
Hat tip: (who else?) Papa B.
...you don't need to do nation- building in Israel. We're already built. (Laughter, applause.) You don't need to export democracy to Israel. We've already got it. (Applause.) And you don't need to send American troops to Israel. We defend ourselves... You've been very generous in giving us tools to do the job of defending Israel on our own ... I know economic times are tough. I deeply appreciate this......The brief democratic spring in Tehran was cut short by a ferocious and unforgiving tyranny. And it's this same tyranny that smothered Lebanon's democratic Cedar Revolution and inflicted on that long- suffering country the medieval rule of Hezbollah... So today the Middle East stands at a fateful crossroads. And like all of you, I pray that the peoples of the region choose the path less traveled, the path of liberty. (Applause.) ...
Israel has always embraced this path in a Middle East that has long rejected it. In a region where women are stoned, gays are hanged, Christians are persecuted, Israel stands out. It is different...
... Of the 300 million Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa, only Israel's Arab citizens enjoy real democratic rights. (Applause.) Now, I want you to stop for a second and think about that. Of those 300 million Arabs, less than one-half of 1 percent are truly free, and they're all citizens of Israel. (Applause.) ... This startling fact reveals a basic truth: Israel is not what is wrong about the Middle East; Israel is what's right about the Middle East. (Applause.) ...
...When I last stood here, I spoke of the consequences of Iran developing nuclear weapons. Now time is running out. The hinge of history may soon turn, for the greatest danger of all could soon be upon us: a militant Islamic regime armed with nuclear weapons...
...Now, I have no doubt -- I'm absolutely convinced -- that it will ultimately be defeated. I believe it will eventually succumb to the forces of freedom and progress. It depends on cloistering young minds for a given amount of years, and the process of opening up information will ultimately defeat this movement. But like other fanatacisms that were doomed to fail, militant Islam could exact an horrific price from all of us before its eventual demise... A nuclear-armed Iran would ignite a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. It would give terrorists a nuclear umbrella. It would make the nightmare of nuclear terrorism a clear and present danger throughout the world.
...the threat to my country cannot be overstated. Those who dismiss it are sticking their heads on the stand. Less than seven decades after 6 million Jews were murdered, Iran's leaders deny the Holocaust of the Jewish people while calling for the annihilation of the Jewish state. Leaders who spew such venom should be banned from every respectable forum on the planet. (Applause.)
...But there's something that makes the outrage even greater. Do you know what that is? It's the lack of outrage, because in much of the international community, the call(s) for our destruction are met with utter silence. It's even worse because there are many who rush to condemn Israel for defending itself against Iran's terror proxies...
...why has peace not been achieved? Because so far, the Palestinians have been unwilling to accept a Palestinian state if it meant accepting a Jewish state alongside it. You see, our conflict has never been about the establishment of a Palestinian state; it's always been about the existence of the Jewish state...
... Israel will not return to the indefensible boundaries of 1967. (Cheers, applause.) ...the Palestinian refugee problem will be resolved outside the borders of Israel... (Applause.) You know, everybody knows this. It's time to say it. It's important.
...And as for Jerusalem, only a democratic Israel has protected the freedom of worship for all faiths in the city. (Applause.) Throughout the millennial history of the Jewish capital, the only time that Jews, Christians and Moslems could worship freely, could have unfettered access to their holy sites has been during Israel's sovereignty over Jerusalem... Jerusalem must never again be divided. (Applause.) Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel. (Applause.)
...peace can only be negotiated with partners committed to peace, and Hamas is not a partner for peace. (Applause.) Hamas -- Hamas remains committed to Israel's destruction and to terrorism. They have a charter. That charter not only calls for the obliteration of Israel, it says: Kill the Jews everywhere you find them...
Obama Still Poised To Silence Critics: NiceDebThe Supreme Court ordered California on Monday to release tens of thousands of its prisoners to relieve overcrowding, saying that "needless suffering and death" had resulted from putting too many inmates into facilities that cannot hold them in decent conditions.
It is one of the largest prison release orders in the nation's history, and it sharply split the high court... the total prison population is now about 32,000 more than the capacity limit set by the panel...
...In dissent, Justice Antonin Scalia called the ruling "staggering" and "absurd" ... He said the high court had repeatedly overruled the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals for ordering the release of individual prisoners. Now, he said, the majority were ordering the release of "46,000 happy-go-lucky felons." He added that "terrible things are sure to happen as a consequence of this outrageous order." Justice Clarence Thomas agreed with him.
As of Dec. 31, 2009, California prisons had 22,173 inmates with an immigration hold or potential immigration hold, according to a Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation analysis. That represented 13 percent of the state's 168,830 inmates.
Inmates self-identify their country of birth, so the citizenship breakdown may not be entirely accurate, according to CDCR spokesman Gordon Hinkle. For instance, 827 of the inmates with an actual or potential immigration hold reported they were born in the United States, but they have a hold because their citizenship is in question...
The March 17 monthly meeting of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board began at 10 a.m. in Springfield.
The board members approved the minutes of the previous month's meeting. They discussed labor disputes from several school districts. They issued orders in several cases. They heard staff reports. They moved the date of the next monthly meeting. They took six votes (all unanimous), including the adjournment vote, which came at 11:16 a.m.
Their effective pay for that 76-minute meeting was about $7,800 each.Four of the board members are paid $93,926 a year, with the chairwoman getting $104,358 for a job that generally entails one meeting per month, usually for one to two hours. Relevant documents are sent to board members' homes ahead of time. A full-time staff member gives them recommendations at the meeting. Most of the votes are unanimous. Some board members don't even travel to all the meetings, instead listening in by phone.
How do you get a gig like that? Technically, you just have to be appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate. But the members of the educational labor board aren't what you'd call typical citizens.
One is married to a state senator. One is an ex-Springfield lobbyist. One is an ex-legislative staffer. One is an ex-gubernatorial aide.
The board is one of more than 320 in the state's executive branch, where unelected appointees preside over governmental decisions from utility rates to pollution control to property tax appeals. Some 30 of the boards offer payment for members ranging from a few hundred dollars per meeting to five or six figures a year, records show. Salaried board members also get state pensions...
...[Sen. Dan] Duffy [R-Barrington] introduced legislation in February that would bar the relatives of state officials from getting board or commission appointments. The legislation didn't even get a committee hearing.
I wonder whether CSU held separate commencements for blacks, whites, native Americans, and other groups.These temporary politicians -- these useless Democrats hacks -- no longer represent the people. They represent illegal aliens, who are trespassing in our country; who are entering our land without any background checks or vetting procedures; who are driving up unemployment among citizens; who often come for free health care services or schooling or more nefarious reasons; who do not understand the history or traditions of this country; and whose presence here will ultimately Balkanize this country in ways no one can possibly foresee.
For Democrats, clinging to political power trumps the Constitution; it trumps the laws they have passed; it trumps the concerns of the citizenry; it trumps every moral and ethical tenet of this country. But their appetite for raw power is so insatiable, and it is so naked and malevolent, that they are willing to sacrifice future generations so they can climax on unchecked power.
Obama and Democrats Must Answer for Debt Ceiling: DLimQOTD: "While the first round of bailouts started with the banks themselves, the next round spread to the very same countries who bailed out the banks to start with. Fast forward (a mere 2 years) to today and Greece, Ireland and Portugal are now showing the fissures within the European system. The next round of bailouts has the potential to crack the fissures wide open. So, here we go with round 3 of European bailouts which will consist of bailing out Greece, then Ireland and then Portugal yet again. Yes, this is the classic definition of insanity at its best. The risk now however with round 3 is that the Greeks have now informally played the “we’re leaving the Euro” card. The Irish and the Portuguese will watch closely to see if the Greeks get what they want. If the Greeks are successful (and they will be), the Irish and the Portuguese will demand even better terms for their bailouts. We do not blame anyone for becoming dizzy with this ongoing story. All you need to know is that the ride may continue for a while longer, yet at some point, someone will leave the Euro. And when this door opens, the rush to the exits may surprise everyone." --IceCap Asset Management
The protests in the US and Europe have a common theme "gimme gimme gimme".
Everyone wants something, and they want to take it from someone else to get it. In the US, the SEIU is right at the top of the list in wanting to pick the pockets of everyone else for their own self-serving benefit......Public union members [in Oregon] want to preserve the status quo, just as they do in Greece and Spain... Well the status quo is broken, and proof is easy to find: Public union wages and benefits have bankrupted many cities and states. The way to fix the problem is to get rid of public unions not increase their power.
The SEIU and their Greek counterparts want no part of the pain. Unfortunately untenable wages and benefits helped wrecked Greece and they have bankrupted many cities and states in the US.So, yes there is a "better way". The "better way" is to stop the bailouts of banks and stop handouts to unions as well.
The Better Way
- Implement Rand Paul's national Right-to-Work proposal
- Scrap Davis-Bacon and all prevailing wage laws
- Get rid of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, HUD, and the FHA
- Stop the bailouts of banks at the expense of taxpayers
- Implement Paul Ryan's Voucher Proposal for Medicare (see Who’s Right on Medicare Reform, Ryan and Rivlin or Obama and Gingrich? for details.)
- Reduce military spending substantially
- Stop attempting to be the world's policeman
- Kill the student loan "debt-slave" program
- Pass a Balanced Budget Amendment
- Audit the Fed then end the Fed
That is the better way. It will be difficult to pass those measure because each proposal has a mob of naysayers and constituents all clamoring "gimme gimme gimme".
We need a leader willing to spell out the serious situation the nation faces, what must be done about it, and the sacrifices that must be made for the nation to get out of its hole.
President Obama is clearly not that leader. Indeed he fails on every point.

Andrew Sullivan notes the immediate hysteria and hypothesizes that “it was the Israelis who immediately got their US media mouthpieces to spin the speech as some sort of attack.”
Hamas: Obama speech will not force us to recognize Israel
JPost.com, 05/22/2011
Group spokesman slams US president's speech to AIPAC, says Obama's comments show Washington will "support the occupation at the expense of the freedom of the Palestinian people."
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As our parents used to say about lost causes in the old days, "What’s the use talking?"
[My controversial remarks] discussed a border that is different than one negotiated on June 4, 1967. That is what "mutually agreed-upon swaps" means....The ultimate goal is two states for two peoples... Each state enjoying mutual recognition, self-determination and peace.
If there is a controversy then, it's not based in substance ... I said publicly what has long-been discussed privately.
This current map illustrates the idiocy of such a plan. To join Gaza with the West Bank would require splitting Israel into two pieces.Israel's borders must be defensible and must reflect reality on the ground!...
...the reconciliation of Hamas and Fatah puts the future in doubt ... let us make this clear: peace can only be achieved by a return to the negotating table without pre-conditions...I believe in Palestinian statehood, but I oppose [an outside force imposing it]... peace cannot be imposed, it must be negotiated ...
We will not compromise or temporize, we will not ... fund a government that does not recognize ... Israel's right to exist...
Yes, We Cain - A first-hand report from Atlanta: PJMDear Senator Russell Pearce,
I am compelled to write to you about a recent event that occurred to me. I currently work as a substitute teacher in the west valley areas of Phoenix, Glendale, and Peoria. I was called upon to teach history and language arts for 8th grade at a Glendale public school. The number of students I had in each class ranged from 28 to 38 children, which were almost all Hispanic and a couple of Black children. The day started out as usual turning on the television listening and watching the announcements and saying the Pledge of Allegiance. During the Pledge of Allegiance I notice the vast majority of students refusing to stand and say the pledge. I asked the students why they refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance and they responded by saying, "we are Mexicans and Americans stole our land."The teacher's instructions were for the students to read a few pages and answer the questions regarding Mark Twain in their history textbook and to finish their final drafts to Senator Steve Gallardo thanking him for his position on Illegal Immigration rights. Their teacher apparently had showed them a video with Senator Steve Gallardo and Lou Dobbs. Most of the students came unprepared for class not possessing paper and pencil. I provided the students with paper and pencils only to have them wad-up the paper and throw it at each other along with their pencils.
The students' final drafts that I read were basically the same. Most of them stated they were in the country illegally, white Americans are racist, and that they came here for a better life. I asked the class if America adopted Mexico's immigration laws would Americans still be consider racist?
That question they could not answer and [they] called me a racist for asking it. I mentioned that my wife and children are Hispanic so how could I be racist? I asked the students to stop speaking Spanish in class because it was impolite to speak a language in front of people who may not speak that language. Their response was that Americans better learn Spanish and their customs because they are taking their land back from us.
When it came to completing the Mark Twain assignment only 10 students completed it out of all my classes. Most of the students refused to open the book, tore the pages out of the book, or threw the textbooks at each other. I thought: are these the students we are trying to educate with taxpayers money? I have found substitute teaching in these areas that most of the Hispanic students do not want to be educated but rather be gang members and gangsters. They hate America and are determined to reclaim this area for Mexico. If we are able to remove the illegals out of our schools, the class sizes would be reduced and the students who wanted to learn would have a better chance to do so and become productive citizens.
I applaud and support your efforts to stop this invasion into our state and country. When the citizens of a country are forced to speak the invaders language, adopt their customs, and forced to support them, are we not a conquered nation? I do not want to see our state and nation turned into a third-world country. Thank you for standing up to this invasion. You may contact me by phone, e-mail, or mail. Thank you, again.
Sincerely,
Tony Hill
I like the guy, but his candidacy is just entertainment. He might drain some "new guy on the block" votes from, say, Michele Bachmann......I don't think the guy's going to have a big impact on the race.
...America’s combined energy resources are, according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service (CSR), the largest on earth. They eclipse Saudi Arabia (3rd), China (4th) and Canada (6th) combined – and that’s without including America’s shale oil deposits and, in the future, the potentially astronomic impact of methane hydrates....it perhaps falls to a friend of the US (i.e., me) to state that if the White House is in any way serious about impacting the economic Black Hole that is the burgeoning national debt, reinvigorating business big-time, creating real jobs and restoring ebbing national wealth, the best shot by a distance if you’re American ... well, you’re standing on it, or rather above it.
...While the US is often depicted as having only a tiny minority of the world’s oil reserves at around 28 billion barrels (based on the somewhat misleading figure of ‘proven reserves’) according to the CRS in reality it has around 163 billion barrels. As Inhofe’s EPW press release comments, “That’s enough oil to maintain America’s current rates of production and replace imports from the Persian Gulf for more than 50 years”. Next up, there’s coal. The CRS report reveals America’s reserves of coal are unsurpassed, accounting for over 28 percent of the world’s coal... that’s a couple of centuries of coal use, at least.
...In 2009 the CRS upped its 2006 estimate of America’s enormous natural gas deposits by 25 percent to around 2,047 trillion cubic feet, a conservative figure given the expanding shale gas revolution. At current rates of use that’s enough for around 100 years... [and] methane hydrates [could] be enough to provide America’s natural gas for more than 400 years.”...With hundreds of thousands depending on oil and gas drilling for work, it is as yet unknown just how many of Obama’s policies are putting people out of jobs – and preventing the creation of new ones. What we do know however, is that ‘green’ jobs in the alternative energies industries just aren’t cutting the employment ice. In mid-March, a new study by Verso Consultancy estimates that for every new green job created by diverting public money into renewable energy projects in the UK, 3.7 British jobs were destroyed.
Meanwhile US energy policy persists in pursuing the myth that renewables are the economically viable future, with fossil fuels already, as the president said in January, “yesterday’s energy”. With 85 percent of global energy set to come from fossil fuels till at least 2035 no matter what wishful thinkers may prefer, current US energy policy – much like European – is pure political pantomime.
Emails between Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan and members of the Obama Administration reveal she was more involved with President Obama’s health-care law than was disclosed previously...
...the documents show that Kagan was involved with crafting the legal defense of the Affordable Care Act in her role as solicitor general, before her appointment to the bench...In an email dated Jan. 8, 2010, then-Deputy Solicitor General Neal Katyal sent an email to Senior Counsel Brian Hauck and Deputy Attorney General Thomas Perrelli that indicates Kagan played a key role in coming up with a legal defense... In an email on March 21, 2010, Katyal urged Kagan to attend a health-care litigation meeting on defending the law...
The documents also show that once Kagan was nominated to the Supreme Court, she and Katyal immediately switched course to distance her from discussions about the legislation.
On May 17, 2010, for example, Tracy Schmaler, a Department of Justice spokesperson wrote to Katyal, “Has Elena been involved in any of that to the extent SG office was consulted … ?”
“No, she has never been involved in any of it. I’ve run it for the office, and have never discussed the issues with her one bit,” was Katyal’s response. He then forwarded the correspondence to Kagan, saying “This is what I told Tracy about Health Care.”
Kagan’s response: “This needs to be coordinated. Tracy you should not say anything about this before talking to me.”
Other email chains between Kagan, White House lawyers and Vice President Joe Biden’s then-Chief of Staff Ronald Klain show a coordinated effort on how to respond to questions about the health-care law that may have arisen in the confirmation hearings...
The California Teachers Association declared a state of emergency and launched statewide actions May 9-13 to dramatize the threat to schools and public services posed by the state’s deep budget crisis.
...On our first day, dozens of Cal State University students launched an occupation of the Capitol building at closing time, and 65 were arrested, with several teachers who joined them in solidarity. CTA would carry out its own no-business-as-usual action later in the week...
...This year, with federal stimulus money no longer filling the budget gap, things were going to be worse.
...While teachers from CTA’s 1,100 local associations led the state-of-emergency week, we were not alone. Our sister union, the California Federation of Teachers, joined us... “Unity Day” in Sacramento brought members of the Service Employees, AFSCME, UNITE HERE, and Firefighters.
Obama's abandonment of America: Glick

In related news, Dan from New York reports that Netanyahu has urged Obama to return the U.S. to its 1845 borders.