Does Janet Understand The Nature of the Enemy?

Napolitano: No War Here

William Kristol

It's worth reading (don't worry, it's short) Janet Napolitano's op-ed in USA Today.

As if to confirm Dick Cheney's claim that the Obama administration doesn't understand we're at war, Napolitano never uses the word...war. Nor does she mention Islam, Yemen or Nigeria -- nor any of the details of the incident, nor the particulars of the government failures over the last few months.

Lots of op-eds ghost-written for cabinet secretaries are stupid. But this one may outdo them all in its vagueness and avoidance of substance, in its managing to be at once bureaucratic and cloying, and in speaking to the American people as if they are children. She attempts to reassure, and fails.

By the way, since this was a plot hatched overseas by people whom our intelligence agencies are listening in on and trying to bump off -- is Napolitano really the appropriate lead official? It's revealing who the White House put out Sunday -- Napolitano and press secretary Robert Gibbs. For the Obama White House, it's all spin and TSA procedures. Do we still have a CIA director? I'd heard Panetta wasn't getting along with the White House...but is he even in the loop?

He has GOT to be kidding.....

Obama to shift focus to budget deficit.......

Full story at Wall St. Journal:

"He has scheduled a "fiscal-responsibility summit" on Feb. 23 and will unveil a budget blueprint three days later, crafted to put pressure on politicians to address the country's surging long-term debt crisis."

"It's important for us to think in the midterm and long term. And over that midterm and long term, we're going to have to have fiscal discipline. We are not going to be able to perpetually finance the levels of debt that the federal government is currently carrying."

Hmmm, they propose either spending cuts or higher taxes "once the economy turns around", of course. And since that is supposed to happen ON ITS OWN, per the CBO, here is their excuse to raise taxes. Because, all of this spending is necessary.

Just ask them.

What a load of crap.

Where's my bourbon and duct tape.....

The "Governator" Is Right: Turn Off The T.V.

Can I go on record now and say that the “Governator” is right. I don’t understand how comments as simple and straight-forward as his can even start a dispute. Some of the comments in this article are so off-based or irrelevant it’s pathetic. Here’s a running commentary; there’s just too much to talk about any other way. My comments are in red.

***
"Some Hispanic leaders lashed out Friday at California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's advice that immigrants should "turn off the Spanish television set" to better learn how to speak English.

Schwarzenegger, who immigrated to the U.S. from Austria, recently told a group of Hispanic journalists that immigrants should stay away from Spanish-language television, books and newspapers.
Need I say that probably his first problem was that he was talking to “journalists.” I used to like that word. Now it stikes the same cord with me as “tax collector” and “ACLU.”

"You've got to turn off the Spanish television set," Schwarzenegger said Wednesday night at the annual convention of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists in San Jose, Calif. "You're just forced to speak English, and that just makes you learn the language faster."
He’s right. It’s the same principle as a Spanish immersion program. You go stay in another country and immerse yourself in it. You learn to speak the language as the inhabitants do out of necessity. I don’t believe he is saying “don’t look at it ever again,” but if you don’t push yourself out of your comfort zone you will never learn. It shows a great sense of understanding and maturity on the Governor’s part – not to mention the fact that he is an immigrant himself – a very successful immigrant. IF ANYONE W0ULD KNOW HOW TO SUCCEED IN AMERICA HE DOES!

Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., called the governor's advice a "typical sound bite solution to an important issue," said Jim Dau, a spokesman for Sanchez.
And her answer is a typical Democrat sound bite snipe at people who tell the honest truth. It shows a huge lack of understanding on HER part. That, or she is deliberately trying to be a hindrance to the progress of Spanish-speaking immigrants to this country. This smells suspiciously like Democrat attempts to once again create a permanent underclass who the “Dems” can pander to with “freebies” in exchange for slavishly voting Democratic. Absolutely contemptible.

Sanchez said immigrants face the challenge of taking an ESL course because of long lines and up to a three-year wait to get into a class.
The subject of her answer is totally different than the subject at hand and is a distraction from the real subject.
So, again, if you can’t get into an English-as-a-second- language class, why not study on your own? Immerse yourself in the language for an hour or two a day and hear English speakers talk and try to understand. I watch Univision to learn some Spanish and how it’s said. This is a typical Democrat refute of their worst ideological enemy – self-help. If you learn that you may not need government programs and intervention – that you can do some things for yourself without governments help – then their hold on you is broken and bye-bye votes.

A Hispanic advocacy group said Schwarzenegger's comments show his "ignorance on immigration issues."
HIS ignorance? HE IS AN IMMIGRANT! This “Hispanic advocacy group” is not doing their own constituents a favor here.

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger demonstrated his ignorance on immigration issues once again by perpetuating the myth that immigrants have to reject their old culture and language in order to learn English and assimilate," said Brent Wilkes, national executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens.
Where in anything he said did he say to “reject their old culture and language in order to learn English? This is typical race-baiting and an attempt to create a straw-man to argue against when they have no argument.

Wilkes said today's Latino immigrants learn English faster than German, Irish and Italian immigrants did a century ago, without TV.
And if they would listen, they would learn it even QUICKER.

Spanish-language media helps Hispanics stay connected to their cultural heritage and important public information, according to a spokesperson for Univision, a U.S.-based Spanish-language television network.
Wonderful! But watch 1 less hour per day while you try and learn the language of the country that you want to work in – especially since that is the language that your paycheck is written in.

"Spanish-language media plays the essential roles of providing the Hispanic community with the news and information they need and care about, and keeping them connected to their cultural heritage," a said the Univision spokeswoman, who declined to provide her name.
I repeat: “Wonderful! But watch 1 less hour per day while you try and learn the language of the country that you want to work in – especially since that is the language that your paycheck is written in.

"In addition to daily news from around the world, Spanish speakers rely on Spanish-language media for information in critical situations, such as severe weather alerts and health emergencies, and for other public services they may not be able to get anywhere else," the spokeswoman said.
And what happens to your Spanish-speakers when they are away from the television? What happens when they are caught in an English-only environment and that same emergency comes up? Do we need hurricanes in Spanish now? Do we need bi-language disasters?

Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., agrees with Schwarzenegger that there should be English language standards."Congressman Hunter believes there should be English language standards in place, especially through this citizenship process," said Joe Kasper, a spokesman for Hunter.
Joe, that’s not what the issue is. This issue isn’t “English language standards.” It’s whether it’s a good idea for non-English speakers to try and seek to learn English on their own by watching and listening to people who do it.

But TV viewers should be free to watch whatever basic programming they prefer, Kasper added.
Cop-out. I wonder if Duncan would have said this himself? Piss-poor answer for someone who is a conservative.

Sanchez agreed.
The first sign that you’re WAAAYYYY off base.

"People should use whatever news outlets keep them best informed — whether they're in English, Spanish, German or any other language," Sanchez said.
Dope.

Joey Vento, owner of Geno’s Cheesesteaks in Philadelphia, told FOX News that Hispanics won’t progress until they are forced to learn English.
“The Spanish people will never progress because of the fact that it makes it so easy for them to go to school or have anything and it’s done in Spanish,” Vento said. “You must be forced to learn English to be prosperous, otherwise you will be limited.”
Certainly the case if we are providing everything in multiple languages

Francisco Hernandez, an immigration attorney, said there’s nothing wrong with encouraging immigrants to learn English but there’s no need for “immigrant bashing.”
Oh, no – a lawyer! Plenty of education, but no sense.
Listen to what he’s telling you folks: telling Hispanics to turn on American t.v. to get exposure to English that they are trying to learn is now IMMIGRANT BASHING! DOES THAT SOUND RIGHT TO YOU??

“We have to remember that Spanish is part of this country’s heritage. There’s nothing wrong with it,” Hernandez said.
Nope, English is a part of this country’s heritage, not Spanish. Revisionism at it’s best.
Having half the Southwest and California carrying Spanish names doen’t make Spanish “a part of this country’s heritage – certainly not to the point that Spanish speakers shouldn’t have to take initiative to learn the language of their host country in order to live easier.

Schwarzenegger answered a question about how Hispanic students can improve academic performance, saying he was about to make a politically-incorrect statement.
He’s at least smart enough to see controversy when the opportunity arises.

"I know this sounds odd and this is the politically incorrect thing to say and I'm going to get myself in trouble," Schwarzenegger said. "But I know that when I came to this country, I very rarely spoke German to anyone."
SLAM!!

But the governor's comments didn't sit too well with audience members.
"I'm sitting shaking my head not believing that someone would be so naive and out of it that he would say something like that," Alex Nogales, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition.
The president and CEO of a coalition that is charged with looking out for Hispanic’s interests and he can’t see this? Amazing! They are reacting to something that has not even been said!

Rafael Olmeda, president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, said most NAHJ members would agree with the governor's statements.
"Most people I've spoken to walked away believing that he was trying to say that we must learn English to succeed in American society," Olmeda said.
THANK GOD!!!!!! Someone restored my belief in the competence of the leaders in the Latin community. Great for you Mr. Olmeda, please tell that to everyone you see and tell your members that f22strike says “Hola.”

The governor's office backed up Schwarzenegger's comments."
Kool.

That’s it for me. I couldn’t take one more crazy comment. I need a drink. “Chow!”

Democratic Debates: Best Quote of the Night

Newsmax has some quotes from the Democratic debates last night. All the them are pretty funny (in a sad sort of way) but this one is the best to me:

MIKE GRAVEL: "We have no important enemies. What we need to do is to begin to deal with the rest of the world as equals. And we don't do that. We spend more as a nation on defense than all the rest of the world put together. Who are we afraid of?"

You can't get a bigger "pre-9/11" mindset than that.

My second favorite in Newsmax's list is this one by Chris "Democrat Klansman Robert Byrd was right on everything he said at anytime in our histroy" Dodd:

"I believe that civil unions are appropriate and proper. I don't support same-sex marriage. And the distinction there I think is one of more of what's available, what the traditions are, and the _ over the years. But, basically, that's a distinction I make. Strongly support those civil unions."

If anybody ever figures out exactly what he is saying here, let me know. This political bi-polarism at it's best.

Check out the rest of the quotes.

Overall, I wouldn't let this crew captain a rubber duck in the worlds smallest bath tub.

Says UN: Circumcision Fights AIDS

Here’s an item that can be filed under “What’s the world coming to?” The first is out of Montreux, Switzerland:

U.N. health agencies recommended Wednesday that heterosexual men undergo circumcision because of "compelling" evidence that it can reduce their chances of contracting HIV by up to 60 percent. But World Health Organization and UNAIDS experts said men need to be aware that circumcision is only partial protection against the virus and must be used with other measures. "We must be clear," said Catherine Hankins of UNAIDS. "Male circumcision does not provide complete protection against HIV." Studies suggest 5.7 million new cases of HIV infection and 3 million deaths over 20 years could be prevented by male circumcision in sub-Saharan Africa, the agencies said.

I don’t know who did the “studies” they are quoting from, but my “bulls**t detector” is going off. The thought that making softer inner areas of the skin overtop the stronger outer dermal area of the skin as a way to reduce the likelihood of HIV infection is lunacy. If anything is serves to make more areas where skin abrasions can occur, thus providing more entry points for the virus into the body.

What’s more disturbing is that this notion is being proposed in “sub-Saharan Africa” a place that due to poor available healthcare and high HIV infected citizens, can really not afford to have “sexual experiments” and liberal sexual reasoning inflicted on it. Time lost to bad ideas costs lives. The “strong evidence” for circumcision was based on “three trials — in Kenya, Uganda and South Africa.” Well, for Uganda’s part, AIDS cases were already on a downward spiral in Uganda due to strong social reforms in that country that stress abstinence and monogamy – two words often scoffed at in liberal “real world” strategies:

“Uganda is one of the "success stories" in the fight against AIDS in Africa. Through use of a strategy called ABC (Abstinence, Being Faithful, and Condoms), the country has managed to dramatically reduce the incidence of HIV.

However in recent years, and largely because of the influence of Bush and the money he's donated, that strategy has shifted to focus on the "A" and "B" components, leaving out the "C" (condoms). Public health experts fear that this shift (due largely to political reasons) could once again lead to increasing rates of HIV.

For example, Bush is increasingly only giving money to HIV/AIDS programs that do not promote condom use as a means of HIV protection, but that emphasize being faithful and abstinence instead. There have been a lot of "virginity pledges" lately by young people, but the truth is that many of these young hopeful virgins are unable to keep their pledge (due to a variety of reasons including poverty and disempowerment of women) and then do not know about condom use.”

(As an aside, need I even point out the intelligence in using money donated to stop the spread of a disease in order to back a strategy that has a much better success rate than condoms: “That stupid Bush put more program money into the part of the program that works every time, than into the portion that only works 50-70% of the time – what an idiot!”)

Liberals (especially European ones) loath to give abstinence any credit for working even though its success rate is 100%. It requires a change in lifestyle that seems to put an intolerable damper on their lives – even if it’s saving that same life. This latest U.N. “recommendation”need not be done, especially when the lives lost will be some of the economically poorest people on the planet (according to liberals), and ones of a race – the black race – that liberals say they care so much about.

2 Comments:

Beanie's Appa said...

Last time I checked, circumcision was a pretty conservative thing to do, following family tradition and being good ole' american.

Only Jews and Muslims are circumcised in Europe. In USA New England and California have circumcision rates down in the 30% range, but in the midwest, it's still over 70%.
March 30, 2007 4:00 PM

f22strike said...

I'm not sure how "conservative" circumcision is from a political perspective. I do know that it doesn't seem to be a good technique to use to fight the spread of aids. Monogamy and abstinance seem to be much better weapons in the fight.
April 04, 2007 9:41 PM

Liberal Reasoning Captured on Video!

Ever wonder what a liberal looks like as they read the newspaper?

Ever want to see how liberals arrive at some of the wacky conclusions they espouse?

Ever wonder, “What in the world was going thought their minds?

Have you ever wanted to see visually how BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome) reacts with the brain?

I can help you. Go to this link on YouTube and watch how the liberal mind on politics works. I couldn’t stop laughing!!! This is so funny it HAD to be a Karl Rove plant!

Of course, being the person that I am, you KNOW I had to send a response to this. My response should be finished processing by tomorrow and posted as a response. I will give you a link when they post it.

….Just TOOO CRAAZY!!!

W&M; Toleration for the Sake of "Toleration"

More brilliant satire from master-satirist, B.L.U. at “Where Have You Gone Ronald Reagan?”

This time: The College of William and “Terry”

More background here. (The Wren Cross controversy at Virginia’s William and Mary College.)

Beatings Cause Depression - Duh!

CHICAGO, Illinois (Reuters)via CNN -- Physically abused and neglected children are much more likely to grow into severely depressed adults, a finding that researchers said on Monday points to an urgent need to test abused children for depression early on.
...
"These results underscore the need to detect and treat the long-term psychological (effects) of childhood neglect," wrote lead researcher Cathy Spatz Widom, who was with the New Jersey Medical School in Newark when she worked on the study.

No mention of how much money in government grants was wasted used to keep the researchers employed for years only to reach the conclusion any sane adult or child would have known instinctively. Trust me on this one. You don't have to test an abused child for depression. They live in hell on earth.

Lord, help us.