Monday, August 22, 2011

Larwyn's Linx: The Imperial Presidency

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Nation

The Imperial Presidency: Steyn
What if Obama quit?: Morrissey
Maxine Waters: ‘The tea party can go straight to hell’: DC

Stealing 2012: Obama Breaks Law, Constitution on Amnesty: Uncoverage
Union Astroturfers Become Faux Tea Party to Attack GOP: RWN
Every Single One: Holder’s Ultra-Politicized Employment Section: PJM

Swamp Queen Maxine Waters makes taxpayers’ lives hell: Malkin
When Will Obama Crack in Public?: iOTW
Two Shot, One Beaten at 49ers-Raiders Preseason Game: Driscoll

Economy

An In-depth Analysis of Obama’s Economic “Debt-End Tour” 2011: NoisyRm
Where have all the millionaires gone?: Exam
Silicon Valley the latest to be disillusioned by Hope and Change: Morrissey

12 Things I Notice About Liberals Since Debt Limit Debate Began: RWN
Latest Obama Brainstorm: Free Lunches for Affluent students!: Ace
Detroit Public Schools send out thugs to harass parents: BlogProf

Climate & Energy

Putting a Price Tag on Leftist Stupidity: Cold Fury
Good News: Obama's Rogue EPA Wants to Regulate... Dust: Foundry
Another GISS miss, Tisdale calls out Hansen and Sato on failed predictions: Watts

Media

Time Magazine: Duncan should worry about his mess in Chicago before messing with Texas: Hot Air
Voluntary Tax Rates and Personalized Earmarks: How to Solve the Debate over Taxes: Zombie
ObamaCare and the Constitutional Road Not Taken: PJM

Obama Attends Party At Home Of Wealthy Harvard Militant Marxist Mentor/Black Panther: Dollard
Dowd: Obama Didn't Call Congress Back Because 'It Would Have Screwed Up His Vacation and Upset Michelle': NB
Libelous Workplace Allegations of Child Pornography and Sexual Harassment at Long Beach City College: AmPower

Liberal “Joke” of the Day: GOP Opposes Obama Plan to Cut Taxes: Greenroom
Video: Why Do Jews Still Vote Democrat and For Obama?: BlogProf
David Axelrod on CNN: To Create Jobs We Need to Do More of What Didn’t Work the First Time: Malkin

World

Libya: Rebels take Tripoli, Gaddafi on ice: Malkin
Jubilant Rebel Fighters Sweep Into Tripoli… Rumor: Gaddafi Is Dead? – Bogus Photo: GWP
Egypt: Police arrest man for insulting "Koran, Islam and Muslims" on Facebook: JihadWatch

The threat of China’s aircraft carrier: Inside Korea JoongAng Daily
On EU banks, Solvency or Liquidity? - Or BOTH?: Krasting
Black From Islam: African American Women Defectors from Islam: Atlas

Over 2 years After President Obama’s Cairo Speech… : Aces
Jailing the Wrong Looters: EU Referendum
Devil Dogs in Action: Green Mountains

Sci-Tech

Why Software Is Eating The World: WSJ
Michael Dell(!) mixes it up with HP: CNet
Rapper Tackled, Cuffed and Frogmarched From Mall After Organizing Flash Mob: GWP

Cornucopia

Obama on the Vineyard: His Brave New World: MOTUS
A Tale of Two Buses: Cold Fury
This Week in Automotivators: RWN

Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Allen West for Congress

QOTD: "That call from Rita. She's reading from page 58, 59 of the health care bill about the government's access to our bank accounts, and she wanted to know why nobody's talking about it -- and I told her everybody did. May I quote from myself, August 4th of 2009? It's just a little over two years ago. Quote: "The federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer to pay. Yes, my friends, the federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer, meaning from your account to them. They will be able to debit your account for health expenses. That's on page 59, go get the bill. I'm summarizing here for you. "

This resulted, by the way, in the White House attacking Drudge for reporting certain aspects that were in the health care bill -- and in the process, they call attention to what they didn't want anybody to see. So, again, Rita, I'm really glad you called. It's a golden opportunity to remind people -- and, of course, the tune-in factor here is nuts. There are people listening now that weren't there who are just probably learning this and hearing about it for the first time, because since it did pass there hasn't been nearly as much focus on it, on those kind of details. The focus has been on all the "waivers." What are we up to, over 2500 waivers the regime has granted now to various companies, large and small, who would be out of business if they had to play by Obamacare law right now?

Can't have that before the election! If this thing isn't repealed or if it isn't defunded, after 2012, 2013, 2014, when it really starts to hit, people have no idea. What has happened to this country up to this point is nothing compared to what's in store for us with just this one piece of legislation." --Rush Limbaugh

Sunday, August 21, 2011

China's war of words escalates--and with its continuing military buildup, the long-term implications ain't good

Hey, I love Mike Shedlock's work at Global Economic Analysis, but his advocacy for a Ron Paul-George McGovern national security posture is naive, to put it kindly. Exhibit 9,305: The threat of China’s aircraft carrier. And Exhibit 9,306: China's rhetoric on its investments in U.S. debt grows ever more ominous.

The U.S. may be on its way to default on its debt despite the U.S. government's ability to print more money, a Chinese think tank researcher said Monday.

There is no guarantee for sovereign debt, which increases the risks the lenders face, said Wang Tianlong, a researcher at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, a think tank supervised by the country's economic planner, adding that the issuer could be more careless in using the loans.

In the short term, the U.S. doesn't have much ability to reduce its deficit, Wang said in an opinion piece published in Securities Times. He added that the U.S. lacks the political system to guarantee that it will not default on its debt.

There is also no way to punish the issuer country if it falsifies its accounting and there is no way to restructure the issuer either, Wang said.

Wang's comments come after the U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said Sunday the U.S. "never will default" on its government debt and reassured Beijing that Chinese investments in the U.S. are safe.

But I'm sure China's massive military buildup is only motivated by the best of intentions.



Rumor: Gaddafi Dead and Quote o' the Day

There are a lot of conflicting reports regarding the fate of Libya's nut-case dictator Muammar Gaddafi (spelling wrong? I don't care).

He got whacked
He's fled to Algeria and his sons are being held by rebels
He's fleeing to Venezuela and the protective arms of Hugo Chavez
Gaddafi will never flee, stating: "We will fight to the last drop of blood."

But
Dave in Texas wins our Quote o' the Day award.

Can't touch this? Apparently they could.

Of course, Libya is said to own 144 tons of physical gold.

Which, at the current spot price, should yield nearly $9 billion for the rebels.

Which should fund... something or other.


Surprisingly, government-run health care system results in massive disclosure of personal health and identity data

Isn't government-run health care neat?

Until recently, medical files belonging to nearly 300,000 Californians sat unsecured on the Internet for the entire world to see.

There were insurance forms, Social Security numbers and doctors' notes. Among the files were summaries that spelled out, in painstaking detail, a trucker's crushed fingers, a maintenance worker's broken ribs and one man's bout with sexual dysfunction...

...Southern California Medical-Legal Consultants, which represents doctors and hospitals seeking payment from patients receiving workers' compensation, put the records on a website that it believed only employees could use, owner Joel Hecht says...

...The personal data was discovered by Aaron Titus, a researcher with Identity Finder who then alerted Hecht's firm and The Associated Press. He found it through Internet searches, a common tactic for finding private information posted on unsecured sites.

Say, I've got an idea! Let's put all Americans' most sensitive health records online and let the government run the system!

What could possibly go wrong?


10 Cool New Gadgets for August

All chosen from CNet's August reviews here, here and here.

10. Google Maps provides navigational assistance for the new 2012 Audi A6 Premium Quattro

9. Alienware's new M18x Intel Core i7 laptop features a monstrous 18" screen

8. BlackBerry's Bold 9930 (available from Verizon) has both a real QWERTY keyboard and a touch screen

7. Apollo's Clear Spot 4G lets you run a 4G wireless Internet "cell tower" anywhere you want... with connectivity for up to eight users at a time

6. The Roku 2 XS hooks up to almost any TV and allows you to stream Internet content from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Crackle, Pandora, NHL, NBA, MLB, among many others

5. The BlackBerry Torch 9810 (available from AT&T) is the improved version of the original Torch, giving the user the choice of a large touch-screen and a real QWERTY keyboard

4. Dell's S2330MX 23-inch Ultra-Slim monitor can be had for as little as $229

3. The new iHome iA63 App-Alarm Clock comes with a motorized rotating dock for your iPhone, allowing you to switch from portrait to landscape for watching videos

2. Contour's GPS HD Wearable Camcorder Camera 1400 is compact, affordable and includes laser sights to allow aiming without the need for a viewfinder. It can also connect to an iPhone or Android device for view-finding and adjusting settings.

1. The G-Form Extreme Sleeve 13-inch laptop case provides serious protection for a laptop without taking up too much additional space



Is a Run on Physical Gold Beginning? Hugo Chavez Launches 'The Largest Physical Move of Gold In Recent History'

Adding to the month's economic turbulence comes this announcement by Venezuela's dictator:

The largest physical movement of gold in recent history is under way... Hugo Chavez... wants to move his country’s 211 tonnes of gold (over $12B at Friday’s close) currently stored in American & European banks back to Caracas.

...this recent move by Venezuela is rather unique. Instead than buying more gold, Venezuala merely wants to repatriate what is already hers. Unlike central bank purchases, which could involve just a ledger entry, this is the real thing. Physical gold is being moved around. What’s more significant is the discovery that after accounting for the 99 tonnes and 11.2 tonnes being held at the Bank of England (BoE) and Bank of International Settlements (BIS) respectively, about half of this huge stash are held in bullion banks like JP Morgan Chase et al – all major gold shorts. The move has left them scrambling for the real stuff.

This has led many to believe that the “Golden Retrieval” may have been a contributing factor to the most recent spike in gold price. It hits at the core of what GATA has been highlighting for over a decade – that bullion banks have been working hand in glove with central banks to suppress the price of gold, and that much of the physical gold at bullion banks and central banks are encumbered, leased or sold many times over, resulting in multiple claims for each bar of physical gold.

Grant Williams offers a well-informed take on why this step is so important:

To sum up:

• It is common practice for most Central Banks to hold part of their gold reserves overseas in ‘gold trading centres’ (read London and New York)
• One of those Central Banks - that of Venezuela - wants its gold back
• That means that a group of banks (mainly in the UK and the USA) who are supposed to have that gold in their vaults need to GIVE it back...
• ...which in turn could potentially trigger a race to repatriate national gold holdings
• Neither Fort Knox nor the Federal Reserve (the world’s two biggest gold depositories) have been independently audited in recent times
• The status of the gold held in the Bundesbank (home to the world’s third-largest hoard) is somewhat unclear
• The practice of leasing gold by Central Banks has been going on so long that it even predates the time when Alan Greenspan advocated sound money
• The gold ‘physical market’ is approximately 100 times the size of the amount of actual underlying metal by which it is purportedly backed
• The top four bullion banks, or ‘commercials’ on the COMEX continue to run what we shall politely call ‘significant’ short positions...

In the three trading sessions since Chavez made his announcement on August 17th, gold has added almost $100, coming within a whisker of $1,900 before settling back at another record weekly close.

Last year, a board member of GATA ("The Gold Antitrust Action Committee"), predicted this "run on physical gold":

• the gold price is suppressed through fractional reserve bullion banking
• the gold market is selling on average 45 ounces of gold for every one ounce of real physical gold via “unallocated gold” (fractional reserve bullion banking). In other words the gold market is backed by only 2.3% gold
• The true price of physical gold is currently around $54,000/oz if fractional reserve bullion banking did not exist. In the presence of fractional reserve banking with 2.3% gold backing the market price of “gold” is reduced to $1200/oz
• The US dollar has a purchasing power that is 45 times over valued
• The way to end gold price suppression is for investors to ensure they have allocated physical bullion preferably held outside of the bullion banking system

Chavez' call to repatriate his country's gold could therefore be the start of a true "run on the bullion banks".

When a major “client” like Venezuala suddenly decides to have take physical possession of her gold, it may cause a run on the bullion banks, not unlike the much feared bank run for cash. Bank runs start when depositors begin to lose confidence in the banks holding their cash. All it takes is a a few large depositors withdrawing at the same time, thereby creating the initial stress in the fractional reserve banking system. Soon, the panic hits the masses and long lines form outside the banks.

The next few weeks of market action should be, er, exciting.



The Environmental Fifth Column

The Obama administration's Environmental Protection Agency (or EPA) is controlled by left-wing ideologues who are using their positions to damage nearly every industry in America. That is their intention. That is their goal.

Consider the recent actions of the EPA and its related bureaucracies, who ostensibly act with the consent of the American people to protect the environment:

Southern Co., parent of Alabama Power, critical of EPA emission rule: "Southern Co. would have to spend billions retrofitting, upgrading or closing its coal-fired power plants under tough new emissions standards proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency, and Alabama's utility regulator is backing the industry's complaints that the changes would increase power bills and threaten reliability... The Atlanta-based utility giant, in a strongly worded, 200-page submission to the EPA, says the long-term price tag of several new environmental proposals is at least $13 billion."

Coal Regs Would Kill Jobs, Boost Energy Bills: "Two new EPA pollution regulations will slam the coal industry so hard that hundreds of thousands of jobs will be lost, and electric rates will skyrocket 11 percent to over 23 percent, according to a new study based on government data... Overall, the rules aimed at making the air cleaner could cost the coal-fired power plant industry $180 billion..."

To EPA, milk is ' toxic sludge': "Imagine treating milk the same as the toxic sludge now washing up on Gulf Coast beaches... It may sound absurd, but some dairy producers are worried that it could happen under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations intended to prevent oil spills from polluting waterways."

CEI Releases Global Warming Study Censored by EPA: "The Competitive Enterprise Institute is today making public an internal study on climate science which was suppressed by the Environmental Protection Agency. Internal EPA email messages, released by CEI earlier in the week, indicate that the report was kept under wraps and its author silenced because of pressure to support the Administration’s agenda of regulating carbon dioxide."

Energy in America: EPA Rules Force Shell to Abandon Oil Drilling Plans: "Shell Oil Company has announced it must scrap efforts to drill for oil this summer in the Arctic Ocean off the northern coast of Alaska. The decision comes following a ruling by the EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board to withhold critical air permits... Shell has spent five years and nearly $4 billion dollars on plans to explore for oil in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. The leases alone cost $2.2 billion."

White House, EPA ignore Small Business Admin’s report that new coal regulations will kill jobs, economy: "President Barack Obama is ignoring heated concerns from within his own administration that new Environmental Protection Agency coal industry regulations will be economically devastating... The EPA is plowing forward with new Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) mandates. The regulations would force coal energy plants to install giant scrubber-like materials inside smokestacks to capture and cleanse carbon particles before their atmospheric release."

Administration blocks more Bush-era oil shale development leases: "The Interior Department on Wednesday blocked a Bush administration plan to open parts of the Mountain West for oil shale development, announcing that it would first study the water, power and land-use issues that complicate one of the nation's most abundant but controversial untapped sources of energy."

Obama administration reverses Bush wilderness policy: "U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced on Thursday that the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will again have the authority to set aside large areas of federally owned territory in the West that it deems deserving of wilderness protection."

Plans for massive oil pipeline opposed by environmentalists: "More than 1,000 activists -- including NASA climatologist James Hansen, who has urged the scientific community to "get involved in this fray" -- are expected to descend on the White House starting Sunday for three weeks of civil disobedience and mass arrests. Six California activists are driving from Sacramento to Washington, D.C., as part of a "No Tar Sands Caravan" that leaves Sunday... The American Petroleum Institute and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, both of which are urging the State Department to approve the project, held a conference call with journalists Thursday in which they claimed the pipeline could generate 20,000 new jobs."

Energy Secretary Chu Embraces High Gas Prices, Again: "This weekend, Energy Secretary Steven Chu appeared on Fox News Sunday and host Chris Wallace asked him about his desire in 2008 for Americans to punitively pay more at the pump in order to wean them off of gasoline. Shockingly, Chu did not walk back his comments as he has attempted to do in the past. In fact, he embraced the strategy noting that his focus is to ease the pain felt by his energy policies by forcing automakers to make more fuel-efficient automobiles."

Obama's New Fuel Economy Standards Will Increase Cost of a Car More Than $11,000: "The Obama Administration’s new fuel economy standards will cause the retail price of average motor vehicles to increase over $11,000, according to a study conducted by the Center for Automotive Research."

Everything this administration does is intended to make Americans suffer. Every single thing.

If we don't crush the Democrats at the voting booth in 2012, I fear that the great American experiment will be finished.



Larwyn's Linx: Wanted: Candidate willing to forego the perks

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

Nation

Wanted: Candidate willing to forego the perks: Pundette
Obamas Share Sacrifice at Pricey Vineyard Restaurant: Dossier
Michelle’s Separate Travel Costs Taxpayers Thousands: Dossier

While you weren’t looking, Obama passed immigration amnesty: LI
Obama's Amnesty-Light Is A Bad Dream: IBD
Brewer: Obama Acts Like a “King... Above The Law": WZ

Pelosi’s Net Worth Leaps More Than $13MM In a Year: WZ
Gunwalker and the Foundation of Liberty: PJM
Sarah Palin: Sure, she’s not running. Yep. You betcha.: Toldjah

Economy

Why Hasn’t the Recovery that Obama Promised Happened?: Kimball
The Superiority of School Vouchers Demonstrated: AT
Interest and History: Instapundit

Oops: GM says bankruptcy excuses it from repairs: MoneyRunner
Union Ain’t Wanted: The UAW’s Bad Week: RS
Do Layoffs Mean WI Teachers' Union on the Financial Ropes?: BG

Climate & Energy

Obama's EPA is Killing More Jobs than Economy Can Create: Townhall
"Freedom dies with each paper cut": Corner
Christie: “Climate change is real”: WZ

Cadillac To Build ‘Luxury’ Version of Car No One Wants: Bruce
Costco to Remove Electric Car Chargers Because Nobody’s Using Them: Malkin
Why Obama's Stimulus Program Failed, Weatherization Edition: Cramer

Media

Darrell Issa Sticks It to the Times: Power Line
Chris Matthews: Exceptionally Idiotic: RSM
Detroit Free Press Blasts Freddie, Fannie; Somehow Miss Democrat Policies That Caused Meltdown: RWN

Blogging After America - Day Ten: Ace
Idiot Sarah Palin Screws Up Name of Company Hosting Her Town Hall: RWN
As Her Health Continues to Fail, Libs Make Movie of Lady Thatcher as Crazy Old Granny: GWP

Kwame Kilpatrick: Detroit Voters Are Indeed Stupid enough To Re-Elect Me Again: BlogProf
No Quarter: Zilla
Video: Gov. Rick Perry’s First Return To Texas from the Campaign Trail: Tatler

Resist We Much: Two Weeks of Historic Reporting by Reverend Al at MSNBC: GWP
FBI arrest affidavit unsealed in Palin harassment case: Alaska Dispatch
Elizabeth Warren’s Potential Senate Bid May Reunite Scott Brown With Tea Party: Fox

World

White House Mischief: Pipes
One Killed, 12 Injured After Barrage Of Hamas Rockets Slam Into Israeli Cities: WZ
Green Tax Hikes Hit U.K. Businesses: RWN

Pay attention, President Next: Mudville
American Hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison by Iranian Regime: GWP
Qaddafi and Two Sons Rumored To Have Fled Libya: Wire

Sci-Tech

Facebook Removed Jan Brewer Post Criticizing Obama’s New Immigration Policies: GWP
Blog Debunks 13-Year-Old Scientist's Solar Power Breakthrough: Wire
Verizon workers soon to be back on duty: CNet

Cornucopia

"The Lord and the faithful will understand": Brutally Honest
Obama hits the links for 77th time: Dossier
The Humor of Ronald Reagan : ReaganClub

Image: Lowrider Oldies
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Support Allen West for Congress

QOTD: "A vacationing U.S. President Barack Obama accused Congress on Saturday of holding back the U.S. economic recovery by blocking "common sense" measures he said would create jobs and help growth.

I'd have sworn this was from The Onion, but RD's link in the sidebar clarified that right upfront.

Sir Golfsalot, from his vacation digs there in swanky Martha's Vineyard, calls out Congress for not enacting his detailed plan to spur the economy? No, really. This is beyond parody. "--Andy at Ace o' Spades

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Alarm Claxons Sounding in Europe: A Replay of 2008?

An unfolding banking crisis in Europe may soon reach a tipping point. Thursday saw the following ominous news:

The European Central Bank has lent dollars to a eurozone bank for the first time since February in the latest sign of escalating tensions in the region’s financial system...

The so-called Euribor-OIS swap, a gauge of fear in the banking sector, is at its highest since 2009, while short-term euro basis swaps, which show a strong premium for buying dollars over the single currency, are at the most negative since the collapse of Lehman Brothers.

Meanwhile, the ECB continues to see high levels of funds being parked overnight in its “deposit facility”, rather than being lent to other banks.

Friday saw European bank shares tumble as investors feared the worst.

European banks tumbled, led by Lloyds Banking Group Plc (LLOY) and Intesa Sanpaolo SpA (ISP), on concern firms will struggle to fund themselves and increase earnings as the region’s sovereign debt crisis strangles economic growth.

Lloyds, Britain’s second-biggest government-assisted bank, fell 6.2 percent in London trading, while Intesa slid 5.9 percent in Milan. The 46-member Bloomberg Europe Banks and Financial Services Index tumbled 3 percent after dropping the most in two years yesterday.

And today Ireland's Independent reported that the "flow of interbank lending [in Europe is] at risk":

THERE are renewed fears that the flow of interbank lending could be at risk after banks put €90.5bn on deposit with the European Central Bank last night. Banks placed the money on deposit instead of lending it to each other...

...Fluid interbank lending is crucial to keeping money flowing through the economy. Banks are normally happy to lend to each other on a daily basis.

In 2008, after the collapse of Lehman Brothers bank, other banks hoarded cash, fearing they could lose even money loaned out for short periods. The lack of lending threatened to collapse some banks by leaving them with too little money to function.

The interbank freeze is generally seen as the decisive factor in turning the financial crisis into a global recession.

Investors may want to watch market action very, very closely on Monday. While I'm no pro at this stuff, it doesn't smell good.

Thankfully, our Johnny-on-the-Spot Commando-in-Chief is monitoring these events closely from Martha's Vineyard.


Hat tip: Reggie Middleton.


Obama unveils jobs plan -- for illegal aliens

Amnesty Doubleheader: not only will White House bring a halt to most deportations of illegals, it will also grant them... work permits


If the administration has implemented a more cynical and lawless attempt to garner votes than this, I have yet to hear of it. The good news: I'm sure most unemployed Americans will not find comfort in the President's latest 'jobs plan'.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, illegal aliens will be eligible to receive work permits if their deportation is deferred through the Obama Administration's new policy. Yesterday, the Administration announced that the Department of Homeland Security will review all deportation cases on a case-by-case basis and only deport illegal aliens who have been convicted of crimes...

...Illegal aliens living in the United States typically don't apply for work permits for fear of deportation, but under the new policy, they could apply for work permits if granted deferred action or parole and compete with 22 million Americans who can't find a full-time job.

Though "comprehensive immigration reform" and other legislative forms of amnesty for illegal aliens has never passed Congress, the President has assumed powers that could almost be termed 'dictatorial'; he has bypassed the legislative process to achieve the same end result.

The Obama Administration announced on Thursday that it will individually review the 300,000 cases of illegal aliens currently holding deportation orders in an effort to appease his pro-amnesty critics and last year's record number of deportations.

The Administration deported 400,000 illegal aliens last year -- less than half had been convicted for other crimes. Pres. Obama is pledging to halt deportations of non-criminal illegal aliens. Illegal aliens that are considered low-priority deportations will no longer be the focus, including young people who were brought to the U.S. as children, military veterans and spouses of military personnel.

And, yes, I'm going to be adding these latest tyrannical outrages to President Barack Obama's Complete List of Historic Firsts.


Headline hat tip: Gov. Jan Brewer.


Breaking: President Calls for Section 8 Housing on Martha's Vineyard

By Biff Spackle:

Citing a concern with diversity on the posh resort island of Martha's Vineyard, a vacationing President Barack Obama today called for a massive local buildup of Section 8 Housing.

"To paraphrase a famous movie," the President joked, "'I see white people.' In all seriousness, our national mandate for diversity demands that we integrate Martha's Vineyard, which today is a haven for millionaires and billionaires, as well as corporate jet- and yacht-owners, almost all of whom have pasty white complexions. And just think of all of the thousands of construction jobs we'll save or create!"

The President's auto-pen in Washington signed an Executive Order commanding the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to build "not less than three thousand low-income housing units on the north side of the island near Lambert's Cove."

In a prepared statement, former HUD Secretary and current Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo praised the move. "It's high time the pampered wealthy on the Vineyard experienced some of the pain all of the rich people have inflicted upon society. The residents of the Vineyard need to see what it's like to deal with high unemployment, flash mobs, high unemployment, flash mobs, and crappy schools run by iron-fisted teachers' unions.

Continued on Page D-17

Exclusive: First Look at the Obama-Osama Movie Poster!

Enterprising Cub Reporter Biff Spackle lands another world-exclusive!

The timing of the movie's release is indeed "curious."



Larwyn's Linx: Backdoor Amnesty - Abusing the Constitution

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

Nation

Backdoor Amnesty – Abusing the Constitution: Foundry
Treason: RWN
DREAM Act Imposed By Fiat: Hayward

The Not Listening Tour : Knish
"I know some people want me to bypass Congress...": GWP
Obama's Weekly DNC Address Again Questions GOP Patriotism: RWN

Smacking down Progressives of Pallor: Malkin
Si, Se Puede! Obama Approval Down 36% With Hispanics: GWP
Wimp RINOs whine to Perry: please tone it down: Hot Air

Economy

Congressional Black Caucus Job Fair Photo o' the Day: Toldjah
Who's behind the Wall Street 'Day of Rage'?: Blaze
Medical insurers win big in California Supreme Court decision: SacBee

Awesome!: Cliffs of Insanity
Bank of America to Perry: “We will help you out.”: Surber
Fed could launch 'Operation Twist' instead of QE3: CNN

$20 Million for 14 Green Make-Work Jobs: RWN
Obama's speeches on jobs since 2009: Reuters
MOODY'S ANALYST BREAKS SILENCE: Says Ratings Agency Rotten To Core: Yahoo!

Gunrunner

ATF Whistleblower: Gunwalker Officials Being Shielded: Owens
Dallas morning News Editorial: Details only get worse from ATF’s Fast and Furious fiasco: Sipsey
Official: Justice Department correcting 'Fast and Furious' figures: CNN

Climate & Energy

Full steam ahead to epic failure!: Hayward
Latest Terrific Creator of Jobs: Government Regulations: Malkin
Chevy Volt: Flagship Model Of The Government-Industrial Complex: Forbes

Media

Even New York Times Admits Obama’s Green Jobs Agenda Is a Complete Disaster: GWP
Let's Get Ready to Rumble - Rick Perry Edition: Diogenes
Perry camp goes on counterattack against Ron Paul supporter: Salon

Rick Perry Is Not the ’5th Column Candidate’: PJM
A classic Boortz rant (clip and save): Boortz
Conspiracy Theory: The Curious Case of the Obama-Osama Movie: PJM

Rush Limbaugh Asks Where’s Obama’s Former Girlfriends?: LoneCon
In Which Allahpundit Dooms Humanity: Greenroom
Democratic rep: I’m thinking next year Obama might lose … Oregon: Hot Air

World

The Single Biggest Danger to Democracy?: C&S
The Islamist Threat Inside Our Military: WSJ
“Can somebody please fix this? Hello?”: RWN

Terrorists Attack Egyptian Army, More Details on Eilat Terror Attack: BRubin
Happy 5th Month On Your Libyan Kinetic Military Operations Adventure, Mr. Obama!: RWN
Biden to China: Of Course We’re Good for the Money!: Malkin

Sci-Tech

Tornado chasers' truck shoots Imax from inside storms: CNet
Scientists Prove Again that Life is the Result of Intelligent Design: Algeminer
WordPress Now Powers 22 Percent Of New Active Websites In The U.S.: Crunch

Cornucopia

Postcards from the Edge: Anchoress
No Economy is an Island, Entire of Itself : MOTUS
Review: 'Conan The Barbarian' is bloody, brutal, and possibly brain-damaged: HitFix

13-Year-Old Looks at Trees, Makes Solar Power Breakthrough: Wire
The 50 Richest Members of Congress (2011): Roll Call
Mother of the Year: TSG

Image: Curmudgeonly & Skeptical
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Senate Conservatives Fund

QOTD: "There is every reason to believe that this Administration is pressuring legitimate arms of the government to assist popular culture in the making of a propaganda film." –Lionel Chetwynd

Friday, August 19, 2011

Motivational Poster o' the Day




"Hope and Change" by the Numbers

Gee, I can't wait for the President's next speech on job creation...

$14.3 Trillion: Current National Debt. (U.S. Treasury Department, Accessed 8/3/11)

$3.7 Trillion: Amount Added To The National Debt Since Obama Took Office. (U.S. Treasury Department, Accessed 8/3/11)

$2.6 Trillion: True Cost Of ObamaCare Once Fully Implemented. (Office Of The Speaker Of The U.S. House Of Representatives, Report, 1/6/11)

$1.75 Trillion: Annual Cost Of Federal Regulations. (Small Business Administration, September 2010)

$1.42 Trillion: Federal Budget Deficit For FY2009 – Highest In U.S. History. (CBO, 10/7/10)

$1.29 Trillion: Federal Budget Deficit For FY2010 – Second Highest In U.S. History. (CBO, 10/7/10)

$1.15 Trillion: American Debt Held By China. (U.S. Treasury Department, Accessed 8/3/11)

$973 Billion: Federal Budget Deficit For The First Nine Months Of FY2011 (CBO, 7/8/11)

$831 Billion: Price Tag Of Obama’s Failed Stimulus. (CBO, 5/25/11)

$575 Billion: Amount Of Medicare Cuts In ObamaCare. (CMS Chief Actuary Richard S. Foster, Memo, 4/22/10)

$491.7 Billion: Amount Of Taxes In ObamaCare. (Letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 3/18/10; Joint Committee On Taxation, 3/20/10)

$160 Billion: Taxpayer Funds For Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac. (Bloomberg, 6/13/11)

$108.7 Billion: Projected Cost Of New Regulations For FY2011. (American Action Network, 7/8/11)

$24 Billion: Stimulus Funds Sent To Tax Cheats. (Government Accountability Office, April 2011)

45.7 Million: Americans Receiving Food Stamps. (Department Of Agriculture, 8/1/11)

$18 Million: Cost Of The Stimulus Website Recovery.org. (ABC News’ “The Note“ Blog, 7/8/09)

14.0 Million: Unemployed Americans. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Accessed 8/3/11)

8.6 Million: Americans Working Part-Time For Economic Reasons. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Accessed 8/3/11)

6.8 Million: Foreclosure Filings Since Obama Took Office. (RealtyTrac, Accessed 8/3/11)

6.3 Million: Americans Unemployed 27 Weeks Or Longer. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Accessed 8/3/11)

3.8 Million: Increase In The Number Of People Who Were In Poverty In 2009 Over 2008. (NPR, 9/16/10)

3.2 Million: Workers Granted Waivers So That ObamaCare Would Not Outlaw Their Health Care Plan. (HHS.gov, Accessed 8/3/11)

2.5 Million: Jobs Lost Since Obama Took Office. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Accessed 8/3/11)

2.0 Million: Private Sector Jobs Lost Since Obama Took Office. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Accessed 8/3/11)

1.8 Million: Jobs Lost Since Obama’s Stimulus Was Passed. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Accessed 8/3/11)

1.35 Million: Amount Former Wall Street Lobbyists Bundled For Obama And the DNC. (OpenSecrets.org, 7/22/11)

1.3 Million: Private Sector Jobs Lost Since Stimulus Was Passed. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Accessed 8/3/11)

1.0 Million: Construction Jobs Lost Since Obama Took Office. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Accessed 8/3/11)

982,000: Americans That Have Given Up Looking For Work. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Accessed 8/3/11)

852,000: Manufacturing Jobs Lost Since Obama Took Office. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Accessed 8/3/11)

709,303: Personal Bankruptcies During First Half Of 2011. (The Wall Street Journal, 7/5/11)

633,500: Avoided Foreclosure Through HAMP, Obama Had Promised To Help As Many As Nine Million. (The Wall Street Journal, 7/1/11; President Obama, Remarks In Mesa, AZ, 2/18/09)

$278,000: Cost Per A Stimulus Job. (The Weekly Standard, 7/6/11)

89,000: The Number Of Stimulus Checks Sent To Dead Or Incarcerated People. (The Wall Street Journal, 10/7/10)

$46,453: Your Share Of The National Debt. (U.S. Treasury Department Accessed 8/3/11; U.S. Census Bureau, Accessed 8/3/11)

$15,500: Annual Cost Per Household Of Federal Regulations. (Small Business Administration, September 2010)

2020: Year That The CBO Predicts Medicare’s Trust Fund Will Be Exhausted. (CBO, 3/18/11)

408: Number Of Regulations Proposed By Obama During First Two Years That Have An Economic Impact Of Over $100 Million. (Competitive Enterprise Institute, 2011)

244: Bundlers Who Accounted For 40 Percent Of Obama’s 2nd Quarter Fundraising Haul. (Politico, 7/15/11)

90%: Americans Describe The State Of The Nation’s Economy As “Not So Good” Or “Poor.” (Washington Post-ABC News Poll, 7/14-17/11)

80%: Small Businesses That Could Be Forced To Change Health Care Plans As A Result Of ObamaCare. (The Washington Post, 6/15/10)

79%: Stimulus Funds For Wind, Solar And Geothermal Energy Projects That Went To Foreign Firms. (Investigating Reporting Workshop/ABC’s World News Tonight/Watchdog Institute, 2/8/10)

59%: Americans Think The Economy Will Be Poor This Time Next Year. The Highest CNN Has Recorded Since First Asking The Question In 1997. (CNN/ORC Poll, 7/18-20/11)

54%: Say Their Finances Are Not So Good Or Poor. (Bloomberg, 7/7/11)

16.2%: Workers Unemployed Or Underemployed. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Accessed 7/8/11)

9.2%: Unemployment Rate. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Accessed 7/8/11)

3.6%: Inflation Rate During The Last 12 Months. (The Wall Street Journal, 7/6/11)

1: Budget Speeches The CBO Can’t Score. (Committee On The Budget, U.S. House Hearing,, 6/23/11)

1/3: Portion Of Obama’s Fundraising That Came From Wall Street Bankers. (Reuters, 7/22/11)

0: Other People Obama Will Have Left To Blame For The Failures Of His Economic Policies In 2012. (The American People, 11/6/12)



Hat tips: Lonely Conservative, the RNC (PDF) and Maggie’s Notebook.


It's just that simple [Papa B]

Papa B:


"And thus, dear students, we have arrived at the formula for understanding women!"



Tales from the Obamaconomy: The Burger King was just handed a pink slip

Nothing's quite as tragic as seeing royalty hit the skids.

...USA Today reported that Burger King is “dethroning the creepy King character.” Today’s media reports about the company owned by investment firm 3G Capital focus on the loss of the “Barry Gibb-Lookalike Mascot” but the company itself was more tactful, announcing that its next ad campaign will focus on food...

...Burger King’s senior marketing vice president Alex Macedo told USA Today “there are no plans to bring the King back anytime soon.” This wording seems to provide some chance of a return in the distant future, which would be good news for those of us who value texture in burgers and in burger ads.

By my estimation, the President has now saved or created a negative 2,500,001 jobs since he took office.



Top 10 Military Robots That You Wouldn't Want to See Near Your House

A tradeshow in Washington called "Unmanned Systems" features the latest in military robotics. The Wall Street Journal features a slide-show of the latest robots and drones. My ten favorites:










Does it ever seem to you like we're getting closer and closer to SkyNet?

Check out the entire slide-show at the Wall Street Journal.



'Day of Rage': Oh, How I Wish These Leftist Kooks Would Try This Crap In a Red State

John Schroy at @CapFlowWatch alerts us to an "Uber-Left plan 'Day of Rage' on Wall Street in September... [an attempt] to collapse the system, a la Cloward & Piven".

The invaluable NoisyRoom explains:

A movement is suddenly springing up from nowhere (ah-huh) to take on the free enterprise, “capitalist” system. In America, they are especially targeting Wall Street, a place still somewhat constitutionally sovereign to the U.S.A. and not thoroughly controlled yet by authoritarian global collectivism.

That is a Wall Street which has already been damaged by the Cloward-Piven orchestrated mortgage meltdown and stemming from that was assailed by the protorevolutionary Obama-Peloisi-Reid government, which brought boa constrictor regulation — by “reform” with loopholes wide enough to fit Brinks trucks for large and coordinated hedge fund manipulators, and which shielded a Securities & Exchange Commission gone dark from the kinds of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) inquiries that uncovered Bernie Madoff. Cloward-Piven government, indeed...

...A “U.S. Day of Rage” is scheduled to start an “Occupy Wall Street” camp-out on “17/9/2011″ (which would denote orchestration by those who use the British means of writing dates)... that is no surprise to those who have looked into the updated mode of Marxist revolution stemming from the Gramsci and Trotsky schools and historically, even the days before Marx and Engels. Revolutionary proponents likes to hide behind the non-American ideal of democracy (as in permanent rule of the proletariat majority, forget about a republic) along with nebulous and mysterious anarchistic labeling...

...The term “Day(s) of Rage” is the product of Chicago’s Weathermen, led by Obama workmate Bill Ayers and cohabitants... This Day of Rage speaks of non-violence, yet plays up the violent terrorism of the current rioting proceeding in Great Britain.

Here's hoping New York's finest spare no expense in deploying water-cannon, rubber bullets, batons, cattle prods, and tasers to keep the Leftist kooks in check.

Y'all ready to ride the lightning???



Larwyn's Linx: A Lawless Administration Halts Deportation of Illegal Aliens

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

Nation

A Lawless Administration Halts Deportation of Illegal Aliens: GWP
I Refuse to Obey the Law: RS
Court rejects White House secrecy: visitor logs subject to FOIA: JW

After DOJ Threats, Controversial Mosque Wins Approval: Creeping
Obamacare Heads to the Supreme Court: AmSpec
Obama's tour bus never stopped in black communities: RWN

Big Donor to Democrats Appointed to Obamacare Policy Panel: RWN
Oh Boy: Obama Orders End to Deportation of Illegal Aliens: Ace
Ugh: Greta, Sarah rally behind Tea Party poser Orrin Hatch: Malkin

Economy

Regulation Business, Jobs Booming Under Obama: TexasInsider
Business owners struggle with regulations, Obamacare: PJM
As US Credit Rating Falls, Florida’s Rises: RWN

If this is “halfway there,” imagine what “there” will be...: LI
Obama faces worst-case 2012 scenario: Pethokoukis
"Not a Minor Complication": Mish

The Community Reinvestment Act Comes Full Circle: Driscoll
Atlas Is Sorta Shrugging: Hanson
Wisconsin Politics: Chicago Boyz

Gunrunner

HAHHAHAHHAHA: Holder requests Fast and Furious docs from Issa, Grassley for ‘independent’ investigation: DC
ATF Whistleblower: Gunwalker Officials Being Shielded: Owens
ATF denies it promoted Fast and Furious supervisors: LAT

Climate & Energy

Obama MPG Regs Can Cause Vehicle Cost Increases of Over $11,000 : CNS
Bureaucrats Use Environmentalism to Choke Off Colorado Resources: RWN
NASA Report: Rising Greenhouse Emissions May Provoke A Pre-Emptive Alien Attack: WZ

Media

War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, The Stimulus is a Narcotic: Driscoll
When you've lost Politico... (Obama's Unhelpful Advice): Politico
The FTC's Internet Kill Switch: RS

Variations on a theme of media bias. "These Fourth Estate Fifth Columnists.": Sipsey
So How Is That "Summer Where We Just Sit Back and Appreciate the Splendor of Obama" Working Out?: Ace
“Liberal Media Bias Is A Myth” Alert: CBS News Sells Obama Merchandise On Its Online Store: WZ

Coburn: Obama Likes Dependency Programs Because Obama Has Benefited From Them: Ace
Barack Obama's Martha's Vineyard vacation looks like an act of presidential hara-kiri: Gardiner
Janeane Garofalo Is A Racist: Glob

World

Why the Tea Party should resist gutting defense: Bolton
Chinese Carrier Shi Lang At Sea: DefTech
Rick Perry and Islam: Knish

Obama Demands Israel Apologize To Islamist Erdogan For Stopping Terror Flotilla…Or Else!: LI
New Phase in War as Terrorists Cross Egypt-Israel Border, Many Dead: BRubin
Support Your Local 'Plant-a-Pig'!: Reaganite

Iran's Enablers in Latin America: PJM
Al Qaida Attack In Israel! Seven Dead, Terrorists Infiltrated From EGYPT: BigPeace
Muslims urged to bomb military funerals as new way to bring terror to America: Atlas

Sci-Tech

Nissan Adding QR Codes on All 2012 Vehicles: CMOsite
APT Attackers Hiding In Plain Sight: Dark Reading
It’s Official: HP Kills Off webOS Phones And The TouchPad: Crunch

Cornucopia

This is What You Get For a 1000 Bucks a Night: iOTW
Obama bus tour finally stimulates something: More photoshop mockery: Malkin
Bulk up without getting kicked out: ‘Natural’ supplements can help you build muscle, stay clean: ArmyTimes

Image: Sipsey Street Irregulars
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Please support the Senate Conservatives Fund

QOTD: "In yet another demonstration of contempt for the rule of law and the separation of powers, the Obama administration has announced that it will no longer enforce our immigration laws. Secretary of Homeland Insecurity Janet Napolitano proclaimed in a letter to the Senate that she will suspend deportation proceedings and grant amnesty to those who ostensibly fit the criteria of the Dream Act – a bill that was defeated with overwhelming bipartisan support of Congress. Hence, Obama is publicly declaring that he will ensure our laws are not executed faithfully.

This unprecedented abdication on the part of the president begs the question... if the president is above the law, then why should any of us be compelled to adhere to laws that we regard as undesirable or unfair?" --Daniel Horowitz