Wednesday, May 26, 2010

President Obama appoints Kwame Kilpatrick to lead independent investigation of Sestak bribery allegations

Citing growing dissatisfaction with the effort to clear the White House of bribery allegations, President Obama ordered former political ally Kwame Kilpatrick to investigate the charges.

"Few men in the United States have the deep experience with graft, corruption, bribery, and political duplicity than my good friend Kwame," the President said early Wednesday, "That is why I trust him completely to investigate fully the charges that I did something untoward or improper."

In related news, a self-described "Blue Ribbon Commission" consisting of David Axelrod, Rahm Emanuel, Franklin Raines and Jamie Gorelick completed their investigation of the allegations that Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) had been offered a job in exchange for dropping out of the Senate race with Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA).

Gorelick stated that, "After a thorough and complete review, consisting of exhaustive interviews, research and Google searches, all of which consumed nearly 20 minutes, we have determined that the White House only offered Mr. Sestak a Pop Tart and a cup of coffee. Thanks to incredible cooperation by all levels of government, we've concluded that absolutely no improper activity took place, aside from Mr. Sestak taking a whiz off the Lincoln balcony."


An Open Letter to President Obama Requesting a Small Favor

In the comments, Phil offered this missive to our beloved leader:

Dear President Obama:

I'm planning to move my family and extended family into Mexico for my health, and I would like to ask you to assist me.

We're planning to simply walk across the border from the U.S. into Mexico, and we'll need your help to make a few arrangements.

We plan to skip all the legal stuff like visas, passports, immigration quotas and laws.

I'm sure they handle those things the same way you do here. So, would you mind telling your buddy, President Calderon, that I'm on my way over?

Please let him know that I will be expecting the following:

1. Free medical care for my entire family.

2. English-speaking government bureaucrats for all services I might need, whether I use them or not.

3. Please print all Mexican Government forms in English.

4. I want my grandkids to be taught Spanish by English- speaking (bi-lingual) teachers.

5. Tell their schools they need to include classes on American culture and history.

6. I want my grandkids to see the American flag on one of the flag poles at their school.

7. Please plan to feed my grandkids at school for both breakfast and lunch.

8. I will need a local Mexican driver's license so I can get easy access to government services.

9. I do plan to get a car and drive in Mexico, but I don't plan to purchase car insurance, and I probably won't make any special effort to learn local traffic laws.

10. In case one of the Mexican police officers does not get the memo from their president to leave me alone, please be sure that every patrol car has at least one English-speaking officer.

11. I plan to fly the U.S. flag from my housetop, put U.S. flag decals on my car, and have a gigantic celebration on July 4th. I do not want any complaints or negative comments from the locals.

12. I would also like to have a nice job without paying any taxes, or have any labor or tax laws enforced on any business I may start.

13. Please have the president tell all the Mexican people to be extremely nice and never say critical things about me or my family, or about the strain we might place on their economy.

14. I want to receive free food stamps.

15. Naturally, I'll expect free rent subsidies.

16. I'll need income tax credits so that although I don't pay Mexican taxes, I'll receive money from the government.

17. Please arrange it so that the Mexican Government pays $4,500.00 to help me buy a new car.

18. Oh yes, I almost forgot, please enroll me free into the Mexican Social Security program so that I'll get a monthly income in retirement.

I know this is an easy request because you already do all these things for all his people who walk over to the U.S. from Mexico . I am sure that President Calderon won't mind returning the favor if you ask him nicely.

Thank you so much for your kind help.

You're the man!!!

Phil expects a response momentarily.


It's down to the wire: Chuck DeVore doubles his numbers on RINOs Carly Fiorina and Tom Campbell in California!

Time is running short as Chuck DeVore, a true Constitutional conservative and philosophical descendant of Ronald Reagan, continues to gain momentum in the California race to unseat the horrid Barbara Boxer.

A recent Public Policy Institute of California poll shows that DeVore has doubled his numbers in only two months. Failed HP executive Carly Fiorina and liberal GOP member Tom Campbell are polling at around 24% each while DeVore has pulled within striking distance at 16%.

DeVore's credentials as a true Constitutional conservative are impeccable: he's been endorsed by Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), Congressman Tom McClintock (R-CA), Congressman Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Mark Levin, Andrew Breitbart, The Tea Party Express, Citizens United, and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association PAC.

And there's a huge difference between DeVore and his RINO competitors:

• Tom Campbell is a big government, big tax Nixonian Republican; he's a long-time Californian politician with a history of wishy-washy views and a friend of the tax-and-spenders.

• Carly Fiorina is a "John McCain Republican" who uses the conservative brand to burnish her non-existent credentials. In the past, she's supported amnesty for illegal immigrants, the massive federal bailouts, Cap-and-Trade and uber-liberal Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Meanwhile, Chuck DeVore's background is truly inspirational:

Chuck served as a Reagan White House appointee in the Pentagon from 1986 to 1988. As Special Assistant for Foreign Affairs his duties included working with Congress to advance the President’s foreign and military policy. Chuck’s official travels took him to Asia, Europe, Africa, and Central America. His initiative helped develop the Arrow Anti-Ballistic Missile program.

In 1988 Chuck served as Director of Public Liaison for former Congressman Chris Cox’s first campaign for public office. Through 1990, he served as the Congressman’s Senior Assistant... From 1991 to 1996, Chuck served as a City Commissioner for the City of Irvine. He was Chairman of the city's Community Services Commission.

In 1983, Chuck enlisted in the United States Army Reserve. He earned an ROTC scholarship that allowed him to attend Claremont McKenna College where he graduated with honors with a degree in Strategic Studies in 1985 and was commissioned an officer. He also studied overseas at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. After more than 24 years of active reserve service, Chuck retired from the Army National Guard. He is now a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army retired Reserve. A graduate of the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College, his awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster, and others.

Since age 19, Chuck has been an active volunteer for the Republican Party, serving in the leadership of several organizations. He was elected to the Orange County Republican Party Central Committee in 1992 and was reelected four times. Chuck was Chairman of the Ethics Committee.

Chuck DeVore is the kind of man we need representing California.

Donate a couple of bucks now -- the stakes are too high for our children and grandchildren. It's not an overstatement to say that the Republic hangs in the balance.


The First Hit Is Always Free: The Obama Democrats Intentionally Expand the Culture of Dependency

40 million individuals in the U.S. now receive food stamps, the highest figure in American history. The cost: a startling $73 billion a year. Fans of the welfare state and Democrats -- but I repeat myself -- claim that the economy is to blame. While that's no doubt a factor, the uncomfortable truth is that the Obama administration seems bound and determined to get as many households as possible addicted to food stamps.

"The number of food stamp recipients has more than doubled since 2000, and the cost of the program has more than tripled," said Chris Edwards, an expert on federal and state tax issues at the libertarian Cato Institute...

Though no one quibbles about the need for more forms of assistance during times of high unemployment, Edwards fears there is more going on here, that there is an effort to just keep expanding such programs... Some government figures show that only 10 million people have a serious problem with hunger, Edwards said... "The number of people on food stamps is four times higher than the number of people with a serious hunger problem..."

The scope of the abuse of the welfare state is shocking, especially when you consider that it's tacitly encouraged by the federal government.

...a Warren County, Ohio, couple was able to qualify for [food stamps] even though they had $80,000 in the bank, a paid-off $300,000 home, and two fairly up-to-date vehicles (one a Mercedes).

Matt Hurley at Weapons of Mass Discussion, the blogger who originally exposed this situation, also "received additional emails … (from people) who provided two other (similar) case stories."

Despite relatively tiny levels of inflation, the administration continues to dramatically increase the income thresholds necessary to meet the assistance minimums.

My next door neighbor has 3 kids, receives free housing (voucher), heat assistance, free child care, food stamps, free bus card and a free cell phone w/70 minutes of free phone time each month. She claimed she ran her own 'small business' and was able to receive over $4000 back on her income taxes. Taxes she has never paid. Every month she sells $300 of her food stamps...

...The situation is MUCH worse –there is absolutely no deduction in the food stamp program for the fact the school age children qualify for the separate ‘free lunch’ programs — which include breakfast too. And abuse of that is rampant –my wife is a 20yr public school teacher and I get outrageous scoop [sic] all the time... Additionally, yet another federal program pays for the school cafeterias (only in certain neighborhoods) to open in the *summertime* and feed all comers in the ‘community’ — not just school age kids either... Its disgusting — no effort is made whatsoever to detect overlapping benefits...

In fact, the fraud associated with the spread of food stamps appears to be growing with the help of organized crime.

They buy the items w/ EBT, typically expensive single items. (Think fungible gallon of milk). Then they bring them back w/ no receipt later that same day, typically when there is a different front end manager or store manager on duty.

FYI. I have been in groc. business and my wife is in groc. mgmt.

The people running these scams use social engineering attacks.
1. Loss prevention interactions are law-suit bait.
2. Returns w/o receipt are incredibly hard to deny w/o also being lawsuit bait.
They will know more about your corporation and it’s business partners than any employee in the place. They know which vendors have cash in their trucks (COD accounts or pop vending machines, etc).
They will:

Send in associate to ask to speak to the manager about quality of XXXX or attitude of checker XXXXX, get managers name, description and front end managers name, description, typical response time for irate customer call and dispute resolution process.

They will likely carpool or at least arrange to arrive in ‘packs’. While people are making their case for product return at the service desk, there will be several ’shoplifters’, some obvious, some not so much working the store. The management team will be overwhelmed (DOS attack) with team members calling to report the shoplifters. A vendor will very likely be trying to deliver, so the back door needs to be open. Manager will have to either go after the shoplifters taking $250 in roasts and steak out the door while they deal with the obvious fraudulent product return or they will (almost always) authorize the fraudulent return or delegate authority downward to do so. Police will not investigate shoplifting after the fact even with an outside eyewitness and surveillance video showing both the taking and the license plate of the car they left in. The more fraudulent the people are, the louder and more aggressive they will be at the customer service desk. They WILL KNOW the managers name and district managers name and threaten to call them at home on the weekend to discuss this “OUTRAGE of not getting cash back when they paid cash earlier in the day and don’t need the product now that their family can’t visit after all”.

Once the EBT has been converted to either ‘in-store credit’ or cash, it is now fully fungible. The in-store credit can be sold, traded or further converted to cash via the same process at a different store.

This goes on every day in every grocery store in America and is well documented via surveillance video. Pay a little extra attention from now on and see how much of this you can now personally witness.

The real outrage for these comments is that our service members are paid so poorly that if there is a family involved, they almost certainly need WIC & foodstamps.

In addition, some colleges and universities seem to aggressively encourage the use of food stamps by students.

About 20,000 people sign up for food stamps every day, and college students across the country are the newest demographic being encouraged to enlist...

Portland State University devotes a page on its Web site to explaining the ease with which students can receive benefits, along with instructions on how to apply. The school says food stamps are not charity but rather a benefit all honest taxpaying citizens can afford...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture renamed food stamps the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP) in 2008, instituted electronic debit cards instead of coupons, and began an aggressive push to expand eligibility.

In other words, rampant fraud and abuse of the system is implicitly encouraged by the administration and its accomplices.

It's gotten so bad that Salon Magazine -- no right-wing outlet -- devoted significant coverage to the purchase of high-end food items (organic salmon, for instance) by recipients of food stamps.

...recent changes made to the program as part of last year's stimulus package, which relaxed the restrictions on able-bodied adults without dependents to collect food stamps, have made some young singles around the country eligible for the first time.

..."The use has gone way up in the last six months," said Eric Wilcox, a cashier who has worked at Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco for 10 years. "We're seeing a lot more young people in their 20s purchasing organic food with food stamp cards. I wouldn't say it's limited to hipster people, but I'm certainly surprised to see them with cards."...

...At Magida's brick row house in Baltimore, she and Mak minced garlic while observing that one of the upsides of unemployment was having plenty of time to cook elaborate meals, and that among their friends, they had let go of any bad feelings about how their food was procured... Savory aromas wafted through the kitchen as a table was set with a heaping plate of Thai yellow curry with coconut milk and lemongrass, Chinese gourd sautéed in hot chile sauce and sweet clementine juice, all of it courtesy of government assistance.

The message to many workers is apparent: quit your job and start buying organic! Start living large -- just let someone else pay the bills! Why work?

Barack Obama is the neutron bomb of fiscal policy. Day in and day out, he obliterates the private economy -- and only the empty shops and office buildings remain.


Larwyn's Linx: Chuck DeVore closing gap with Fiorina

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Nation

Chuck DeVore closing gap with Fiorina: AmPower
Websites' raw video documents Arizona's border battle: ABC-15
Illegals and the Election: AT (Dunn)

Obama to Skip Wreath Laying Ceremony at Arlington: Malkin
Dem politician run down by drunk illegal alien: RWN
Down in the polls, Dems at war with themselves: Barone

Economy

Schakowsky's ShoreBank: Evidence of Scumbaggery: Pollak
Robert Reich: Another Economic Illiterate: PJM
British Pensioners Terrified of Austerity Poverty Trap: Insider

Redistributor-in-Chief: It’s Only the Beginning: RWN
As food stamp fraud grows, Dems resist anti-fraud steps: PJM
Jo Ann Emerson Sponsoring $165B Union Bailout Bill!: BMW

Climate & Energy

Left on the Cutting Room Floor: NewsBusters
Jindal Furious: Rips Obama For Dismal Response to Spill: GWP

Media

Snap! NYT Exposes Yet Another Secret Operation: RWN
Libtalkers Worry Public Outrage Shifting Toward Obama: Equalizer
Hey, Tom, be thankful you were born before 1979*: Fausta

'Rambo' Blumenthal: a Shared Disgrace: RepAm
Safety Patrol Invades Naval Academy: Powers
Walt, Mearshimer... Beinart: Another Rant About Omnipotent Zionists: PJM

Hmmm

Living in Obama's Loony Parallel Universe: AT
Chairman Zero Going Nanners? What Do You Think?: Moonbattery
Obama's Porta Prompta - Symptom of Distress: Anchoress (1/27/10)

World

Mexico Tells Obama What To Do With Those National Guard Troops: LegalIns
Now Can We Put North Korea Back on the Terrorism List?: Rosett
Storm Clouds in the Ukraine: OnTheSquare

The Ghost of Donald Rumsfeld: Belmont
'We Are Here to Dominate': GoV
For Shame: Iran Voted In as Member of UN Women's Rights Commission: PJM

Duty, Honor and Other Countries: AT
The wonders of socialism: Hugo Chavez is now confiscating food: RWN

SciTech

Dell Mini 5 tablet: Dell's answer to the Apple iPad?: ZDNet
DOJ exploring Apple's role in music pricing: CNet
Democrats' split over Net neutrality widens: CNet

Cornucopia

The Culture Wars are Turning: PJM
Irrelevent Crazy Ugly People Blind Innocent W. Houstonians: Hindenblog
The '4 and Out' T-Shirt: Pupista

Image: Insider.
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Fausta's Blog

QOTD: "Thousands of people are attacked by sea creatures every year. We at BP are dedicated to bringing that number down. You're welcome! -- @BPGlobalPR


Tuesday, May 25, 2010

If you're betting on a housing recovery, can I also interest you in the 'Bernie Madoff Capital Growth Fund'?

Black coffee-style sobering: "Anyone Who Is Still Bullish On Housing Clearly Isn't Paying Attention To The Real Numbers." The lowlights:

• There are 140 million homes in the US.

• 26 million of these homes -- nearly one in five -- are for sale, either directly or indirectly.

• 8 million additional mortgage owners are late on their payments and "on the verge of foreclosure".

• 35 million potential buyers are underwater on their existing mortgages and can't buy a home.

• 35 million others are unemployed or underemployed. That's 70 million potential buyers who are effectively out of the market.

• 80 million baby boomers are in the midst of retiring -- about 10,000 a day. If they downsize, the total reduction in housing demand is estimated at as many as 1.7 million average-sized homes.

Conclusion: "Add it all up, and there is a massive structural imbalance in residential real estate that will take at least a decade more to unwind. We could be looking at a replay of the same 26 year period from 1929 to 1955 when prices remained flat, and we are only 3 years into it!"

* * * * * * * * *

Okay, calm down. Breathe... cleansing breaths. Just forget about Debbie Downer. Please -- recall President Obama's historic words uttered only four short months ago:

One year ago, I took office amid two wars, an economy rocked by a severe recession, a financial system on the verge of collapse, and a government deeply in debt. Experts from across the political spectrum warned that if we did not act, we might face a second depression. So we acted -– immediately and aggressively. And one year later, we're in deeper s*** than ever before.

America, you can't spend your whole life worrying about your mistakes! You f***ed up... you trusted us!

Full disclosure: I might have transcribed that last bit incorrectly. The dogs were barking, or something.


White House Probe of White House Bribe Allegations Clears White House: 'No Crimes that Merit Media Attention Were Committed by White House'

Courtesy of The Los Angeles Times, the dialogue between Joe Sestak and David Gregory on Sunday's Meet the Depressed is fascinating indeed.

MR. GREGORY: What, what job were you offered to stay out of a primary race by the administration?

REP. SESTAK: It's interesting. I was asked a question about something that....

MR. GREGORY: All right, but you've campaigned on transparency. It's part of the politics. You talked about standing up to the White House when they'd fielded a candidate--made a deal with Arlen Specter. So isn't it in the--in the spirit of transparency, were you offered a job by the administration? And what was it? ...

REP. SESTAK: I felt I needed to answer that question honestly because I was personally accountable for my role in the matter.

MR. GREGORY: What's the answer? What's the job you were offered?

REP. SESTAK: And--but anybody else has to decide for themselves what to say upon their role, and that's their responsibility.

MR. GREGORY: Yes or no, straightforward question. Were you, were you offered a job, and what was the job?

REP. SESTAK: I was offered a job, and I answered that...

MR. GREGORY: You said no, you wouldn't take the job. Was it the secretary of the Navy?

REP. SESTAK: Right. And I also said, "Look, I'm getting into this...

MR. GREGORY: Was it the secretary of the Navy job?

REP. SESTAK: Anything that go--goes beyond that is others--for others to talk about.

Robert Gibbs offered his usual stalwart defense on the Sunday talk circuit, which consisted of equal parts deflection and incoherence.

Today, however, even the official public relations newsletter of the DNC -- The Washington Compost -- raised the white flag.

"NOTHING inappropriate happened," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs says about the job offer that Rep. Joe Sestak, now the Democratic nominee for a Pennsylvania Senate seat, claims the White House dangled to induce him to back away from challenging incumbent Arlen Specter. "It has been looked into," adds White House senior adviser David Axelrod, and "nothing inappropriate happened."

...It would be awfully ham-handed if, as Mr. Sestak claims, an administration official presented the situation as an explicit quid pro quo: Don't challenge Mr. Specter and the Navy (or another job) is yours. Would it be illegal? Mr. Specter said so, but ethics laws do not seem designed for this circumstance. Ordinarily, bribery takes place in the opposite direction...

Still, the White House position that everyone should just trust it and go away is unacceptable from any administration; it is especially hypocritical coming from this one. "I'm not going to get further into what the conversations were," Mr. Gibbs said Sunday. "People that have looked into them assure me that they weren't inappropriate in any way." This response would hardly have satisfied those who were upset during the previous administration about the firing of U.S. attorneys. If there was nothing improper, why not all that sunlight Mr. Obama promised?

The most. Transparent. Administration. Evah! And to think that the geniuses at Slate Magazine were wondering if the Obama administration would be too transparent!

When the history books are written, I can assure you that this incident will be among the least of our concerns.

And I have only one more question:

WWKKD*?


* What would Kwame Kilpatrick do?

President to send Kwame Kilpatrick to investigate allegations of meth, porn, guns and graft inside Department of Interior's Spill Control Agency

Citing growing public anger over allegations of drug abuse, Internet porn surfing and outright graft inside the Department of Interior, President Obama today dispatched former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to the Gulf region.

"No one is more qualified to deal with these kinds of outrageous activities than my good friend Kwame," the President said in a prepared statement delivered at the White House. "And his efforts will be just as effective as my referring these kinds of cases to the Director of the Minerals Management Service."

Okay, I've got to come clean: I made up the part about Kilpatrick -- but not the outcome of the "investigations".

The Minerals Management Service, the federal agency responsible for all offshore oil and gas regulation, has dined, partied, fired off shotguns, hunted, golfed, and shared Web porn -- and in a couple of cases even done cocaine and meth -- with employees of the very companies they're supposed to be regulating, according to a newly released Interior Department report...

The report also describes the case of a MMS clerical employee who used cocaine and meth with an inspector... And then there's the porn problem. The report describes numerous incidences of porn being forwarded from government computers...

...The biggest offenders were fired some time ago, but despite all these transgressions, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana declined this case for prosecution in October 2009. The report explains that "This case is being referred to the Director of the Minerals Management Service for any action deemed appropriate."

The report casts a blinding light on the Mineral Management Service's tarnished record as it becomes clear that ethical and regulatory lapses are common in the agency. A regional MMS office in Alaska featured a cake with the words "Drill Baby Drill" at a recent reception, for example, and MMS officers were accused in 2008 of accepting sex and ski trips from oil company representatives.

Gee, Fredo, I can't wait to what kind of devious s*** the 111 new federal health care agencies -- staffed with thousands of SEIU members -- come up with.

We're in the very best of hands.


Update: Kinda, sorta related -- well, not really: Somali Coast Cruise Package.

President to send Kwame Kilpatrick to secure Mexico-Arizona Border

Citing growing concern with the spillover of violence, drugs and women of ill repute from Mexico, President Obama today dispatched former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to the border region.

"No one is more qualified to deal with these kinds of crimes than my good friend Kwame," the President said in a prepared statement delivered at the White House. "And his efforts will be just as effective as my order to send 1,200 National Guardsman to the border area."

Actually I made up the part about Kilpatrick -- but not the National Guard. Sending in a few troops -- what is that, one soldier per mile? -- is as sincere a security measure as the legendary "virtual fence."

The most glaring sign that President Obama’s announcement of border funding and National Guard troops is one big, phony charade? He apparently didn’t even bother to let the governor of besieged Arizona, Gov. Jan Brewer, know about it...

...[the Bush White House also used] border security as a campaign ploy and performed Get Tough Theater only to flake out... The only thing worse than open-borders Obama exploiting our illegal immigration woes is open-borders Johnny-come-lately John McCain continuing to do the same.

...Until politicians with proven integrity and commitment to securing this country against invasion step into the leadership vacuum, Arizona’s DIY policy on border security is the only trustworthy one: Do It Yourself.

The one "shovel-ready" Stimulus project that 90% of Americans support -- a 25-foot high, 3-foot wide border fence made of steel-reinforced concrete -- was somehow missed in the President's comprehensive plan.

Along with the actual "security" part of border security.


Larwyn's Linx: House Freshmen Run Away from Obama

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

Freshmen run away from Obama: CQP
Why we should be very afraid of Elena Kagan: Power Line
Gov. Dumbal: GOP almost at level of sedition: Hot Air

A Thug Too Far: Power Line
First conviction in illegal alien gang massacre: Malkin
A Tale of Two Book Banners: RWN

Economy

New York Judges consider joining Teachers' Union: AT
Big Brother’s Lock On Your Money Is Complete: LogMon
Kuttner has been lobotomized: Denninger

Oops: Administration admits rationing is in DemCare: RWN
Why is College Tuition Rising 2X Rate of Inflation?: Carpe Diem
As we suffer, government salaries and payoffs grow: RWN

Climate & Energy

Overturning EPA’s Finding Is a Constitutional Imperative: PJM
Nonpartisan Proof: Cap-and-Trade Is an Economy-Killer: AT
It's the Sun, Stupid: NatPost

What the hell is happening with the BP leak?: Moran
Salazar threatens to nationalize BP oil spill: MagNote
Climate Change Threatens Nomadic Mongolians Way Of Life: RWN

Media

Are you ready to speak out, America?: PJM
Another deportation abyss horror story, more ICE non-enforcement: Malkin
My law studies are a bit rusty, but I'd say he's got a strong case...: BarcePundit

Come on Down to Independence Slavery Mall: AT
SecDef Hillary Clinton?: Jumping In Pools
O'Reilly's Awesome Idea to Stop BP Leak: FreeLight

Old Media: Democrats = Moderate, Republicans = Extremist: RWN
Meghan McCain bashes 'Racist' Tea Party: GWP
BHO, Master of the Modern Media: RWN

World

The New International Order: Belmont
OIC Praises Obama’s ‘Remarkable Decision’ to Close Guantanamo, Drop References to Islam, Terrorism: WeaZip
Joe Biden: Brussels Has Legitimate Claim to Capital of the Free World: GWP

Homeland Security Alert: Somali Terrorist on the Loose in Texas?: PJM
Rifqa Bary Suffering from Cancer, Her Lawyers Bring In Her Parents: Geller
Muslim Youths in Nigeria Burn Church Buildings, Pastor's Home: RSN

SciTech

Google trashes iPhone OS, and it's right: ZDNet
BugBots: DesignWorld
I'm So Freaking Browned Off: C&S

Cornucopia

Branding Matters: Steyn
Obama appoints Golf Czar: Carpe Diem
Democrats vs. a Bomb: C&S

Image: Curmudgeonly & Skeptical.
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Maggie's Notebook.

Monday, May 24, 2010

The Obama Campaign to Strip Israel of its Last Line of Defense Continues: Guardian Reports Israel Tried to Sell Nukes in the Seventies

Several weeks ago, the World Tribune reported that President Obama and Egypt were working on a strategy to pressure Israel to give up its nuclear arsenal.

Over the last 40 years, the United States has unofficially adopted Israel's refusal to discuss its purported nuclear arsenal. Israel has refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty until peace comes to the Middle East.

The United Nations has hosted a month-long meeting on NPT [Nuclear Proliferation Treaty]. The session has been dominated by Egypt's recruitment of a bloc to press for the implementation of a 1995 resolution for a nuclear-free Middle East.

"We want to see every country be a signatory to the NPT," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on May 3. "We believe strongly in this. That’s why we are taking steps which have never been taken by any administration before."

Israel has become the focus of attention at the NPT meeting, sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency. IAEA director-general Yukiya Amano has asked member-states to propose ways to press Israel to join NPT.

...On May 5, Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States called for a nuclear-free Middle East. The five nuclear powers, without mentioning Israel, called on all states in the region to sign the NPT.

...[Former Ambassador John] Bolton did not rule out a U.S. campaign against Israel's purported nuclear weapons arsenal. He said the next few months could see an increase in U.S. and other international pressure on the Jewish state.

"The only unknown answer at this point is exactly how much pressure he [Obama] would exert on Israel to do just that," Bolton said. "Part of that pressure is being exerted right now by even considering the possibility of a conference on a nuclear-weapons-free Middle East."

Today, UK's Guardian newspaper rolled out another element of the information warfare campaign, claiming that Israel tried to sell nukes in the seventies to the apartheid country of South Africa.

A UK news website claims Israel intended to sell nuclear weapons to apartheid South Africa, but Jerusalem denies the charges.

The Guardian news website, citing the work of an American academic, has reported that declassified South African documents reveal that Israel offered to sell nuclear weapons to the apartheid regime in 1975...

The office of Israeli President Shimon Peres, who was defense minister at the time of the alleged agreement, has vehemently denied the claims.

The documents purporting to prove that Israel tried to sell its nukes were -- surprise! -- "uncovered" by an editor at the Democrat think tank Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).

Gee, why not just have Dan Rather "find" the documents instead?

You say Dan Rather's a member of the CFR? Oops.

Let me guess, the "uncovered" documents from the seventies used a Microsoft Word-compatible Times New Roman font. And despite being highly classified, super Top Secret, a CFR researcher was able to find them in a long-lost file folder at the neighborhood JiffyLube.


Economy hitting on all cylinders as the Obama recovery rolls on

Defaults on Apartment-Building Loans Set Record for U.S. Banks


'Defaults on apartment-building mortgages held by U.S. banks climbed to a record 4.6 percent in the first quarter, almost twice the year-earlier level...

...Defaults on apartment-building mortgages surpassed the previous record, set in 1993, for the past three consecutive quarters... The U.S. savings-and-loan crisis drove apartment-building defaults to 3.4 percent in 1993. Defaults on other types of commercial property debt peaked at 4.6 percent in 1992, according to Real Capital.'


Foreclosures: Worst lurks ahead


'More than 22,000 homeowners in Utah found themselves in some stage of foreclosure between July 2008 and April 2010, according to a Salt Lake Tribune computer analysis based on data from RealtyTrac... In Salt Lake City, foreclosure filings doubled in the first three months of 2010 compared with the same time last year, the highest rate of increase for all U.S. cities. The number leapt an additional 44 percent in April, raising the share of all Utah homes in foreclosure to one in every 221, fifth highest in the nation.

"I truly believe that we have not seen the worst of this," said Julia Borst, president of the Utah Mortgage Lenders Association. "I can't even explain to you the gravity of it..."'


Healthcare law tax credits encourage small businesses to stay small, not hire


'A study by the National Center for Policy Analysis shows that tax credits in the new healthcare law could negatively impact small-business hiring decisions...

...the credit creates a perverse incentive for business owners that fit the Treasury’s profile. While the tax break is temporary and only returns a fraction of what employees cost a company, businesses owners might forego hiring an extra worker if it means losing a piece of the tax credit.'


The $123 Billion Tab For Job And Tax Bill


'Late Friday, the CBO reported that the the [new Job and Tax bill] would increase the deficit by $123 billion for 2010 and 2011. That number rises to $141 billion for the 2010 to 2015 period. The agency said, “The bill would extend benefits under the unemployment insurance program, at a total cost of about $47 billion, and it would extend (for an additional six months) the increase in the federal share of Medicaid costs that was originally enacted in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009."

Like every other program on top of the President’s budget, an additional burden is placed on the Treasury to increase borrowing and, probably the cost of money. The CBO estimates that debt service for the American deficit will hit $700 billion in 2020. That makes the government’s ability to fund Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid more difficult. An aging population will find that its retirement will be more expensive to fund. Some expect that some baby boomers will not get their “fair share” of entitlement programs.'


Commercial foreclosures pick up speed


'Mesa Financial Plaza, the 17-story office tower that lights up the night sky with a neon-blue silhouette, has been noticed for trustee sale.

The $40.6 million default is just one of many that are starting to drop in the Valley. The number of defaults for loans of more than $20 million is increasing rapidly for all product types, including office, industrial, retail and large apartment complexes.

Chris Toci, executive director of the capital markets group at Cushman & Wakefield of Arizona Inc., said Phoenix is at the front end of a major crash...'

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Aren't you relieved that President Obama -- in his words -- saved us from the "worst economic crisis since the Great Depression". Of course, he's been calling the mortgage meltdown that since late 2008 and -- things have only gotten worse.

Unemployment's up, foreclosures are up, taxes are up, deficits are up... and the banksters and their sycophants in Washington are still living large. Think about it: Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, Maxine Waters, Franklin Raines, Andrew Cuomo, Jamie Gorelick -- as culpable as any persons on the face of the Earth for the meltdown -- are laughing all the way to the bank.


Linked by: Michelle Malkin and Mass Backwards. Thanks!

Gibbs on Sestak bribery allegations: If you mention extortion again, I'll have your legs broken

Presidential spokes-drone Robert Gibbs hit the talk show circuit on Sunday to discuss, among other topics, the quid pro quo offered Pennsylvania Senate candidate Joe Sestak. He was not permitted to display his usual incoherence, though, as he was apparently counseled to clam up altogether. Which is hardly a strategy to reassure independents rightfully worried about the rampant allegations of corruption creeping out of the Beltway.

Now even Democrat muckety-mucks are pressing the administration for answers.

Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner (N.Y.) called on the White House on Monday to detail conversations it allegedly had with Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) to try to convince him to drop his Senate bid.

Weiner said that allegations that White House officials had offered Sestak an administration job in exchange for his dropping of his primary bid against Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) had become a growing political liability...

“Someone has to help us out here, and I think the White House and Congressman Sestak need to make sure we’re not talking about this next week,” Weiner explained.

In response to this request, President Obama is said to have unleashed his elite Lightning Response Team™, fresh off its successful handling of the gulf oil spill, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", the withdrawal of Armed Forces from Iraq, and the overall improvement of America's image abroad.


Delightful: Democrats to stick American taxpayers with a $165 billion bill to pay off the Unions' underfunded pensions

It appears that bankrupting the United States Treasury was only the first step in the Democrat plan to destroy the American economy. Layering in a new entitlement program -- socialized medicine -- when the country can't afford its existing programs was thought to be the icing on the cake. It wasn't.

The final nail in the coffin may come in the form of stealing $165 billion additional dollars from taxpayers to fund union pensions that were mismanaged and misappropriated by the bosses who support Democrats in good times and bad.

A Democratic senator is introducing legislation for a bailout of troubled union pension funds. If passed, the bill could put another $165 billion in liabilities on the shoulders of American taxpayers.

The bill, which would put the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation behind struggling pensions for union workers, is being introduced by Senator Bob Casey, (D-Pa.), who says it will save jobs and help people.

As FOX Business Network’s Gerri Willis reported Monday, these pensions are in bad shape; as of 2006, well before the market dropped and recession began, only 6% of these funds were doing well.

Although right now taxpayers could possibly be on the hook for $165 billion, the liability could essentially be unlimited because these pensions have to be paid out until the workers die.

The SEIU spent roughly $85 million electing Barack Obama and significantly more on other Democrat campaigns. Socialized medicine doesn't kick in fast enough to stoke the unions' underfunded pension plans, which is why Joe and Jane Taxpayer -- or, to be precise, their kids and grandkids -- will foot the bill.

The behavior of the modern Democrat Party is beyond the pale.

Oh, and when you're working in the rice fields side by side with your neighbors who voted for Obama, be sure to thank them for me.


Larwyn's Linx: Jindal blasts Obama inaction, moves on sand booms

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

Jindal blasts Obama inaction, moves on sand booms: Malkin
Was this a nightmare? Or did it really happen?: AT
Duty, Honor, Blah Blah Blah, Etc.: Crittenden

Another ICE horror story, more ICE non-enforcement: Malkin
What was cut from Obama's West Point speech: RWN
The Irony of the Rand Paul Kerfuffle: LegalIns

Economy

Cliff-Diving into Dependency, Trolling for Democrat Votes: Blumer
Union Insanity: New Jersey Becomes Greece: GWP
Tim Kaine: Lying with Statistics: Commentary

ObamaCare encourages small businesses to stay small, not hire: Hill
Good news! Housing crisis architect seeks NY Governorship: BlogProf
How Debt Imperils National Security: Ignatius

Climate & Energy

Obama switches to Denmark from Brazil: Best out of Five? PJM
'I Haff zeen zee oil-coated buds': Doswell
Cause for Alarm?: WUWT

Media

When Even the New York Times Admits Europe's Welfare State Is Unsustainable...: Cobb
Surprise: WaPo, NYT Wildly Misstate 'Controversial' Texas Curriculum Changes: Ace
Calderon: drop AZ Law, renew Assault Weapons Ban, remove North America's borders: Last Gringo

Sestak Confirms Job Offer from White House: Patterico
Thoughtless on Discrimination: RWN
Propaganda from the AP: AT

World

Intelligence Analysis: Kim Approved Sinking of South Korean Ship: Ace
Report: American Soldiers in Afghanistan Ordered to Patrol With Their Weapons Unloaded…: Weasel Zippers
A mosque at Ground Zero? A sick joke: Telegraph

Obama Announces U.S. Military Secrets to the World : FoxNation
A hot new vacation destination: Hezbollah's Magic Kingdom of Jihad Theme Park: WyBlog
The euro crisis is a judgment on the great lie of 'Europe': Booker

SciTech

Industrial Light & Masking Tape: Driscoll
Brewing a better coffee cup online: CNet
iPad caveat: Solution seeking a problem: CNet

Cornucopia

Gringo Mask -- Yeah, This Should Work: LegalIns
Socialism's Downfall: AT
Moonbats: Whales and Dolphins Should Get “Human Rights” to Life and Liberty…: Weasel Zippers

Image: Watts Up With That.
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Gates of Vienna.

QOTD: "Faced by the linked yet separate crises in the Middle East and in Northeast Asia the Obama administration is acting like it was shot through the central nervous system, acting in uncoordinated jerks. The alliances with Korea and Japan and the special relationships with Israel and Britain lie almost forgotten like neglected toys on the floor of a spoiled child distracted by his latest bauble. Gone are the heady prospects of Grand Bargains with the Muslim world kicked off by dramatic speeches in Cairo. Gone is the idea of a swift drawdown from Iraq; or of a comprehensive solution in the Middle East. Gone is the promise of catching Osama Bin Laden. Gone is the notion that Europe, which once hated America because of George Bush, would turn like a blossoming rose to Obama. In their place are half-finished begun threads without closure: a growing Hezbollah menace in Lebanon; a defiant Iran; a belligerent North Korea; a buffoonish but menacing Chavez; a drug war on the southern border; an Eastern Europe with the shadow of the Russian bear growing ever longer across it." -- Richard Fernandez (via Bruce Kesler)


Sunday, May 23, 2010

Private Dick Anthony Weiner Stars in TARGET: GOLDLINE


Click to enbiggen.

Back-story: Anthony Weiner goes after Goldline.


The Costs of Illegal Immigration vs. State Budget Deficits: a Chart

I'll let the figures speak for themselves.

StateIllegal Immigration Population (000's omitted)Total Cost to State TaxpayersCurrent Budget DeficitImmigration Enforcement Could Close % of Budget Shortfall
Nevada210$0.8B$1.2B67%
Massachusetts225$1.0B$2.6B39%
Maryland250$1.3B$2.0B65%
Arizona470$2.7B$3.2B84%
Illinois775$3.5B$5.7B61%
Florida950$3.8B$3.2B118%
New York1,000$5.2B$8.2B63%
Texas1,740$4.7B$11.0B43%
California3,470$10.5B$19.0B55%

The costs represent only the 'hard dollar' toll for the lack of border enforcement, including education, health services, incarceration, welfare, etc. 'Soft dollar' costs -- the toll on the victims of illegal immigrants' crimes, drug addiction, inferior educational programs for citizens and legal immigrants, etc. -- are not included in the figures.


Sources: Arizona ($1.6 billion from Arizona's education system, $694.8 million from health care services, $339.7 million in law enforcement and court costs, $85.5 million in welfare costs and $155.4 million in other general costs); California ($2.5B for incarceration, $2.5 billion for medical services, education $3.2B, total $10.5B); Maryland; Massachusetts, New York; State Budget Deficits.
Related: Aren't 'Sanctuary Cities' that promote illegal immigration cool? Suspect in Times Square bomb plot was known to be living illegally in Boston


Aren't 'Sanctuary Cities' that promote illegal immigration cool? Suspect in Times Square bomb plot was known to be living illegally in Boston

Gee, David Gregory, you mean terror suspect So Pir Kahn was known to be living in the U.S. illegally -- and nothing was done?

The magnificent investigators at Judicial Watch unearthed this startling news, which you most definitely will not be reading in your state-run media periodicals.

In an alarming example of how sanctuary cities can protect terrorists, a Pakistani man arrested for the Time Square bombing admitted on a city license application that he entered the U.S. illegally and authorities took no action.

That’s because he applied for the cabbie license in a state (Massachusetts) that openly protects illegal immigrants from deportation. Local law enforcement agencies throughout Massachusetts have don’t-ask-don’t-tell policies regarding illegal aliens and in this case the Boston Police Department has for years known that the terrorist, So Pir Khan, was in the country illegally.

Khan was recently arrested in an FBI terror sweep for his involvement in the Time Square bombing earlier this month. The Boston cab driver is one of three men who funneled money to the fellow Pakistani terrorist (Faisal Shahzad) who tried to blow up New York’s Time Square with a series of bombs hidden in a sports utility vehicle.

When Khan applied for a license to drive a taxi, he admitted in writing that he had come to the United States illegally in 1991. The application was submitted to Boston Police but no action was ever taken. Khan easily obtained the cabbie license and regularly drove around one of the nation’s busiest airports with few restrictions. In fact the Boston Police Hackney Division approved Khan’s license to drive a taxi 13 times since he first applied in 1997.

JudicialWatch also reports that despite his employment as a gas station attendant, Boston authorities never thought anything was suspicious when he ponied up $190,000 in cash to purchase taxi medallions. A few years later, he doubled his investment when he sold his shares and, again, no one investigated.

Massachusetts is one of many sanctuary regions; most cities in the bankrupt state of California, Chicago, the District of Columbia, New Haven (CT), Salt Lake City (UT) and Provo (UT) are but a few of the areas that are protecting the rights of criminals and terrorists by willfully ignoring federal law.

But don't worry -- mainstream media is too busy misconstruing Rand Paul's comments on the Constitution and the 1875 and 1964 Civil Rights Acts to concern themselves with the safety of American citizens.

So don't fret, folks, we're in the best of hands. After all, our beloved Attorney General Eric Holder and our equally outstanding DHS Chief Janet Napolitano are both watching over us like hacks hawks.


Now is the time on Sprockets vhen ve juxtapose headlines!

Associated Press: State dinner has it all: Beyonce, world-class chef
"Markets dive on jobless claims, Europe concerns"

Washington Post: Michelle Obama's dress -- and new state dinner hairstyle
"One in 7 U.S. homeowners paying late or in foreclosure"

Chicago Sun-Times: Obama splashy, elegant State Dinner honors Mexico
"Housing recovery threatened by homeowners' 'strategic defaults'"

WaPo: White House State Dinner: Beyonce, the non-spouse dates, and other leftovers
"32 States Now Officially Bankrupt: $37.8 Billion Borrowed From Treasury To Fund Unemployment; CA, MI, NY Worst"

ABC News: The Low-Down on the First Lady's State Dinner Gown
"College Grads about to Flood Labor Market; Class of 2009 Still Without Jobs in Deep Trouble"

NPR: Obama's Second State Dinner Celebrates Mexico
"Mortgage Foreclosures Hit Record as Job Losses Strain Budgets"

CBS News: Michelle Obama's State Dinner Gown Made by Peter Soronen
"Surge in Strategic Defaults Threatens Housing Market Recovery"

CNN: Obama's second state dinner has Mexican flair
"Area foreclosures jump unexpectedly"

Chicagoist: Bayless, Beyoncé Highlight Obama's Second State Dinner
"Central Falls Rhode Island - Bankrupt - Goes Into Receivership"

HuffPo: Michelle Obama & Margarita Zavala At State Dinner: Whose Dress Do You Like Best?
"Extra Unemployment benefits fail to halt tide of long-term jobless"

* * * * * * * * *

Just one question: During a time of severe economic dislocation, rampant unemployment, an oil spill in the gulf, an Iranian nuclear crisis and a Korean peninsula on the brink of war -- try to imagine a fawning media treating a Republican president's opulent, over-the-top party (hosted by Reagan or Bush, for example) like this.

I can't.


Images: Flickr and CBS News.

Larwyn's Linx: Nouveau riche Obamas pour it on at state dinner

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

Nouveau riche Obamas pour it on at state dinner: Pundette
Communist indoctrination in Chicago schools: RWN
Reviving Race Science at Columbia: AT

Obama's West Point Commencement Address: AmPower
Djou wins: first Republican to win in 20 years: GWP
The sons and daughters of liberty: AT

Economy

As economic worries grow, White House puts on the glitz: York
The Bankrupting of America: WSJ
32 States Now Officially Bankrupt: Zero Hedge

Climate & Energy


A Very Disturbing, Job-Killing Trend: Hewitt
Where do we get a refund? Mann's scams continue: Depot
Sealing the Gulf Blowout: AT

Media

The News They Kept to Themselves: RWN
Why the GOP could still lose in November: PJM
Mark Levin Challenges David Gregory: GWP

Fund smacks down Maher: Teabag yourself: NewsBusters
Daley hopes for violence against Supreme Court: Gormogons
Obama's Thugocracy: Tantaros

Thoughtless on Discrmination: RWN
Over My Dead Body!: AT
The Senator from Sandy Berger: Cashill

World

Update On UCSD MSA Member Who Admitted She Wants A Second Holocaust: JoshuaPundit
Evidence mounts that Pakistani major spoke to Times Square suspect: LAT
A Republican Response To President Calderone of Mexico ("Cooter-sweats?"): Ace

Senators: Obama admin keeps Congress in dark on intel: Times
Fatah may resume ‘armed struggle': JPost
'Shakin' It Up Here, Boss': CBullitt

SciTech

Ka-boom! HP expands notebook battery recall: CNet
Google Takes on Apple TV with Web-Based TV Service: NewsFactor
Applications Disclosing Required Authority: Schneier

Cornucopia

Dora the Explorer: SondraK
Elena Kagan and America's Rude Legacy of anti-Harvard Bigotry : IowaHawk
Spreading Manure: Adrienne

Image: WeinerFacts.com.
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: MOTUS

QOTD: "If you were to waterboard Chuck Schumer and ask him who he does not want to run against in November, he would gurgle the name Gary Berntsen." -- D. Patrick Mahoney