Friday, February 19, 2010

Haiti After-Action Report

Sean sends in an eye-witness report:

As one who worked natural disasters here in the US, Hurricane Andrew and the Northridge earthquake, I understand how frustrating it is when you want to help and you run into government red tape and agency power struggles. A foreign country would be intensely more frustrating as you will read in this report. Also, as is stated in this report, be very careful to whom you donate money for these disasters. It is very disappointing to see how very little actually gets to the victims who need it the most.

News back from #########. He and ######### made it back somewhat safe and sound. Here are their observations:

To All,

I just returned from Haiti with #########. We flew in at 3 AM Sunday to the scene of such incredible destruction on one side, and enormous ineptitude and criminal neglect on the other.

Port o Prince is in ruins. The rest of the country is fairly intact. Our team was a rescue team and we carried special equipment that locates people buried under the rubble. There are easily 200,000 dead; the city smells like a charnel house. The bloody UN was there for 5 years doing apparently nothing but wasting US taxpayers' money. The ones I ran into were either incompetent or outright anti-American. Most are French or French speakers, worthless every damn one of them. While 1,800 rescuers were ready, willing and able to leave the airport and go do their jobs, the UN and USAID (another organization full of little Obamaites and Communists that openly speak against America). These two organizations exemplified their parochialism by:

USAID, when in control of all inbound flights, had food and water flights stacked up all the way to Miami, yet allowed Geraldo Rivera, Anderson Cooper and a host of other left wing news puppies to land.

Pulled all the security off the rescue teams so that Bill Clinton and his wife could have the grand tour, whilst we sat unable to get to people trapped in the rubble.

Stacked enough food and water for the relief over at the side of the airfield then put a guard on it while we dehydrated and wouldn't release a drop of it to the rescuers!

No shower facilities to decontaminate after digging or moving corpses all day, except for the FEMA teams who brought their own shower and decon equipment, as well as air conditioned tents.

No latrine facilities, less digging a hole. If you set up a shitter, everyone was trying to use it.

I watched a 25 year old Obamaite with the USAID shrieking hysterically, berate a full bird colonel in the Air Force because he countermanded her orders whilst trying to unscrew the air pattern. " You don't know what your president wants! The military isn't in charge here! We are!"

If any of you are thinking of giving money to the Haitian relief, or to the UN, don't waste your money. It will only go to further the goals of the French and the Liberal left.

Bad place, bad situation, but a perfect look at the new world order in action. New Orleans magnified a thousand times. Haiti doesn't need democracy. What Haiti needs is Papa Doc. That's not just my opinion, that is what virtually every Haitian we talked with said. The French run the UN and treat us the same as when we were a colony. At least Papa Doc ran the country.

Oh, and as a last slap in the face, the last four of us had to take US Air home from Phoenix. They slapped me with a $590 baggage charge for the four of us. The girl at the counter was almost in tears because she couldn't give us a discount or she would lose her job. Pass that on to the flying public.

Figures. If the UN is involved, odds are a hundred-to-one it's also a criminal operation.


The Vettes That Time Forgot

Spotted at DigitalCorvettes:

Thanks to a hot tip by a DigitalCorvettes.com member who happened to be in the right place at the right time, another DC member was able to obtain these exclusive photos of the new "Corvette dungeon" that appears to be the final resting place for Peter Max's 36 Corvettes. The 1953 Corvette is there and all the other Corvettes seem to be there as well.


The red '74 and red '75 Corvettes have significant rear damage with the '74 being the worst.

In the DigitalCorvettes.com members opinion, "this is another several year stop for these 36 Corvettes", and, "you wouldn't put them here if this was an active project, these cars are tucked away pretty good and it's obvious for the long haul. If you wanted them accessible, this isn't the place to put them."

No offense, but I'm betting Peter Max voted for Obama.

Hit on Hamas: When You Want to Say Goodbye, Say It With Bullets

CCTV cameras captured the events alleged to have occurred related to the murder of a Hamas terror honcho in Dubai. Mahmoud Abdel Rauf al-Mabhouh (Arabic: محمود عبد الرؤوف المبحوح;) was a senior Hamas military commander and a founder of the deadly Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.

Al-Mabhouh was assassinated in the Al Bustan Rotana Hotel in Dubai on January 19, 2010, having arrived in the country earlier that day from Syria. It is suspected by Dubai police that he was murdered in his hotel room.






















Continued at: Hit on Hamas: When You Want to Say Goodbye, Say It With Bullets.

As I said about Inglorious Basterds, there's nothing that brings people together like killing Natsees.


Our friends the Saudis: police officer sentenced to 120 lashes for marrying six women (when everyone knows the legal limit is four wives)

A man's got to know his limitations. In this case, four wives is the line you simply can not cross.

A Saudi court has sentenced an employee of the kingdom's religious police to 120 lashes for marrying six women... The court banned the man from standing as a preacher and leading prayers, ordered him not to travel abroad for a five-year period and to memorise two chapters from the Koran.

The accused, in his fifties, is not a member of the Saudi Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice's morals squad but holds an administrative position there, the official said.

...The commission makes sure Saudi society abides by an austere interpretation of Islam in the kingdom, where clerics control the justice system.

With more than 5,000 members, its squads roam streets and shopping malls to make sure unrelated men and women are kept apart, that shops and restaurants are shut at prayer time, that women are covered from head to toe and to search for alcohol and drugs.

Putting up with six wives? The man deserves a medal, not 120 lashes.

Wait -- who said that?


President Obama Convenes "Deficit Commission" to Probe Reasons for Massive Deficit Plus Invent More New Taxes, Regulations and SEIU-staffed Agencies

Problem:


Solution:

If you're the leader of the Democrat Party, whose policies have already bequeathed a deficit of about $105 trillion in massive stimulus programs, unfunded entitlement programs and immense regulatory bureaucracies, then the answer is "new taxes". What did you expect? Slashing the size of government?

Yesterday President Obama signed an executive order establishing a 'deficit commission' to investigate remedies (read: new taxes) in order to pretend to address the problem.

The possibilities for new revenue sources are nearly endless:

A VAT tax is "on the table", according to Nancy Pelosi.

A 'Cap-and-Trade' system for rationing energy would raise about $846 billion in new revenue for the government while passing costs on to every American, rich and poor.

New health care taxes are also looming, which amount to several hundred billion in additional taxes.

Confiscation of private 401(k) and pension plans is also on the menu, according to Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Slashing the size of government is an impossibility for the modern Democrat Party because it is the government. The paper-pushing federal bureaucracies are the Democrat Party.

There are no limits to the growth of the government. Because sending 50% to 60% of your labor to the government isn't enough for this crew. The SEIU wants more.


Larwyn's Linx: Marco Rubio Rocks the House at CPAC

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email. You can also install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget.

Nation

Marco Rubio Rocks the House at CPAC: GWP
The Other Stupid Things John Brennan Said: Malkin
Has the Democrats’ Civil War already begun?: HillBuzz

MO: Robin Carnahan’s Links to ACORN Revealed: GWP
5 Muslim soldiers attempt to poison food supply: AnBlackCon
Consent of the Governed: Denninger

Obama set to bypass will of the people: Wizbang
Education: Too Important for a Government Monopoly: Stossel
Census and the Constitution don't mix: Williams
A creepy--but hilarious--look inside the Obama cult: Taranto

Statists Indulge in Crisis Fantasy: RWN

Economy

Union Admits Buying Politician, Wants Money Back: RWN
What Does 'Racial Socialsm' Sound Like to You?: AT (Lewis)
My Stint as an Obama Apologist: JOM

It’s the communism, stupid: RWN
Party like its 1999! Are you Stimulated yet?: AT
Unions are Crippling Obama, Exhibit A: Kaus

Under Obamanomics, industry realizes that not everybody wins: WashExam
Expecting A Tax Refund? If You Live In HI, NC or (soon) NY, You'll Have To Wait: Zero Hedge

Climate & Energy

World’s biggest coal company brings U.S. government to court in climate fraud: ClimateGate
Climategate 2.0 — The NASA Files: PJM
The Top UN Climate Change Official Yvo De Boer Resigns, Leaving the UN Program in Disarray: FoxTeeth

Media

Joseph Andrew Stack’s Facebook: Who is Emily Walters? : RightPundits
Latest Lefty Meme: Sarah Palin is... an Elitist: Ace
CPAC Interview: Jason Mattera responds to NYT accusation of racism: Hot Air

Bill O'Reilly on Guns: InstaPundit
George Will on Palin: InstaPundit
Andrew Joseph Stack lll, Fed Up With Taxes, Leaves Lengthy Suicide Note: iOTW

WaPo columnist: That insane pilot sounds kind of like a tea partier, huh?: Hot Air
WaPo Intentionally Omits Commie Plane Crasher’s Marxist Rant to Paint Him as Tea Party Protester: GWP
Noted Confederate Stronghold of Long Island Unthinkingly Elects Tea-Baggin’, Rethug Brownshirt!: Cold Fury

Racist, Bitter Clinger Blasts Obama Message Team And Calls Them Lazy: DPU
The other 79% are too stunned to come up with a snarky headline: RWN
Over to you, Strap-On...: Driscoll

World

Six Degrees of Assassination: PJM
Israeli Embassy Tweets About "Hit On #Dubai Target": LegalIns
Pat Condell on the Wilders Trial and the Crooked Judges of Amsterdam: AmerDig

Great: Iran Working on a Nuke Warhead, Despite '07 NIE Assurance They'd Entirely Abandoned Such Work: Ace
Nice. Obama Meets With Dalai Lama; Makes Him Leave Through Garbage Exit: GWP
The Saudi Pedophile Chronicles: PJM

Richard Reid: “I am at war with America.” Eric Holder: “You win!”: Cold Fury

SciTech

MSFT: Malware crashed systems during Windows updates: CNet
Report: Jobs disses Adobe Flash as 'CPU hog': CNet

Cornucopia

The 2010 Obama, the best Government Motors can do: HillBuzz
Your Tax Dollars At Work: DPU (Language)
"Representing either Italy...": Althouse


Thursday, February 18, 2010

The worst pileup in world history?

In March 2008, unbelievably high speeds and wretched visibility contributed to one of the worst traffic accidents in history. Exit 399 on the Abu Dhabi to Dubai highway was the scene of a 60-vehicle pileup that killed five and injured nearly 350 people.

The 25km stretch of the UAE's busiest highway from Abu Dhabi to Dubai was closed for more than five hours, resulting in huge tailbacks during rush hours...

Police said among the 347 injured, six people were critical, while 39 suffered medium injuries. The remaining suffered minor injuries. Police said 25 vehicles caught fire following the accidents caused by poor visibility due to the thick fog and lack of attention by motorists.

Lieutenant General Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior, said coordination by officials contributed to limiting the fatalities. Quick response by the rescue and ambulance department officials helped save lives and in reopening the road to traffic at the earliest. He called on all road users to exercise caution, especially during early morning when visibility is low.

Colonel Osman Al Tamimi, Director of the Emergency and Safety Management section of Abu Dhabi Police said the central operations room received a call at 6.39am informing about a series of pile ups between Bahia bridge and Ghantoot bridge in the direction towards Dubai.

Ambulances, fire engines and helicopters of the Air Wing were despatched immediately.

Dubai police and support teams from Armed Forces as well as a number of traffic patrols joined the rescue operations.

"The officials worked towards moving the injured to the nearest hospitals and extinguishing the fire," he said, adding that the roads were reopened for traffic in record time.

An Abu Dhabi traffic police officer at the crash site said: "The crash happened because everyone was speeding despite the severe weather conditions...

"...Drivers weren't leaving a safe distance between cars and this resulted in everyone hitting each other after the first crash."


Islamists influence all areas of government, attempt to poison military and kill civilians; but old media reports only on lone crackpot who hated IRS

The real national headlines -- courtesy of the center-right blogosphere (you can think of it as the new mainstream media) -- are as follows:

Five Muslim soldiers were reportedly arrested just before Christmas for attempting to poison the food supply at Fort Jackson. This group may have been in contact with five Washington, DC-area Muslim extremists arrested by Pakistani authorities around the same time.

Meanwhile, DHS head Janet "The System Worked" Napolitano has been fraternizing with a true enemy: the Muslim Brotherhood. Pajamas Media reports that J-Nap and her staff met in secret with three groups tied to the infamous and acknowledged terror group. The briefings lasted two days (1/27 - 1/28) and were arranged by the DHS as part of an Obama administration-inspired information exchange.

President Obama's 'Islamic Envoy' is reported to have strongly defended a convicted and imprisoned terror supporter named Sami al-Arian. Rashad Hussain -- Obama's envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference -- was said to have claimed in 2004 that al-Arian was the victim of "politically motivated persecutions."

National security deputy John Brennan has suffered a series of recent gaffes including his claim that 20% recidivism for terrorists released from Gitmo isn't so bad after all. Even more ominous, however, is his apparent ignorance of the "Flying Imams". Omar Shahin -- the ringleader of the group that was forcibly removed from a Northwest Airlines flight for an apparent terror dry run; who advocated that Sharia law supplant the legal systems of the West; who has been involved with Hamas-linked charities and radical youth groups; and who headed the infamous Tucson Islamic Center -- engaged Brennan in a Q&A session. Brennan's answers were as dishonest as they were laced with suicidal politically correctness -- and constituted an apology for the very policies that protect America.

Yet when a lone nutjob had a run-in with the IRS and then crashed a small plane into a government building, Time Magazine instantly linked the incident to an endemic right-wing threat associated with Tea Parties.

Of course Time failed to report that the man's suicide note wistfully referenced Communism along with a distinct hatred for America, George W. Bush and organized religion.

...Some friends introduced me to a group of people who were having ‘tax code’ readings and discussions. In particular, zeroed in on a section relating to the wonderful “exemptions” that make institutions like the vulgar, corrupt Catholic Church so incredibly wealthy... The intent of this exercise and our efforts was to bring about a much-needed re-evaluation of the laws that allow the monsters of organized religion to make such a mockery of people who earn an honest living... That little lesson in patriotism cost me $40,000+, 10 years of my life, and set my retirement plans back to 0. It made me realize for the first time that I live in a country with an ideology that is based on a total and complete lie.

...The recent presidential puppet GW Bush and his cronies in their eight years certainly reinforced for all of us that this criticism rings equally true for all of the government. Nothing changes unless there is a body count...

...The communist creed: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.

The capitalist creed: From each according to his gullibility, to each according to his greed.

Suffice it to say that Joe wasn't exactly the prototypical Tea Party member. But, shush. No one tell Time Magazine. They have five or six magazines to sell. Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews haven't received their issues yet, so don't spoil it for them.

Meanwhile, the infestation of the U.S. government with suicidal political correctness, Marxists, Islamists and other radical crackpots continues apace. And with respect to the reporting of the legacy media on these phenomena, you'll only hear crickets and the soft waft of a tumbleweed rolling by.


Images adapted from: Washington Post.

The Obama Recovery In Action: Terrified Health Insurers Lay Off Thousands To Prepare for Socialized Medicine

The Obama administration loves to market fabricated estimates such as the number of jobs it's said to have "saved or created." Those numbers have varied by millions based upon which party hack you're talking to and how many drinks they've had.

What would be more telling is the millions of jobs the Democrats have provably destroyed: threatening businesses large and small with new Cap-n'-Trade energy taxes; penalties for too little or too much health insurance coverage; and forced unionization via "Card Check".

The unrelenting attacks on the private sector have deterministic results. The massive health insurer Humana, for instance, just announced that it's laying off 1,400 employees (five percent of its workforce) this year.

Call it preemptive, inevitable, cynical or reluctant, but this week’s announcement by Louisville, Ky.-based Humana Inc. that it will reduce its workforce... is also a reflection of reality.

Multiple realities, actually, including the prospect of some kind of U.S. healthcare reform, the continuing escalation of healthcare costs, the ability of technology and IT services to enable automation and reduce costs, changing demographics, and continued high unemployment...

...In a separate press release, Aite Group senior analyst Kunal Pandya pointed out that these cuts and additions may be part of a strategy to prepare the company for future changes brought on by healthcare reform.... Aite Group believes that when healthcare reform is enacted, early movers in focusing on elements that will be proposed by healthcare reform, like Humana, will find themselves positioned to benefit in the long-term.”

Clearly, Humana is trying to position itself for whatever the future might bring, in terms of regulation, competition and demographic changes. The “cautionary statement” text –- typically mind-numbing boilerplate –- that closed the February 17 press release illustrated this. For example:

“Humana's business activities are subject to substantial government regulation. New laws or regulations, or changes in existing laws or regulations or their manner of application, could increase the company's cost of doing business and could materially affect its business, profitability and financial condition. In addition, as a government contractor, the company is exposed to additional risks that could adversely affect its business or its willingness to participate in government health care programs.”

Within the last few weeks, health insurers like WellPoint, Aetna and United Health have announced thousands of layoffs. And pharmaceutical companies dropped around 8,100 employees in January alone.

If you're a business owner, it's virtually impossible to hire in the current environment. How can anyone forecast business conditions and contemplate hiring when the federal government pitches new taxes, new mandates, new regulations, new bureaucracies and new fees every day?

Maybe Kreskin is hiring, because no one else is good enough to predict what this out-of-control, authoritarian, centralized government will try next.


Larwyn's Linx: 'Stop Being a Jackass With This Third-Party Crap'

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email. You can also install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget.

Nation

Palin: Stop Being a Jackass With This Third-Party Crap: Ace
The Re-Establishment of America: AT
King had a Dream, but Blacks now Face a Nightmare: AT

Where did our real wealth go?: Hanson
President Incompetent: AT
Biden: jobs will come in second year of Stimulus: BlogProf

Napolitano Meets with Muslim Brotherhood Leaders: PJM
Principle and Action: Doc Zero
Palin to tea partiers: You’re going to have to choose: Hot Air

Pence takes a trip to... New Hampshire: Ace

Economy

Toyota and the Union-Backed, Government-Led Witch Hunt: BigGovt
One Year Ago I Saved The Economy: LegalIns
Lone Voice Warns of Debt Threat to U.S.: FT

One year of failure: the Stimulus: GWP
Planning to Fail: AT
Cali Bar Goes After 400 Lawyers: Insider

The Future is Greek: Slate
Obama Spends Money on Commission Charged With Stopping Obama From Spending So Much Money: Powers
Best Health Care in the World: Denny

Climate & Energy

Virginia challenges EPA on climate policy: Ace
Big Business Jumps Ship from the S.S. Climate Change: PJM
Bill Gates, Environmental Kook: AT

Media

Barney Frank Explains Congress’ Worst Job Approval Poll Ever: Voters are Idiots: Powers
Dissent crushed: CO Dem Sen. candidate fires Pat Caddell for speaking truth: Malkin
Figures. Michelle Obama Stocked White House Library with Books on Socialism: GWP

Is White House Attorney Involved in Possible Media Cover-up?: Verum
Krauthammer: Mussolini Could Beat Senator Blanche Lincoln Right Now: GWP
Strap-On Defends MSNBC's 'White Power' Lineup: Mediate

Oh My: College Acquaintance of Obama's Says That, in 1980, Obama Was a "Pure Marxist Socialist": Ace
Congrats to Michelle Malkin: Hot Air Sold to Salem: Powers

World

Hamas-Linked ISNA “Facilitated” Brennan’s NYU Speech: NewsReal
The Streets of Tehran and Washington: PJM
Obama cuts US space program, orders NASA to work with Muslim countries: Creeping Sharia

Eleven-Man Team Assassinates Hamas Commander: PJM
Clearing the Deck?: TAB
Passports of Hamas murder suspects not fake: Maktoob

SciTech

The Hits Keep on Coming: Wizbang
Fitness devices coaxes users into action: Springwise
The “Swagger Wagon” — The Perfect Toyota To Go Shark Jumping In: Driscoll

Cornucopia

Bet You Can't Eat Just One!: Driscoll
Obama Saves or Creates Jobs at CafePress : JWF
Image courtesy RedTusker: Cahill


Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Striking Headline Juxtaposition o' the Day

Headline #1: Breitbart.tv »

Dems Mark Anniversary of Stimulus Bill With GOP ‘Hypocrites’ Video


Headline #2: Business Insider »

How Can Obama Be Taking A Stimulus Victory Lap, When We Don't Even Know Where The Money Went?


Greg Mankiw calls the Democrats' tactics "illogical":

The Democratic Party is attacking some Republican congressmen for both opposing the stimulus bill and also helping direct some stimulus spending into their districts.

...Let me offer an analogy. Many Democratic congressmen opposed the Bush tax cuts. That was based, I presume, on their honest assessment of the policy. But once these tax cuts were passed, I bet these congressmen paid lower taxes. I bet they did not offer to hand the Treasury the extra taxes they would have owed at the previous tax rates. Would it make sense for the GOP to suggest that these Democrats were disingenuous or hypocritical? I don't think so. Many times, we as individuals benefit from policies we opposed. There is nothing wrong about that.

Illogical? Hypocritical? From the Democrats?

That seems implausible to me.

 

The Mount Vernon Statement

The Mount Vernon Statement states, in simple and elegant prose, what I've been trying to say for years.

The Mount Vernon Statement

Constitutional Conservatism: A Statement for the 21st Century

We recommit ourselves to the ideas of the American Founding. Through the Constitution, the Founders created an enduring framework of limited government based on the rule of law. They sought to secure national independence, provide for economic opportunity, establish true religious liberty and maintain a flourishing society of republican self-government.

These principles define us as a country and inspire us as a people. They are responsible for a prosperous, just nation unlike any other in the world. They are our highest achievements, serving not only as powerful beacons to all who strive for freedom and seek self-government, but as warnings to tyrants and despots everywhere.

Each one of these founding ideas is presently under sustained attack. In recent decades, America’s principles have been undermined and redefined in our culture, our universities and our politics. The self-evident truths of 1776 have been supplanted by the notion that no such truths exist. The federal government today ignores the limits of the Constitution, which is increasingly dismissed as obsolete and irrelevant.

Some insist that America must change, cast off the old and put on the new. But where would this lead — forward or backward, up or down? Isn’t this idea of change an empty promise or even a dangerous deception?

The change we urgently need, a change consistent with the American ideal, is not movement away from but toward our founding principles. At this important time, we need a restatement of Constitutional conservatism grounded in the priceless principle of ordered liberty articulated in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

The conservatism of the Declaration asserts self-evident truths based on the laws of nature and nature’s God. It defends life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It traces authority to the consent of the governed. It recognizes man’s self-interest but also his capacity for virtue.

The conservatism of the Constitution limits government’s powers but ensures that government performs its proper job effectively. It refines popular will through the filter of representation. It provides checks and balances through the several branches of government and a federal republic.

A Constitutional conservatism unites all conservatives through the natural fusion provided by American principles. It reminds economic conservatives that morality is essential to limited government, social conservatives that unlimited government is a threat to moral self-government, and national security conservatives that energetic but responsible government is the key to America’s safety and leadership role in the world.

A Constitutional conservatism based on first principles provides the framework for a consistent and meaningful policy agenda.
  • It applies the principle of limited government based on the rule of law to every proposal.
  • It honors the central place of individual liberty in American politics and life.
  • It encourages free enterprise, the individual entrepreneur, and economic reforms grounded in market solutions.
  • It supports America’s national interest in advancing freedom and opposing tyranny in the world and prudently considers what we can and should do to that end.
  • It informs conservatism’s firm defense of family, neighborhood, community, and faith.
If we are to succeed in the critical political and policy battles ahead, we must be certain of our purpose.

We must begin by retaking and resolutely defending the high ground of America’s founding principles.

February 17, 2010

You can sign on to the The Mount Vernon Statement here.