Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Big Dog: "I am a right-wing extremist"


Big Dog has one of today's must-reads: "I am a right-wing extremist!"

• I served this country faithfully for 24 years with long separations from my family, long hours and low pay always putting country ahead of self so I must be a right wing extremist.
• I spent major holidays in far away places guarding the freedoms we enjoy so that others could be with their families in comfort and safety so I must be a right wing extremist.

• I pay my taxes in full and on time every year so I must be a right wing extremist.
• I love my country and am not ashamed to admit that to anyone, anywhere, so I must be a right wing extremist.
• I believe that evil must be confronted with overwhelming force and that any enemy whether foreign or domestic must be destroyed so I must be a right wing extremist.

Read the whole thing

Political Beach Girl: "We're all extremists on the right now."

Jules Crittenden: "First they went after..."


Also see: Spartacus. Hat tip: Larwyn.

Would you trust this man to predict tomorrow's weather?


I wouldn't trust this man to flip an honest coin.

The Times reports that Al Gore is jetting around the country, organizing expensive media campaigns to convince lawmakers to implement cap-and-trade taxes.

Gore and global citizen Barack Obama recently promised the world a bold new strategy for dealing with global warming. The plan can be summarized with one simple phrase: Wreck the Economy at the Worst Possible Time. The Heritage financial analysis shows:

...cumulative GDP losses for 2010 to 2029 approach $7 trillion. Single-year losses exceed $600 billion in 2029, more than $5,000 per house¬hold. Job losses are expected to exceed 800,000 in some years, and exceed at least 500,000 from 2015 through 2026.

Well, that should help pay off the country-killing deficit caused by the Obama Depression Budget.


The climate change scam was birthed by the United Nations. A bunch of bureaucrats, losers and scam-artists formed businesses designed to profit from the very recommendation they made: to start forcing countries to cap-and-trade carbon emissions using "credits" or "offsets".

Americans must resist this scam at all costs. It does not only represent the death of the economy, it lies on the road to tyranny.


Tea Parties, Code Pink and the sickness of the MSM

Nearly 200,000 Americans showed up to protest high taxes in hundreds of cities around the country today.

The New York Times and The Boston Globe ignored "Tea Parties" altogether. ABC and CBS reporters were nowhere to be found. NBC, on the other hand, simply made obscene references -- using a tea-related colloquialism -- to express its corporate disgust with America's founding principles.

And a CNN journalist, rather than reporting on one event, decided to debate the crowd! Here's the transcript:

CNN: "Let's see... drop taxes... drop socialism. Okay, let's see. You're here with your two-year old daughter and you're already in debt. Why are you here today, sir?"

Man with child: "Because I hear a President say that he believed in what Lincoln stood for. Lincoln's primary thing was, he believed that people had the right to liberty and the r --"

CNN: "What does this have to do with taxes?"

Man: "Are you going to let me speak?"

CNN: "What does this have to do with taxes? Do you realize that you're elibible for a $400..."

Man: "Let me finish my point! Lincoln believed that people had the right to share in the fruits of their own labor and that government should not take it. And we have clearly gotten to that p--"

CNN: "Right, right, right -- did you know that the state of Lincoln gets fifty billion dollars out of these stimulus -- that's fifty billion dollars for this state, sir!"

Man: "Ma'am, ma'am, ma'am, I'm... can you stop this, sir?"

CNN: "Alright, we'll move on... (to audience) I think you get the general tenor of this, uh, it's anti-government, anti-CNN, since this is highly promoted by the rightwing conservative network Fox and... since I can't really hear much more, I think this... is not really family viewing, toss it back to you, Kera."

CNN says Fox is a "rightwing conservative network?"

How "rightwing" could Fox be if it gets more viewers than CNN, MSNBC, CNBC and Headline News -- combined?

Based on those numbers, who are the centrists and who are the extremists?

Compare and contrast that mainstream media coverage with that afforded Cindy Sheehan and her cohorts at the radical antiwar group Code Pink. Cindy Sheehan's protests near President Bush's Crawford, Texas ranch drew but a few dozen protesters.

These tiny gatherings garnered more than a hundred mentions in The New York Times and "reporting" that could have been mistaken for a Code Pink infomercial.

How one 48-year-old woman from Vacaville, Calif., invigorated the antiwar movement, altered the landscape of the president's vacation town and drew a Hollywood celebrity out into the Texas heat may be as much the result of external factors as Ms. Sheehan's compelling tale.

More compelling than spontaneous anti-tax protests that marshaled hundreds of thousands? Apparently.

The media sickness is epidemic. Fortunately, it also appears to be terminal.



Cross-posted at: Hot Air's Greenroom. Linked by: InstaPundit, Ed Driscoll, American Thinker, The Anchoress, Wizbang, Fausta, Melissa Clouthier, Memeorandum, The Astute Bloggers, Stronger than death, American Power, Netword, Moot and 'mocked' by Blogoland, who forgets to mention the Code Pink part of the post. Thanks!

Larwyn's Link Kerplosion: Boss Obama

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email!

Breaking: Left discovers radio marketing strategy: Morrissey
The Chicago Way is Piracy, Too: AT (Lee)
We farm out the Krugman-bashing: JOM

The Threat of Far-Right Extremism: Strata-Sphere
The execrable DHS report on “right-wing extremism”: Morrissey
Caving to Iran: NRO (Ledeen)

Double Standard: Transterrestrial
Tax Receipts Plummet: PJM (Blumer)
David Shuster reports on 'Tea-Bagging': Riehl

Boss Obama: AT (Lasky)
Change! Illinois snags 1 out 9 stimulus dollars: Gateway
Picking a fight?: Anchoress

Stories we'd be reading if Bush were still in charge: Verum Serum
Uhm, about that DHS Report on Right-Wing Extremism: LGF
American Legion responds to DHS’ fear of veterans: This Ain't Hell

A Radical in the Defense Department: Provacateur
10 years later, the real story behind Columbine: USA Today
Media having trouble finding right angle on Obama story: Onion

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Damnation! Another rightwing extremist!


Excellent news from Texas as the Governor attempts to reassert the precepts of Federalism (hat tip: Drudge Report).

Gov. Rick Perry today joined state Rep. Brandon Creighton and sponsors of House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 50 in support of states’ rights under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.


I believe that our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state,” Gov. Perry said. “That is why I am here today to express my unwavering support for efforts all across our country to reaffirm the states’ rights affirmed by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I believe that returning to the letter and spirit of the U.S. Constitution and its essential 10th Amendment will free our state from undue regulations, and ultimately strengthen our Union.”

A number of recent federal proposals are not within the scope of the federal government’s constitutionally designated powers and impede the states’ right to govern themselves. HCR 50 affirms that Texas claims sovereignty under the 10th Amendment over all powers not otherwise granted to the federal government.

It also designates that all compulsory federal legislation that requires states to comply under threat of civil or criminal penalties, or that requires states to pass legislation or lose federal funding, be prohibited or repealed.

HCR 50 is authored by Representatives Brandon Creighton, Leo Berman, Bryan Hughes, Dan Gattis and Ryan Guillen.

To view the full text of the resolution, please visit:
http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/81R/billtext/html/HC00050I.htm
.

Well done. More states should pick up the gauntlet.


President Obama's 10 Most Wanted Rightwing Extremists


Civilian Internal Security Force * * * CONFIDENTIAL BULLETIN


[10] Neal Boortz: Prolific promoter of dangerous ideas such as the "FairTax" and "Tea Parties". Boortz commands an immense radio audience and frequently appears on television while shamelessly preaching heretical, extremist views such as changing the tax code and reducing the size of government bureaucracies.

[9] Hugh Hewitt: The former child star ("A Christmas Story") has grown up to become the reported leader of the rightwing Northern Alliance, host of a syndicated radio program and television commentator. Do not approach without electronic warfare support as Hewitt is known to use Twitter at the drop of a hat.

[8] Charles Johnson: An Internet savant who unfairly destroyed the careers of Dan Rather, Adnan Hajj and other upstanding journalists, Johnson should be considered armed (with a keyboard) and dangerous.

[7] Glenn Reynolds: (AKA "Instapundit") mass purveyor of rightwing propaganda and linkage; performs "blogging" at rates that can only be called dangerous. His family members are also "bloggers" and may be equally radicalized.

[6] Sean Hannity: one of the few rightwing extremists who is fluent in all types of mass media; from radio to television to the Internets. He has become even more radicalized since his partner of many years quit (Alan Colmes). Colmes was reportedly a calming force and tempered Hannity's extremism. Without that balancing influence, Hannity is said to have become a cheerleader for extremist views like "FairTax" and "Smaller Government".

[5] Rush Limbaugh: Said to command an army of rightwingers approaching 40 million. Do not approach without RPGs and other heavy weapons.

[4] Michelle Malkin: Rightwing extremist who is not easily pigeon-holed or stereotyped; appears on television and radio; in newspapers and on the Internet. Unlike most other wanted extremists, does not utilize a comb-over as a disguise. Evangelizes radical concepts such as "secure borders", "strong national defense" and "fiscal responsibility for government." Therefore, do not approach without overwhelming superior force.

[3] Mark Levin: Highly dangerous and said to be the thought leader behind many rightwing extremists. Known to openly flaunt radical documents such as the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and The Declaration of Independence. Skilled in multiple forms of martial arts and once registered his hands as lethal weapons.

[2] All Veterans: Veterans possess combat skills and experience that are attractive to rightwing extremists. President Obama's Civilian National Security Force is concerned that rightwing extremists (hereafter referred to as "wingnuts") either are veterans or will attempt to recruit veterans.

[1] Larwyn: no details are available regarding this shadowy figure, who is said to be the hidden force behind rightwing extremism. A national task force has been assigned to determine the identity of this individual.




Remember, CONTACT the Civilian Internal Security Force (or Rahm Emanuel if the line is busy) should you identify any of these individuals. DO NOT ATTEMPT to engage in a political debate yourself as you WILL lose and will likely suffer severe psychological damage.


Linked by: The Anchoress and Don Surber. Thanks!


Get ready for the Tea Party with your FairTax brochures!


You've heard of the "Tea Parties" and you've heard about the FairTax. The two belong together: The Tea Parties are all about the national problem of borrowing and spending too much and we are all about the national solution of a better tax system that makes everyone aware of the cost of the federal government.

If you're planning on attending one of the many Tea Parties or other Tax Day events across the country on April 15th, then please consider using this opportunity to actively promote the FairTax. Bring a FairTax sign, wear your FairTax gear, and download/print copies of our "We're Throwing Away Trillions When a Better Solution Exists" full-page ad that ran in Investor's Business Daily recently.

This ad provides the perfect message about the FairTax for these April 15th events, and can introduce the FairTax to those who have yet to fully understand its potential to transform Washington and the American economy.

Please note this is a large file (11 inches x 20 inches in PDF format) so be sure to change your settings to "shrink to printable area" when printing.

Thanks for raising your voice on Tax Day 2009.

Click the image or here to download the PDF explaining the FairTax.


The Altruistic Lawyer


Papa B sent this one out to the usual suspects.

One afternoon a lawyer was riding in his limousine when he saw two men along the road-side eating grass. Disturbed, he ordered his driver to stop and he got out to investigate.

He asked one man, "Why are you eating grass?"

"We don't have any money for food," the poor man replied. "We have to eat grass."

"Well, then, you can come with me to my house and I'll feed you," the lawyer said.

"But sir, I have a wife and two children with me. They are over there, under that tree."

"Bring them along," the lawyer replied.

Turning to the other poor man he stated, "You come with us, also."

The second man, in a pitiful voice, then said, "But sir, I also have a wife and SIX children with me!"

"Bring them all, as well," the lawyer answered.

They all entered the car, which was no easy task, even for a car as large as the limousine was. Once underway, one of the poor fellows turned to the lawyer and said, "Sir, you are too kind."

"Thank you for taking all of us with you."

The lawyer replied, "Glad to do it. You'll really love my place. The grass is almost a foot high."

One of the recipients, an attorney, responded:

Heh. I would never let people eat grass; you get a very uneven cut that way.

Larwyn's Link Kerplosion: The Way We Get By

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email!

Obama administration stifles favorable D.C. voucher study: Murdock
Story of a successful rescue (and claimed credit): PJM (Emanuel)
The Way We Get By: Movie

Top 10 Signs You Are Living in a Banana Republic: Barricade
ICE giving work permits to illegals?: Schlussel
Aesop's fables: too deep for a Times columnist: Taranto

Close call: Rep. Payne's plane fired on in Somalia: LawHawk
Don't bail out losers!: Wizbang
Krugman, tea parties and Alinsky's rule #13: Provacateur

Obama doctrine is what?: Crittenden
When narratives collide: PJM (Chesler)
Pirates should face death: Patterico

Attackers once again become victims: Sultan Knish
The Anti-Success Presidency: Morris
Daughter killed over short skirt: MosNews

Der Spiegel interviews Ahmadinejad: JoshuaPundit
Diamonds in the Rough: JPost
Despicable Oliphant Cartoon now employed by Hezbollah: NRO

ZombieHarmony: Because the Apocalypse doesn't have to be lonely: Mingle2
Warning: product labels may cause tummy ache from laughter: Fox
Laugh and the world laughs at ya: Rick

"So [Goldman] paints the tape ahead of its capital raise, quants move to the sidelines without leverage, vanilla cash comes oops-ing out of money markets, the banks leak record earnings, and the market trends to break all VWAP dislocation records." -- FischerBlack

Monday, April 13, 2009

Top Five Ways To Intimidate Other Drivers


5. Bullet holes. Nothing says you mean business like bullet holes. Before leaving on your commute, shoot 20 or more holes through non-critical areas of your car. This will intimidate other drivers and they will part like the Red Sea before Moses. (Important: make sure to use a .40 cartridge or higher; anything smaller is difficult to see in low light)

4. Dress like a Zombie. If someone pisses you off, jump out at the next stop light... and make sure fake blood splurts out of your mouth.

3. Armor your car like Humungus' command vehicle in Mad Max. Extra credit for having an insane assassin with a red mohawk come along for the ride.

2. Cow-catcher. A cast-iron cow-catcher attached to the front of your beater says you're serious about going places. And the ladies really dig 'em.

1. Flamethrower. Nothing says get the f*** out of my way like igniting a 90mph stream of molten naphtha.

Can you tell I had a lousy commute this evening?


Update: Todd sends a pic of his car during his L.A. days.


Linked by: Fausta. Thanks!


Team Obama Lightning Response Action Squad










Congratulations to the Captain and the U.S. Navy for their courageous job in saving the crew of the Maersk Alabama. Outstanding work, gentlemen!
Original artwork by: David Cowles for the Chicago Tribune. Linked by: Jawa Report. Thanks!



Coming later today...


Stay tuned for an exclusive edition of President Obama's Lightning Response Team...

...coming later today.

Larwyn's Link Kerplosion: Not a distraction, but a portent

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email!

How the rescue happened: Blackfive
Noted - Americans (Re)United for Change: Mudville Gazette
Incredible Shrinking Market Liquidity: Zero Hedge

Obama's Chronic Nausea: Swirsky
The PBS and Al Jazeera Partnership: Fox News
Ayn Rand's interview with Mike Wallace: ECR

Russia goes from bad to worse: AT (Zigfield)
Another $13.4B down the tubes: Gateway
It's Sunday, do you know where your Governor is?: Riehl

Tom Wolfe's lack of Southern White Guilt: iSteve
AP-Obama Lovefest Reignited: LegalIns
Somali pirates seek revenge: Flopping Aces

California's anti-tax crusaders talk revolt: Reuters
Chicago CAIR rushes to defend accused child killer: JWF
A Potemkin military reception: Error Theory

The Moderate Terrorist and Other Fairy Tales from the Party of Change: AT (Guanipa)
Dobbs: Olbermann a medicated, left-wing hack: Sheppard
Why are Liberal Doughboys Afraid of Tea Parties?: LegalIns

Obama Reaches Out to 'Moderate' Pirate Community: Exurban
How to turn your car into an unstoppable murder machine: Divide By Zero
Has the Death Star's Countdown reached 0:01?: Daily Galaxy

Not a distraction, but a portent: Steyn

So many distractions, aren’t there? Only a week ago, the North Korean missile test was an “annoying distraction” from Barack Obama’s call for a world without nuclear weapons and his pledge that America would lead the way in disarming. And only a couple of days earlier the president insisted Iraq was a “distraction” — from what, I forget: The cooing press coverage of Michelle’s wardrobe? No doubt when the Iranians nuke Israel, that, too, will be an unwelcome distraction from the administration’s plans for federally subsidized daycare, just as Pearl Harbor was an annoying distraction from the New Deal, and the First World War was an annoying distraction from the Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s dinner plans.

If the incompetent management driving the New York Times from junk status to oblivion wished to decelerate their terminal decline, they might usefully amend their motto to “All the News That’s Fit to Distract.” Tom Blumer of Newsbusters notes that in the last 30 days there have been some 2,500 stories featuring Obama and “distractions,” as opposed to about 800 “distractions” for Bush in his entire second term. The sub-headline of the Reuters story suggests the unprecedented pace at which the mountain of distractions is piling up: “First North Korea, Iran — now Somali pirates.”

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Auditor: Financial Crisis caused by Open Border Policies


The Norfolk Crime Examiner features a startling interview with a mortgage contractor who "personally audited thousands of sub prime loans."

"Over 50% of the subprimes were for cash-out refi’s. Regardless of the loan criteria used to pull random samplings for audits, the majority of the last names were Hispanic. The loans I audited were primarily in CA, NV, AZ, FL, CO, compare those to the states with the highest number of foreclosures [and] illegal aliens."

Are these figures plausible? Most assuredly. A June 2007 MarketWatch article confirmed that "...[m]ore than half of subprime loans are actually cash-out refinance loans... we see subprime offers all-over the place: 'consolidate your debts' or 'tap you home's equity,' the ads read. As Lee puts it, why not pay off credit cards with 18% annual interest rates with a 9% loan?"

The auditor continued, "One borrower stole the [social security number] of a retiree and took out $3.5 million in loans, turned around and did cash-out refi’s, then fled the country. The retiree was left with ruined credit, $3.5 million in loans and trouble with the IRS."

Interestingly, cash-out refi's hit a 16-year high in late 2006.

Because subprime cash-out refi's were known to have higher default rates well before this, a reckoning could have been predicted by regulators.

"During the bailout, I called my Congressman and other leadership including Barney Frank and asked if there was a provision within the Bill that prohibited illegal aliens from being bailed out…..the answer was no. I asked if there was a provision in the Bill that helped homeowners that did not take out subprimes but are faced with losing their home due to the negative impact of subprimes and was told... no. So in other words, those that committed crimes to obtain the loans will get a helping hand to bail them out, compliments of the US [t]axpayer!"

"Of course, we all know that, on October 26, 2001, President Bush signed the USA Patriot Act. However, I would wager to say that almost no one knows that contained in section 326(b) of the USA Patriot Act is a provision that allows US banks to accept Mexican Matricula Consular cards (MCCs) as a valid form of ID for opening bank accounts."

"It should be noted that while... Congress ordered American banks to recognize these Mexican-issued cards, there is not one Mexican bank which accepts their own government’s Matricula Consular card as a valid form of ID, because the bearer’s identity is basically untraceable."

In fact, members of the House Judiciary Committee confirm that Mexican banks do not accept Matricula Consular cards as valid identification.

In 2004, a Congressional effort to limit the use of MCCs was defeated by a consortium of financial institutions, immigrants’ rights groups, consumer groups, and many others. These organizations had formed a loose coalition to defeat, again, limitations on the use of consular ID cards by banks, credit unions, thrifts and other financial institutions.

By a vote of 222 to 177, the House passed a bipartisan amendment (HA 754), introduced by Representatives Barney Frank (D-MA), Pastor (D-AZ), Hinojosa (D-TX), Oxley (R-OH) and Kolbe (R-AZ). It prohibited the Treasury Dept. from implementing regulations regarding the acceptance of FCCs by financial institutions.

But prior to that hearing, the FBI was adamantly opposed to the use of MCCs as valid identification. Assistant Director Steve McCraw's testimony before Congress in 2003 was blunt: "...consular ID cards are primarily being utilized by illegal aliens in the United States. Foreign nationals who are present in the U.S. legally have the ability to use various alternative forms of identification -- most notably a passport -- for the purposes of opening bank accounts..."

The FBI identified a variety of problems with MCCs:

* There was no centralized database of MCCs
* There were no interconnected, local databases of MCCs and, therefore, no way to authenticate the validity of a card
* MCCs could be obtained with little -- and sometimes -- no documentation whatsoever
* MCCs were easily forged (90% in circulation had no security features at all)

In 2003, Gabriel Manjarrez, Senior Vice President and Hispanic Marketing Executive of Bank of America testified before the House Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit. He explained, "...The first program I want to discuss is our initiative to accept the use of the Mexican consulate ID, the Matricula Consular. We developed this initiative [in 2001] because we wanted to make it easier for Mexican citizens living in the USA to have access to banking services from Bank of America... Today, every single Bank of America banking center recognizes the Matricula Consular as a valid form of identification."

At least a dozen U.S. banks and mortgage insurers offered home loan programs targeted at illegal aliens.

And anecodotal evidence would appear to confirm alarming abuse of the system; the infamous $720,000 mortgage to two pairs of illegal immigrants with a combined annual income of less than $50,000 comes to mind.

Consider the findings of the auditor: "Over 50% of the sub primes were for cash-out refi’s. Regardless of the loan criteria used to pull random samplings for audits, the majority of the last names were Hispanic. The loans I audited were primarily in CA, NV, AZ, FL, CO, compare those to the states with the highest number of foreclosures & illegal aliens."

* * * * * * * * *

Now that we -- the taxpayers -- have ownership stakes in most of the large banks, I have three very simple questions for the new stewards of the banks -- our Congress:

What's the total percentage of subprime loans that have defaulted?
What's the total percentage of subprime loans that used a Matricular Consular card as the primary ID that have defaulted?
And how is it that Barney Frank -- who appears to be at the intersection of every legislative and regulatory failing of the mortgage system -- isn't being investigated by every agency in the country?

The answers to these questions would appear to be critical to the avoidance of future catastrophes. I would recommend that you contact your own banker and your fine, upstanding representatives in Congress. This would seem a good subject to cover on 15 April.


Hat tip: Steve Sailer.