler explains that the Republican position, forged in 2008’s primaries, is still “Fence first. Amnesty later.”

“‘I believe that we can convince our Republican colleagues that we have to secure the border first,’ Mr. McCain said during an appearance on KFYI radio in Arizona, according to The Hill. ‘There's no point of having immigration reform unless you can have the borders secure first.’

This week, Mr. McCain and Sen. Jon Kyl (R., Ariz.) proposed a 10-point plan for boosting border security.”

New York Times -- Senate Bill Sets a Plan to Regulate Premiums

It’s a tacit admission that the president’s national health program will keep pushing insurance premiums upward, but Democrats are bringing forward legislation to impose price controls on the insurance business.

Part of this is pure politics. When the premiums keep going up and up and up, even if the measure can’t pass, it allows lawmakers to point to a proposed solution and again lament Republican obstructionism.

Part of this is also the realization that Democrats are not likely to hold so many seats next year. Liberals are trotting out some of their favorite ideas, including federal price controls on insurance rates, while there is some hope that they might catch on. The measure was excluded from Obamacare because it could not be fit into the budget reconciliation approach used to circumvent a Republican filibuster.

Writer Robert Pear looks at what Tom Harkin, Diane Feinstein and others are cooking up.

“Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, the No. 3 Republican in the Senate, said: ‘Health insurance companies’ profits for one year equal about two days of health care spending in the United States. So even if we were to take away all the profits of the so-called greedy insurance companies, that would still leave 363 days a year when health care costs are expanding at a rate our country cannot afford.’”

Washington Post -- Both national party committees spend big chunks on fancy meals, hotels, travel

Writer Jeffrey Smith seems surprised that political parties spend so much money sucking up to donors.

Both national parties treat big political donors the same way companies treat big investors: by spending a little of the money they pony up on pampering them.

The concept of the charity gala has morphed into a word of NFL skyboxes, Wall Street-sized tabs at nightclubs and restaurants and goodie bags.

Most political donors, though, are really either concerned about ideology or access. Democratic whales want face time with President Obama or key committee chairmen. It’s tougher for Republicans who have less to offer in the way of paid access and have tried to compensate with a more lavish VIP experience for donors.

Michael Steele’s $340,000 Hawaiian winter meeting and Lear jet travel are about showing off.

The question, though, is which part of the money goes to actually sucking up to donors – a pricier version of the PBS tote bag – and which part is wasted by staffers.

While Democrats save money by using the White House as the ultimate perk, it seems like Republicans aren’t getting much bang for the buck.

“The nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics, in an analysis done at the request of The Post, calculated, however, that administrative and fundraising expenses consumed about $60 million of Democratic revenue in this cycle through the end of February, or 59 percent of total revenue that exceeded $100 million. For Republicans, the amount exceeded $74 million, or 68 percent of $109 million in revenue.”

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